Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Turk on 18 November 2009, 23:02:27
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Would an upgrade to HID's (O/E units, not the Fleabay kits) make big difference in actually seeing where I'm going and is it just a case of "plug and play" regarding the wiring ?
What about h/lamp washers and the self leveling linkage, how critical are they to performance etc ?
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absolutely!!one of the best upgrade ive done on mine, although i do have adjustable rear air shocks, i havent bothered fitting the sensors etc and had no problems with mot or anything else most people say you should fit all the gubbins, but as said the rear shocks on mine do set the beams where i want them!!
i actually soldered my hid wires into the loom infront of my original plug, so i can swap back almost immediately just by plugging in the original lights to the original wiring if that makes sense? ;D :y
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So they won't plug straight in then ?
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So they won't plug straight in then ?
Nope, considered it for mine. The main problem i have fitting them is the lack of washer system.
We have a 3.0 Elite with HIDs and its amazing the difference washing them does to the light output. They are affected by road dirt much more than standard lights, hence washers are a legal requirement (on paper) but i see why they are needed.
It put me off putting them on mine, i stuck nightbreaker bulbs in and they bring it very close to HID output
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i just wash mine every time i use it in dirty weather ;D but have to say i havent really noticed any degradation in the light output when they are dirty, but am sure there is if they say there is!!
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i just wash mine every time i use it in dirty weather ;D but have to say i havent really noticed any degradation in the light output when they are dirty, but am sure there is if they say there is!!
I am doing 150 miles a day now, i given them quick wipe before i start. But driving along in mother tunnies Estate, i thought the windscreen looked a bit mucky (driving at night) gave it a blast, light output went up by around 30% :o
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I agree totally with Tunnie, headlight washers do serve a real purpouse. I would not even consider only fitting the lights, in my opinion you MUST fit the correct sensors to make the light motors work and headlight washers. I think it's bordering on unsafe and careless not to fit them. They are there for good reason, and by-passing them can only lead to trouble. I think not fitting headlight washers negates the whole point of fitting HID's...you want better light output so therefore you also need the headlight washers. And the light levelling motors are to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers. I know of an instance around here, that after investigation by TVP and other agencies an accidnet was attributed to a driver who thought he culd fit Xenon's without correct self levelling, blinded a driver coming over a small bridge, and caused them to crash, causing them to suffer fairly severe injuries and right their car off.
Quick answer, if you do it...please do it properly and fit headlight washers, and correct levelling motors etc.
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I suspect the self leveling is only an issue when the rear drops with a heavily loaded boot, rear passengers, towing etc. but that would be easily adjusted by the in-dash leveling switch.
I have heard before that HID's are affected by dirty lenses more than std bulbs.
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So they won't plug straight in then ?
Nope, considered it for mine. The main problem i have fitting them is the lack of washer system.
We have a 3.0 Elite with HIDs and its amazing the difference washing them does to the light output. They are affected by road dirt much more than standard lights, hence washers are a legal requirement (on paper) but i see why they are needed.
It put me off putting them on mine, i stuck nightbreaker bulbs in and they bring it very close to HID output
I have Nightbreakers fitted and they definately made an improvement, but I wouldn't say they're close to any HID's I've seen. If that's all the improvement is then I definately won't bother.
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So they won't plug straight in then ?
Nope, considered it for mine. The main problem i have fitting them is the lack of washer system.
We have a 3.0 Elite with HIDs and its amazing the difference washing them does to the light output. They are affected by road dirt much more than standard lights, hence washers are a legal requirement (on paper) but i see why they are needed.
It put me off putting them on mine, i stuck nightbreaker bulbs in and they bring it very close to HID output
I have Nightbreakers fitted and they definately made an improvement, but I wouldn't say they're close to any HID's I've seen. If that's all the improvement is then I definately won't bother.
Other HIDs are another matter, brand new beemers pounding the outside lane tend to light up the whole 6 lanes ;D
Omega HIDs aren't fantastic, when my 2.2 waterpump decided to die on me, i used mother tunnies Estate for a week, i liked the HIDs, when i got mine running again i was expecting to be plunged into darkness, but i found its not too far off. In poor weather the HIDs are much better, but under clear conditions, they are not far off.
