Headlights.. HID?

[elysian]

I've been meaning to change/fix my headlights ( got 2 left side ones, long story) , and I've been thinking about using HID globes (probably 4300K or 5000K ones) to get a brighter/whiter light.

Did some looking around and found out that all HID lights are illegal in Australia for street use.. (headlights, driving lights,spot lights, etc) .

So, it looks like I'm stuck using Halogen/Tungston globes ... that said, what headlights have other's on the board used as replacements for their headlights? (globes and reflectors, sealed, unsealed, etc )

[geeves]

I imagine the situation in Aus is the same as here. You can fit hid but it must be a complete headlight assembly not just a bulb. The reason is that the reflector is a different shape etc. Add to that the cost which could be as much as the value of an older car.
Best bulb you can buy is the hella/philips +50 Its the same bulb but sold under both brands. Its still a 40/60 watt bulb but runs hotter so you get more light but supposedly they dont last as long. If you do lots of water work though sealed beams are a better option as they dont ever fill up with water and mud

[elysian]

The reason they are illegal is that most cars/trucks/etc don't have auto leveling and self cleaning headlights.. look at some of the BMW's, Mercedes', Audi's, etc, that have factory HID's .. they have these features.. so can be sold here ..

But you are correct, the focal points, and reflector shape is key to using HID's .. these $20 bulbs and $70 HID kits on eBay are crap, most are not even proper HID, and any K value above 5600K is illegal internationally for road use .. the color spectrum is too blue/purple ..the best K value is about 4300k , this is a true white/daylight.

I proper HID setup is in the range of $1300 plus .. but that said, you can retro fit a HID setup from another vichle to yours, but it's a lot of mucking around, plus you run the chance of getting the attention of Mr. Plod ..

[Dayno]

Ehh? did i just read correctly? you guys fit 40/60 bulbs. Currently the Rodeo is running 90/130 bulbs, Im not sure however of the make/model of them, however i did buy the ute with them already installed and it passed road worthy so i dont reakon they are illegal. However i do recommend them, You rarely ever have to use high beam =D

[elysian]

Dayno, the illegal part is replacing a halogen/tungston bulb with a higer output bulb or a HID bulb. The reflector bowl is designed to have a certain type of bulb. The reflector is designed to focus the light output in a defined way, if you put in a higer output bulb or HIDs, then you get glare that will distract , or possibly "blind" drivers (temporarily) ... plus HID's have a destinctive light pattern to them.. they seem blue/purple on the outer edge of the light ..

example; here are two 8000K HID low beam and fog light kits installed on a GS300 (gs300). One of the foglights retains the orignal halogen bulb for comparison purposes

What I'm trying to illustrate here is the glow of blue light (or glare) that radiates off 8000K bulbs. This glow breaks out of the beam pattern and blinds oncoming motorists. Also note how small the actual brightness gain is when you go from factory halogen to 8000K HID.


Above is an 8000K HID kit conversion installed on a GS400 (a1exus) with typical poor cut-off and severe color bleeding above and around the cut-off line, and even in the shadows of the railings. This is just one example of blue light's high-energy wavelengths. All the light above the poorly defined cut-off can be translated into "glare" by other motorists.


Here is a 4100K OEM HID retrofit with sharp, clean cut-off as well as sharp defined beam pattern. The very well defined bounds are created by properly engineered optics used in their intended design. This is a perfect beam pattern. Notice that only the driver-side headlight is on and this is merely half of the light this car will end up producing.


The 90/130 headlights you have are halogen bulbs and yes, they are legal on the Rodeo and many other cars .. the standard bulb for a MU is 55/60.

[Dayno]

Hmm, this has me interested now, Im not too sure if the previous owner replaced the whole bowl as well or not. Too be quite honest i didnt think anything of it. Mind you my mates don't like it when i follow them cruising around at night. 2night ill test just how it looks from another drivers prospective and swap cars with a mate and do a drive by. I know the lense on the bowl is an IPF however this would mean jack all if the 90/130's arn't designed for the rest of the setup. Ill take a photo to compare with said 4100k OEM HID.