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[TheBoy]

By the way if the headlights are dirty still HIDs are better.. Unless totally blocked !

That is not the case in tests done by manufacturers, and by the government bodies in this country, hence the legal requirement for a washing system in the UK....   :-/

[cem_devecioglu]

You dont understand ...

My headlights are special

[matt]

Rather than start a new thread...

I have 97 Elite, which already has headlight washers...

So presumably all needed to fit HIDs is the lights and ballasts from a 99 car?

[TheBoy]

Rather than start a new thread...

I have 97 Elite, which already has headlight washers...

So presumably all needed to fit HIDs is the lights and ballasts from a 99 car?

Strictly, should have the automatic headlight levelling (faster acting than the suspension auto levelling) rather than the manual levelling fitted to non HID Omegas to remain UK legal.

This requires the sensors from suspension arms, the loom, and the ECU.

The plugs are different from the halogens to HIDs as well, so a bit of old loom may help.

[Taxi_Driver]

Well....the HID kit i bought (Bosch) turned up this morning.

So i spent an hour or so fitting them......bit fiddly....the spring that holds the H1 bulbs in was a bit of a pain.....but got there in the end......the crimp connectors that take the 12v supply were too loose for my liking so pliers to close them up a bit.

But hey what a difference   I can actually see where im going now  

I bought the 4.3k ones.......they come on with a blue tint to start with but as soon as they warm up.....nearly white light.....well impressed  

As wether they are legal or not......hummm    :-/

MOT due november so see what MOT blokey makes of them.

Only thing with the kit......ebay seller said blue sidelight bulbs included......didnt get them in the kit.....and wasnt really bothered....but now ive seen the HID's on, the ordinary sidelights would look better with them imo  :-/ Probably not legal either  :-/

[Jimbob]

Glad you are happy.
We both run White LED sidelights, prob not legal, crap if you ever drive with just sidelights on (we dont)
but they do look better with the HID's, doubt the blue would though, bit chavvish.

[TheBoy]

Well....the HID kit i bought (Bosch) turned up this morning.

So i spent an hour or so fitting them......bit fiddly....the spring that holds the H1 bulbs in was a bit of a pain.....but got there in the end......the crimp connectors that take the 12v supply were too loose for my liking so pliers to close them up a bit.

But hey what a difference   I can actually see where im going now  

I bought the 4.3k ones.......they come on with a blue tint to start with but as soon as they warm up.....nearly white light.....well impressed  

As wether they are legal or not......hummm    :-/

MOT due november so see what MOT blokey makes of them.

Only thing with the kit......ebay seller said blue sidelight bulbs included......didnt get them in the kit.....and wasnt really bothered....but now ive seen the HID's on, the ordinary sidelights would look better with them imo  :-/ Probably not legal either  :-/

I dont think they are an MOT failure (unless aim is off).  There is a difference between MOT pass and legal

In reality, I think you'll be unlucky to get pulled for it, esp if you have them aimed fairly low and left.

[Taxi_Driver]

Glad you are happy.
We both run White LED sidelights, prob not legal, crap if you ever drive with just sidelights on (we dont)
but they do look better with the HID's, doubt the blue would though, bit chavvish.

Yes you are probably right   The filament sidelights dont look quite right next to HID's

[Taxi_Driver]

Well....the HID kit i bought (Bosch) turned up this morning.

So i spent an hour or so fitting them......bit fiddly....the spring that holds the H1 bulbs in was a bit of a pain.....but got there in the end......the crimp connectors that take the 12v supply were too loose for my liking so pliers to close them up a bit.

But hey what a difference   I can actually see where im going now  

I bought the 4.3k ones.......they come on with a blue tint to start with but as soon as they warm up.....nearly white light.....well impressed  

As wether they are legal or not......hummm    :-/

MOT due november so see what MOT blokey makes of them.

Only thing with the kit......ebay seller said blue sidelight bulbs included......didnt get them in the kit.....and wasnt really bothered....but now ive seen the HID's on, the ordinary sidelights would look better with them imo  :-/ Probably not legal either  :-/

I dont think they are an MOT failure (unless aim is off).  There is a difference between MOT pass and legal

In reality, I think you'll be unlucky to get pulled for it, esp if you have them aimed fairly low and left.

I checked the pattern of them tonight in the dark.....kinda \___ so looking good to me  

[davlad22]

Yes, the beam pattern on ours is superb, really crisp and I can confirm that if your lights appear to be aimed correctly there should be NO glare/dazzling of other drivers. It was quite easy to tell when the bulbs were installed/aligned correctly.

TD, really pleased you're liking the kit. I think it's one of the most worthile investments, especially for anyone who does any amount of nightime driving. Less strain on the eyes and road signs/white lines are so much easier to pick out  

Did you remember to leave enough cabling inside the lamp unit for free movement of the levelling? Did you tie them up against the side of the radiator panel as suggested and recommend this as the primary method of mounting? I too had to nip up the clip/spade connectors to obtain a nice stable connection.

The blue filament sidelights are not actually 'blue' as suggested but in fact show white when on. Yes they are legal, there's loads of those available cheap on eBay and they're quite good for brightening the front up more. It's only the really chavvy LED lamps that show up 'blue'   They ARE NOT legal as blue is reserved only for emergency services  

[Taxi_Driver]

Yes, the beam pattern on ours is superb, really crisp and I can confirm that if your lights appear to be aimed correctly there should be NO glare/dazzling of other drivers. It was quite easy to tell when the bulbs were installed/aligned correctly.