If you do fit them, i highly recommend washers :y
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I thought the headlamp washer system was to stop dazzling other oncoming drivers?
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I thought the headlamp washer system was to stop dazzling other oncoming drivers?
Think the level sensors on the rear shocks are for that, washers are for keeping them clean 8-)
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Nope, leveling motors are to stop dazzling oncoming drivers
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I thought the headlamp washer system was to stop dazzling other oncoming drivers?
I agree. Dirt on the lenses either absorbs light or scatters it.
The scattered light contributes to the glare that other road users are subjected to.
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I thought self leveling is connected to the front wishbones.
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There are two sensors, one of the front n/s and one on the rear n/s wishbone.
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Yes it is, and to the rear as well.
I thought self leveling is connected to the front wishbones.
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Yes it is, and to the rear as well.
I thought self leveling is connected to the front wishbones.
There's a third sensor for the self levelling suspension on the o/s rear.
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My wife's daewoo has HID's fitted as standard.no headlight washers fitted and no self adjusting sensors just a manual roller switch on the dash.This seem to work fine in all weathers.I ask my MOT station about self adjusters and all he said some have and some don't have self adjusters and as long as these are set up right and if we have a heavy load in the boot just remember the adjust the switch to commiserate for the extra weight there is no problem.
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After looking in the wife's woo's handbook it states only "projector style headlights" can be fitted with HID bulbs and the lens must be kept clean for good working(pidgin English) of lamps still nothing on headlamp washers or self adjusting.
But then you got to the MOT website it state must have self adjusting and headlight washer fitted.So have Daewoo been importing car that are not legal or did they change the lights after getting type approved.
On other forums i had a look at regarding HID, most are like a child's playground with stupid comments unlike here But most agree HID's can only be fitted to projector type headlights and most found they have no problems with the MOT or the police using HID's bas long as they are adjusted properly.
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self levelling suspension is nothing to do with the hid system. For instance self levelling suspension is fitted to Elites only. However hid lights are fitted to cdx's as well on some face lifts, or whatever. No self levelling suspension fitted on those models.
Self level suspension sensor is fitted drivers side of the diff.
Hid level sensors are fitted to drivers side front and rear suspension arms on the pass side. These operate the motors in the headlight and actuate very quickly when asked.
I would think, that without sensors on the suspension arms, the head light motors would be stuck in their lowest position as they would have no input to know what hight to set to? (This happens when a sensor brakes on a fully fitted hid system, and gives the"head light field of vision" warning on the display, the lights then default to lowest setting). If that is the case i wonder if their is enough adjustment in the headlight to give an mot pass as the lights may be permanently set too low. Unless their is a way of fixing the motor at a higher position of course?
Hids are a marked improvement over projectors. No experience of night breaker bulbs though. Hth
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I've done HID upgrade.. imho difference worth every effort..
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Some very clean Hella's (std not HID'S) on Fleabay. Lenses and projectors are clear, no misting etc.
Any opinions on them ?
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I think there's always confusion between HID's, Xenon's and halogen lights.
As far as I know, HID's are just aftermarket things, some are awful, some are great. No Omega came from the factroy with HID's. They came with Xenon's. It depends what you want to do, fit Xenon headlights (i.e like the factroy put in) or aftermarket HID's? I guess if you want HID's from ebay etc etc, then no headlight washers and manual adjustment would be fine. If you want Xenon, like the faclift CDX's and Elite's you need headlight washers and levelling motors on the headlights. No car manufacturer I know of calls Xenon headlights HID's.
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No Omega came from the factroy with HID's. They came with Xenon's. ......
You've got that arse about face. And some Omegas did have HID's factory fitted. :y
HID's are High Intensity Discharge and are effectively an arc struck between 2 electrode inside the lamp. Xenons are an ordinary tungston lamp gas filled with Xenon gas, same idea as a Halogen lamp :y
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I think there's always confusion between HID's, Xenon's and halogen lights.
