Improved Lighting
Updated March 29, 2009
Since this article was written the sources and prices of lights have changed. Your best bet is to do an internet search on the products you are looking for.
Comments by Keith Perry and Steve Yee:
H4 is also known as 9003.
I just installed my HID conversion kit (7/19/2007) as posted by Beastmaster on the AZHOG website. Cost me under $400 and took less than an hour to install. Still a lot of money for my tastes, but beats the cost of a lot of other systems out there by a country mile!
They are so bright I thought for sure people would flash their brights at me. Never happened once the whole way home on either freeway or surface streets. I even pulled up behind small sedans and expected the driver to shield his eyes from his rear view mirror. I watched closely and that never happened either. But boy can I see great when driving! In fact, they are so white, other vehicle headlights look like they are old fashioned yellow colored, gas street lamps by comparison.
It's a McCulloch HID kit and the bulbs fit in the 7" round H4 reflectors (hella). So they look stock. I don't expect to have any problem. They are acceptable if not legal by AZ standards, which are kinda loose. See Beastmaster's article for the details on that. If they are aimed properly, they pose no problem for oncoming traffic. I know a bunch of guys running these and none have had any problems or been stopped for them.
Do these have a high beam? If not do you need a high beam?
Anyway these are wired to the high beam circuit because the ballast needs the amperage to ignite the lamps, and the low beam circuit doesn't have enough. Once started, they burn much less electricity than standard lamps.
So no, I don't have a high beam, but I don't need it with these. They project a great distance and are focused very well with a clean cut off above a certain height. They are kinda like high beams, but brighter, that don't light higher than a few feet above the ground.
The HID setups are very similar to what Predator, SMA, and others used to offer years ago.
I can get into a ton of debates and other things, but I will say this...
1) The process is totally reversible - you can go back to stock halogens with zero issues.
2) Depending on your locale - there are two variants of the Hella reflectors that you can use.
If you're in a locale that requires inspections that utilize the headlight tabs on the headlight glass itself - you use the Hella Vision Plus.
If you are in a locale that does not have inspections - use the Hella E-Codes.
3) E-Code headlamps, when aimed properly, are actually safer to use than standard headlamps. Combined with HID bulbs, you're actually better off.
4) Various headlight FAQ writers have accepted that H4 bulb setups are the best to do an HID conversion (low beam only). This is because of the focal point of the reflector itself is most conducive to an H2S or H2R HID bulb rebasing to an H4 setup. When rebased properly, the plasma arc is neatly centered in the focal point. It's shorter than the filament of a standard H4 bulb, but the bounce within the reflector plus the amount of light off of the plasma arc is more than enough to make up for the filament shortfall.
And - with the cleaner output from HID's, you get clean reflectivity off of objects as far as 1/2 mile away. This is because of light bounce off the ground will illuminate objects. Combine that with the clean cutoff of E-Code reflector headlamps, and you have a combination that is traffic friendly and still is very usable off road.
5) Off road, a plasma arc is far more stable than a filament.
6) With the cleaner light - you don't need high beams. If you can't deal with stuff 1/2 mile away at most speeds that are street legal, you're hosed to begin with. More light isn't going to help....you need faster recognition and reaction time.
7) Yes, it's somewhat last generation technology. But - I'd rather have low beam HID's than low/high beam halogens. And I'm a headlight snob - HID's will always be better when it's optically correct.
I've combined HID's with a single set of PIAA 520 long distance pencil beams (1 mile illumination away). That's it. And that's all I need for most driving needs, on or off road.
When you say rebasing what exactly do you have to do to get this right.
We didn't do anything. The H2S or H2R HID bulbs fit the reflector and are good to go. No need to adjust the base. Companies like McCulloch and others will take the bulb assembly, and put a base on the bulb that matches the cutout pattern that the H4 bulb will use.
Just to Clarify, did you use the McCulloch 5th Generation HID H4 Low Beam only kit with the 5000k bulbs?
I believe Keith uses the 5000k series. Both myself and Ron use the 6000k units. And Keith got the 6th generation, with changeable weatherpack ballasts rather than the hardwired starter/ballast combination.
I have a chart on AZHOG that shows why you should use 5000 or 6000k lights at the max.
As the temp in kelvin goes higher, your actual light output goes down. For example, a 10k HID lamp puts out less effective light as an 80/100 watt H4 bulb (an overwattage unit).
Your actual best effective light is a 4200k low beam HID unit. That puts out the absolute most light of any unit out there. It's a bit yellowish, but if you're into raw light output, your best bet is that.
I had a customer call me up and ask for a 55 watt HID Xenon Hella light. Hella lights come with 'real' HID (high intensity discharge) Xenon lights. The highest wattage lamp they use in their aux lights is a 35 watt capsule. This light is much more efficient and burns much brighter then a comparable halogen bulb. Of course the Hella lights are 750.00 to 800.00 each.
