XENON headlight upgrades

Submitted: Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 20:21
ThreadID: 33204 Views:5999 Replies:7 FollowUps:9
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Hi,

Has anyone upgrade thier normal headlights with XENON lights? If so what is your opinion of them, what type or brand of globe / light did you get and what car did you put them into please?

I have an LC100 and do a fair amoutn of night driving and want to get the best lighting i can. Drove in a mates car with the XENON headlights the other day and they are just so much better than anything else it's not funny.

So was wondering what happens if you put them into headlights not originally designed for them.

Mark
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Reply By: Bonz (Vic) - Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 20:34

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 20:34
I know three people that have, four if you include Nick Mannell.

One member on here his name shall be a secret is SO SCARED of using his HID inserts that his wife is paying out on him buying them, So go ask Mrs Lucy if you want to know more....oops the cat may be out of the bag.

Roachie's got them too he reckons they're OK and I have seen Narva HID inserts in an 80 series they go alright too.
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 20:37

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 20:37
Oh and re being in headlights not designed for them, its all about heat in a headlight. Too much heat the light fails, but the HID is less wattage like 35w compared with 55w, so less watts = less heat.

The other little criticality is focal length that the reflector is designed to operate on, if thats not controlled then the light will spray everywhere, ask Mrs Lucy's husband - no names tho.........
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Follow Up By: Member No 1- Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 20:43

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 20:43
so..were not allowed to have them ?
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 21:00

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 21:00
a definite NO was the comment Mr Nudie, and even when I was laughing at the above members purchase and commenting oh well its only another weeks pay, SWMBO was quite narky, and I havent even bought any :(
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Reply By: Exploder - Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 20:47

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 20:47
Are you talking about a actual full HID system proper set up worth like $1000 or the replacement globes that replicate HID lighting but are still the same wattage as normal halogen globes.

The full HID system is amazing, a mate has a HID torch about the size of a small Mag light and it is unbelievable the light output this thing has.

The HID insert globes are all right but would not even compare to a real HID system, I have the Philips version (Crystal Vision 60/55W> 120/130W equivalent) of them and they work better than normal globes but the CIBIE spotlights still easily out power them.

I would go a Good set of HID spotlight’s IE Light Force over upgrading the Cars existing light’s to a HID sytem persionly.
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Reply By: Jarrod - Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 21:47

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 21:47
Hey, OMN, I upgraded my LC105 LOW beams only, to a fuLL HID system. was about $350 from memory. ( the 9005 globe set i think). I got my system through these guys www.brightlightautoparts.com/ - an aussie company. Ringwood or croydon somewhere i think.

pretty much a plug and play install. - yep as someone has said, only draw 35 watt instead of 55, and as you'll see on the webpage, actually run cooler than the halogens.

Mate, These things are unbelieveable. I figured that 90 % of MY night driving was suburban, therefore only upgraded low beams. Now its like driving round in an expensive beamer/merc/lexus. The white daylight vision is unbelievable. makes things so much easier to see,

For long range stuff, I'v got the IPF spotties.

In two words, Do it.

Jarrod.
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Reply By: OMN - Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 22:11

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 22:11
Thanks for the reposnes guys,

The ones i am looking a tare the full proper lights globes of teh right sort for the 100 series with the ballasts and all, NOT the globes that claim to be XENON like.

I spoke with one 4WD drive outlet and said mty mate and i had a fairly robust discussion about whether his replacement globes for his Nissan were XENON or not. He even showed me the pack they have XENON written all over them and i even left thinking bleep are these XENON. Yet he didnt have to use ballasts just repalce the globes so i still couldn't understand how they could be XENON. Plus when i queried the price i knew no way were they XENON.

This week in my search to finds out what globes that are XENON exist i got onto someone at this place who knows XENON and yep they are XENON liek globes NOT actual XENON.

That is off track but you need to be careful there are a lot of light globes out there that have XENON written on the pack and the words like like and others in small print.

Anyway the ones i am lookign at ar ethe full bottle wiht the ballasats and all.

thanks again and i'll let you know how i go.