As far as I know, HID's are just aftermarket things, some are awful, some are great. No Omega came from the factroy with HID's. They came with Xenon's. It depends what you want to do, fit Xenon headlights (i.e like the factroy put in) or aftermarket HID's? I guess if you want HID's from ebay etc etc, then no headlight washers and manual adjustment would be fine. If you want Xenon, like the faclift CDX's and Elite's you need headlight washers and levelling motors on the headlights. No car manufacturer I know of calls Xenon headlights HID's.
Sorry mate ... way off !!!! :(
Okies what are HIDS/Xenons/halogens etc etc etc...
On the omega over time there have been basically 3 types of lights. First 2 are FILAMENT lights .. ie .. bulbs, they were fittd to "normal" type headlights - those with reflectors - and also to "projector" headlights .. those with the round glass ball.
Filament lights produce light by a wire glowing white hot, the hotter it gets the more light it produces .... but the wire (filament) tends to burn out ... so they fill the glass with an inert gas ... either xenon or halogen to stop the oxidisation ... hence the names .. halogens and xenons .. its the GAS they are reffering to !!
HIDs are High Intensity Discharge lights ... there are no filaments in the bulbs .. the light is produced by striking an arc .. think welding arc or lightning .. its the electricity jumping the gap that produces the initial light ... this energy then causes a gas to "flouresce" ..think strip lights .. flourescent ?? :) .... the gas used is ... XENON ..
So we have xenon HIDs as well as xenon bulbs, and halogen bulbs ...
HIDs are ONLY fitted to "projector" lights and can easily be spotted by the big "high voltage" warnings on the lights .... the high voltage is needed to strike the arc.
so ... we can have
Halogen filled bulbs in a reflector light
xenon filled bulbs in a reflector light
halogen filled bulbs in a projector light
xenon filled bulbs in a projector light
xenon filled HID Lamp in a projector light
and all have been fitted to Omegas as standard.
HTH
ps .. my miggy has xenon HIDs fitted as standard ... :)
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In every Vauxhall, and other car manufacturer brochure I have, there is never any mention of HID's, only Xenon's. Xenon is a noble gas, inert...when an electric current is supplied to it, it gives out the bluey, white light. Omega's have normal lights, projectors or Xenon's. I can not think of a single Omega model in official press that ever had HID's. Many people refer to Xenon's as HID's though.
I had tihs same discussion with the manager at my local Vauxhall garage, he was adament cars came with HID's. He phoned Vauxhall direct, and was told you get Halogen or Xenon's, but that HID's can be retro fitted.
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I think there's always confusion between HID's, Xenon's and halogen lights.
As far as I know, HID's are just aftermarket things, some are awful, some are great. No Omega came from the factroy with HID's. They came with Xenon's. It depends what you want to do, fit Xenon headlights (i.e like the factroy put in) or aftermarket HID's? I guess if you want HID's from ebay etc etc, then no headlight washers and manual adjustment would be fine. If you want Xenon, like the faclift CDX's and Elite's you need headlight washers and levelling motors on the headlights. No car manufacturer I know of calls Xenon headlights HID's.
HID are High Intensity Discharge, requires a ballast pack and are a VX factory fit option.
The confusion arises because there are Xenon H1, H4 etc available, which are a direct replacement for standard bulbs. They look the same as any other H1.H4 etc. These are not HID's.
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Got retro-fitted HID's on the Carlton. No washers or levellers, and reflective (not projective) lenses.
Passed five MOT's on the bounce, because the tester says that they give a good beam pattern and as such, he has to pass them.
I'll be totally honest - the full beam isn't that great, in fact, the halogen full beam on our Omegas is much better!
I think HID burners were filled with Xenon gas - therefore I also think that HID and Xenon headlights are the same thing, whether retro-fitted or factory installed.
As I understand it, only two or three makes of the ballast packs anyway, the wiring and burner quality is the variable in quality.
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I think there's always confusion between HID's, Xenon's and halogen lights.
As far as I know, HID's are just aftermarket things, some are awful, some are great. No Omega came from the factroy with HID's. They came with Xenon's. It depends what you want to do, fit Xenon headlights (i.e like the factroy put in) or aftermarket HID's? I guess if you want HID's from ebay etc etc, then no headlight washers and manual adjustment would be fine. If you want Xenon, like the faclift CDX's and Elite's you need headlight washers and levelling motors on the headlights. No car manufacturer I know of calls Xenon headlights HID's.
