Silicon: Is "Inert" the same as "Neutral"

G'day mate, Yes the filters were great thanks mate..... different to the little blue dome ones I had before, but same thread and they do the same job....so all is good.....

I can certainly hang off for a few days with the silicon side of things.

Good onya mate...you're a champ!!

Roachie

Sikaflex is good gear. Just dont get it on you because it sticks like you know what to a blanket. This might be suitableSite Link

I think Crash Supplies sell their stuff.

Richard,

This is the one I settled on after much deliberation:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/12V-24V-55W-XENON-HID-CONVERSION-KIT-H1-H3-H7-H9-9006_W0QQitemZ190189575658QQihZ009QQcategoryZ102560QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem


Roachie

Silicone rubber is recommended because it will not break down when heated to hundreds of degrees near the bulb.

I doubt that Polyurethane will cope.

Mike,

I thought that HID globs didn't produce heat.

Wayne

Quote: "I thought that HID globs didn't produce heat."

Wayne, that was my belief too.......... well at least nowhere near the sort of heat that halogen globes produce. This is one of the main reasons for going HID in the standard headlights....I wanted more light but was worried that the 130/90 type halogens would have melted (or at least discoloured) the reflectors of the standard Nissan headlights. The HIDs I have in there are MUCH better than standard and seem to be having no effect whatsoever on the reflectors.

Roachie

Have you ever tried holding a 55 watt filament bulb when it's on.

Normal HIDs may only draw 30 watts, but even if they only out half as much, the base will get very hot.

Roachie, when I asked the rep about inert silicone today he said "never heard of it". Can tell you though that silicone rubber has an general maximum temperature of 130 degrees Celsius although there are some high temp ones available.

Sikaflex 252 is as follows;

Service temperature (continuous) -40°C to +90°C
1 hr 130°C
4 hrs 150°C

The Dow Corning website is a good place to find what you need in silicone products. They have over 1000 grades of the stuff.

Good luck.

I regularly touch silicone rubber with the soldering iron at 350 degrees and it has no effect on the silicone - although obviously it won't take this temperature permanently.

Quote fromSilicone Ignition Cables

"The insulating jacket is made entirely of . . . . aerospace grade silicone rubber . . . . has a service heat resistance of 320 degrees C and up to 540 degrees C for short burst 3 minutes"

G'day Bucky,

Mate, I already have the HIDs in the headlights, so when I drop back to low beam I can still see really well.

As for being illegal......well, I guess I'll just have to add it to the list (the headlights I mentioned above are illegal too, because they don't have washers and aren't self levelling)......

I suppose you have a point about that ,,

So " where do you want me to park her up officer ", would be words worth practicing, eh Roachie !

I'm not too sure how the coppers take all that in S.A. but they seem to be a lot more stricter in Mexico,,
Then again, I see some of the rigs floating about in Vic and I they cannot be legal. Need about 3 alternators to run all those lights.

never mind
How sad !

So how's the mob ?

We are all fine
Cheers Mate
Bucky

B

Thanks Wayne,

neither of the 2 brands I have in the shed at the moment smell as though they'd knock my sox off, so are probably okay.....but I'll wait for Louie the Fly's verdict.....

Roachie

Thanks Mike, I hadn't thought of the stuff smelling like vinegar.....but now that you mention it, yes it does.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/12V-24V-55W-XENON-HID-CONVERSION-KIT-H1-H3-H7-H9-9006_W0QQitemZ190189575658QQihZ009QQcategoryZ102560QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

I haven't rec'd them yet; so not sure how much better (in real life) they'll be in the XGTs.

However, a bloke on the Patrol forum had 35w in his XGT initially and changed them for 55w and said the difference was well worth the effort.

Roachie

Thanks.

HID's are kinda like airconditioning, once you have had it you would never have another vehicle without it.

C'mon Roachie can't you provide a direct link to the kit for us computer dumb heads.
Cheers Peter

Have a look here Peter HID's on Ebay

Thanks Walter....that may well be another option I can look at before commiting myself.
Regards,

Roachie

Thanks Captain...... As always, you are a mine of information and it is much appreciated......

Cheers mate

Roachie

A good point - before fixing the bulb in place I would rig it up at night and move the bulb around to find the best exact position for the best beam pattern.

Now that I have HID original lowbeam headlights, I am amazed at the sharpness of the cutoff and how total the cutoff is. In fact on dark roads I consider it dangerous - you simply cannot see anything on the road beyond the to cutoff. Changing to highbeams isn't a great solution, being filament, they are so dim and such a narrow beam !

G'day Matt and Mike,

The XGT and HID from Lightforce share exactly the same shell/reflector etc. Now, that on it's own is no guarantee that the "globe's" focal point will be correct in this conversion. I am relying on the bloke's R&D (ie: the bloke who sells the 18 pages of colour-photo and extensive description instructions for $10-) findings.

He has done tests with various size "bulbs" (I know, I know...they're not known as either bulbs or globes; but that's the best way for me to describe them). He points out that the H1 globe is too long and while the light emitted is bright, it is hopeless for the intended purpose. He shows a side-by-side photo of the original halogen globe and the H3 globe and it is easy to see that the centre of the HID globe is in the same "position" (ie: relative to the mounting point) as the filament of the halogen globe.

I will post-up my findings when I get it all sorted out.

Roachie

Just as another example of changing spotlights from QI to HID - I have a set of the original Hella Predators. I also have a set of Hella Rally 4000's, which I have converted to HID using a Chinese import kit. I cannot pick the difference between the two (except of course for the price).

I've got a kit out in the shed to convert the headlights on my Disco to HID - hi and low beam. Bought this mainly because, driving with the HID spots on and then dipping back to lo beam, it's like some mongrel blew the candles out. Land Rover low beam is not too flash, even though I'm already running 100/90 globes in them. Will be interesting to see how the HID kit works in the headlights - I've heard both good & bad reports.

As a point of interest, the 55W HID globes are illegal for on-road use throughout Australia. But then, how is a copper going to know that they're 55W. If asked, I'd just say that they are 35W sold as legal for road use. He's hardly going to be able to dispute it. The headlight conversion kits that I'm about to install I know are also illegal - but that's something I'm prepared to take a chance on. Of course, I'll adjust the headlights as well as I can to avoid unnecessary glare to oncoming vehicles - but if the light spread is too bad as some people have told me it may be, then I'll just have to take them out and learn to live with what is currently in there.

Sounds like you are onto it Roachie...thanks I would be interested in the final result.
BMKal mate totally agree...we all know what is illegal and what the police decide to enforce can be very far between. The conversion HEADLIGHT HID kits are so easy to spot, the light is justa total blinding mess but very bright!!

I guess if the officer is vigilant then that mess coming towards him at night would be the decider as to pull you over or not. Then again he might be on the way home at the end of a shift and not interested in getting back to the station late.

I think 4WDers in general are given a fair go...there are not many mods on our vehicles that are technically legal but I think we are usuall given a fair go due to the general nature of the group. I think most people targeted have failed the 'attitude test' and deserve their treatment.

All I would say is before you do the conversion....think of your fellow drivers and dont contribute to our undeserved negative press by being another 'percieved blinding ignorant 4wdriver' out there.

All the best

Matt.

To avoid attracting attention, make sure you don't wear your baseball cap backwards.

Thanks mate, I'll give 'em a call later....

Roachie

G'day Dave,

I think you might have voided the warranty on that Blitz ....hahaha

It'll be interesting to see how it works.....you'll need to beef-up the front suspension to cope with the weight of all those extra ballast packs!!!!! haha