Even more lighting questions

[\\'anderer]

Has anybody ever used any aftermarket HID lighting in their headlights? If so what brand? Will it make a difference? I know HID's draw less amps. Any thoughts would be appreciated

I have a 94 Jeep XJ and I'm installing IPF headlights. The gadget junkie in me has always wanted to try HID. I converted my motorhome lighting to LED, so you can see how im drawn to the light like a moth.:sunny:


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http://www.hid-sin.com/

 

[asteffes]

Coulda sworn I wrote up a long thing on this topic not too long ago...

They work, but are dependent on a quality reflector/lens housing to focus the light properly. You cannot simply pop one of these kits in and expect it to transform poor headlamps into flamethrowers.

That said, if your headlamps produce a well-focused, sharp, clear beam they make work well with an HID retrofit. If the light is scattered, has holes or dark spots, or are heavily pitted or scratched do *not* upgrade your bulbs or install an HID kit. You will blind everyone with glare and stray light.

Also, the color temperature of HID kits can create problems. Many of these kits are on the blue side of white, supposedly close to the wavelength of sunlight. The problem is that this washes out a lot of color from the things you're looking at. It can make object identification more difficult. I've found upgraded halogen bulbs to often be preferable to HID kits, as colors remain natural and my eyes do not tire as quickly during long periods of driving with the lights on.

You may want do a search on this topic, as I've written more on it in the past. I'm a bit under the weather and that's all I can think of now.

 

[bigreen505]

A close friend of mine who many people on this board have bought from designed many of the aftermarket HID kits (one kit, one manufacturer, many brands). In his words, the design is pretty solid, but requires very tight manufacturing tolerances. Most of the kits don't have the tolerances necessary to make them worthwhile, let alone safe.

Off road lights are different because you are just trying to throw a lot of light out there and precise focus, or lack of it due to sloppy manufacturing tolerances, is not a big deal.

Please don't confuse my comments about these kits with manufacturer developed HID systems, like Hella 4000 HID and the Lightforce HID.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Also, the color temperature of HID kits can create problems. Many of these kits are on the blue side of white, supposedly close to the wavelength of sunlight. The problem is that this washes out a lot of color from the things you're looking at. It can make object identification more difficult. I've found upgraded halogen bulbs to often be preferable to HID kits, as colors remain natural and my eyes do not tire as quickly during long periods of driving with the lights on.

Have not had the opportunity to drive or ride in a vehicle with HID headlights, but I do have a pair of HID lights that I use on my bike for racing. The benefits of HID are lumens per amp mostly in my case, they are BRIGHT and have sufficient run times. I have Niterider HIDs, which use 13W HID bulbs (about 500 lumens produced) and so my run times are around 4 hours on a 4 amp-hour battery. Being that we race 24 hour races with around 10 to 12 hours of night racing, run times like this are key. But the light is very white and does fatigue your eyes and absolutely ruins any night vision you might have. So much so that if the lights do die, it takes almost an hour for my eyes to adjust to natural light. The color temp has a lot to do with this, but also the abrupt contrast between the brightness of the lit verses unlit areas. These light have a sharp focus to maximize the light in the lit areas and the fall-off at the edges is sharp. In my truck I use yellow-ish trending bulbs in Hella Vision Plus housings. I did upgrade my wiring harness and I have never felt the need to make them any more white. If I could shift the color of my bike lights to that of standard halogen but still retain the run times and brightness, I would in an instant.

But if you do go HID, be sure to aim your lights. They are absolutely blinding to anyone looking at them, it is not all that much different than looking straight into the sun.