HID's
 

Any one got experience of this kit?:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KLIGHT-6000K-X...QQcmdZViewItem

Looks to cheap to be any good...

F

The kits actually looks ok - I think one of the areas of saving is integrating the ignitor unit and the ballast, which are usually two seperate components.

Bare in mind this kit carries a £22 carriage charge. You may also get stung for import duty on the kit. I bought some HID bulbs last month for a kit I already had, and the import duty alone was £31.

That puts you at near £200.

Still cheaper than I've seen on the www!

F

There are cheaper ones out there that are very good and high quality on the web if you know where to look!!

PM me if you want to know more. Can't say more than that without breaking trader rules.;)

Look carefully though: those in the "know" will tell you to buy only Philips or Hella units, never far Eastern ones:(

Alcazar

Do your research and you will see that there are many many scare tactics over these lights. If you ask the questions and look for recommendations and see fitted examples you will see which ones are good and bad. BTW just because some of them are made in the far east does not mean they they are automaticaly rubbish...come on common sense will tell most people that. 90% of the worlds goods are manufacturered in the far east now!!

DO YOUR RESEARCH AND DON'T RUSH INTO IT! also don't pay more than you need to. I learnt that one!!!:rolleyes:

i bought a set of ebay last year,they were £300.00 and not waterproof.i cant remember the name of them.in the 12 months i had to replace 6 relays (not waterproof).someone on here said to try HIDs4u,so i did.i bought a set of pilot for £279.95 they are water proof and so far had no problems.they take a few seconds to warm up and i havnt noticed any delay between dip and main beam.they also flash when the lights are turned off.my old ones didnt without a long delay..the bloke who sold them to me at HIDs4U seemed to know his stuff so they may be worth a call....if you buy some on ebay make sure you get a warranty..:)

Some of the quality cheaper sets are now 100% waterproof (and not just water resistant either) I have a picture of one set working with the ballast and wires submerged underwater in a fisk tank type thing!

is that hids4u.com or hids4u.co.uk

www.hids4u.co.uk

Very good - Got them on my Saab

Fantastic aftersales support and a 2 year no quibble warranty.

T

.co.uk

hids4u
 

Does anyone have experience of this kit on a bugeye? What is the beam pattern like? Does it dazzle? Does it give good illumination on high beam? Can you flash?

TIA

I was thinking of a that on my bugeye

MY01WRX

Pilots are good but over priced! As with most of them. I can get them a lot cheaper, although they are not pilots they are just as good if not better. The wiring and connectors certainly seem better and the H4 bulb is also HID dual beam shielded with the patented EMAS system.

Can you explain that last bit please?

Alcazar

Basically H4 bulbs are dual beam bulbs meaning you get the high beam and the low beam from one bulb. If you look inside a normal filament H4 bulb you will see two filaments.
Now with HID's and the nature of their light production by creating and electrical arc, you cant have two arcs in one bulb as the control units cant handle that. The "Cheaper" low quality H4 HID bulbs get round this problem by only having the Low beam in HID format and some kind of bulb mounted on the side for the high beam. These types can commonly be found on ebay.

The good types use a system where the HID bulb actually moves to release more light using the positioning of the bulb to create a different light beam. This moving bulb is what is patented. I guess its a bit like putting your hand over the front of a torch to reduce the light output then removing your hand to give the maximum effect.

You can get single beam H4 HID units out there and if you fall for this you will lose your high beam so be careful.

Hmmmm, Ok I knew that bit. What's EMAS stand for? And isn't there a system that moves the shield, rather than the bulb? I'm a bit wary about the mechanical shocks that would be transferred to the glass and the arc using what must be a solenoid to shift it? And what about the connections? Don't they work harden and snap? Or are they sliding contacts, and therefore prone to minor arcing, and thus burning, themselves?

Alcazar

Electro magnetic active slider.

Don't know

The glass will be able to handle the movement easily as it is far less than the pressures induced/exerted by a moving car's vibrations.

No the connections dont work harden and crack because there is no movement in them obviously as it is not a moving part

No there is no arcing between the connections as thats what connectors do, they connect.

