Ok, we just finished the install on a set of Vision VX-T9000 driving lights. We picked up this set used and apparently the seller bought them from mini-madness as the kit came with madness mounts and install CD.

We installed them on my son's 04 and used a slight variation of my past install method. Like most things as we do more they become easier and produce a cleaner finished product.

These might not be for everyone, I know they weren't my choice, but they fit the bill for what my son wanted. He feels the OEM lights are a bit small and these do harken back to the original (read that as big!).

The madness mounts are stout! No need for the vibration dampener, even with these 6.5" lights, a quick test drive on our back roads provided us with a steady beam - way down the road!

Since it's a used kit, it didn't come with a relay or much wiring. It did come with a switch that we chose not to use and clear rock film on the lenses. We wired them to come on directly with the high beams and since there are no covers, IMO a switch isn't needed. Picked up a standard horn/light relay from the local parts store and went to work.

Here's the finished product:





I used nylock nuts this time instead of the cap nuts, but I still used the socket head bolt and worked a shortened Allen wrench through the grill to hold the bolt while tightening. All hardware used is stainless. The lights came with a braided wire casing, so I only had to use a little wire wrap to complete the covering. Under the hood insulation are quick disconnects for each light.



This time I went down the driver's side for the wire run and used electric tape to wrap the wires. I picked up ground for the lights from the hood end of the ground cable and for the relay from the car side.



The relay tucks away nicely in the drive's side and makes for a short run to the power pick-up. All wires went back out the rubber grommet.



BTW, there was some question on which wire to pick-up the high beam signal from, like on my 02 the high beam is the yellow w/blue stripe on this 04.

 

I just bought some lights, but they didnt come with mounting beackets. I think I am going to buy some, so I dont have to drill. This post really gives me some encouragment so I hope all goes well!

 

Great job! Looks really nice, post a straight on shot when you can

 

The Madness mounts are great, no vibration what so ever. I also liked the fact that they came with rivets instead of nuts and bolts. I agree with your kid, the OEM ones are a tad bit small. The install looks great by the way, I like the braided cables.

 

 

Very nice driving light install. The Madness mounts are the ones I'm going with too, but I'll be using Hella 500's. The fact that those lights are nice & steady is what made me choose Madness mounts.

 

Thanks for all the comments!

qwertmonkey - you know you'll still have to drill, don't you? The brackets have to be secured to the hood somehow. Send me your email via a PM and I'll send you some photo's/instructions that will help remove some of the placement and drilling fears If you're mounting to a normal grille you shouldn't have any difficulties, the aerogrille adds a little something to the install.

eVal - I should be able to get a head-on shot tomorrow and thanks!

omsacow - Thanks! I kind of figured that was how they had been installed before as I had to pop out a few bits and pieces of rivets. Since I can't get back there to buck a solid rivet, I prefer to use nuts and bolts. I've had pop rivets work loose over time. Just to be fair, I've had bolts loosen also, so no guarantee there either.

Thanks Clo! See ya in what, 30 something days?? Safe travels

Crashton - I've got the Hella ff200's on my DS 02 in the background and love the Hella quality! My kit came with the mounts and they are more along the lines of the OEM bracket, i.e. they have tabs that surround the lower grille slat. But they are almost twice the thickness on the OEM bracket, so they too are nice and solid.

Thanks again and glad it help someone

 

eVal - Here are those front view shots you asked for.



A little closer:




Next project will be to paint the lower grille. We've been meaning to do that for about 3 months now Should be done by the Dragon

 

I mounted my Hella 500 this last weekend but have not wired them up yet, ran out of time before the storms hit. Has anyone hooked up to a power source other then the high beams, I woul dlike to be albe to turn the lights on any time not just with the hight beams.

Also, does anyone have experience with the Hella remote wireless switch vice the wired ones?

 

I like them, the large size is very retro

 

The lights look awesome, Chris.

 

smokey4 - looks good. CAn you share your drilling secrets with everyone? I am thinking about Driving lights, i like to have all the info if i can.

Also, any info on what makes it tricky with the Aero Grill. I have one as well.

Are the madness brackets the same as the MINI ones, just beefier? Same mounting locations, etc?

krenzkes - any pics of those mounted 500's?

thanks!

-jac

 

If anyone else has a set of Vision VX-T9000 driving lights (Mini Madness) and wants to unloaded them, I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a purchase from Coopersport.ca (with the exchange rate and special light upgrade, it's actually cheaper to buy them from them, a reseller, than Mini Madness directly, go figure) TIA. Michael

 

bump

 

Hey Jac,

No secrets - I just have a PDF file that does a very good job of laying out the process. Only it's proprietary info so I don't want to post it. The positioning on the brackets is really a no brainer. Place the bracket between the grille slats, slide it to the outside of the car and mark the hole locations. The bracket will "self align" when it hits the solid black plastic of the grille ends. Take a look at the grill and you'll see what I mean.

The only trick with the aero grill is the fact you have to cut the web portion of the grill to allow the bracket to slide in. What I've found is that it's easier to mount the OEM grille and make your reference marks then reinstall the aerogrille and drill & cut.

If you have a coping saw http://www.technologystudent.com/equip1/coping1.htm it makes the process much easier. Depending on your bracket you have to cut about 3" on the grille to allow the bracket to slide in place.