It turns out that the guy saw the many advertisements for 55 watt Xenon replacement bulbs.
What I found is that a lot of places are advertising 55 watt Xenon bulbs but they are not trueHID (high intensity discharge) lights. They are simply 55 watt Halogen bulbs colored blue; some are filled with Xenon gas. You can find these H3 replacement Xenon bulbs for around 10 dollars each. Just do a google search on "H3 Xenon".
What I would do is get the Hella work lights and stick these bulbs in. I really don't think they will be brighter then the regular H3's but it's pretty cheap to experiment. If you don't want 2 - 55 watt bulbs per light just put one bulb in.
Got an email stating that following lights are now available:Oct. 2005
XSighting Lighting Xe7R Twin Pack
Same great kit as the Xe7R but in a twin pack. The Xe7R Xenon Bi-Function HID headlamp is an excellent performance upgrade for vehicles originally equipped with 7b round incandescent or halogen headlamps. The Xe7R utilizes a clear lens and has a traditional appearance and the added performance of Xenon / HID in both low and high beam. The Xe7R Headlamp Kit comes with everything you need to add performance and style to your vehicle. In some vehicles, modification to the light bucket may be required to accommodate the Xe7R housing.
Units per box: 2
Price: $725.00
Finish: Chrome
April 2004
The Xe7 Xenon Hi/Low HID headlamp assembly provides an extraordinary
performance upgrade for vehicles originally equipped with 7" round incandescent or halogen headlamps (for example, some Jeep and Hummers vehicles). Now you can add high performance street legal HID lighting easily to your vehicle by changing the headlight reflector assembly. Street Legal Hi / Lo beam - DOT Approved 2.5 to 3 Times the Lighting output of H4 Halogen Bulb Low power draw - Only 42 watts - Equivalent to 200 watts of halogen lighting Replaces standard 7" round incandescent or halogen headlamps (Jeep/Hummer, etc.)
Can be used in cruisers, customs, and Harley's using the standard 7 inch light. Precision optics put light where you need it, minimizes light scatter common with standard sealed beams or HID retrofits. Provides extraordinary lighting from a single lamp.
Can be ordered in unfinished billet (polished billet w/o chrome) for custom applications
Suggested Retail $350.00 each
BajaDesigns
Hookup parts sources:
Painless Wiring
the product is Circuit Boss Circuit Isolating Auxiliary Fuse Block Kits
I've used two of the 7-CIRCUIT WEATHER RESISTANT blocks on 2 different
vehicles and they are very convenient
When I am doing an under hood electrical project I get a clear-lid Bud box. They seal tight, can withstand most under hood temps if you keep them away from the exhaust, and are watertight. I mount whatever I need in them, and seal the holes where the wires enter /exit. That way, it doesn't matter what type of fuse holders, bus bars, relays, or whatever I use, they don't have to be watertight.
I've been happy with the "Truck-Lite" Complex Reflector Headlamp.
One solution is the Sylvania SilverStar product plug and play so to speak (available as a 6024 lamp) and said to be a good light. I've not seen any (yet) but I'm considering getting a set.
I switched to the sylvania xenarc hid headlights. The light pattern is wider than stock and needless to say they also put more light and a brighter light on the road. The only draw back is you need to be very careful about keeping your headlights adjusted if you are under a load that changes the aim of the headlights. I drive a lot of two lane country roads at night and I would install these again.
http://www.sylvania.com/xenarc/welcome.htm
I switched to Sylvania Halogen "XtraVision" (their part number H6024XV) about 6 months ago and am very happy with them.
I've replaced mine with a Hella 70477 replacement. It's a two piece H4/9003 bulb and reflector combination. Average price is 40 bucks for a complete pair (two bulbs, two reflector/lens sets), and it's a drop in replacement for a H6024 lamp.
The round "6024" type, hasn't had as much interest as they thought there should be. Most people that own a vehicle using this type of light housing just isn't going to go out and spend $800 dollars or even $300 to install them in their vehicle. It makes sense, as a good majority these vehicles go back to the 80's, 70's and even early 60's = working joe car or clunker. I only wish I would have been able to order from sylvania directly, but they just won't sell to anyone in alaska or hawaii. Very poor customer service for a "worldwide" company. They also said they ran out of the '6024' (hummer compatible type).
SUV Lights has them, that's where I got mine.
The big question is are the new Sylvania's a two filament bulb (separate high and low beams or just one?) Two bulbs, HID for low beam, standard halogen for high beam, low beam and high beam are both on for high beam.
What type of bulb is used in the high beam? H1,H3,H4 or H7? See following guide?
An H3
Susquehanna Motorsports