I think somebody is asking questions just for questions sake and not actually thinking about what they are saying. I think companies that invest hundreds of thousands of pounds in their techonology must have a pretty good idea of what they are doing. :wonder:

Sorry if I came across as a bit stroppy didn't mean it to sound that way! Just tired......humble pie.....

Oh I agree...........they're trying to get US, the consumer, to buy their product, be it good, bad or ever so humble;)
Any technology is a stop-gap affair, and NOT necessarily the best answer, although USUALLY the best available at present. Otherwise, your HIDs would still be acetylene powered:)

All questions asked in genuine mode:

Glass able to withstand shock because it can withstand the car's vibration? Hmmmmmm, don't think so. In the case of vibration, the whole bulb is vibrating. In the case of a fast sliding mass attached to the bulb, or part of the bulb actually sliding, the mechanical shocks are all in the same plane, and repeated:(

As for connectors connecting..............:rolleyes: ever heard of an H2 bulb? Ever used them in their original form, but high wattage, in, say, a Cibie? No probs? You must be the lucky 1% then:(

Alcazar

I am with alcazar on this, I have had HIDs dual beams H4s from both beloff and autolampsonline. While the service was excellent and the latter company was great to deal with and exceptionally friendly, the fact is that the main beam H4 is a compromised why of fulfilling the standard function and the light output in main beam, which is frankly the more important, is sadly lacking on these types of bulbs, and I have only ever fitted the top makes having the moving arc and the moving shield.

I got rid of both in the end, I wasn't entirely convinced by the extra weight and cost against the main beam light ouotput. Dip beam was certainly excellent.

Which is why I've stuck with GE Megalights in my Morette outers, and backed 'em up with a set of Hella 1000FF driving lights in gas discharge variety.

Alcazar

Those are fair comments although I am not sure how accurate and valid they are. We will have to agree to disagree on this one. The other factor of course is how much cash is your setup going to cost versus the gains?

I have just seen some images of the GE megalights and they don't look anywhere near as bright as the HID units. All these claims of 60% extra light are just an advertising scam as they know full well most if not all customers don't have the equipment to actually measure their claims.

I can not give an opinion as to what H2 bulbs do but any connector worth it's salt will do a good job. If H2 connectors don't work very well then they are obviously not worth their salt! At the end of the day it's always gonna be horses for courses. If people close off their minds and never try different options then they are never going to make advances.
http://gorillafeet.co.uk/album/11/19240506.JPG

When all's said and done, even a 60% opgraded H4 is giving a mere 96W, and that IF the claims are right, and IF the wiring is good, andf IF there is not much voltsdrop:(
A gas discharge bulb, although DRAWING only 35W, gives the equivalent of 300W of halogen power, and a better colour to boot.
So no argument from me there!;)
Correct, it's the connectors. The H2 bulb was designed for low profile lights, (ie: those that DIDN'T look like their reflector was mounted on a small bucket, like early Cibie Oscars:) )
It used spring contacts that were, and I believe in most cases, still are, part of the bulbholder.
The problem occurs in that higher wattage bulbs can't dissipate the heat they cause, which overheats the springs holding the bulb in place.
These, in turn, lose their springiness, and stop gripping the bulb, which leads to arcing, and premature bulb failure:(
So no areguments THERE either:D

I ALSO have to agree with the sentiments on returns for your money, which is why, since I HAVE good mainbeam, I haven't bothered with HID H4s. I don't feel that I really want to drive that quick on dips, and can see relatively well on the ones I have. I say relatively.......................;)


Nice car BTW? What is it, a SMART Roadster? :0 :)

Alcazar

Hee hee,

I wish I could say it was my car but no unfortunately no it's not. It belongs to someone I know in Glasgow who had 6500K HIDs fitted over Christmas. My car is below!!
http://gorillafeet.co.uk/album/11/22436268.JPGHee hee.

I do love scooby's though and maybe one day I will get round to getting one. Either that or the Scooby's rival the EVO Lance!!

I see what you mean about the H2 bulb and its design flaw. Surely most cars don't use those now?

I would have to say that IMO the HID bulbs work best in Low beam format anyway as they are perfect for lighting up anything reflective like cats eyes, road signs, police vehicles and speed cameras. Better viz equals safer driving.