Okay, I'm subscribed to this now.

Shopping for aftermarket, halogen socket, projectors could someone please verify the socket is typically H1 type? I thought H7 for some reason? I know the adapted bulbs supplied in HID conversion kits are smaller in length and the socket made to halogen size. The headlights are made to allow you to move your factory halogen bulbs over. I think my stock lamps are H7 which maybe uses the same socket?

This seems like a good upgrade. Get a quality 43K, 35w, xenon kit and stuff it in a projector lamp with a cut-off mask. Suffer a little pain dialing in the vertical adjustment and bam, you have HID's that should perform better than your factory halogens.

Budget $250 for the headlights add $200-$300 for a proper HID kit. $450 is pretty sweet compared to serious bucks needed to retro in the newer OEM setup.

I've looked for used, 1st gen HID's and they are rare. I think this cheap-seats version might be close to them adding improved vision. I'm going to take some nice shots of this to demonstrate the cut-off line, hot-spots, etc. So far the pictures I've seen with this setup look pretty good. The whole purpose is to upgrade with output/color improvement not just the projector look. Projectors ,even cheap ones, control the light pattern better than halogen reflectors that tend to scatter light with xenons. Should overall color and intensity increase and a projector somewhat control beam focus with proper cut-off the result should be very noticeable.

 

I read your post and I do thank you for your consideration to other drivers. However, if you did not modify the original halogen housing and you just stuffed your HID kit in there, you still will be MORE blinding than a factory xenon projector setup. Yes, you see more, but you're blinding other drivers.

Just because you did not "observe" anyone flashing you or adjusting their mirrors, doesn't mean it's not brighter. You said that you can now see farther and see more, thus your lights are now "brighter" and you cannot argue that there is no further recourse when it comes to oncoming drivers.

A lot of drivers don't know to flash and most cops don't have an idea that it is aftermarket, although they are illegal (the retrofit kits) in many states/countries/whatever.

I have a "hate" for people who buy aftermarket kits.

 

i di this on my R53 and it disabled the drl.

 

I'm now convinced that those people who angrily lecture about HID conversion kits blinding everyone on the road are either misinformed about about good quality kits, going only on--and perpetuating--others' misinformation; or they're actually bitter about paying big bucks for factory-option HID systems in their cars, while people with good conversion kits enjoy lighting as effective, if not more effective...for a fraction of the cost.

 

scratch my previous post. they flicker for about 7-10 minutes, then shut off.
I have factory xenon, so I just wanted my highbeams to match. I hated the color separation between the lows and highs.

 

You need to spend some time reading forums and educating yourself on why what you wrote is completely misguided.

In the US, your National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has deemed them illegal and stupid. Here's why:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/ruli....html#specific

"Another disturbing trend in this look-a-like phenomenon is the substitution of OEM filament headlamp bulbs with aftermarket HID conversion bulbs. The desire is to achieve the look and achieve the more robust performance of HIDs. While not designed to be interchangeable, some aftermarket companies are substantially altering the HID bulb bases or providing adapters so that the HID bulbs can be inserted in headlamps designed for filament bulbs. The consequence of making these substitutions is to adversely affect safety. Filament headlamps are optically designed for the volume of light and filament placement and other critical dimensions and performance that OEM filament bulbs have. The HID conversions result in two to three times the volume of light and potentially imprecise arc placement. Such conversions often result in beam patterns that behave nothing like the original filament beam pattern, cannot be reliably aimed, and have many times the permitted glare intensity. In informal conversations with persons who have tested such conversions, the light intensity on one at a point aimed toward oncoming drivers was 22 times the allowable intensity limit. Another lamp was more than 7 times too intense. With poor HID bulb and arc placement, the glare intensity could be significantly worse. Thus, the use of these conversions could be yet another source of the glare problems about which many drivers have complained.

Regarding bluer light achieved by these filament bulbs, recent research (Sullivan, J.M. and Flannagan, M.J.: AVisual Effects of Blue-Tinted Tungsten-Halogen Headlamp Bulbs", Report No. UMTRI-2001-9, available in Docket: NHTSA-2001-8885-2) shows consistency with prior research, that discomfort glare ratings increase as the chromaticity moves toward the blue color range of the visible light spectrum. The authors also state that there is no evidence to show that target detection is enhanced with such blue colored headlamps, either in direct viewing or peripheral viewing of illuminated targets. This, essentially, shows that there likely is an inherent disbenefit from the use of such blue bulbs and headlamps that are intended to change the color of light emitted from headlamps. While one might assume that this also applies to the bluer HID powered OEM headlamps, the authors did not study this, nor speculate about it."