Sorry mate ... way off !!!! :(
Okies what are HIDS/Xenons/halogens etc etc etc...
On the omega over time there have been basically 3 types of lights. First 2 are FILAMENT lights .. ie .. bulbs, they were fittd to "normal" type headlights - those with reflectors - and also to "projector" headlights .. those with the round glass ball.
Filament lights produce light by a wire glowing white hot, the hotter it gets the more light it produces .... but the wire (filament) tends to burn out ... so they fill the glass with an inert gas ... either xenon or halogen to stop the oxidisation ... hence the names .. halogens and xenons .. its the GAS they are reffering to !!
HIDs are High Intensity Discharge lights ... there are no filaments in the bulbs .. the light is produced by striking an arc .. think welding arc or lightning .. its the electricity jumping the gap that produces the initial light ... this energy then causes a gas to "flouresce" ..think strip lights .. flourescent ?? :) .... the gas used is ... XENON ..
So we have xenon HIDs as well as xenon bulbs, and halogen bulbs ...
HIDs are ONLY fitted to "projector" lights and can easily be spotted by the big "high voltage" warnings on the lights .... the high voltage is needed to strike the arc.
so ... we can have
Halogen filled bulbs in a reflector light
xenon filled bulbs in a reflector light
halogen filled bulbs in a projector light
xenon filled bulbs in a projector light
xenon filled HID Lamp in a projector light
and all have been fitted to Omegas as standard.
HTH
Well explained :y but the "only fitted to projectors" is incorrect. I have projectors with standard non-HID bulbs.
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HIDs are not usually fitted as main beam lights as they take a finite time to reach full brightness .... watch a hid light start ... its pink for a moment then white .... and constant cycling soon knackers them ... so the "normal" is for HID dipped beam and a filament type bulb .. halogen or xenon as the "switchable" main beam.
Some expensive cars have dual HID's but the main beam is "ON" all the time, it is controlled by a shutter in the projector instead.
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I think there's always confusion between HID's, Xenon's and halogen lights.
As far as I know, HID's are just aftermarket things, some are awful, some are great. No Omega came from the factroy with HID's. They came with Xenon's. It depends what you want to do, fit Xenon headlights (i.e like the factroy put in) or aftermarket HID's? I guess if you want HID's from ebay etc etc, then no headlight washers and manual adjustment would be fine. If you want Xenon, like the faclift CDX's and Elite's you need headlight washers and levelling motors on the headlights. No car manufacturer I know of calls Xenon headlights HID's.
Sorry mate ... way off !!!! :(
Okies what are HIDS/Xenons/halogens etc etc etc...
On the omega over time there have been basically 3 types of lights. First 2 are FILAMENT lights .. ie .. bulbs, they were fittd to "normal" type headlights - those with reflectors - and also to "projector" headlights .. those with the round glass ball.
Filament lights produce light by a wire glowing white hot, the hotter it gets the more light it produces .... but the wire (filament) tends to burn out ... so they fill the glass with an inert gas ... either xenon or halogen to stop the oxidisation ... hence the names .. halogens and xenons .. its the GAS they are reffering to !!
HIDs are High Intensity Discharge lights ... there are no filaments in the bulbs .. the light is produced by striking an arc .. think welding arc or lightning .. its the electricity jumping the gap that produces the initial light ... this energy then causes a gas to "flouresce" ..think strip lights .. flourescent ?? :) .... the gas used is ... XENON ..
So we have xenon HIDs as well as xenon bulbs, and halogen bulbs ...
HIDs are ONLY fitted to "projector" lights and can easily be spotted by the big "high voltage" warnings on the lights .... the high voltage is needed to strike the arc.
so ... we can have
Halogen filled bulbs in a reflector light
xenon filled bulbs in a reflector light
halogen filled bulbs in a projector light
xenon filled bulbs in a projector light
xenon filled HID Lamp in a projector light
and all have been fitted to Omegas as standard.
