Xenon Lights

[LOWFLYER]

Originally Posted by cugambit

i have a 84 kawasaki 550ltd and put a sylvania silverstar on it it made a worthwhile difference i would pay it again and i put the old bulb in my saddlebag to take along just in case the silverstar blew better than nothing or throwing it away

Those are good and DOT approved. For those thinking about about going the more affordable route and buying the Xenon gas filled bulbs with the blue tint, be careful. A lot of time those bulbs have a higher wattage and can melt your wires and connector, also they are not DOT approved. You've been warned.

[LOWFLYER]

Originally Posted by ROLAND

One question, please...
I did put the accesory light bar in my V2K ( the one that kawa sell) which uses a 35 W hallogen lamp each. It is the same type of bulb used in some house lamps. This is very poor compared to the main headlamp and quite frankly, doesn´t even look good ( the light is rather yellowish ). Anybody know a reliable house/brand where I can purchase new bulbs which can fit and project a better light, more white/bluish ?
Thanks in anticipation.

I did some research on google to see if I could find something and I don't think you can get any brighter with the type of bulbs you're using in the light bar. I could be wrong but the bulbs are so tiny that I don't think they come any higher than 35 watts. Any one else?

[ROLAND]

Thanks, Low
I´ll keep looking

[JimmyD]

Originally Posted by brent4a

Thanks lowflyer ! I recall seeing somewhere, cant remember right now as i just got home from a 12hr shift, a kit for the H-4 that has a way of just moving the HID bulb up when you hit the hi-beam. I will see what i can find when i wake up later.

Yes, you're right. It uses some sort of magnetic device to change the position of the bulb.

XenonRider.com - Xenon Rider Automotive Xenon & Bi-Xenon HID (High Intensity Discharge) Headlight Conversion Kits for Cars & Motorcycles

[brent4a]

thanks for the link...i might see these in my future.

[LOWFLYER]

Originally Posted by JimmyD

Yes, you're right. It uses some sort of magnetic device to change the position of the bulb.

XenonRider.com - Xenon Rider Automotive Xenon & Bi-Xenon HID (High Intensity Discharge) Headlight Conversion Kits for Cars & Motorcycles

Good post, thanks JimmyD for helpin' out the H4 guys!

[LOWFLYER]

Originally Posted by LOWFLYER

Good post, thanks JimmyD for helpin' out the H4 guys!

Well ok, after JimmyD's post I decided to do some research and check out what I found on Ebay!

eBay Motors: BI-XENON HID CONVERSION KIT H4-3 For Motorcycle Bike (item 290199909748 end time Jan-26-08 19:03:14 PST)

H4 single bulb headlamp guys, here is the answer to your HID prayers.

[brent4a]

Where are you guys mounting the ballast and wiring ?

[fidgit]

Originally Posted by brent4a

Where are you guys mounting the ballast and wiring ?

I cut the plastic tray under the seat apart and mounted them there. It works well, keeps them out of sight and out of the elements.

[LOWFLYER]

Originally Posted by brent4a

Where are you guys mounting the ballast and wiring ?

As far as the Rogue, it all fits real nicely into the headlight housing.

[LordGT]

I'm getting pretty serious about moving to HID on the V2K for the Low Beam side. So I've been doing a lot of reading, picking Lowflyers brain and asking lots of questions about HID, and other options.

Of course we always hear about SilverStars and PIAA 80/100 bulbs. I just found an article on ebay called "Xenon" and "HID" and "Plasma" bulbs - the truth".
Here is the link: eBay Guides - Xenon and HID and Plasma bulbs - the truth

Here is the text: A good read I think.


There are a lot of bulbs being sold on eBay - and in local stores - that are advertised as "Xenon", "HID simulation", "Plasma", whatever they are called, that promise "Brighter light!", "55w -> 90w", "Improved visibility", "more efficient", etc.

Are any of these claims true?

After both reading about the bulbs (Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply , a very informative site, among others) and trying them out in my own vehicle, I have a pretty good idea what these bulbs really do. First off, they do not use "Plasma" as they are sometimes called.

