# Migration to xenon headlights? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 3, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737 "2003-08-03T17:20:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/1 "2003-08-03T17:20:44Z")
I have a 2002 VW GTI 337 and i really want to upgrade my headlights to xenon, but i have no clue if i have to buy a complete new headlight assembly or if i can just buy xenon bulbs and slap 'em in. Suggestions, thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/2 "2003-08-03T17:40:10Z")
You would almost certainly need a new headlight assembly – xenon lights require ballast (similar to household fluorescents) and leveling equipment. There are no such things as xenon bulbs; anything advertised as such is lying. ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/3 "2003-08-03T17:47:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 3waygeek \* > \*\*You would almost certainly need a new headlight assembly – xenon lights require ballast (similar to household fluorescents) and leveling equipment. There are no such things as xenon bulbs; anything advertised as such is lying. \*\* Yea, looks like youre right. Heres a link where “high intensity halogen” is billed as xenon: [http://www.buytruckstuff.com/s\_product\_gp.asp?selcategory=25](http://www.buytruckstuff.com/s_product_gp.asp?selcategory=25) So, whats “leveling equipment?” Also, what is HID an acronym for? ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/4 "2003-08-03T17:54:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by homercles \* > \*\* Also, what is HID an acronym for? \*\* High Intensity Discharge. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/5 "2003-08-03T17:57:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 3waygeek \* > \*\*There are no such things as xenon bulbs; anything advertised as such is lying. \*\* GE (who _makes_ them) would seem to [disagree](http://www.gelighting.com/na/litlib/hep_lanterns.html) with you. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/6 "2003-08-03T18:00:19Z")
“Leveling equipment” is basically an electronic or mechanical device to keep the very bright beam of the xenon lamp pointed down to the road surface rather than in the eyes of oncoming drivers. This is especially important, for example, when the road ahead of you falls away (e.g. when cresting a hill), or when you’re tail heavy, causing your front end to point upward. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/7 "2003-08-03T18:04:12Z")
The leveling equipment is designed to correct for a tail heavy condition such as a full trunk, or towing a trailer. This is a legal requirement for HID lights in the US The leveling system has no clue what the road in front of the car is going to do, so it can’t correct for the car cresting a hill. ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/8 "2003-08-03T18:04:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 3waygeek \* > \*\*“Leveling equipment” is basically an electronic or mechanical device to keep the very bright beam of the xenon lamp pointed down to the road surface rather than in the eyes of oncoming drivers. This is especially important, for example, when the road ahead of you falls away (e.g. when cresting a hill), or when you’re tail heavy, causing your front end to point upward. \*\* Interesting. So, why wouldnt high intesity halogens need the same type of equipment? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/9 "2003-08-03T18:07:11Z")
Oh and I can assure you that the HID lights on my car do have bulbs. We take them out in class. I think what **3waygeek** was trying to get across was that there is no drop in replacement bulb to make existing headlight assemblies into HID lights. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/10 "2003-08-03T18:09:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rick \* > \*\*Oh and I can assure you that the HID lights on my car do have bulbs. We take them out in class. > I think what **3waygeek** was trying to get across was that there is no drop in replacement bulb to make existing headlight assemblies into HID lights. \*\* Ah, that could be. There are conversion kits though, which include levelling equipment, ballasts and what all. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/11 "2003-08-03T18:19:17Z")
**Q.E.D.** – this thread refers to automotive headlights; your link doesn’t. The OP specifically mentions “xenon bulbs”, which in that context are a scam – they’re basically regular incandescent or halogen bulbs with a bluish tint to make them look like genuine HID lights. I see on preview that **Rick** understood my point; perhaps I didn’t explain it quite thoroughly enough in my initial post. Anyway, between the three of us, I think we’ve covered this sufficiently for the OP’s purposes. **Homercles** – my understanding is that “high-intensity” halogens aren’t as high intensity as HIDs. ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/12 "2003-08-03T18:19:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*Ah, that could be. There are conversion kits though, which include levelling equipment, ballasts and what all. \*\* Any linkage for where i might find such a kit? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/13 "2003-08-03T18:31:30Z")
[Here](http://www.hids4less.com/www/index.asp) is one. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/14 "2003-08-03T18:34:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rick \* > **The leveling equipment is designed to correct for a tail heavy condition such as a full trunk, or towing a trailer. This is a legal requirement for HID lights in the US** I don’t think this is true for the US. Can you provide a cite for that requirement? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/15 "2003-08-03T18:41:49Z")
Other than my company’s internal New car features training documents that said that such leveling equipment was a legal requirement, no I can’t. ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/16 "2003-08-03T18:52:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*[Here](http://www.hids4less.com/www/index.asp) is one. \*\* WHOA! Stage I: $1699.99. Stage II: $1999.99! Guess i will have to hold off on this idea. Thanks for the help guys. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/17 "2003-08-03T18:52:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rick \* > \*\*Other than my company’s internal New car features training documents that said that such leveling equipment was a legal requirement, no I can’t. \*\* Well, I was only asking because I know it’s a requirement in some other parts of the world, but not the US. I searched the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and could not find such a requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/18 "2003-08-03T19:23:39Z")
::: shrugs::: Could have been a mistake in our docs. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/19 "2003-08-03T21:29:21Z")
There are better bulbs that will give you better vision at night, one that I remember actually has a slight yellow tint, it doesn’t amke it look modern but it more then does the job. Also the europian bulbs/headlight assemblies (non-HID) are superior to US DOT setups but technically can fail your inspection ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migration-to-xenon-headlights/192737/20 "2003-08-03T21:56:26Z")
Here in the New York area, the theft of Zenon lighting systems is rampant…more so than airbags in the past… I believe the Nissan Maxima is a prime target, as all it takes is a screwdriver. A lot of less skilled crooks are tearing up the hoods just to get into the headlight area. Local police have advised to park headfirst up against a wall if possible. Ah, the good ole days when all they took was your battery.