I find references all over the net about these bright, sort of bluish looking headlamps. At first they were developed for only the high end cars: Lincoln, Cad, Lexus, etc. There hasn’t been much said lately. It appears they are legal, but if you’ve ever seen them on they road at night, it appears they are extremely bright. Originally they were heralded as a safety device: you can see the road better at night, but more recently they’ve been seen as a problem for other drivers. Link for Explanation
HID lamps are still pretty much restricted to high-end cars; retrofit kits and installers are out there for the great unwashed, but the retrofit is somewhere around $2000. Here is a pretty good link with info on how scary a hack 'n whack retrofit can be. So, in other words, it’s just another status symbol for people to fight envyimean class wars over (see SUV, cell phone, nanny etc.)
I drive a bmw (a couple actually). None of mine have the high intensity lights.
However, while one was in for service, they gave me a 2001 3 series loaner that did have them.
Let me tell you this, don’t doubt that work well. When I went back to my old car, I thought there was something wrong with my headlights. Until that time, they were the brightest headlights I had ever used.
I’ve borrowed beemers with these lights, and they are fabulous. I’ve also noticed them on other cars when I have been driving. Oddly, I do not find their glare to ruin my night vision. I certainly would like them, but $2,000 is way too much. Anyone know why they are so expensive?
Actually, I haven’t seen that many around as I once did, about a year ago when they first came out.
I find them to be intensly annoying when coming towards me on the road; as to their advantages to the driver, I’ve never driven with them, and the way folks here on Long Island drive (oblivious to most of their surroundings), they wouldn’t make a difference.
But I don’t see as many as before, and I think the reason may be to the high cost of replacing a burned out one. (Note: This is my WAG, but I’m sure replacing those babies can’t be cheap. I had a broken headlight replaced on my Volvo - a normal type light, glass included - it cost me $180).
The reason that HID lights are so expensive is that they are much more complicated than incandescent lights. They don’t run off of regular 12v current–they require a ballast (transformer) to provide the high-voltage pulses of electricity they require to light up. They are also often filled with much more exotic gases than halogen (mercury vapor, xenon, metal halides). They will tend to last much longer as well, depending on environment. I think there are kits that are more in the
I once posted a question about them, as I was wondering about getting them on a new car, with fairly inconclusive results. When I finally got a car, the one which had the stuff I knew I wanted also had HID headlights. I’ve never really looked at my own headlights coming towards me, but I’ve got an Audi, and other Audi’s I’ve noticed are particularly blue. I can also see a purple fringe around the edge of any white area lit up by my headlights.
They are wonderful from the driver’s point of view, annoying as they might be for people driving towards you. They are particularly good for in-town driving. What will sell you on them is driving through residential areas where you still stay on low beams because you are in town, and there’s traffic, but there are not enough streetlights to completely light up the street. What is particularly noticable is the improvements to your peripheral vision - you can see the sides of the street much better. I feel I have a much better chance of seeing the neighbor’s dog, cat, kid, etc, darting out from the side of the street at night.
If you are really interested in a cheaper alternative to the HID craze, just try loggin on to http://www.jcwhitney.com
They offer several varieties of replacement bulbs. They may not be quite as bright as my BMW 520i (Singapore), but they work real well.
I did, and I see they offer HID conversion kits for $800. But why do they say “for show use only”? Are they not street legal?
There are HID bicycle lights as well. They still cost over $300 but I hear they are great - they are a lot more efficient than halogen lights. Unfortunately they only make 10W ones which are way too bright for street riding - I wish they made 2 or 3 watt systems.
In answer to: I did, and I see they offer HID conversion kits for $800. But why do they say “for show use only”? Are they not street legal?
The fact is that there are some laws that do restrict the wattage of headlamp output for after factory modifications. The limit for your usual vehicle is 55w. However, as previously explained by Baron, HID are not normal. I would not fear the cops on this one, as they usually do not carry light output meters with them. If you are concerned, though, check with your local law enforcement agency, as they will know what the local law allows.
There is also a Federal law restricting the amount of light that may be filtered through window tinting…30%.
See the link in my OP. I think there are cheap ($800 is cheap?) knockoffs and ‘legally’ can’t be used on the street at night. Not sure though. I did a google search and got hundreds of hits just using ‘hid headlamps’.
You’d think in the few years they’ve been out the price would have dropped, but guess there’s not much market so the price stays up. Obviously not a mass market idea, only for those that really want them.
I want to thank everyone for their replys. FWIW, I’ve never driven a car with them, but have seen them on the street and usually they seem brighter than the average headlamp and are a bit blinding at times.