TD, really pleased you're liking the kit. I think it's one of the most worthile investments, especially for anyone who does any amount of nightime driving. Less strain on the eyes and road signs/white lines are so much easier to pick out  

Did you remember to leave enough cabling inside the lamp unit for free movement of the levelling? Did you tie them up against the side of the radiator panel as suggested and recommend this as the primary method of mounting? I too had to nip up the clip/spade connectors to obtain a nice stable connection.

The blue filament sidelights are not actually 'blue' as suggested but in fact show white when on. Yes they are legal, there's loads of those available cheap on eBay and they're quite good for brightening the front up more. It's only the really chavvy LED lamps that show up 'blue'   They ARE NOT legal as blue is reserved only for emergency services  

Theres plenty of cable loose to allow for manual levelling  
I mounted the ballasts light cluster side of the panels that the rad is mounted on, bit of a tight squeeze.....cables from battery in the way a bit nearside and airpipe from the airbox in the way slightly offside.....same place?  :-/

[Taxi_Driver]

Yes, the beam pattern on ours is superb, really crisp and I can confirm that if your lights appear to be aimed correctly there should be NO glare/dazzling of other drivers. It was quite easy to tell when the bulbs were installed/aligned correctly.

TD, really pleased you're liking the kit. I think it's one of the most worthile investments, especially for anyone who does any amount of nightime driving. Less strain on the eyes and road signs/white lines are so much easier to pick out  

Did you remember to leave enough cabling inside the lamp unit for free movement of the levelling? Did you tie them up against the side of the radiator panel as suggested and recommend this as the primary method of mounting? I too had to nip up the clip/spade connectors to obtain a nice stable connection.

The blue filament sidelights are not actually 'blue' as suggested but in fact show white when on. Yes they are legal, there's loads of those available cheap on eBay and they're quite good for brightening the front up more. It's only the really chavvy LED lamps that show up 'blue'   They ARE NOT legal as blue is reserved only for emergency services  

I saw a driving instructor car last night with blue front sidelights   He ought to set a better example  

[TheBoy]

Yes, the beam pattern on ours is superb, really crisp and I can confirm that if your lights appear to be aimed correctly there should be NO glare/dazzling of other drivers. It was quite easy to tell when the bulbs were installed/aligned correctly.

TD, really pleased you're liking the kit. I think it's one of the most worthile investments, especially for anyone who does any amount of nightime driving. Less strain on the eyes and road signs/white lines are so much easier to pick out  

Did you remember to leave enough cabling inside the lamp unit for free movement of the levelling? Did you tie them up against the side of the radiator panel as suggested and recommend this as the primary method of mounting? I too had to nip up the clip/spade connectors to obtain a nice stable connection.

The blue filament sidelights are not actually 'blue' as suggested but in fact show white when on. Yes they are legal, there's loads of those available cheap on eBay and they're quite good for brightening the front up more. It's only the really chavvy LED lamps that show up 'blue'   They ARE NOT legal as blue is reserved only for emergency services  

You are missing the point why fast acting autolevelling is a legal requirement.  Car loading can affect the static height of beam, but bumps can affect it dynamically as well.  The autolevelling overcomes both of these.  And the failsafe is pointing right down for a reason.

If a heavily loaded halogen car approaches you, its just annoying/slightly dazzling.  If the same car with HIDs did so, due to the very intense nature of the light (similar to camera flash), it is blinding for that moment, and for a short period after.

Thats why I suggested setting lights a little lower than normal.

[Marks DTM Calib]

In-rush current will be dependent on ballast pack design, a good design will not have a such a large in-rush.

[davlad22]

You are missing the point why fast acting autolevelling is a legal requirement.  Car loading can affect the static height of beam, but bumps can affect it dynamically as well.  The autolevelling overcomes both of these.  And the failsafe is pointing right down for a reason.

If a heavily loaded halogen car approaches you, its just annoying/slightly dazzling.  If the same car with HIDs did so, due to the very intense nature of the light (similar to camera flash), it is blinding for that moment, and for a short period after.

Thats why I suggested setting lights a little lower than normal.

Absolutely! As you say, experience with halogen light is that it spills all over the road and can be quite dazzling. I don't think I would contemplate using these without projector lenses as I believe the light spill would be too dangerous for oncoming motorists.

I am merely stating my practical experiences with the lights in that with the car fitted with HID's following me, there is no glare or dazzling to the rear view. More crucially, with repeated testing coming toward the car through country lanes I haven't noticed any dazzling or blinding  I am NOT saying this is a great upgrade for everybody, just that on our particular cars, the nature of the projector lenses means the install is much safer. As you say, make sure the beam is set low and correctly aligned. Through 99% of driving this setup will be safe, the only problem is the brow of a hill or a tight left corner where ANY lights, as well as factory fitted self levelling Xenons, will cause temporary distraction.

Safer in fact than everybody that forgets to turn their main beam lights off when approaching traffic, those that leave fog lights on and the others that don't even bother to check their lights at all. Obviously, I am not trying to justify my reasons any further, merely having a beef!   I must stress however that the suggested 50% brighter Philips 'Vision Plus' bulbs were TERRIBLE in use, caused LOTS of glare and emmited a 'rainbow like' spectrum at different points across the field of vision. Absolutely crap and I would not recommend to any Omega owners. VERY distracting.

TD, yes, that's the best place to mount I think. The air feed was very close but this is a reinforced hose so should be no problems regards chafing. Ooooh err missus  

Interesting TB, not been 'flashed' once. Not a strictly 'accurate' indicator but it does give you an idea. A note to ALL people who have their cars laden with luggage or towing vehicles, always use the level control to drop the beam level. If HID's are used responsibly they are a very safe modification.

.....now lock me up and throw away the key