HID Conversion Kits

[beavis2k4]

I find the standard e30 lighting appauling to be honest and instead of buying some osrams i was wondering about these HID kits anyone had any experience with them? Are they worth it? Easy to fit? Blah Blah Blah?? Etc Etc...

Found a company that done 3k 6k 8k and 65k HID Kits but prices were higher and ive also lost the link

http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/home.php?cat=619

[Simon]

I've got a HID kit fitted to the M3, well worth the money!

I paid a touch over Ԛ£200 for the kit I have which is almost identical to the H1 kit in the above link.

[Demlotcrew]

No matter what you do the E30 lights are late 80s technology, they will never be any good even with HIDs.

Andrew

[Simon]

No matter what you do the E30 lights are late 80s technology, they will never be any good even with HIDs.

Andrew

They are still a vast improvement over standard bulbs though, and I am forever getting comments on them.

[Hyperion]

i havent had issues with my lights, can see pretty clearly. but i do understand you guys changing to new spec. Our nights are pretty clear and not much fog at night etc. But over there it must be scary.

[Gwynleym10]

Andrew

Are your Xenons conversions different to HID? If so how much better is it?

Thanks

[Demlotcrew]

They are about 30% more efficient. But are also twice the price.

Here is a pic of the difference, the first is a stock E30 Euro smilie.



The second pic is of a E30 headlamp with the latest HID projector.



As you can see there is a very big difference in width and light spread.

The hella projectors found in the smoked lights which simon has have even worse projectors, they create a very narrow beam, but because of clever optics the front glass section of the Hella light distributes the light to the sides of the road much better than the Bosch E30 units. But you then get a strange cut of and massive side flares which lights up the insides of cars that you pass on the left.

HTH

Andrew

[Gwynleym10]

So Xenons are 30% more efficient than HID?

What exactly are the differences between Xenon and HID then? How do they work? Is there another thread some where...

[Simon]

So Xenons are 30% more efficient than HID?

What exactly are the differences between Xenon and HID then? How do they work? Is there another thread some where...

There is no difference, Xenons is a nick name if you like for HID's, due to the bulb having xenon gas inside them.

[kam-325i]

So Xenons are 30% more efficient than HID?

What exactly are the differences between Xenon and HID then? How do they work? Is there another thread some where...

Xenon = Fillament
HID = Electric Arc

[Demlotcrew]

No Xenon is one of the gases used in the bulb. HID stands for High intensity discharge.

They are both commonly used to describe the same thing.

The difference is not in the bulb (although cheapo kits have poor quality bulbs) but in the Projector, the E30 stock Bosch/Hella projectors are just not efficient at producing the correct light output, they are about 30% less than todays HID equipped cars. There are only a handful of cars today which have good projectors, the Best projector ever made for a production car is fitted to the Z8. The next is on the RX8 and then the E46/Audi TT and then S2000 and all the others after this.

Some Lexus cars have trick Bi-Xenon projectors which are good but are not as good as the singles. The merc E55 has a good bi projector.

HTH

Andrew

[MrDazzle]

HID lights work in a completely different way.

Filament lamps have (oddly enough!) a filament through which a currect is passed. The filament gets hot, glows etc. etc....

HID lamps are filled with a gas (different gasses give different colours). The electricity that is supplied to the bulb 'excites' the gas, causing electrons in the atoms that make up the gas to 'jump' to a higher electron shell, with more energy. When the electrons fall back down to their original shell they emit a photon of energy (the same amount of energy as was used to lift 'em up in the first place) of a certain frequency.

All the atoms produce light at the same frequency, which is why HID's give out a pure light, as opposed to the mix of colours given out by filament lamps. HID also turns the electricity directly into light instead of via resistance, heat etc. which is why they're more efficient.

So there you are...now you have a practical application of quantum physics.

[Gwynleym10]

Interesting stuff!

Had a bit of a search as well

[Simon]

This is how I see it...

If you want improved light output, but cheap, get some phillips blue vision/osram silver star.

If you want even more improved light output, and don't mind spending Ԛ£200, get a HID kit, they are p1ss easy to fit, straight swop from original halogen bulbs.

If you want to spend more money and get superior lighting, and chop your lights up, go for the demlot mod.

If you live somewhere rural, where it's very dark at night, no streetlights, best option would be to get a HID kit and put the bulbs in your high beam lamps, you're limited to how much the dipped beams can do anyway.

[amit325i]

I would try and find a kit which is at least 4300K, the higher you go in k the bluer it becomes which means less light, 6000K is the highest i would go any how.

[Demlotcrew]

Having HID in the hign beams will kill the bulbs in not time, as they dont like to be switched on and off three times everyhour.

