HID conversion kits?
Discussion
dowahdiddyman said:
GC8 said:
...and theyll probably melt your lamps or set your car on fire!
I know they are illegal but I`ve been using them for years and never had a problem and they`ve gone through mot`s no problem. My MX-5 had had 100w bulbs fitted by a previous owner who wasnt bright enough himself to polish the polycarbonate lenses to let the light out.
Both fitings were damaged by the heat and a small part of the loom had to be replaced where it had set on fire.
RizzoTheRat said:
I tried a 6000k and really didn't like it, the poor colour definition messes with depth perception somehow, now have a 4300k and its spot on. I'm using H7r rather than H7 as they have s little strip along the top of the bulb to reduce glare when used in a reflector.
I'm running 4300k in the 'Stang and the light (35w H13r) is brilliant, the beam pattern (Standard US flat beam) is the same with HID and Halogen. I was warned off going above 5000k (around natural daylight)and going for 55w (standard power rating).The kit I am running also uses the stock headlight power connector to switch a relay rather than power the light. A live is fed (via a fuse) from the fuse box live in. The other light connector is balooned/bagged and taped up before being tucked away, the power then comes from the weather sealed relay.
Super reliable good quality and it only cost $90.
GC8 said:
I wasnt commenting on their legality, on on the fact that theyll probably damage your car.
My MX-5 had had 100w bulbs fitted by a previous owner who wasnt bright enough himself to polish the polycarbonate lenses to let the light out.
Both fitings were damaged by the heat and a small part of the loom had to be replaced where it had set on fire.
HID are lower power than standard bulbs, so no issues with the loom, I've got a 35W one fitted and it's way brighter than the standard 55W. Presumably there's an initial surge quite a bit higher than the rated wattage but that's true for incandescent bulbs too.My MX-5 had had 100w bulbs fitted by a previous owner who wasnt bright enough himself to polish the polycarbonate lenses to let the light out.
Both fitings were damaged by the heat and a small part of the loom had to be replaced where it had set on fire.
300bhp/ton said:
There's some great info here: http://www.intellexual.net/hid.html
Some extracts from the site:
BULB SELECTION
HID bulbs come in two common standards today known as: D2S and D2R. D2S uses the D2 base and a clear, naked bulb. D2R uses the same D2 base and a bulb with a metallic strip along one edge to combat unwanted glare in the reflector headlamp. So in OEM HID applications D2R is used in reflector-type HID assemblies whereas D2S is used in projector-type assemblies. When you're purchasing an HID kit, you want to go with a D2S bulb because it emits slightly more light than the D2R.
For conversion kits of course we won't be using a D2 base, but probably a H fitment, H4 or whatever, but the fact still remains the "R" type bulbs are the ones you need for reflector lamps.
As far as color selection goes, there are two main color temperatures out there: ~4100 kelvin, which is OEM color, and ~6000 kelvin, which is aftermarket color. By the way, the term 'color temperature' does not have any correlation with the property of 'thermal temperature'. I personally do not see any reason for buying anything other than 4100K OEM, but that's me. Some people like blue light and are willing to pay extra money for extra blueness and less brightness---and thus the 6000K market. I'm sure the reason isn't because people like to see everything on the road in bluescale, but because they want their headlights to appear blue to onlookers. The proper way to achieve more blue/violet in your HIDs is to do an OEM projector HID retrofit and upgrade the projector lenses to ECE-spec.
The following is probably one of the largest and most deceitful marketing ploys exploited on the internet today. So I will state, for the record: Osram-Sylvania's highest color temperature bulb is 5400K and Philips' highest color temperature bulb is 5800K (marketed at 6000K Ultinon). Nowhere on either of their corporate or consumer websites do they claim, endorse, or offer any HID bulb or kit that produces light over 6000K.
--this maybe out of date information these days, but was certainly correct a few years ago.
MISCONCEPTIONS
There are many companies and private merchants out there that will advertise 7000K, 8000K, and even 12000K HID kits. Most of these vendors lurk around on ebay, online car forums, websites, and ricer accessory shops. 100% of the people that buy these kits do so because they are uninformed, uneducated, or misguided in the field of lighting, and will buy these junk kits thinking three things: that these bulbs are brighter.
So allow me to explain the real truth of the matter... Philips is the number one manufacturer of HID bulbs. The Philips OEM D2S bulb is rated at 4100K at 12.8 volts and produces 3200 lumens of light. The Philips Ultinon D2S is 5800K at 12.8 volts and produces 2400 lumens of light. As you can see, with all other factors remaining constant, the brightness of an HID bulb declines the higher up the color index you go. Vision, a Korean bulb manufacturer, makes an 8000K bulb, which they used to advertise on Acura-Forums as 2000 lumens bright. This is barely a marked improvement over halogens, and will produce more glare and eye fatigue than it is beneficial.
4100K has been proven through tireless independent research by the Germans, Japanese, and Americans to be the most functional, truest white and thus the brightest possible color temperature (ceteris paribus).
Every car manufacturer in the world (including BMW and Audi) uses none other than a standard 4100K gas-discharge bulb. No exceptions. The reason being is that 4100K is daylight white in color and produces the same color visible light as direct sunlight. This is least fatiguing functional color on the eyes and produces the most comfortable contrast on the road.
You are looking at two 8000K HID low beam and fog light kits installed on a GS300 (gs300). One of the foglights retains the orignal halogen bulb for comparison purposes.
What I'm trying to illustrate here is the glow of blue light (or glare) that radiates off 8000K bulbs. This glow breaks out of the beam pattern and blinds oncoming motorists. Also note how small the actual brightness gain is when you go from factory halogen to 8000K HID. Is it even worth your while?
