HIDs installed on TDI

[Paul_OH]

So can I pleeeeeaase have a 1.4 TSI payout sticky??

Go to jail, do not pass go and do not collect your $900

[TDIESEL]

blinds other drivers, puts out less usable light and reduces visibility in the dark.

????? Let me get this right...the mod puts out less usable light, reduces visibility but still blinds other drivers???? Houston, we have a problem

Have to agree that all the negativity towards people's mods need not be posted. There's a difference between politely saying it's your car and I wouldn't do that personally to that stinks and thats stupid and you're a richard cranium for thinking about it

[gregozedobe]

I thought there were little screws marked with "+" and "-" that you could turn to adjust the height of the lights? maybe different in the Skoda.

As I said in my original post :

My Octavia (OEM HIDs) came with the lights adjusted WAY too high, and must have been blinding oncoming drivers when I went over crests, but not one person flashed me in the two weeks it took to get the dealer to adjust them down (you need VCDS or the dealer tool to adjust them, so I couldn't fix it myself)

I'm pretty sure Golfs with OEM (factory) HIDs are the same as the Skoda - you need the software tool to adjust them properly (if you just adjust the screws you can damage some of the auto height mechanisms in the lights).

The non-HID Skoda lights can be adjusted manually (and via the dash control).

[faisan]

Back on topic

have you got any clearer pics? Also, how did you mount the ballasts? are they screwed anywhere or stuck on with double sided tape?

[Maverick]

????? Let me get this right...the mod puts out less usable light, reduces visibility but still blinds other drivers???? Houston, we have a problem

It's really pretty simple. The reflector is designed for use with HALOGEN and not XENON and you end up with a lot of scatter. You can have a light source that measures at 10,000 lumens but it could be useless because of poor reflector design. To utilise Xenon correctly you need to use a projector hence why every car on the market with an OEM option uses projectors.



Xenon globes can output up to three times the output of Halogen, this is a key issue with these retrofit kits as the reflector on the left is a standard reflector and are designed to send the light in one direction with some scatter and the projector housing is designed to focus all the light on the projector lense, a cut off shield prevents most of the glare and gives the sharp cutoff AND can handle a lot more light output.

You want to do a hid conversion on the cheap? At least use projectors to stop it from interfering with other road users.

The second point is that the OP who has researched this "german designed but knocked off in china" system has quoted the Volvo as coming standard with 8000K xenons which is incorrect and this kit as coming with 10000K xenons which will be explained below.

Here are some light outputs of some common Xenons and a standard halogen for comparison purposes.

4300k D2S Philips = 3200 lumens
4300k D2R Philips = 2800 lumens
4800k D4S/R Osram = 3800 lumens - Best performing globe on market
5800k D4S/R Osram = 3300 lumens
7000k D2S Chinese = 1790 lumens
7000k D2R Chinese = 1390 lumens
8000k D2S Chinese = 1180 lumens
8000k D2R Chinese = 780 lumens

Standard OEM halogen 55W H7 = 1500 lumens

Just because this hid conversion appears to put out more light doesn't mean that it does, the glare makes you think there is more light and you loose depth perception and night vision the higher the colour temperature of the globe.

Under 4500K you get more yellow, between 4500K and 6500K you get more white and over 6500K you get more blue.

No OEM globe is 8000K and generally OEM is 4300K to 4800K because this gives out the most light. And there are no 10000K globes either, these are globes that are ~8000K with a coating over the globe that further reduces the light output.



And how good are these "german designed and chines made" globes? The decent Osram/Philips globes sell for around $200+ EACH online. The cheap chinese made kits comes with a pair of globes, ballasts etc for ~$150.

And don't think those cheap ballasts are good either. Your insurance won't pay out when your car burns to the ground or your wiring loom gets melted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYm1MUI7rto&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVuSSdZNsZw&feature=related

To summerise, the higher the kelvin (temperature) the less light output you get (lumens) so stick around 4300K, if you must go for a retrofit get a projector light housing (oem where possible) and buy a good quality kit with brand name globes.

A few good reasons why retrofitting is bad and illegal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVuSSdZNsZw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqumUBXhw9c

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

[GTom]

Absolutely despise these aftermarket HIDs on Halogen Light Assemblies, especially on Old Bomb Excels.

Fair enough people want to upgrade their lights but at least spend the extra money and do it properly.

I think I'm going to go on a crusade and start flashing these incorrectly fitted HIDs with my Xenon Lights.

[Logzy]

I have to agree with everything Mav has said there.

Its not a case of its your car so do as you want when the safety of other road users is at stake.

