luke106plyr

Hi guys

This question has probably been asked a thousand times before but I can't seem to find anything difinitive sorry!

I really like the look of 'modern cars' with DRLs and the bright white lights at night (I assume xenons, correct me if I'm wrong!) and want to convert my blobeye to the same. Some obvious questions really:

1. What do I actually need to do this?!
2. What is a 'projector headlight'?
3. I have heard about issues with the adjustable height headlights and MOTs (if that makes sense?!)
4. If I convert, will sidelight, dipped beam and main beam be converted or is it three separate things and will it be too much hassle?
5. Anything obvious I may have forgotten to ask!

Apologies for sounding dumb I'm new to this stuff and hoping for some help if possible!

Thanks

Luke

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Where to start?

OK: DRL's..they are an abomination and the work of the devil. They either look girly or are stupidly blinding at dawn/dusk. Or both!
There, that's got that off my chest, now we can continue

On a blob, the headlights have a separate bulb for each function, two 55W halogen bulbs for main, two for dip, (obviously, one per side), and two 5W sidelights.

Leaving sidelights alone, at the moment, yes you can put HID's into the lights, one set for main, one for dip, or just do the dips, or just the mains etc etc. Even do one set, see how you like it, then one next month. It's your choice. But DON'T buy the cheapest kit you can find, it's false economy. Try and get branded stuff, Hella, Philips, Morimoto, etc.

BUT: They SHOULD now be an MoT fail, since the bulb and light unit no longer match.

The H4 ones are cr@p...no other word for it, but the single filament ones, like yours, can be fine. It's mostly down to beam pattern, and they do OK.

Levelling and washers are NOT necessary, the MoT rules say that IF fitted, they MUST work, That's all.

Projectors? seen those cars with headlights like a huge bull's eye lens in them? That's a projector. It depends on the lens to focus the light, and is far better at doing so than the glass, or reflector of a normal light, hence why they are almost always used for OE HID installations. but not all projectors are HID.

My car has projectors fitted inside a set of the clear-fronted (crystal) lights, they do dip and main, but using ONE bulb, so no mucking about and no scatter.

The blue-ish tint you get from OE HID's is a function of the lens, which shows blue fringing due to diffraction patterns, (look it up if you need to know). Most OE HId's use 4300K, with 5000K the next choice, because anything ABOVE that is getting to be blue light and not good to see by.
In fact, the amount of USABLE light falls as you go up the colour temperature range. 4300K is taken to be nearest to daylight, that's why most OE HID kits use it.

Sidelights? If you want something as white as an HID, you'll need to go LED, ask on here for advice, I'm not so ****...my lights are to SEE by, not to be SEEN with

HTH.

Fonzey

iTrader: (5)

JDM Blobeye headlights were Xenon OEM and can be wired into a UK car.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Well, yes...but they aren't common. It's going to be finding a set that's the problem....and then, due to rarity, paying for them.

luke106plyr

Thanks for the help Alcazar. So just to clear up, is it literally a case of changing the bulb itself? I've heard something about 'ballast' and re-wiring needed?

Again apologies for sounding stupid!

Luke

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

HID's don't work the same way as a "normal" incandescent bulb does.

In the HID "Bulb" there is a gas (Xenon) inside a small capsule, with a tungsten rod in either end. A high voltage (around 25-30,000volts) is applied and this "excites" the gas. as the gas molecules lose this extra energy they were given, the lose it as light. No, or very little heat, is produced.

The ballast is the bit that takes power from the car at 12 volts, and runs it up to 25-30,000 volts. Some ballasts also include an ignitor, (which just waits until the ballast is at the correct voltage, before starting the process), and some kits have this separate.

With single filament lamps, as you have, it OUGHT to be easy enough to wire, so long as you don't buy cheap.

Some sold on here were advertised as "plug and play" but weren't

If you get the right kit, it's a case of remove the old bulb, insert the new, find a place for the ballasts, (one per side), and make two connections per side.

But PLEASE bear in mind that they CAN be an MoT fail and some police forces have been insisting on removal, or fining drivers.

If you go for 4300K, you SHOULD be OK, but DON'T buy the cheapest set out there! You do get what you pay for.

luke106plyr

Thanks very much for the help mate I will shop around and see what I can find.

Luke

Infected by sti

iTrader: (6)

If you can find a set of jdm lights and have the money to purchase them I would highly suggest buying them, I've put a set of hid's on my uk car an they made a brilliant difference over the crap bulbs I had, but now I have a jdm model where the lights come as standard, they give a better clarity of light if that makes sense, the old hid's I used were good mind I'm not knocking them and if I was in your position and did not have the funds, or couldn't justify spending the money at the time ( which is why I bought mine ) then hid's all the way over cheap bulbs ( stay well away from e bay specials ) but after owning standard fit lights I would say they edge the win, maybe not quite as bright, but more of a usable light IMO

But what ever path you choose take alcazars advice and don't buy cheap, I've known members take them out due to them generating massive amounts of heat and crap projection of the light, I bought mine from one of the traders at a show I went to and tbf they done the job well but think they cost £80ish iirc (which still aint a lot of money compared to some of them out there )

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

The above post shows why the OE lights use projectors: the light output is more controlled = more usable light.

Sti Addict

Is it the ballast or the bulb that governs if the light is 4300k, 6k etc?

Infected by sti

iTrader: (6)

Bulb fella, ballast just powers up the supply for the unit, quality of light is down to the bulb its self

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Correct.

Sti Addict

Thanks for clarifying that for me.

Sti Addict

Alcazar there was a post of yours I read in which you fitted projectors, been searching for a while now and cant seem to find it.

What was the name of the company?

Thanks

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

www.theretrofitsource.com.

They are in America, but dead easy to deal with, they give advice quickly, and when I ordered, my stuff came within five days, with no extra to pay.

Here's the thread, it's in technical archives:

https://www.scoobynet.com/technical-...mpler-way.html

Sti Addict

Many thanks Alcazar!