Mark
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 22:27

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 22:27
Xenon are HID lights and all genuine ones have ballasts, the other "globe" type are pretenders. The word Xenon is part of the original type which were XGD or Xenon Gas Discharge lights, more correctly HID. HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. HID lamps do not use a filament, instead the light is generated by an electrical arc inside the globe.

Take a look HERE for a good deal on them

Theyre in Stud rd Bayswater, thats in Melb.
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Follow Up By: Exploder - Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 22:29

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 22:29
Philips Crystal Vision
No XENON Anywhere on the pack of my Phillips but it dose say this.

For off-road use only, Arrr.. Woops LOL. Oh well the packet for the spotlight globes said the same thing.
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Follow Up By: nightdude - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 at 15:47

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 at 15:47
Guys you have to be aware that the cheap halogen lamps actually have xenon in them as well.
The hid lamps and cheapies both have xenon gas in them. its just the hid lights use an arc instead of a filament
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Reply By: Muzzgit (WA) - Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 23:53

Monday, Apr 24, 2006 at 23:53
I bought the Philips plus 50 crystal vision thingo's for my Cibie spot lights, and although they were whiter, they certainly were not brighter, so I bleep them off.

I put the same type in my headlights and they work a treat.

As for HID, yeah, one power ball !!!!
AnswerID: 168813

Follow Up By: RichieK - Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 at 10:57

Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 at 10:57
Also bought Philips Crystal Vision globes for the main inserts in my Prado, but was VERY unimpressed, particularly in the city where the blue-ish light didn't cut through the incandescent street lighting. Out on the highway was slightly better, but while I was waiting to decide what to do with them, they both blew within a few days of each other. Perfect - back in went the original inserts and we are back to square one. will now suss out XGD inserts or some Lightforce spotties..
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Reply By: geordie4x4 - Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 at 02:13

Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 at 02:13
You can buy Quartz Halogen type globes to simply replace the factory globes that have Xenon gas or a mix of Xenon gas in place of Halogen gas. For the same wattage, these are only a little brighter and whiter than standard globes. Some of these claim to be much brighter like the plus 30% and plus 50% and some are just whiter light.

I have tested several different brands and found that most are not much brighter unless you go to higher wattage and upgrade the wiring loom or go to true HID.

Stay away from Autotechnica brand Xenon Gold-Max 100w globes, they look good with bright gold plated globe tip and give out a very good bright white light but they get too hot, pop and smoke the reflector, etching the glass and buggering the headlight.

However, the Autotechnica Xenon Silver-Max Platinum globes also give out a very good bright white light and have given me 2 years of good use so far.

Night Vision brand Xenon 100w globes were also reasonably bright white light but only lasted a year.
Phillips blue vision globes were a disappointment.

ARB have also imported some good brand globes but I have not tried them.

I have also tried the Lightforce 240 HID spotlights and WHOOOOOH they are amazingly bright but when I dip the spots, it is like being plunged into the dark again.

I have not yet found a true HID globe to replace my H4 globes which have both high and low beam in the same globe.
Geordie

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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 at 16:51

Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 at 16:51
If you want a true H4 Geordie in a HID contact Nick Mannell of Mannel Motors and ask hom what he has in hos competition Patrol, theyre amazing, Toachie gor some and he reckons their OK too. So expect about 1100 for them tho.
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Reply By: Taize - Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 at 19:37

Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 at 19:37
I looked into getting a HID conversion kit put into the Paj. I needed a H4 Hi/low HID system to do it properly. I ran across Frank from www.xenonoz.com.au. He knows his stuff and has a number of different kits available. While I did not end up getting the conversion due to cost I would love to have the 50W HID system for both my spots and driving lights......ah dreaming again.
AnswerID: 168955

Follow Up By: bjnt - Wednesday, Apr 26, 2006 at 16:11

Wednesday, Apr 26, 2006 at 16:11
I bought a H4 Hi/Low conversion kit off Frank as Xenonoz. They are expensive, but worth the cost if you do a lot of night driving. Justs the car headlights on high beam are almost equivalent to having my IPF800s on, in both distance and spread. Not a massive improvement in low beam due to having to keep them adjusted low to not annoy oncoming traffic. Give Frank call would be my advice...
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