Discussion
OK listen up, guys. There are things you can do with your car that make it look a bit prettier, go a little faster, but this is something that will literally transform your night-time driving experience. I kid you not. Shock, horror, you will be able to see!
They are called HID lights (High Intensity Discharge) lights - sometimes known as xenon lights. But don't confuse proper HIDs with replacement bulbs that make reference to 'xenon' in the title. They are not the same. HIDs have no filament and require a starter and ballast to give off their characteristic intense light. I had mine fitted by Skip at NobleLondon yesterday, and the difference when driving at night was simply stunning. Before I would turn on the lights, and then think Hmmmm maybe I need to turn on the lights. Anything over 50mph on country roads was just downright dangerous. This was with standard Phillips halogen lights, correctly aligned.
With the new lights, even in the current crappy conditions where the tarmac is covered with salty sh*te and every photon of light just seems to be absorbed rather than reflected, I had clear white light allowing me to see full width of the road and kerb with the reach extending almost as far as full beam. As they were correctly adjusted I had no problems with on-coming traffic. Wasn't flashed once. Manufacturers claim 300% increase over halogen, and I can believe it. They also operate at 35W rather than 55W, so you get an environmental brownie-point as well.
Kits are pretty easy to get hold of - I got mine from HIDS4U (Pro PLus at around £140). They do an 'Ultimate' for another £100 for modern cars with sophisticated ECUs. Take it from me -you don't need one of these for a Noble lol.
Fitting was simplicity itself - I just handed the kit over to Skip!
He tried fitting the ballast under the lighting shroud , but unfortunately it didn't quite fit. Although the system is supposed to be waterproof, it's intended site is in an engine bay. The alternative on the Noble was in the front wheel arch which Skip reckoned was not a great place for an electrical component, so he mounted it in the radiator fan housing (see pic below)where it will remain relatively dry and dirt free
This entailed drilling through the side panel where the rad fans are located and drilling another hole through the lighting shroud and also extending the stock wiring by another 2-3 feet.
No doubt you could botch something together far simpler than this , but if you want a really professional finish that will last - this is the route to go.
We also have a photo when one HID light was done and one halogen was still in so you can compare the difference in light intensity - I'll post this later when I get it from NL.
They are called HID lights (High Intensity Discharge) lights - sometimes known as xenon lights. But don't confuse proper HIDs with replacement bulbs that make reference to 'xenon' in the title. They are not the same. HIDs have no filament and require a starter and ballast to give off their characteristic intense light. I had mine fitted by Skip at NobleLondon yesterday, and the difference when driving at night was simply stunning. Before I would turn on the lights, and then think Hmmmm maybe I need to turn on the lights. Anything over 50mph on country roads was just downright dangerous. This was with standard Phillips halogen lights, correctly aligned.
With the new lights, even in the current crappy conditions where the tarmac is covered with salty sh*te and every photon of light just seems to be absorbed rather than reflected, I had clear white light allowing me to see full width of the road and kerb with the reach extending almost as far as full beam. As they were correctly adjusted I had no problems with on-coming traffic. Wasn't flashed once. Manufacturers claim 300% increase over halogen, and I can believe it. They also operate at 35W rather than 55W, so you get an environmental brownie-point as well.
Kits are pretty easy to get hold of - I got mine from HIDS4U (Pro PLus at around £140). They do an 'Ultimate' for another £100 for modern cars with sophisticated ECUs. Take it from me -you don't need one of these for a Noble lol.
Fitting was simplicity itself - I just handed the kit over to Skip!
He tried fitting the ballast under the lighting shroud , but unfortunately it didn't quite fit. Although the system is supposed to be waterproof, it's intended site is in an engine bay. The alternative on the Noble was in the front wheel arch which Skip reckoned was not a great place for an electrical component, so he mounted it in the radiator fan housing (see pic below)where it will remain relatively dry and dirt free
This entailed drilling through the side panel where the rad fans are located and drilling another hole through the lighting shroud and also extending the stock wiring by another 2-3 feet.
No doubt you could botch something together far simpler than this , but if you want a really professional finish that will last - this is the route to go.
We also have a photo when one HID light was done and one halogen was still in so you can compare the difference in light intensity - I'll post this later when I get it from NL.
Looks great. Definitely want to do this.
Was it this one you bought?
http://www.hids4u.co.uk/store/product.php?producti...
