A1
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 03:27 AM |
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are these any good?
its the ultra HID conversion kit for your lights. Im never too sure about these things... Is it better to just get brighter bulbs?
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/hid-conversion-kits
Cheers!
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PSpirine
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 03:55 AM |
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Without getting into too much detail...
Unless you've got projector headlamps, don't even think about it.
You SHOULD in theory also have auto-levelling and headlamp washers, although personally I don't think these make a great deal of difference if
you manually adjust them for when your car is loaded.
Whatever you do, please dont fit them if you've got standard reflector headlamps though. It'll look rubbish, won't be any mor
effective, and you'll be blinding everyone silly.
Depending on what driving you do, I'd either get brighter main beams (i.e. 55w dipped/ 100w mains) or a set of dedicated driving lights.
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SeaBass
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 08:59 AM |
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^^^ What he said - a sensible approach.
I converted my Audi Projectors around 3 months after I purchased the car. 4 years later they still function perfectly. The only difference between the
optional OE HIDs is that I don't have self levelling.
I KNOW they're illegal but haven't had one issue at MOT - they simply believe they are OE fitted.
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mcerd1
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 09:14 AM |
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I'd vote for just using better bulbs
I got some halfords branded +50% ones (GE made) a while back when they were selling them 2 for 1
they are 'E' marked so no legal issues and they make a big difference over the bog standard ones - and they are cheaper than the HID kits
-
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tegwin
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 09:35 AM |
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I had some of those fitted tomy Seat Leon Cupra R by a previous owner.... They were a pain in the arse.... because the lenses are not designed for
them, you ended up with an enormous amount of light hitting the road infront of the car and not much going into the distance meaning I was actually
dazzling myself... would NOT recomend fitting them..
By contrast my Polo has them fitted as standard with projector lenses....the most amazing headlights I have ever experienced!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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eddie99
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 10:17 AM |
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My first car (Ford Puma) had terrible headlights, i tried brighter bulbs and the lot and it didnt really help, so fitted HID's. Massive
improvement....
In all fairness, Yes it didnt have self leveling so its not ideal but i personally thought the Puma was dangerous without.....
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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A1
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 01:04 PM |
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I was looking at better bulbs, in light (haha) of what you were all saying, ive gone for these 
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/bulbs/piaa-platinum-competition-white-bulb
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cliftyhanger
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 02:21 PM |
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Looking at those they have very uprated power consumption. I suspect not meant for the road, but far more important is they will fry any lightswitch
PDQ. So relays will be needed after the lightswitch.
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A1
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 03:02 PM |
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They say they only draw 60/80w, so theres a wee increase. Will probably stick in another relay. Theyre not road legal no, but at the moment I can
barely see. and i dont use the car on the road
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thunderace
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 04:53 PM |
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try this it works and are cheeper.
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
ring xenon max xenon max h4 bulbs osram h4 nightbreaker night breaker headlight bulbs h7 h4 h1 h11 h9 philips extreme power x-treme H7 xtreme HB3 HB3
HB3 BMW AUDI FOGLIGHT H3 H3 H3 blue vision headlight bulbs performance bulbs H1 H3 H4 H7 brighter bulbs xenon ring osram philips
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speedview
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 04:58 PM |
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What reflectors/lenses are they being fitted to?
If the beam pattern is wrong it won't matter what you put in there...
A 4-lamp H1 or H7 setup is technically better than a two lamp H4 setup, but a good reflector/lens on an H4 will walk all over a poor reflector/lens on
an H1 or H7 setup.
Cibie 5 3/4s and 7s sold by Tweeks are pretty good. Would love to see what the 105 Cibie proejctors or 90 Hella projectors actually look like.
How are they wired/supplied?
You probably want relays even with standard lights.
Paraphrased from the Daniel Stern site:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html
"Output at 13.2v is "100%". When operating voltage drops to 95 percent (12.54v), headlamp bulbs produce only 83 percent of their
rated light output. When voltage drops to 90 percent (11.88v), bulb output is only 67 percent of what it should be. And when voltage drops to 85
percent (11.22v), bulb output is a paltry 53 percent of normal!"
HIDs don't care about the drop because you have a funky ballast thingy that keeps them struck / lit regardless of supply voltage, but filament
bulbs are VERY sensitive.
Are you running just the main filaments on main beam, or dip and mains at the same time?
Bulbs?
These as standard/legal:
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/bulbs/osram-night-breaker-plus-bulbs
These in 160/90 for melt-everything-in-sight:
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/bulbs/ring-rally-sport-performance-light-bulbs
Be warned though - they will burn the reflective coatings off GLASS headlamps and if rain hits a GLASS headlamp it'll go pop. Plastic will turn
to mush in short order.
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cliftyhanger
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 05:13 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by A1
They say they only draw 60/80w, so theres a wee increase. Will probably stick in another relay. Theyre not road legal no, but at the moment I can
barely see. and i dont use the car on the road
OK, may be alright then. When I clicked the link they were all 100w to 150w! (apart from the sidelights at 10w)
however, I get on well with my osram nightbreakers....
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A1
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 10:31 PM |
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that daniel stern linkys a good read, cheers!
I think the new bulbs will be a huge improvement over whats on now, but i may do some wiring alterations too.
Ill let you know how they get on
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speedview
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| posted on 28/12/11 at 10:49 PM |
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He knows his stuff, nice bloke too.
Probe the wiring with the engine running - anything less than 13.2 and you really ought to sort it before the new bulbs go in.
Check on the male spades of the bulbs themselves, not on the females of the plug, as sometimes you only get corrosion where the female spades touch
the males, but not on the outside or inside the 'round' part of the female spade where its tempting to stick the meter probe.
For the new ones I use this shizzle on ECU type connections that are sensitive to small currents:
http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipment/Contralube-770-121424
But on everything else (incl bulb connectors) I've always used this stuff to good effect - keeps the water out:
http://www.beal.org.uk/lubrication-cleaning/aerosols/clear-grease-spray-400ml-/prod_1255.html
One thing against the higher output (hotter burning) standard wattage bulbs IME is life expectancy over potholes. Throw 3rd world road surfaces at
them (as found around Sheffield etc) I've found they pop filaments at an annoying rate. (3-6 months if used a lot at night or with the lights on
in daytime)
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