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HID lights? Before forking over another $500, I think that you must ask yourself, how much night time driving do I do? The only good thing about HID's is the head light washers, period. I hate meeting cars with Xenons, I hate people that have them that come up behind me, and halogens, at least to me, are just as good. If you feel that halogens aren't good enough, then buy new bulbs, much less than the $500 excess charge. Personally, I'd rather put the $500 in the Cold package, LSD, which won't be around much longer, or maybe a color option. HID's just don't do it for me. Sorry folks.
Yes, you should ask yourself how often you'll drive at night. If over the course of 5 years, if you drove 100 nights per year, that'd be $1 each time. Worth it? A lot of people would say "yes." And with winter commutes and no Daylight Saving Time, a lot of people drive to work in the dark and drive back in the dark. That alone would be well over 100 times a year using the lights.
"The only good thing about HID's is the head light washers, period." That elicits both a and a . Because it is both funny and untrue.
I would imagine it is the cars with improperly aimed lights that you "hate" (such a strong emotion). While driving home last night, I noticed that my lights did not shine into anyone's back windows (as there is a distinct cut-off, it was very easy to tell). It always stopped just below there, no matter how close or far away from them that I was. I'm not going to try to tell you who or what to hate, and I'm happy that you enjoy halogens just as much. A lot of people preferred candles over light bulbs a long time ago too.
I agree completely with minicooperwill on several fronts.
- hate is far too strong a word for improperly aimed headlights
- anyone who lives in my part of the world spends at least 100 days a year driving to and/or from work in the dark. From early November until March it doesn't get light our here until after 7am and it's dark by 5pm.
I love the HIDs. They are far less in people's faces than a truck with halogens (no one has once flashed me since I got my Mini). They compensate for the weight in the car. They are ungodly bright on high beam which is awesome when coming home late at night with no one on the road.
And, lastly, they have headlamp washers which is great given the amount of salt on our roads.
__________________ 2009 MINI Cooper S
Midnight black, white roof, white stripes
sport | comfort | convenience | 6spd | Richbrook Antenna | Forge BOV | DoS noisemaker delete | JCW shift/ebrake knobs | Redline Goods boots
While driving home last night, I noticed that my lights did not shine into anyone's back windows (as there is a distinct cut-off, it was very easy to tell). It always stopped just below there, no matter how close or far away from them that I was.
So do you think you were invisible to the other drivers since your lights never shined on their back windows?
So do you think you were invisible to the other drivers since your lights never shined on their back windows?
if the lights aren't aimed up into the cabin, exactly how would they be shining directly into anyone's eyes?
__________________ 2009 MINI Cooper S
Midnight black, white roof, white stripes
sport | comfort | convenience | 6spd | Richbrook Antenna | Forge BOV | DoS noisemaker delete | JCW shift/ebrake knobs | Redline Goods boots
Are they only bright if they are shining directly into someone's eyes?
as long as you don't look directly into them, they shouldn't be bothersome to anyone. aiming is 9/10ths of the issue with lights whether they are halogen or Xenon.
do you find xenons to bother your eyes even if they are aimed correctly? not trying to be a jerk, i'm actually wondering this.
__________________ 2009 MINI Cooper S
Midnight black, white roof, white stripes
sport | comfort | convenience | 6spd | Richbrook Antenna | Forge BOV | DoS noisemaker delete | JCW shift/ebrake knobs | Redline Goods boots
figured id give my 2 cents...i have xenons on my jcw and i love them. however, i feel some xenons can be blinding to others....for example my fathers suv has blinding xenons, but that is also because it is a high vehicle....but in general i think they're great for any vehicle. they may be very bright and can be blinding to some, but i feel the pros outweigh the cons, plus i think they look awesome haha.
__________________
'10 JCW, Sport Suspension, Alta 4" Stubby, Alta CAI, Alta Turbo Inlet Hardpipe, Resonator Delete
do you find xenons to bother your eyes even if they are aimed correctly? not trying to be a jerk, i'm actually wondering this.
I have no way of knowing whether someone else's lights are aimed correctly (unless they are really way out of whack and it is obvious). Based on my experience, I can tell when someone has xenons regardless of how they are aimed. Not so sure I would say they bother my eyes - I just find them annoyingly bright.
HID lights? Before forking over another $500, I think that you must ask yourself, how much night time driving do I do? The only good thing about HID's is the head light washers, period. I hate meeting cars with Xenons, I hate people that have them that come up behind me, and halogens, at least to me, are just as good. If you feel that halogens aren't good enough, then buy new bulbs, much less than the $500 excess charge. Personally, I'd rather put the $500 in the Cold package, LSD, which won't be around much longer, or maybe a color option. HID's just don't do it for me. Sorry folks.
No need to apologize, it's just an opinion.
Oncoming drivers used to flash their brights at me about once a week when I had my 2004 Maxima with factory xenons. It never occurred to me that they might not be properly aimed. I've had my 08 MCS over a year now and have never had someone flash their brights at me, so I guess there is something more tolerable about the Mini xenons than the Nissan xenons. And this after I adjusted the lights a bit higher within the first week of owning my Mini. Maybe they're still low enough not to bother people, but they seem just perfect to me.
I have a TSX with standard xenons - never had someone flash lights. I see others around, they certainly don't seem obnoxious.
On the other hand, saw a large work van with retrofitted xenons that were HORRIFIC, blasted everybody in front of them. Some plumbing company that I hope goes out of business soon. Factory xenons aren't a problem on most sedans I've seen - the idiots buying these off eBay for DIY are what gives them a bad name.