Thats why Bi-xenon was created.

Andrew

[hoshy]

No matter what you do the E30 lights are late 80s technology, they will never be any good even with HIDs.

Andrew

That's a pretty unhelpful comment mate. Esp considering your advertising Xenon kits in your sig!

[Demlotcrew]

^ The kits i do dont use E30 technology.

Andrew

[Simon]

Having HID in the hign beams will kill the bulbs in not time, as they dont like to be switched on and off three times everyhour.


Andrew

It's the same for halogen bulbs though, and HID bulbs have a far longer life span than halogen bulbs.

There's a number of guys on E36coupe forum have 3 sets of HID's on their cars, with no problems.

[Demlotcrew]

The life span of a Halogen bulb is not calculated on how many times its turned off or on.

Ask any of the E46 crew on BMW Car forum who have HID and auto headlamp illumination, they will tell you that after 3-4 months of winter driving the bulbs blow!

Those guys are safe as HID from the dealer/factory have a lifetime warranty.

Andrew

[Simon]

The life span of a Halogen bulb is not calculated on how many times its turned off or on.

But continious switching on and off will shorten the life span of the bulb, wether HID or halogen.

[Demlotcrew]

MY point Exactly!

H1 Ԛ£3
D2S Ԛ£60-100 OE

Its your choice at the end of the day, Its obvious that BMW/MERC/Lexus/and the others didnt think this was a good enough for their customers and commissioned their manufactures to come up with a better system, and they have its called Bi-Xenon.

Now if HID on the High beam is not good enough for the professionals its not good enough for me or the customers i fit these kits too.

Andrew

[Simon]

I'm going down the garage to switch my lights on and off, I shall be back when one blows...could be a while!

[beavis2k4]

The kits i do dont use E30 technology.

Im intrigued, which kits do you install? Feel free to pm me details/prices/pics or even in this thread so everyone can benefit

[beavis2k4]

Also this may run in on my last post but is there any better projectors that i could use that wouldnt spoil the e30 looks? like could i half inch a set of headlights of a Bimmer thats got HIDs? I dont know how they are configured on newer models but are they seperate "pods" incased in a square projector or are they one solid unit??

[Pilsbury]

http://intellexual.net/hid.html

[Simon13]

i've been in an E30 with an HID kit and they were crap.

If u want to actually see in the dark and not hit a hedge if u drive over 20mph then go for the demlot mod. Alas i am the only non moderator on this forum to have gone for it. Has to be up there with the best mod i have made to my car.

Anyway my lights cost me Ԛ£250 so?!

to me the hid kits are how to piss money up the wall...........

[beavis2k4]

Great Link!!

[beavis2k4]

what exactly is the demlot mod??

[Simon13]

U get proper OE xenons with ballasts and the headlamp is modified to accept the projector too. But don't worry ure headlamps are not butchered. Plus great lights and reliability.

It's like or is having OE audi TT or BMW X5 modified for an E30.

[Simon]

i've been in an E30 with an HID kit and they were crap.

If u want to actually see in the dark and not hit a hedge if u drive over 20mph

to me the hid kits are how to piss money up the wall...........

Got to dis-agree on the HID kit being crap, there's obviously some rubbish out there, but the kit I fitted to the M3 has made a huge improvement to the light ouput, and living where I live, regulary drive unlit roads.

The thing is though, when driving unlit roads, it's the main beam that lights up the areas of concern when driving at speed, dipped beam doesn't shine far forward enough..?

[Simon13]

ah but thats because of the old 80's tech projectors. See this is where the zone conversion comes in. As u are fitting projectors from a newer light.

Naturally the newer projector gives far better range both to the sides and infront. Infact to my eyes the range is as far as main beam, but only on the road and to the sides of the car. Whereas mainbeam lights everywhere up.

I don't use my mainbeams anymore really, even on unlit roads.

Simon have been in one of the few zone cars with demlots xenon setup to compare?

[beavis2k4]

how much would the demlot mod cost me? quite fancy doing it

Is there anyway we could put HIDs in the main beam as well? obviously its the life of the bulb that suffers with the switching on and off as some people have said, but there must be some way around it, how do these bixenons work and are there any sets that would fit an e30??

[Simon13]

how much would the demlot mod cost me? quite fancy doing it

Is there anyway we could put HIDs in the main beam as well? obviously its the life of the bulb that suffers with the switching on and off as some people have said, but there must be some way around it, how do these bixenons work and are there any sets that would fit an e30??

As said u don't need xenon mainbeam, just leave them alone!

[beavis2k4]

OK, im sorry