Hey Everyone -

How would I go about upgrading my stock headlights to HIDs? Would I need to buy new headlight housing, change the wiring, etc? If I can, what are the best packages, brands, etc. I can go with?

Thanks!

 

Don't think you need new headlights. Just bulbs and ballasts. Ebay has got some good deals...

 

I will celebrate when the state inspection stations start cracking down on this lame mod and troopers start issuing citations to the operators.

I see old Ford F150's, Impala's and Corolla's with these HID kits in their low beams and like any other car who's reflectors were NOT designed for this type of light, it just ends up blinding the hell out of oncoming traffic.....

Do what you want, but IMO if you don't have HID Headlights and want them, do it properly or go buy a MINI which already has them from the factory.

 

I would would suggest putting them behind good projectors if you're going to retrofit one. Acura TSX projectors are known to be one of the best in terms of beam pattern and light output. So long as they're angled properly, you shouldn't have issues blinding other people.

 

+1 for buying the right OEM equipment or retrofitting.

 

You can buy new housings and then get a kit to fit them and the OEM computer should work. There are a couple of posts on here within the last couple of weeks showing how you can swap OEM housings and add HIDs to a 1st gen MINI the right way.

 

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I'm still "chewing" on the idea of HIDs/Xenons. My stock headlights are very bright but, you know, never hurts to just think about new things.

And,to gRay rAvEn, the reason I didn't buy a MINI that already had them was because I wanted a MINI that had a supercharger over a turbo and I wanted the discontinued Hyper Blue paint.

Thanks again, everyone! You're feedback is very appreciated!

 

Ha ha... Fact is when you drive a mini... you get blinded by EVERYTHING!!!

 

 

I installed after market HID's to my '02 MCS a few weeks ago. I used a set that has a very small digital ballast the made the install easier. The HID bulbs are a direct replacement for the H7 bulbs. As for blinding people with them, you won't if you adjust your lights properly because the stock housings incorporate a very distinct cut off. Neither the HID's or H7's are a directional bulbs they just illuminate the housings, so the housings cut off the light from HID's just like they cut off the light from the H7's. The only difference is the amount and color of light being projected BELOW the cut off. The light cut off is very similar to my '08 Buick Enclave that came with factory projector HID's. I have not had anyone flash their lights at me and last week my car went through our NY State annual safety inspection with no issues and NY has one of the most stringent safety inspections in the nation.

 

What HID bulbs did you use? That seems like a nice and easy upgrade.

On a side note...nice hot rod in the sig pic

 

The problem with illegal HID "updgrades" is that the filament is the wrong location with respect to the reflector. This means the stock reflector does not work correctly and will send stray light into other driver's eyeballs.

Do it right with OEM HIDs and please don't blind us.

Or just get some good H7 bulbs like:

http://store.candlepower.com/osraulhiouh7.html

or

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ima...1&s=automotive

 

I understand what everyone's saying about improper beam pattern and all BUT,

as someone stated here earlier, at least on my 05 non hid mini, there is a very distinct cut-off pattern and it looks just like the pattern my old 540i projected and those were factory hid's.

Just throwin that out there.

 

I'm not a proponent of using HID drop in kits in factory halogen reflector housings for the obvious reasons. But I will say, the H7 drop ins are probably the best candidate for them. The reason I say this, is because the filament on the H7 bulb is in the same position as the HID arc on an H7 PnP bulb. With that said, I run the Osram Rallye 65W bulbs in my 03 Halogens with great success. 2100 lumens from each bulb with no sacrifice in bulb longevity. They work great for me, but I've always been tempted to try an H7 HID kit, just for kicks.

 

Thanks so much for the feedback, everyone! This helps a lot!

 

This has been a loooooooong contested mod here at NAM. The general consensus is not to do it. Issues of safety are swirling all around this issue. I think we need to have some actual RESEARCH done and possible experimentation to find the most viable solution, but nobody has that kind of time or money. I'd love to hear what avenue you pursue though, keep us posted!