While I'm on modding... HID Conversions

[V8Cerbera]

From all of you who have ditched the Lucas 7" lights, what is the best tuscan-style HID light conversion out there and the relative costs?

[jbvipercerb]

I,ve just done this to my car, just, as in last week, and I bought the H7 hid kit from ebay (hids direct) for £99. The parts were good quality, they came very fast but what a job to fit the bulbs! Because the hole under the wing is for the origional style headlights and the new dip beam light at the top, doesn't line up with the hole
It took me about 2 hours to fit the bulbs and an hour to wire them, well not quite.
The kit came with an extra wiring loom, with a fuse and relay, to get power directly from the battery, I wasn't going to use this and just plug them into the origional light wiring but on start up the hid's take 8 amps each, so I thought I might overload the control box.
It was all straight forward and instructions for everything, the only problem I had was when the main beam was on the dip was on as well, which was good, but when you flashed main beam with the button on the steering wheel it flashed dip beam which I didn't like (I thought it may damage the ballast transformers for the bulbs). So I fit an extra side light fed relay next to the control box so the dip beams would only flash with the lights on.
As for light output they are like fantastic white search lights compared to candles!
Sorry for loads of writing but they were well worth it, and Ive just helped put some in a Tuscan, they were that good I didn't need to talk him into it!
They were simple to fit but for the bulb fittage and dip beam flash. Go for it you'll be amazed at the difference.
John

[TVRWhoa]

I used Joospeeds - they are superb - but spread light eveywhere with the original reflector - am going for lightweight pods next with gas discharge or hid's in them.

[gazzab]

TVRWhoa said:

I used Joospeeds - they are superb - but spread light eveywhere with the original reflector - am going for lightweight pods next with gas discharge or hid's in them.

You have the H4 kit? Do you like it? Is it worth doing? MOT ok?

[headcase]

Ive read loads on these conversions, basically they reckon that these bulb replacements are illegal due to the lenses in a propper HID light being different from a hallogen one! So a HID bulb in a hallogen lens = v poor beam pattern (dazzling other derivers, poor distance visibility, very bright forground visibility causing your pupils to enlarge compacting the poor distance problem), the list goes on so it is worth looking into.

Also, you wont break the ballast as it is only used to strike the arc at startup, after that it isnt used.

[jbvipercerb]

Hmm, when I fit my hid kit I just used the garage door as a beam setter, I marked it before I changed the bulbs, it did change the beam slightly, it made the bottom flat part a bit curved,but only a bit. The tuscan I've done I put on a beam setter and the beam was perfect and I've been in front of him in the dark and it doesn't dazzle anyone.
All it says in the instructions for fitting the bulbs is, make sure they don't touch the inner lens because there slightly longer. Every things ok up to now and I've used them a few times.

[TVRWhoa]

gazzab said:

said You have the H4 kit? Do you like it? Is it worth doing? MOT ok?

It is definitely worth it - as the light output is fantastic, I do a lot of country lane driving unlit, and before the conversion it was hard to drive without really knowing the road, now it lights up the road very well, worth every penny.

The downside is that you get flashed every now and again as people think you have your main beam on.

No problem with the MOT as they meet the beam pattern no problem, I would just say that the standard reflector disperses the light up as well as out, I think they would work better with a pod type light on the Tuscan, Cerb lightweight etc, as I suspect these focus the light better.

It is a vast improvement on the original lights and I would definitely do it.