So, does your government biatch and complain about HID because "they're upset they spent money on factory OEM?" And I'm not going to argue with you about this either, you're wrong. HID kits are illegal and blinding. Enough said.

 

OMG! Thanks for the spanking...again! And thanks for presuming to tell me what I "need". (I love when people do that...it's so traileresque--like something you'd hear on a Springer show, LOL.)

Anyway, yes I'm aware of the detriment of blue bulbs (and I don't like them), and I'm aware of the above mentioned article, and I do not question it's merit or validity, but it assumes pattern error due to improper capsule (HID bulb's equivalent to a halogen's filament) location within the headlight housing. If and when this is the case, then it is absolutely correct to assume that there will be significant glare issues. But, if the upper edge light cut-off pattern is retained the same as stock, then there is no reason to assume there will be glare above this edge, if the light does not shine there. This is the case with pricier higher quality conversion kits because they make sure the capsule remains in the exact correct location within the headlight. The result is more and whiter light down low near the road, and none above the upper edge cut-off point (somewhat similar as the effect of using good quality fog lights...but not quite that low or that wide of dispersion). Of course, it obviously becomes even more important to make sure your heaglights are properly aimed. But otherwise, no glare, no problem... Nobody flashing hi-beams or tapping brake lights.

So, bottom line: When it comes to good quality conversion kits that do not alter beam pattern; no, YOU'RE wrong. But, I agree, don't argue with it all you want, if you've never tried a good kit for yourself and don't know of what you speak first hand.

 

Let's see if anyone could help me, My friend has a 2002 r50 mc and we installed hid lights onto her car but over the years one side keeps turning off, we had the infamous light flicker, but now it's totally cutting off and I don't know what to do. I've read about this thread and other error cancelling stuff and direct battery harness, but not sure what to do. It's always one side that turns off completely...it's getting really annoying trying to fix her lights...

 

It turns out my lights started doing this too. Tried numerous new ballasts and bulbs to no effect. I think it's an issue with the factory headlight housing connectors. Anyway, having grown tired of one side working or the other, I went back to my good old Osrams. It's a shame because I really loved them when they worked...

 

Has anyone tried this out on a 2011 MCS? I just picked mine up without xenons hoping to do a clean retrofit later on. =)

 

So am I to understand, there is NO SAFE, COST-EFFECTIVE, LEGAL way to modify my stock halogen headlights to projector/HID?

 

Nope, there is no cheap safe legal way to do it. If you want HIDS, you are going to have to spend the money. I don't flash people that have them but they do blind me. It has gotten so bad around here that I have started wearing light colored sun glasses to cut the glare.

Thanks to all the folks that install crap HID kits.

 

Well there's a difference between cost-effective and cheap... What is a truely GOOD kit for such a mod?

 

Yellow,

Looking at your pictures, it doesn't seem like the HID is much brighter. The picture with the garage, it just seems like the color went from yellow to blueish. I believe you that you can see more, its just kind of hard to believe from the pictures above. I have DDM Tuning 35W Slim Ballast as well, and i am not that satisfied and deciding to go up to 55W or just stay put. Im thinking that im not really pulling all 12 volts, but I dont know how to test that. I My MCS had factory Xenon installed, but my ballast broke two times within a year. Each ballast cost about 100$ used and that was too much, so I went aftermarket. No flaws so far.

- Paul

 

IMHO, the only one that would be worth it is one that employs the auto leveling at a minimum but you would have to find a kit that does this and has the washers as well. Sadly, the only one you will find is OEM which is going to cost you. Next time just order the car with it.

I have thought about this as well as I have a Subaru that does not have HIDS and would love to do it. However, I don't want to blind others by using kits that are not truly designed for the car so I have decided to ditch the idea. Just tonight I had a moron blind me with another crappy kit.

 

I mostly agree. I do have an R56 so it may be a little of out line but a retrofit that involves adding a projector made for HIDs and properly installing and aiming them can be just as good as a factory setup. I know the typical retrofit does not involve auto leveling, but it is also not required in the US either. Here is a picture of just the driver's headlight upon first install from my retro. When compared to the 2011 loaner I recently had, it would be cool to have auto level for sure, but my cutoff line is much sharper than that of the stock HIDs.

Also, the cheap drop in kits just kill me as most are 6000K or even higher and are just crap loads of blue light. I try to talk to the owners whenever I can just to polity inform them and ask why. It does not look good on any vehicle, be it a $500 Honda or a $60,000 diesel truck. Now being in a low car I really get frustrated with it. If I can at least flash them to let them know they look retarded I will, just so long as it does effect others around me..basically nobody else on the road but us two.