How are you going to get on for the MOT as they need to be self levelling and have a washer system I thought?
Richard
Was it this one you bought?
http://www.hids4u.co.uk/store/product.php?producti...
How are you going to get on for the MOT as they need to be self levelling and have a washer system I thought?
Richard
Hi Rob,
Looks like a good job by Skip at NL, and a good product.
Looking at the HIDS4U site, it seems that they do 2 kits which should fit:
ProPlus (35W) which you went for
ProPlus
ProMax (55W) which would be even brighter
ProMax
They also apparently come in different colour temperatures (speaking to them just now, they apparently do both in 5000k and 6000k although only have 6000k in stock at the moment).
What colour did you get, and if 6000k how "blue" is it? I'm sure I've read that lights with a blue tinge can be quite tiring on the eyes?
Judging by your reaction, I assume that the 35W ones are more than adequate. Do you think 55W ones may be overkill?
Oh yes, and finally I too would be interested in the MOT question.
Many thanks,
Conrad.
Looks like a good job by Skip at NL, and a good product.
Looking at the HIDS4U site, it seems that they do 2 kits which should fit:
ProPlus (35W) which you went for
ProPlus
ProMax (55W) which would be even brighter
ProMax
They also apparently come in different colour temperatures (speaking to them just now, they apparently do both in 5000k and 6000k although only have 6000k in stock at the moment).
What colour did you get, and if 6000k how "blue" is it? I'm sure I've read that lights with a blue tinge can be quite tiring on the eyes?
Judging by your reaction, I assume that the 35W ones are more than adequate. Do you think 55W ones may be overkill?
Oh yes, and finally I too would be interested in the MOT question.
Many thanks,
Conrad.
Originally, I was going to go for the 55W Pro Max, but they didn't have any in stock at the time and was told that they were originally designed for serious off-road use -which is something I hope none of us get up to in our Nobles 
For normal road use the 35W are brilliant.
The higher up the colour temp range you go the bluer and purple the lights will appear and also you get less visible light (I guess some folk just think they look cool). Ideal is 5-6K. I specified 5K but noticed 6K on the box when I got them. When you first turn them on you can notice a v slight blue tinge, but in a matter of seconds they heat up and you get a crystal white colour which makes the halogens look a dirty yellowy orange in comparison. Mine look about the same colour temp as on my Beemer, and I don't get any problems with eye-fatigue with them.
For OEM you're right, xenon lights have to come with self levelling and washing mechanisms. But this rule does NOT apply to after-market conversion kits (no matter how daft that may seem). So no problems with MOT.
For normal road use the 35W are brilliant.
The higher up the colour temp range you go the bluer and purple the lights will appear and also you get less visible light (I guess some folk just think they look cool). Ideal is 5-6K. I specified 5K but noticed 6K on the box when I got them. When you first turn them on you can notice a v slight blue tinge, but in a matter of seconds they heat up and you get a crystal white colour which makes the halogens look a dirty yellowy orange in comparison. Mine look about the same colour temp as on my Beemer, and I don't get any problems with eye-fatigue with them.
For OEM you're right, xenon lights have to come with self levelling and washing mechanisms. But this rule does NOT apply to after-market conversion kits (no matter how daft that may seem). So no problems with MOT.
Biggriff said:
Looks great. Definitely want to do this.
Was it this one you bought?
http://www.hids4u.co.uk/store/product.php?producti...
How are you going to get on for the MOT as they need to be self levelling and have a washer system I thought?
Richard
Richard -yep, that's the one. See comment on MOT above.Was it this one you bought?
http://www.hids4u.co.uk/store/product.php?producti...
How are you going to get on for the MOT as they need to be self levelling and have a washer system I thought?
Richard
Biggriff said:
Looks great. Definitely want to do this.
Was it this one you bought?
http://www.hids4u.co.uk/store/product.php?producti...
How are you going to get on for the MOT as they need to be self levelling and have a washer system I thought?
Richard
I fitted HID lights last january and they have been fantastic. Was it this one you bought?
http://www.hids4u.co.uk/store/product.php?producti...
How are you going to get on for the MOT as they need to be self levelling and have a washer system I thought?
Richard
I spoke to a MOT tech and he said they should have washers regardless of whether they are fitted after market or not. however he doubted that anyone would fail an MOT so long as the lights were aligned properly.
F.C.
The Bosch? ones I bought are about £80:00 and so far have not missed a beat.