The madness mounts are not the same as the OEM bracket. The OEM bracket has an additional tab which sandwiches the lower grille slat. The madness bracket does not. The OEM bracket (at least the 05 version) is substantially smaller gauge, almost half the thickness of the madness bracket and the Hella bracket, I used on my car.

I'm on the road, but I'll be more then happy to post up some pictures when I get back.

Mistro - If it helps I've seen the VX-T9000 lights on slae for $79, but they didn't include the brackets. For the life of my I can't remember the website, sorry.

 

I like these lights. I found them at:
http://www.upriceshop.com/68.html

 

yes Kseckel99 that is the light that Smokey4 installed but Mini Madness sells them as a kit and Coopersport.ca resells them. Because Coopersport charges in Canadian $ they are the better deal assuming you need mounts. Buying these from upriceshop you would need 2 @ 99 =200 + shipping, then mounts (Mini Maddness) @ 99 + shipping , total of over $300. Coopersport with shipping at today's exchange rate = $278 (includes shipping + extra bulbs). Only reason, I've not moved on them is does anyone know the quality of the light? Pencil, etc plus I'm a llittle concerned about the "off road" classification. Any comments would be appreciated. Michael

 

Just to clarify a few things. The MINI-Madness Kits and our kit a very similar as we both use the Madness brackets and Vision Lamps. I have put the Coopersport.ca Kits together a little differently with a slightly modified wiring harness, completely revamped installation instructions with bracket install direction courtesy of Madness and we include all the extra terminals, zip ties and even an Add-a-Circuit fuse panel extender for a painless install.

The light beam is not pencil thin. I find the pattern moderately wide and long. As for the "Off Road" classification, we are legally required to state this because the pre-installed H1 bulbs in the lamps are of the 100 Watt variety. Legal street use in every state and province I can think of is a max of 55 Watt. Use on the backroads with no oncoming traffic and you shouldn't raise any suspicion or **** anyone off. Or, if you prefer, you can always replace the 100 Watt H1 Bulbs with your choice of 55 Watt bulbs available from most local Auto shops. But, personally, I like the extra light.

If you need any further info just let me know.

Cheers,
Jason.
www.coopersport.ca

 

Jason, do your kit have separate switch or it just tap it to the high beam wire? Since I am looking for a set that I can control it with a separate switch.

 

Yes there is a separate switch and the instructions are based around using this switch to control the lights as you wish. If, however, you would prefer to tap in to the high beams that is certainly an option. The switch itself can be mounted pretty much anywhere in the dash area as the cable is quite long. Personally, I have mine mounted by my left knee in the switch plate on the Euro Parcel Shelf.

Cheers,
Jason.

 

Jason, If I misrepresented your products and Mini Madness, I apologize. However, I hope you could see my mistake. A question about the extra lights bulbs which is a special you are running...


... lamp houses a 100 Watt Superwhite H-3 Halogen bulb that is up to 30% brighter than regular Halogen bulbs. The Lamps cast a brilliant beam that compliment the MINI Xenon headlights nicely... For a very Limited Time receive a set of matching 55 Watt Superwhite Halogen High Beam Replacement Bulbs for FREE!

Do these additional bulbs make the lights legal? Also do the lights come with covers or are they available as an option?

Still stand on the statement that this is a great deal. Rgds, Michael

 

No problem. Just wanted to clarify.

The set of extra bulbs that are supplied are actually H7 Bulbs to replace your High Beams. Helps the high beams look more like the Xenon Low Beams.

To make the Driving Lights legal by most standards you would have to replace the H3 bulbs with 55 Watt bulbs and you would also be required to have the lights wired to the high beams.

As far as covers are concerned, the lamps come with removable Chromed Plastic shields but they are not full face. Have a look at the product on the website, scroll down to the product images and you can see exactly what is included in the package... well, except for the zip ties, they were photo shy that day.

Cheers,
Jason.

 

Jason, you write... "The set of extra bulbs that are supplied are actually H7 Bulbs to replace your High Beams. Helps the high beams look more like the Xenon Low Beams." So if I have Xenon they would not be used, correct? Are the size of these driving lights normal enough that I might be able to find a 3rd party that would have covers (I've seen those plastic things that come supplied, not a fan). TIA Michael

 

The Xenon Lights that come on a MINI are only Low Beams. The High Beams are standard halogen bulbs. So the supplied H7 would swap out the standard factory Halogen high beam bulbs. These new H7 bulbs are much whiter and more closely resemble the color of the Xenon Low Beams. Did tha make any more sense?

The Lamps are 6" and the housing I believe is just under 6 1/2". I have not investigated if covers are available for these. I'm not a fan of the ones that come with it either but have met others that really do. Guess it's just a preference. Having some 3M clear headlight film cut to fit the Driving Lights is also a good idea.

Cheers,
Jason.

 

Jason, Thanks for your help. You made the sale. I'll order before the weekend. Yours will be the first purchase for the Mini that I paid retail for, and that includes the Mini too! (of course with that currency exchange thing, its like I'm still getting a discount... LOL)

I appreciate this forum to be able to get answers and I appreciate vendors such as yourself who are official sponsers and maintain a presence on the site to help us out... I gotta go, I'm getting all choked up now... Michael