HID Lights - Are They Worth It?

[Ikemi]

Now that the dark nights are with us and my commute is mostly made up of unlit country roads, for the past few days I have been considering the HID Hi/Lo kit for the S1 as my next immediate upgrade - Whoever warned me that upgrading was addictive, they were right! I'm starting to agree with others who have compared the OE lights to candles and that oncoming traffic blinds you to the point where you cannot see ahead!

I've done a bit of research and have searched through past threads on this forum, but there isn't much of a conclusive answer ... Someone said that HID lights do not improve viewable distance, only the quality of what you can already see.

Anyone with HID lights tell me their opinions? Any photos of before and after? Worth the £200+? Easy to fit?

Sorry for the abrupt finish - Being kicked out the office! lol

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

Bulk buy on SELOC, cheaper prices. Quite a few people going in for it, so that should answer your question really

[Grinnders]

I only have pictures looking at the car; i.e. not from the inside looking out.

Check SELOC techwiki arcticle here http://wiki.seloc.org/a/High_Intensity_Discharge_lamps 

You'll find pictures of before and after for S1 and S2 models. There is also a SELOC group buy happening at the moment with some very competitive pricing from Elise-shop. (edited: Too slow)

They emit 3x the light of Halogen on average, so although some aspects may be subjective there is some science to support the fact that they are brighter and produce light more akin to a daylight spectrum.

There is too much street lighting near me to have validated during installation, but once I have my spots upgraded perhaps I'll go out with another S1 and do a side by side. It is a fairly reversible procedure but I may feel a bit too conspicuous doing stuff like that in the middle of the forest or something !

Edited by Grinnders on Monday 12th November 16:43

[Stephanie Plum]

I did the dipped beam only on mine and they're great. Everyone I know who has done the upgrade, which is a fair few, all recommend it.

[stuthemong]

I bought the hi/low kit on the SELOC GB yesterday. Should be with me for fitting this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes - I had to slow right down to 40 odd mph on back roads with oncoming as I couldnt see anything, so I hope this will be £230 and a saturday well spent.

[S Works]

Very worth it. Possibly the best upgrade I've done.

[Gooby]

S Works said:

Very worth it. Possibly the best upgrade I've done.

Agreed.
Makes the car far more visable for other motorists and illuminates the road brilliantly.

[Tyrant]

Worth it for sure! I only paid £75 for an Ebay dipped beam kit.

[bjc388]

Gooby said:

S Works said:

Very worth it. Possibly the best upgrade I've done.

Agreed.
Makes the car far more visable for other motorists and illuminates the road brilliantly.

Yep endorse the above comments - definitely worth the outlay and significantly better performance than the stock items. Your friendly local Lotus independent can probably supply and fit a suitable kit.