FleaBay has loads for sale.
Edited by F.C. on Friday 21st December 16:34
I would have thought so, but I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. AFAIK the critical feature is whether it has a projector rather than reflector lens system. If they are of the old reflector type then you'll get a lot of light 'scatter' and blind on-coming traffic (and fail your MoT to boot). When the alignment is checked you need to make sure that there is sharp cut-off, so as not to blind on-coming traffic.
Looking at the photo you can obviously see the difference.
This got me thinking - can anything be done with the sidelights? Would there be a direct swap (for example) for say LED replacement bulbs so there is a much closer colour match, or would they have to be replaced with another set of HIDs (which would surely be too powerful???)
Does anyone know the bulb type for the sidelights? I've looked at the wiki and can't get alot of joy from googling the part numbers posted.
Just thought that if taking the lights apart and then having to re-seal them, it would make sense to do the others at the same time if there's a sensible solution.
Cheers,
Conrad.
This got me thinking - can anything be done with the sidelights? Would there be a direct swap (for example) for say LED replacement bulbs so there is a much closer colour match, or would they have to be replaced with another set of HIDs (which would surely be too powerful???)
Does anyone know the bulb type for the sidelights? I've looked at the wiki and can't get alot of joy from googling the part numbers posted.
Just thought that if taking the lights apart and then having to re-seal them, it would make sense to do the others at the same time if there's a sensible solution.
Cheers,
Conrad.
daddysumo said:
Please forgive my ignorance but does one kit do both the low and high beam lamps or are two kits redq ?
Steve
Not really possible on High beam as there is a "strike" delay when swithing on....Steve
Edited by daddysumo on Friday 21st December 17:03
So your high beam flasher would be all but useless unless you spash out on specialist kit!!
F.C.
mr.man said:
Not obvious to me but could they be fitted to the original/classic headlamp design?
i.e. 2.5,s and GTO3,s
The old cars can use the H4 kit. it has only one "filament" and provides either dip or main beam via a solenoid operated shroud over the bulb...for main beam it retracts so all of the reflector sees the "filament" and for low it shrouds the "filament" so only part of the reflector is used thus giving dip beam.i.e. 2.5,s and GTO3,s
I think it will suffer from the same problem of delayed strike for "flashing" though.
F.C.
F.C. said:
daddysumo said:
Please forgive my ignorance but does one kit do both the low and high beam lamps or are two kits redq ?
Steve
Not really possible on High beam as there is a "strike" delay when swithing on....Steve
Edited by daddysumo on Friday 21st December 17:03
So your high beam flasher would be all but useless unless you spash out on specialist kit!!
F.C.
HIS4U website FAQ said:
Can I install HID on my main beam and fog lights?
Yes HIDS4U kits can be fitted on main beam as they fire instantly and they do not draw excessive current so they will not damage the original factory wiring. Fog lights can also be fitted with HID kits as can auxiliary lights and driving lights.
HIDS4U FAQ linkYes HIDS4U kits can be fitted on main beam as they fire instantly and they do not draw excessive current so they will not damage the original factory wiring. Fog lights can also be fitted with HID kits as can auxiliary lights and driving lights.
They seem to say flash is not a problem with their kits?
[quote=C&C]
So your high beam flasher would be all but useless unless you spash out on specialist kit!!
F.C.
They seem to say flash is not a problem with their kits?
That's progress for you!F.C. said:
daddysumo said:
Please forgive my ignorance but does one kit do both the low and high beam lamps or are two kits redq ?
Steve
Not really possible on High beam as there is a "strike" delay when swithing on....Steve
Edited by daddysumo on Friday 21st December 17:03
So your high beam flasher would be all but useless unless you spash out on specialist kit!!
F.C.
HIS4U website FAQ said:
Can I install HID on my main beam and fog lights?
Yes HIDS4U kits can be fitted on main beam as they fire instantly and they do not draw excessive current so they will not damage the original factory wiring. Fog lights can also be fitted with HID kits as can auxiliary lights and driving lights.
HIDS4U FAQ linkYes HIDS4U kits can be fitted on main beam as they fire instantly and they do not draw excessive current so they will not damage the original factory wiring. Fog lights can also be fitted with HID kits as can auxiliary lights and driving lights.
They seem to say flash is not a problem with their kits?
If you fit to your main beam let me know how it performs "flash wise".
F.C.
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