[TDIESEL]

That's actually a pretty informative post Mav. It has shone a lot more light on the subject (no pun intended). I'll even admit i learned something from it

[CL455]

i dont mind any upgrades to headlights - if u want to upgrade to HID's at least get some projectors so at least there is some sort of cut off and u wont get flashed.... (this is what i've done and seems to be fine)

[nick_sixx]

Is there a meet in brisbane anytime soon so I can show all you non-believers that I am not endangering the lives of Brisbane's residents with my headlights?

[benno]

Is there a meet in brisbane anytime soon so I can show all you non-believers that I am not endangering the lives of Brisbane's residents with my headlights?

F8ck em. Just do your thing mate.

[Greg Roles]

Don't worry Nick, when you drop by to play Vag com, I'll give a public opinion to keep the keyboard warriors happy.

[bazzle]

Even though some people have expressed their opinions and provided data from Google etc I have had different results when tried in the REAL world.
(As part of my job testing or having products tested)
I have retrofitted a few sets of Hid's into standard headights etc. Some were for trials to see what happens.
There were good and not so good results.
Some reflectors are suprisingly good in the directional angling of the light beam from the parabolic reflectors and prismatic lenses..
Others have a lot of scatter and are not good..
I also trialled in a few diff brands of 7" lenses too with varying results.
I have not fitted any to a Golf.
I agree projectors "normally" have a better shape and cutoff BUT this is not always the case.

Cutting to the chase the easiest method to check for scatter is to drive up to a wall or large door at night, drive back 3 metres and you will see if there is any scatter outside the standard lowbeam offset beam pattern.

My MB SLK had a very good reflector and the light performance was excellent with Hid's.
Note:Colour temp 4300k, anything much higher is a waste of time for performance.

I am not saying this is legal or not or if its the right thing to do BUT... many on here have other mods to their vehiles that are also questionable with regards to insurance, legallities etc.

The notes re flash etc are invalid as auto leveliing Hid's do not adjust quick enough for bumps etc in the road so the visual effect is normally the same as long as adj is nominal.

Bazzle

[Maverick]

Is there a meet in brisbane anytime soon so I can show all you non-believers that I am not endangering the lives of Brisbane's residents with my headlights?

It's not a case of non believing but if you read my post you would understand the issues involved and how you are putting out less usable light (that is light pointed where you need it) which means you can't see as far and oncoming traffic get's a lot more light scatter that can cause temporary blindness under the right conditions.

Upgrading your headlights can be done by fitting projector housings along with a xenon upgrade of your choice. No matter if you choose the 4300K or the 12000K "look at me because I can see nothing " at least this way you won't be blinding other users on the road. I'm pretty sure that no-one here would care if you went down this path because you're not affecting other road users.

If you take the time to measure your light output with a light meter you would see that this upgrade is in fact a downgrade, not what you want to hear after spending the time and money but it's an undeniable fact. There is a reason why fitting these HID kits is illegal in nearly every country in the world and why the authorities are starting to come down hard on the fitment of them.

Entirely up to you what you do with the information provided, you've been given the information on why it's a backwards step, how it endangers both yourself and other road users, given a way to measure it and even been given the science behind how it works.

[Maverick]

Even though some people have expressed their opinions and provided data from Google etc I have had different results when tried in the REAL world.
(As part of my job testing or having products tested)
I have retrofitted a few sets of Hid's into standard headights etc. Some were for trials to see what happens.

Not dismissing what you've found but there has been a lot of testing done and these aftermarket HIDS never pass any countries standards and all allow too much scatter. Some reflectors will work better then others in this regard but all will allow too much light to scatter.

I am not saying this is legal or not or if its the right thing to do BUT... many on here have other mods to their vehiles that are also questionable with regards to insurance, legallities etc.

But these don't affect other road users like the fitment of HID's into reflectors do.

Daniel Stern is one of the worlds most respected automotive lighting experts, his company has a lot of involvment with automotive lighting and he makes it very clear how dangerous it is to fit these units. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html

Of interest to yourself however may be the tests done by the DOT and CalCoast labs.

Test #1, with 9004 "HID kit" vs. 9004 bulb

Test #2, with 9006 "HID kit" vs. 9006 bulb

Test #3, with 9004 "HID kit" vs. 9004 bulb

http://dsl.torque.net/images/techdocs/NHTSA_Crackdown.jpg

http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/deetz.ztv.html

http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/Shih.3.html

http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/kim.ztv.html

Hella one of the worlds leading light manufacturers states that not only does this make your car unroadworthy but can void your insurance.

http://dsl.torque.net/images/techdocs/Hella_No_Retrofit.jpg

http://dsl.torque.net/images/techdocs/Hong_Kong_No_Retrofit.jpg

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/vehicles/get-your-lights-right.html#modify