I'm from Oregon, and sometimes we get extremely dark nights combined with rain that are scary in regular headlights. Xenons make a world of difference, much much safer.
I wonder if it is a weight issue. If I am not mistaken, the older GP's (with factory deleted back seats and sound insulation etc) only came with Halogen and that car is all about saving weight (not sure why they went with 18's then, slows them down .3s+ 0-60).
Anyway, I like the factory HID's on our 05 MCS for normal driving. But on hilly terrain the cut off is so sharp and the difference is so abrupt from dark to light that it actually has the opposite effect for me and I end up slowing down because it is so hard to see beyond the stripe (I guess those ugly driving lights are supposed to bridge the gap).
The Halogens on my JCW have a nice even pattern (I purchased mine off the showroom like that because it was the last 2009 JCW with sport suspension, id take that over an aero kit any day). I believe the other post where we was quoted $4K to retrofit HID's with factory parts, they don't call them the stealer for nothin. So it is not an issue of checking a box, we are simply put in this situation. Question is now what if you want something more. I may go with a higher wattage bulb and high temp socket somewhere down the line or ebay special HID bixenon conversion with a D2R bulb (for reflective systems, The D2S is for projectors if memory serves me correctly). No Christmas bulbs, I stick with 4300K for the highest output. When you change any bulb you need to adjust the headlights to keep them from blinding oncoming drivers. Done correctly, the ebay special will not be nearly as nice as factory Mini projectors, but should be a cost effective upgrade over stock halogen and be on par with many other manufacturer's OEM offerings.
Smoke 05S
05 MCS Premium package, sport suspension
09 JCW Sport suspension
Those people who saying they passed on the xenon option because the regular lamps are "just fine" or xenons too expensive ..have not tried them out . I see them as pretty cheap.
I go look at BMW options.. it's like $1k to add xenons!!!
When I drive any other car at night without xenons, it is the first thing I notice. Standard halogens just do not light up the road like xenons do. I find myself having to constantly switch the brights on just to illuminate the road like my low-beam xenons do...its pathetic. Not to mention, they just look so much better...both the lights themselves and the housings. To me, its one of those no-brainer options @ $500, you must get them.
And all this BS about blinding other drivers because you have xenons is rediculous....its like at least 80% of the cars in my area have xenons, you don't even notice them as out of the ordinary.
__________________ 2006 MINI Cooper S JCW GP--GP#1599 -Stock...I think?? 2008 MINI Cooper S R56--Astro Black/White--Gone -JCW Turbo | Aquamist HFS-3 Meth injection | RMW AP Tune | Helix FMIC | DDM CAI | Riss Racing Catless DP+Invidia Exhaust
For those of you who think it's dangerous for oncoming drivers:
---Despite complaints from oncoming drivers, the glare from HID lights doesn't seem to cause accidents, hard as that might be to swallow. NHTSA knows of no injuries or deaths caused by HID glare. And University of Michigan studies of HID glare found that, while it annoys oncoming drivers, it doesn't disable them.
"Discomfort glare is not always related to disability glare. Our result is about discomfort," says Michael Flannagan, research scientist at the university's Transportation Research Institute. --- XENONS BAD?
I had some interest in this thread. I just bought a floor model JCW that happened to have xenon headlights. It's my first experience with them. I have to admit that I like them. Ironic, actually, since I probably wouldn't have opted for them had I placed a factory order for my car instead.
I've been driving a standard Cooper loaner for the last couple of days while the dealership's installing a few things on my JCW. The loaner's equipped with standard headlights. They're fine, but I did find myself missing the dynamic leveling feature of the xenons, especially on my bumpy road.
I'll also admit that my night vision isn't what it used to be. The xenons seem to mitigate that. So hey, if they help make me a better (safer) driver, I'm all for them.
So, you had some dealer installed items on your new JCW, by the was it an 09 or a 10? What did you have installed, we are kind of nosey here. As for HID's, thinking about them, I guess that I could go either way. My Miata doesn't have them, but my Mazda 6 did. There was a difference, but I really couldn't see much, especially for the $500 surcharge that Mini gets for them. But, if a floor model JCW has them this summer, I won't call that a deal killer just because it has them.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your new JCW.
So, you had some dealer installed items on your new JCW, by the was it an 09 or a 10? What did you have installed, we are kind of nosey here.
Ha - no worries, I can understand the curiosity.
They're not doing too much to it - just a couple of things that I managed to negotiate into the deal, and a couple of minor fixes, as it was a floor model.
They're installing an alarm and strut brace, putting in floor mats, replacing one of the plastic windshield wiper caps (it was loose), and replacing one of the black plastic fender flares that got scratched as they were driving the car of the showroom floor. They're also removing the coating that they put on the exhaust system, etc., to protect the cars from salt when being shipped from overseas. It was smelling like burning plastic as I've been breaking the car in.
As for the car itself, it's a 2009 JCW convertible. It came from the factory with leather seats, cold weather package, multi-function steering wheel, armrest, foglights, climate control, white turn signals, and black stripes (which I had removed). Oh, and the xenons, of course. It also had a JCW aero kit, drilled rotors and side scuttles installed.
While it wasn't exactly what I would have ordered, it was close enough, and the financials made a lot more sense than ordering a 2010. Plus, we needed a car sooner rather than later. Honestly the only thing I'm not crazy about is the standard stereo.
and a 
. Because it is both funny and untrue.
. I see them as pretty cheap.