HTH
Well explained :y but the "only fitted to projectors" is incorrect. I have projectors with standard non-HID bulbs.
He didn't say that projectors were only fitted with HID's, just that HID's are only fitted into projectors :y :y :y
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Well explained :y but the "only fitted to projectors" is incorrect. I have projectors with standard non-HID bulbs.
Yup ... projectors with bulbs in ... as I said :) either halogen or xenon but not HIDs
projectors can have either ... but AFAIK, as standard, HID lamps were never fitted into reflector lights.
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Ah, right I miss read it....er, I mean YOU DIDN'T MAKE IT CLEAR ENOUGH !! ::)
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I must apologise for being confused. I alway thought I understood the difference, but I clearly don't...I was wrong. I always thought there were two types, you have halogen bulbs, or you have Xenon's. I got confused by the fact people call them different things. I do know, that from Vauxahll literature, they are not called Hid's, they are called Xenon's. That's it, the same with the L322 Range Rover. You have Xenon headlights, not HID's. And I've only seen HID's advertised as an aftermakret thing, you can retro fit them...not ever from the factory. I know it's infuriating when someone thinks there right, and they're not...so I do aplogise. However, if someone can find me in official car literature from a manufacturer, that a car has HID's not Xenon's that would make me eat my hat ;D
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You should see how many sellers on Fleabay list H1,H4 etc as Xenon HID Upgrade. >:(
I mailed one to ask whether they were HID's or Xenon H1 bulbs, to which they replied that they were direct replacement Xenon H1's, but did they change the misleading description ? Did they heck !!
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...anyhoo, now that we've cleared that up, can someone perleeease answer my posting from half a mile back up this thread:
Some very clean Hella's (std not HID'S) on Fleabay. Lenses and projectors are clear, no misting etc.
Any opinions on them ?
Cheers me deers :y
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self levelling suspension is nothing to do with the hid system. For instance self levelling suspension is fitted to Elites only. However hid lights are fitted to cdx's as well on some face lifts, or whatever. No self levelling suspension fitted on those models.
Self level suspension sensor is fitted drivers side of the diff.
Hid level sensors are fitted to drivers side front and rear suspension arms on the pass side. These operate the motors in the headlight and actuate very quickly when asked.
I would think, that without sensors on the suspension arms, the head light motors would be stuck in their lowest position as they would have no input to know what hight to set to? (This happens when a sensor brakes on a fully fitted hid system, and gives the"head light field of vision" warning on the display, the lights then default to lowest setting). If that is the case i wonder if their is enough adjustment in the headlight to give an mot pass as the lights may be permanently set too low. Unless their is a way of fixing the motor at a higher position of course?
Hids are a marked improvement over projectors. No experience of night breaker bulbs though. Hth
Agree with all that but on the woo there is no sensors anywhere on the front suspension or rear or any of the the parts fitted to them.I have checked the wiring loom and the only adjustment to the lights are 2 screws to set the height and angle and the switch on the dash.
The bulbs are HID as we had one that stopped working i took it out and couldn't work out what the funny looking bulb was,so i took it to the main dealers and it turned out to be a faulty ballest pack.When you turn the lights on,they flash extra bright for about 2-3 seconds.
The cars a late 99 model so did the law(auto adjustment & washers) come it to affect after that date,
if so is this how Daewoo fitted these lights without the other bits.
The lights have not been converted as we bought the car brand new and is to standard spec.
I would like to know because am totally confused now
P.s
I have Nightbreakers fitted to my Mig and they are a great improvement over normal bulbs.
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...anyhoo, now that we've cleared that up, can someone perleeease answer my posting from half a mile back up this thread:
Some very clean Hella's (std not HID'S) on Fleabay. Lenses and projectors are clear, no misting etc.
Any opinions on them ?
Cheers me deers :y
IIRc Hella are standard Vx fitment lights.Don't understand what you mean projectors are clear?projector lens are IIRC are not clear but slightly misty looking if you know what i mean
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...anyhoo, now that we've cleared that up, can someone perleeease answer my posting from half a mile back up this thread:
Some very clean Hella's (std not HID'S) on Fleabay. Lenses and projectors are clear, no misting etc.