Picture is from my iphone and the headlights are 25' away from the wall.

 

I think some mild experimentation needs to be done here. Anybody with the time, patience and money to try and take this on?

 

You could change the H7 bulbs to Osram 65W H7 bulbs - light output goes up
from 1500 to 2100 lumens, and they're a direct drop-in, and not enough
wattage to damage the circuits, and you maintain the stock beam pattern.
They're not HID, but they do their job surprisingly well.

 

sorry, double-post

 

Could it be that the upper cutoff is a power/angle based number? Like "no more than P Watts may emit above A degrees with respect to the optical axis of the headlight"?

If this was the case, a more powerful bulb could violate the cutoff rule even if it was positioned the same as stock.

I dunno, just a thought.

I have HID fogs and only once a long time ago did I have one of them not-turn-on. Have not had issues since. No clue what caused it.

 

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I used an HID kit for a while and the upper cutoff was NOT NOT NOT affected at all. There were also no hot spots or stray glare. The headlights were aimed properly and the pattern was exactly as it was with the halogens. The only difference was that the lit area was whiter/bluer in color and more intense. By anyone's logic, if there is no stray light above the proper cutoff line, then there is no blinding of other drivers.

I ditched mine because I was having problems with one of them intermittently cutting out. I went back to the Osram Rallye 65's and, while no halogen will be in the same league with HIDs in intensity, they are perfectly adequate (which I couldn't say about the stock H7s) and, most importantly, RELIABLE.

Not sure if I'll ever go back to another HID kit, but I certainly will never be convinced by those who seem to be saying: "Just because I overpaid for factory HIDs (or wish I could have), what makes you think you can have this exclusive feature inexpensively?" It's like those wine-snobs, who can never come to terms with the fact that there are cheap wines that are good enough to compare with the real expensive ones...thereby risking their silly and phony elitism.

 

WOW, you really have no clue then do you. There have been numerous tests not only in the USA but overseas (UK is big on this) with HIDS fitted to a system that are not designed to them. The cutoff it sharp and not gradual like it is with halogens so when you bounce the front end of the car up a little that light jumps right into peoples eyes. Also, if you have a taller vehicle they are likely shining right into someones eyes. Auto leveling will lower the light when you hit that bump, so yes, I will say that a HID kit should at least have that. The washer, IMHO, is more of a feature but it was shown in a UK study that dirt/ice could redirect the beams blinding people thus the requirement for washers. So, can you do it cheap? Sure but will it be legal and not cause problems, no... Do I feel like I overpaid for mine? Nope... If being honest with my opinion makes me an elitist then so be it.

Now, as a wine-snob myself, I will say that a nice Italian house wine in a box can rival many expensive wines but there are expensive wines that cost that way for a reason. Just because you can't afford it doesn't mean that it isn't expensive for a reason.

Oh, and just for your viewing pleasure here is one of the explanations that is posted. There are more but I am not going to find them all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVuSSdZNsZw

 

I certainly can appreciate what that chap was saying in that video clip, but in my case, I checked for this cutoff-definition/glare issue very carefully, and found it to simply not be true. Of course, other cars and other HID kits will almost certainly vary. I can say that, if I had seen the difference in pattern that was demonstrated on the car in that video, I would NOT have used that kit. It is also likely that the color-temperature was a factor in that car's glare problem. It's hard to tell from a vid-clip, but that looked to be at least 6000K--"ghetto-blue". In the couple of months that I used my kit (and I did MOSTLY night driving), I had NOT been flashed by other cars even once...and this area is ALL hilly terrain.

If there is anything else that I'm not considering, then you may be right...like expensive wine, the differences may just be beyond what my own personal level of refinement can appreciate (or, at least, make a case for argumentatively).

 

Just because you were not flashed does not mean that you weren't blinding people. I don't flash people because around here folks tend to shoot at you if you do. I just divert my eyes and have recently started wearing light sun glasses at night to combat the glare.

All you have to do is look at the photo above and you will see that bright sharp cutoff that will be what jumps into someones eyes.

Not DOT approved, it shouldn't be used...

I think that we will likely have to agree to disagree on this topic.

 

Yetti, If those aren't overexposed, Those are too bright.
Here are my OEM Xenons at about 10 ft from my iphone.


And what they look like on the road.


And with fogs on.


You don't want to see how bright it is with my Hi's on at night.

Love my auto level, and around here its the same in regards to flashing. I'm afraid someone will shoot me, or slash my tires if I tell them how I really feel about thier $30 HID kits in thier cereal box car.