Blue light also shifts the color hue of everything on the road to blue scale, which fatigues your eyes more than a standard halogen bulb, and it's brightness isn't that much of a marked improvement over a xenon-filled halogen bulb. As evidence of this blue eye fatigue, anyone in the Armed Forces, or anyone who is an astonomer/stargazer, knows to read maps and charts at night using a red light.
Above is an 8000K HID kit conversion installed on a GS400 (a1exus) with typical poor cut-off and severe color bleeding above and around the cut-off line, and even in the shadows of the railings. This is just one example of blue light's high-energy wavelengths. All the light above the poorly defined cut-off can be translated into "glare" by other motorists.
Here is a 4100K OEM HID retrofit with sharp, clean cut-off as well as sharp defined beam pattern. The very well defined bounds are created by properly engineered optics used in their intended design. This is a perfect beam pattern. Notice that only the driver-side headlight is on and this is merely half of the light this car will end up producing.
Cheers buddy.Some extracts from the site:
BULB SELECTION
HID bulbs come in two common standards today known as: D2S and D2R. D2S uses the D2 base and a clear, naked bulb. D2R uses the same D2 base and a bulb with a metallic strip along one edge to combat unwanted glare in the reflector headlamp. So in OEM HID applications D2R is used in reflector-type HID assemblies whereas D2S is used in projector-type assemblies. When you're purchasing an HID kit, you want to go with a D2S bulb because it emits slightly more light than the D2R.
For conversion kits of course we won't be using a D2 base, but probably a H fitment, H4 or whatever, but the fact still remains the "R" type bulbs are the ones you need for reflector lamps.
As far as color selection goes, there are two main color temperatures out there: ~4100 kelvin, which is OEM color, and ~6000 kelvin, which is aftermarket color. By the way, the term 'color temperature' does not have any correlation with the property of 'thermal temperature'. I personally do not see any reason for buying anything other than 4100K OEM, but that's me. Some people like blue light and are willing to pay extra money for extra blueness and less brightness---and thus the 6000K market. I'm sure the reason isn't because people like to see everything on the road in bluescale, but because they want their headlights to appear blue to onlookers. The proper way to achieve more blue/violet in your HIDs is to do an OEM projector HID retrofit and upgrade the projector lenses to ECE-spec.
The following is probably one of the largest and most deceitful marketing ploys exploited on the internet today. So I will state, for the record: Osram-Sylvania's highest color temperature bulb is 5400K and Philips' highest color temperature bulb is 5800K (marketed at 6000K Ultinon). Nowhere on either of their corporate or consumer websites do they claim, endorse, or offer any HID bulb or kit that produces light over 6000K.
--this maybe out of date information these days, but was certainly correct a few years ago.
MISCONCEPTIONS
There are many companies and private merchants out there that will advertise 7000K, 8000K, and even 12000K HID kits. Most of these vendors lurk around on ebay, online car forums, websites, and ricer accessory shops. 100% of the people that buy these kits do so because they are uninformed, uneducated, or misguided in the field of lighting, and will buy these junk kits thinking three things: that these bulbs are brighter.
So allow me to explain the real truth of the matter... Philips is the number one manufacturer of HID bulbs. The Philips OEM D2S bulb is rated at 4100K at 12.8 volts and produces 3200 lumens of light. The Philips Ultinon D2S is 5800K at 12.8 volts and produces 2400 lumens of light. As you can see, with all other factors remaining constant, the brightness of an HID bulb declines the higher up the color index you go. Vision, a Korean bulb manufacturer, makes an 8000K bulb, which they used to advertise on Acura-Forums as 2000 lumens bright. This is barely a marked improvement over halogens, and will produce more glare and eye fatigue than it is beneficial.
4100K has been proven through tireless independent research by the Germans, Japanese, and Americans to be the most functional, truest white and thus the brightest possible color temperature (ceteris paribus).
Every car manufacturer in the world (including BMW and Audi) uses none other than a standard 4100K gas-discharge bulb. No exceptions. The reason being is that 4100K is daylight white in color and produces the same color visible light as direct sunlight. This is least fatiguing functional color on the eyes and produces the most comfortable contrast on the road.
You are looking at two 8000K HID low beam and fog light kits installed on a GS300 (gs300). One of the foglights retains the orignal halogen bulb for comparison purposes.
What I'm trying to illustrate here is the glow of blue light (or glare) that radiates off 8000K bulbs. This glow breaks out of the beam pattern and blinds oncoming motorists. Also note how small the actual brightness gain is when you go from factory halogen to 8000K HID. Is it even worth your while?
Blue light also shifts the color hue of everything on the road to blue scale, which fatigues your eyes more than a standard halogen bulb, and it's brightness isn't that much of a marked improvement over a xenon-filled halogen bulb. As evidence of this blue eye fatigue, anyone in the Armed Forces, or anyone who is an astonomer/stargazer, knows to read maps and charts at night using a red light.
Above is an 8000K HID kit conversion installed on a GS400 (a1exus) with typical poor cut-off and severe color bleeding above and around the cut-off line, and even in the shadows of the railings. This is just one example of blue light's high-energy wavelengths. All the light above the poorly defined cut-off can be translated into "glare" by other motorists.
Here is a 4100K OEM HID retrofit with sharp, clean cut-off as well as sharp defined beam pattern. The very well defined bounds are created by properly engineered optics used in their intended design. This is a perfect beam pattern. Notice that only the driver-side headlight is on and this is merely half of the light this car will end up producing.
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