Any opinions on them ?
Cheers me deers :y
IIRc Hella are standard Vx fitment lights.Don't understand what you mean projectors are clear?projector lens are IIRC are not clear but slightly misty looking if you know what i mean
Hella...std VX :-? I doubt it.
As for the "slightly misty", yes most do end up like that, but are clear when new.
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So they won't plug straight in then ?
Nope, considered it for mine. The main problem i have fitting them is the lack of washer system.
We have a 3.0 Elite with HIDs and its amazing the difference washing them does to the light output. They are affected by road dirt much more than standard lights, hence washers are a legal requirement (on paper) but i see why they are needed.
It put me off putting them on mine, i stuck nightbreaker bulbs in and they bring it very close to HID output
Tunie, as said before....this is cobblers.
The light output from a HID is reduced in the same way as that from an incandescent lamp with the same percentage reduction.
So....if a HID has an output of 165 and an incandescent an output of 55 (which is about right) then a 50% reduction in light output will give 82 on the HID and 22 on the incandescent. Clearly the amount of light reaching the road is stil more than the incandescent!
Hence....the 'unsafe' arguement is floored.
So, my personal take on it.
There are legal issues but, in reality, the uk setup from an MOT or even a police perspective is not in line with this new(ish) technology so its not possible in reality for much to happen.
They do improve output significantly and the projector light setup on Omegas is very well suited to them (dont even consider using them in the non projector type).
My only minor concern is how well the plastics last when exposed to the higher levels of UV that HID's emmit.
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...anyhoo, now that we've cleared that up, can someone perleeease answer my posting from half a mile back up this thread:
Some very clean Hella's (std not HID'S) on Fleabay. Lenses and projectors are clear, no misting etc.
Any opinions on them ?
Cheers me deers :y
IIRc Hella are standard Vx fitment lights.Don't understand what you mean projectors are clear?projector lens are IIRC are not clear but slightly misty looking if you know what i mean
Hella...std VX :-? I doubt it.
As for the "slightly misty", yes most do end up like that, but are clear when new.
Hella is stamped on my 2.2 headlights and on the previous set I removed with knackered adjusters.
IMO projectors are usually hopeless-even my new set with 4x upgrade +90% bulbs, correctly adjusted are no match for the clear lens multi-reflector types on the hatchbacks I use.
My glass projector "balls" are clean and clear too.
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the HID light has much less 'throw' than the Halogen which reaches further, and does not have the edge cut off style of the HID. So dirt has a greater affect, on low beam, just going on what i have seen driving both kinds on the same run.
Driving along at night on a mucky motorway, HID output quickly drops, and is no better than Nightbreakers and at points i could not have seen a difference between the two. Both cars are roughly the same age, and lenses about the same also
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the HID light has much less 'throw' than the Halogen which reaches further, and does not have the edge cut off style of the HID. So dirt has a greater affect, on low beam, just going on what i have seen driving both kinds on the same run.
Driving along at night on a mucky motorway, HID output quickly drops, and is no better than Nightbreakers and at points i could not have seen a difference between the two. Both cars are roughly the same age, and lenses about the same also
Is this due to higher heat baking the dirt on the Xenon lenses? I thought this way why washers were a legal requirement.
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the HID light has much less 'throw' than the Halogen which reaches further, and does not have the edge cut off style of the HID. So dirt has a greater affect, on low beam, just going on what i have seen driving both kinds on the same run.
Driving along at night on a mucky motorway, HID output quickly drops, and is no better than Nightbreakers and at points i could not have seen a difference between the two. Both cars are roughly the same age, and lenses about the same also
Is this due to higher heat baking the dirt on the Xenon lenses? I thought this way why washers were a legal requirement.
Not sure, i think because the light thrown by the HID is shorter, but more powerful, dirt has a greater affect at the low beam. I was all for fitting HIDs until i drove the Elite Estate for a week.... they are better, but not by much!
