Smkxh95

Hi guys.
What are these hid lights I keep reading about? I have a 2005 sti and I admit the lights are pretty abysmal. So if u grab some of these hid things will that improve? Are they the bluey lights I see on cars coking towards me that are very bright?
Easy to fit? And roughly how much in price for a decent set?
Cheers everyone
X

b3nmw

Don't no if they would pass an mot on your model. The colour can vary on them from 4300k warm white upto about 8000k blue tinted. I'm thinking about getting some myself. I was going to try aztec - superhids. Not sure on fitting costs

FMJ

iTrader: (2)

HID is high intensity discharge. You can fit HID bulbs and ballasts in normal lights which will be brighter but the light pattern is all over the place and will dazzle the crap out of people as well as be fairly crap as lights. It's what chavs do.

Proper HID lights included projector lenses as with Hawkeye cars. This projectors properly focus the light from the HID bulbs and give the proper HID benefit.

HID bulbs do have the blue tint and flicker into life as them warm up.

HID lights give much better night time visibility. I have a classic with decent H4 normal bulbs and a hawk with OE HID's. There is a massive difference!

Your options are:

Fit better original style bulbs.
Fit HID bulb kit only which will be crap and annoy people.
Fit a proper projector kit which will be good but a bit more expensive and difficult to do.
Buy HID projector lights already made.

Most MOT testers will be happy if your bulbs are aligned and that's it. But you can get caught out on things like no E markings and HID's may need washers and auto leveling but I can't remember how that legislation effects retrofit ones.

Smkxh95

Nice one chaps. That's helped me no end. I probably leave them as they are as it sounds a bit of a minefield lol
I thought it would of been like plug and play but sounds a bit more involved.
Thanks for your help.

Melvatron

you speak a lot of sense FMJ... respect..

Fonzey

iTrader: (5)

What about JDM blobeyes? They have ballast and HID bulbs but no projectors from factory.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

That's because the reflector on those lights is designed for an HID "bulb". It would be crap with a halogen in it.

it's all to do with the size and shape of the HID discharge compared to the size and shape of a halogen filament.

Since they are fundamentally different, there is no way that one can be 100% optically aligned in a reflector made for the other.

single filament bulbs, (H1, h3, etc) are acceptable.

Those with twin filaments are a b@stard contraption and should be banned.

Fonzey

iTrader: (5)

Thanks Alcazar. I was always under the impression that HID from factory = projector but was caught out when I got JDM lights to find them being of non projector type.

modrich

iTrader: (2)

Alcazar, how would these H1 LEDs work in a standard headlamp, ie Blob, similar results to HID bulbs?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/H1-LED-Hea...item2a45476c43

H1 LED Headlight Bulbs KIT 2400lm Lumen with CREE XML chips

CREE LED Chips XM-L ensures maximum brightness -up to 2000 lm per one LED chip
Advanced heat dissipation structure.
Silver plated copper LED holder and aluminium cooling fin for best heat dissipation
No fan technology increases long lifespan and more easy installation
Waterproof IP68: still works well under water condition in one hour
Energy saving: 20w led bulb is as bright as 70w halogen bulb
Long lighting distance: 6000K colour temperature, 200m lighting distance

b3nmw

Does any1 sell projector type hids

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Now that, I honestly do not know.

LED lighting is coming on apace, but you still have the problem that the light source in an LED unit as above is far from the same shape as one in a halogen H1 bulb, plus the light doesn't come from a cylindrical point source, but from a series of smd's, set around the outside of a much larger cylinder.

Since a discrepancy of only 0.5mm in positioning of the filament can have disastrous results on the light pattern, I'm inclined to be sceptical.

It MIGHT be OK in a unit designed for halogen, but I've not had any experience myself.
Oh...and 6000K would be a no-no for me...4300K is OE for a reason, 5000K is a near match, but 6000K? No thanks.

The new rally lights using LEDs have reflectors designed for LEDs.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Have a look at www.theretrofitsource.com.

They are in the USA, but deliver to the UK at decent rates, and are very quick to answer queries, and very helpful.

andy97

iTrader: (1)

I have used this company. I ordered UK hid lenses and 5K xenon light kit. I then set about pulling apart my truck lights which had halogen projectors. After a couple of hours of work I had xenon kit installed. It was alot of work but the lamps work superbly and are far brighter. The cut off are crisp and level. I never get flashed by oncoming traffic.

b3nmw

Il have a look, cheers. Just want better lights on the blob

Trinity

iTrader: (28)

Bug and Blob - JDM headlights are Xenons, and wonderful.

Upgrading the xenon will be like night and day, you will realise how dangerously unsafe halogen actually is. 'Uprated bulbs' are useless, the colour temperature of halogen light is not daylight, therefore it is absorbed into the area you are lighting. Using a closer to daylight xenon such as 4300, will provide a white light that your eyes percieve as clearer and brighter (while sometimes not actually being so).

Halogen should be banned now we have the technology.

Im definitely curious about these LED headlight bulbs though, LED technology in the performance lighting industry has come along masively, and I imagine the tech is being used in car lighting now...trust me, they are BRIGHT if they want them to be