HID conversion Elise S2

[D2LHR]

Hi,

Has anyone upgraded their headlights to HID's? I've been considering it as the standard lights are not the best, plus the light colour makes it look nicer to other road users!

I'm just wondering what the best kit to go for is and where the ballasts should be placed?!?!

[jj]

Have a look at this thread.


http://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/vie ... hilit=hids

[CubanGav]

I'm of the same mind.
Anyone offer any more advice on the ballast (?) placement - fitting? The prev thread says self tappers on the crash structure. Being an idiot do you need to drill pilot holes? Can it be bonded onto it? I'm also assuming you use the existing electrical connection?

At the same time I would be looking to change the reflective surround for the bulb (rusted at the mo). Is this a much bigger job or another wheel off, lining out affair?

Not thread high jacking - thread expanding.

[Mr Momo]

Ali (now @ SLS) fitted mine on the 111R - did a nice job of securing the ballasts etc. Major difference in driving at night.

MOT issues may get you.

I had no regrets with mine.

[dirkpitt]

I have toyed with the idea for a while......but, i read on another forum (lotus talk.com i think ) that the best results, were to just change the existing bulbs to 5000k ones.
it was this temperature that gave the best illuminations any higher you would lose this.......look into it more and see what you find?......also, if this is the case you don’t have to fit the ballast and your not adding weight

[Justin]

I have toyed with the idea for a while......but, i read on another forum (lotus talk.com i think ) that the best results, were to just change the existing bulbs to 5000k ones.
it was this temperature that gave the best illuminations any higher you would lose this.......look into it more and see what you find?......also, if this is the case you don’t have to fit the ballast and your not adding weight

5000k are HID's..

Its an easy job to do, I changed my exige lights to HID's and made a massive difference

[dirkpitt]

I have toyed with the idea for a while......but, i read on another forum (lotus talk.com i think ) that the best results, were to just change the existing bulbs to 5000k ones.
it was this temperature that gave the best illuminations any higher you would lose this.......look into it more and see what you find?......also, if this is the case you don’t have to fit the ballast and your not adding weight

5000k are HID's..

Its an easy job to do, I changed my exige lights to HID's and made a massive difference

yes no doubt they are, but you can get them as normal at 5000k also,
http://www.carbulbsdirect.com/product_d ... p?prod=152

[Shug]

Aye, okay, that's 5000K effect halogens. The 5000K on HIDs is an actual light measurement...

[CubanGav]

http://www.carbulbsdirect.com/product_d ... p?prod=152

Not legal either?

I thought the purpose of HID is that it throws out more light - nicer colour is just a side effect?

[Rich H]

5000k are still quite yellow so better for 'seeing stuff' at range. But brighter does not always equal more range

Big bright lights light up the foreground as well as the long range stuff so you may appear to see more but it's close in, meaning the more distant stuff is harder to see though the bright stuff nearby.
I saw an excellent article a while back that explained it all, basically cut through the marketing guff, I'll see if I can find it.
Lamp pattern, colour, and intensity are all important.

The chavvy understanding that bigger numbers (8000+K) = better means you get those silly purple tinged lights that dazzle like mad but are crap to see by.

[dirkpitt]

http://www.carbulbsdirect.com/product_d ... p?prod=152

Not legal either?

I thought the purpose of HID is that it throws out more light - nicer colour is just a side effect?

humm..... as i understand it the k stands for Kelvin, which is a temperature reading and it corresponds to Wien's law.....which shows that there’s a correlation between light frequency and temperature. Basically you can take the light frequency from a source and then use a formula to find the temperature...as the light frequency changes so does temp?????

Come on the engineers out there...help?



These also a debate on HIDs being legal too

[Justin]

I have toyed with the idea for a while......but, i read on another forum (lotus talk.com i think ) that the best results, were to just change the existing bulbs to 5000k ones.
it was this temperature that gave the best illuminations any higher you would lose this.......look into it more and see what you find?......also, if this is the case you don’t have to fit the ballast and your not adding weight

5000k are HID's..

Its an easy job to do, I changed my exige lights to HID's and made a massive difference

yes no doubt they are, but you can get them as normal at 5000k also,
http://www.carbulbsdirect.com/product_d ... p?prod=152

Thats not proper HID's though :S

Its just an effect...

[Rich H]

Type approval states HID equipped cars must have autolevelling and lamp wash as well as give correct beam patterns.
There is no such test requirement for retrofitted HIDs so the argument is that they cannot be retrofitted.

As far as I have seen it's not clear cut but VOSA have stated that they consider retrofitted HIDs to be unsuitable under construction and use regs.

Also the main practical problem is that normal headlamps are designed for a neat filament to throw out light in a tightly controlled pattern, HIDs are a gas discahrge so don't give a strong predefined pattern leading to dazzling.

[dirkpitt]

Thats not proper HID's though :S

Its just an effect...

argh right, i stand corrected.....it does say that they are 5000k output thou

[CubanGav]

humm..... as i understand it the k stands for Kelvin, which is a temperature reading and it corresponds to Wien's law.....which shows that there’s a correlation between light frequency and temperature. Basically you can take the light frequency from a source and then use a formula to find the temperature...as the light frequency changes so does temp?????

My hazy memory of physics class tells me the higher the frequency of the light the more towards the blue/white end it goes. In bulb speak the temperature is just a scale for red to white. Higher temp being whiter to the eye not more cozey.

I read something about lumens(?) too but got this confused with Moomins - which terrify me and I couldnt read any further.

There are loads of posts elsewhere banging on about the ups and downs of HID. I rekon the better bulb option looks easier.