Even just comming out down the road, quick blast and light output is up again, for me, they are no better unless you fit the washers
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the HID light has much less 'throw' than the Halogen which reaches further, and does not have the edge cut off style of the HID. So dirt has a greater affect, on low beam, just going on what i have seen driving both kinds on the same run.
Driving along at night on a mucky motorway, HID output quickly drops, and is no better than Nightbreakers and at points i could not have seen a difference between the two. Both cars are roughly the same age, and lenses about the same also
Is this due to higher heat baking the dirt on the Xenon lenses? I thought this way why washers were a legal requirement.
Nope, heat output is much less.
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the HID light has much less 'throw' than the Halogen which reaches further, and does not have the edge cut off style of the HID. So dirt has a greater affect, on low beam, just going on what i have seen driving both kinds on the same run.
Driving along at night on a mucky motorway, HID output quickly drops, and is no better than Nightbreakers and at points i could not have seen a difference between the two. Both cars are roughly the same age, and lenses about the same also
Is this due to higher heat baking the dirt on the Xenon lenses? I thought this way why washers were a legal requirement.
Not sure, i think because the light thrown by the HID is shorter, but more powerful, dirt has a greater affect at the low beam. I was all for fitting HIDs until i drove the Elite Estate for a week.... they are better, but not by much!
Even just comming out down the road, quick blast and light output is up again, for me, they are no better unless you fit the washers
Must be something wrong with them then.
The 'throw' down the road on the correctly set lights of the 2 technologies is the same.
The HID output you will see improve when washed....you would see the same on the incandescent units as well (if they had washers).
When I compare my old CDx (nightbreaker enabled) and facelift CDx (Standard fit HID).
Both with correctly set up lights (and dont assume that just because you have an MOT pass that they are set correct), the HIDs won hands down on evenness of light and did not deteriorate any worse than the incandescent units.
And, this is what physics and the theory tells you should be the case to
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the HID light has much less 'throw' than the Halogen which reaches further, and does not have the edge cut off style of the HID. So dirt has a greater affect, on low beam, just going on what i have seen driving both kinds on the same run.
Driving along at night on a mucky motorway, HID output quickly drops, and is no better than Nightbreakers and at points i could not have seen a difference between the two. Both cars are roughly the same age, and lenses about the same also
Is this due to higher heat baking the dirt on the Xenon lenses? I thought this way why washers were a legal requirement.
Not sure, i think because the light thrown by the HID is shorter, but more powerful, dirt has a greater affect at the low beam. I was all for fitting HIDs until i drove the Elite Estate for a week.... they are better, but not by much!
Even just comming out down the road, quick blast and light output is up again, for me, they are no better unless you fit the washers
Must be something wrong with them then.
The 'throw' down the road on the correctly set lights of the 2 technologies is the same.
The HID output you will see improve when washed....you would see the same on the incandescent units as well (if they had washers).
When I compare my old CDx (nightbreaker enabled) and facelift CDx (Standard fit HID).
Both with correctly set up lights (and dont assume that just because you have an MOT pass that they are set correct), the HIDs won hands down on evenness of light and did not deteriorate any worse than the incandescent units.
And, this is what physics and the theory tells you should be the case to
Standard fit Elite HID's - Lenses are a bit tired, but other than that are working fine. I am just going on what my eyes see!
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the HID light has much less 'throw' than the Halogen which reaches further, and does not have the edge cut off style of the HID. So dirt has a greater affect, on low beam, just going on what i have seen driving both kinds on the same run.
Driving along at night on a mucky motorway, HID output quickly drops, and is no better than Nightbreakers and at points i could not have seen a difference between the two. Both cars are roughly the same age, and lenses about the same also
Is this due to higher heat baking the dirt on the Xenon lenses? I thought this way why washers were a legal requirement.
Not sure, i think because the light thrown by the HID is shorter, but more powerful, dirt has a greater affect at the low beam. I was all for fitting HIDs until i drove the Elite Estate for a week.... they are better, but not by much!
Even just comming out down the road, quick blast and light output is up again, for me, they are no better unless you fit the washers
Must be something wrong with them then.
The 'throw' down the road on the correctly set lights of the 2 technologies is the same.
The HID output you will see improve when washed....you would see the same on the incandescent units as well (if they had washers).
When I compare my old CDx (nightbreaker enabled) and facelift CDx (Standard fit HID).
Both with correctly set up lights (and dont assume that just because you have an MOT pass that they are set correct), the HIDs won hands down on evenness of light and did not deteriorate any worse than the incandescent units.
And, this is what physics and the theory tells you should be the case to
Standard fit Elite HID's - Lenses are a bit tired, but other than that are working fine. I am just going on what my eyes see!
I think the point is that it needs to be compared like for like, taking condition, alignment etc out of the equation
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HID (high intensity discharge) lamps and LED (light emitting diodes) use different technology but to me seem to me have the same issue of not producing a wide spectrum of light.
Example - I use an LED head torch when working in the darker recesses of the Omega because the battery life is better than a traditional torch but when I need to read wire colours I have to get out my trusty Mag-Lite.
The light from HID's is blue/white rather than the orange you get from old fashioned sodium discharge lamps but the effect is similar.
-
the HID light has much less 'throw' than the Halogen which reaches further, and does not have the edge cut off style of the HID. So dirt has a greater affect, on low beam, just going on what i have seen driving both kinds on the same run.
Driving along at night on a mucky motorway, HID output quickly drops, and is no better than Nightbreakers and at points i could not have seen a difference between the two. Both cars are roughly the same age, and lenses about the same also
Is this due to higher heat baking the dirt on the Xenon lenses? I thought this way why washers were a legal requirement.
Not sure, i think because the light thrown by the HID is shorter, but more powerful, dirt has a greater affect at the low beam. I was all for fitting HIDs until i drove the Elite Estate for a week.... they are better, but not by much!
Even just comming out down the road, quick blast and light output is up again, for me, they are no better unless you fit the washers
Must be something wrong with them then.
The 'throw' down the road on the correctly set lights of the 2 technologies is the same.
The HID output you will see improve when washed....you would see the same on the incandescent units as well (if they had washers).
When I compare my old CDx (nightbreaker enabled) and facelift CDx (Standard fit HID).
Both with correctly set up lights (and dont assume that just because you have an MOT pass that they are set correct), the HIDs won hands down on evenness of light and did not deteriorate any worse than the incandescent units.
And, this is what physics and the theory tells you should be the case to
Standard fit Elite HID's - Lenses are a bit tired, but other than that are working fine. I am just going on what my eyes see!
And are they adjusted correctly (something I suspect you cant answer in reality)
Remember that observation counts for nothing if the baseline is wonky :y
-
HID (high intensity discharge) lamps and LED (light emitting diodes) use different technology but to me seem to me have the same issue of not producing a wide spectrum of light.
Example - I use an LED head torch when working in the darker recesses of the Omega because the battery life is better than a traditional torch but when I need to read wire colours I have to get out my trusty Mag-Lite.
The light from HID's is blue/white rather than the orange you get from old fashioned sodium discharge lamps but the effect is similar.
Not actualy the case, HID's, thanks to the discharge type of emission, do emmit a wide spectrum of light.
LED's are inferior as in reality, the are not white, they are Red + Green + Blue individual emmiters on a single piece of substrate. Hence 3 narrow light spectrums emmitted and reflected detail suffers as a result.
-
HID (high intensity discharge) lamps and LED (light emitting diodes) use different technology but to me seem to me have the same issue of not producing a wide spectrum of light.
Example - I use an LED head torch when working in the darker recesses of the Omega because the battery life is better than a traditional torch but when I need to read wire colours I have to get out my trusty Mag-Lite.
The light from HID's is blue/white rather than the orange you get from old fashioned sodium discharge lamps but the effect is similar.
Not actualy the case, HID's, thanks to the discharge type of emission, do emmit a wide spectrum of light.
LED's are inferior as in reality, the are not white, they are Red + Green + Blue individual emmiters on a single piece of substrate. Hence 3 narrow light spectrums emmitted and reflected detail suffers as a result.
I am struggling to find any information about the lighting spectrum from automotive HID's. While I agree that white LED's are really just mixing 3 finite frequencies I don't think discharge lamps are that much better.
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