Here's a quick lesson: True HID (high-intensity discharge) systems use an arc of plasma to create the white, bright light they are famous for, producing light above 4000 Kelvin in temperature usually up to about 6000K, although there are some systems that produce light upwards of 10,000K (although this produces a violet-colored light which is very dangerous). HID systems put out MUCH more light than a halogen system and because of it, they have more focused optics to avoid throwing light all over the road and blinding drivers. While improving illumination in the immediate foreground, the sharp cutoff makes it more difficult to see objects farther down the road, out of the light's projection.

Halogen systems have a bulb that produces light around 3200K, which is the familiar yellowish-white we are accustomed to seeing. Halogens are not as efficient as HID systems, with a typical 55 watt halogen bulb producing around 1000 lumens. In contrast, the HID bulb puts out around 3000 lumens and only consumes about 35 watts, making them tremendously more efficient.

So here's where the "Xenon" or "Plasma" bulbs come in. They promise a higher color temperature and the increased visibility of HID, at the price of a regular halogen bulb. Look, there is no free lunch, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. These "Xenon" bulbs just have a bluish layer added to a regular halogen bulb's glass, filtering out the yellowish rays and making the light whiter. The problem here is, because its filtering out some of the light, the amount of light projected onto the road is decreased significantly.

So how can they be advertised as "Brighter" and "greater visibility"? Simple, because "brighter" is ambiguous and subjective, just like "louder" or "better". "greater visibility" is pretty much a lie no matter how its sliced, but its also subjective. Pure white light does have the advantage of improving contrast and, given the same light output, will improve visibility in clear conditions. The problem is that the bulbs with coating on them have a heavily reduced light output. I can guarantee that using a "Xenon" bulb will NOT make you see better, although maybe you will be convinced it has because you just spent money on them. As a warning, both true HID systems and these "blue bulbs" can both be referred to as "Xenon" -- but if it's an HID system, it'll require ballasts, and "blue bulbs" will not.

Also, the "before and after" shots that seem to "prove" how much brighter these new bulbs are should be ignored. Cameras can skew contrast and brightness very readily, and even the photos themselves can easily be manipulated to show the blue Xenon bulb as much brighter. In some of the shots you can even tell that the entire picture had been brightened because objects outside of the beam pattern are much brighter as well.

Another problem with the bluish color of the light is that it scatters more readily in poor visibility conditions. This is why some cars have (or used to have) yellow fog lights - the yellow is better illuminating through bad weather. The blue color is also more irritating to the human eye which is why true HID systems can be annoying to drivers. The natural yellowish tint of halogens is not as bad as its made out to be.

Also avoid all higher-wattage bulbs for obvious reasons - they put off more heat, they consume more power. Your car was not meant to use a 100 watt headlight bulb, and you might suffer electrical problems due to overcurrent or headlight housing issues because they put out so much heat.

You cannot put a HID retrofit kit into a car with halogen headlamps safely. For one, the halogen reflectors are not precise enough to control the HID light output and you'll be blinding other drivers, but also the HID bulb is a different shape than the regular one and the light is not going to be aimed correctly. The headlamp is a precise instrument and was designed with a single focal point, and if the bulb's filament or arc is not in the exact same position as the original one, the beam is going to be skewed. Some vehicles, especially those that came with HID systems as factory options, have entire headlight housings that can often be swapped into non-HID vehicle with minimal effort and will have the focusing characteristics appropriate for a HID bulb. At this point it would be safe and advantageous to use a true HID system.

The only thing I'd recommend doing to improve nighttime visibility with a halogen system is to get higher-efficiency bulbs such as Osram Silverstar (NOT Sylvania Silverstar), Sylvania Xtravision, Wagner BriteLite, and especially GE Nighthawk bulbs. These bulbs have clear glass and do not filter out any light, they simply have a more efficient filament that is more lumenous. The downside is that they probably won't last quite as long and they cost more (around $35-40 for a pair). For reference, a standard H3 halogen bulb puts out 1000 lumens on the low beam. a GE Nighthawk bulb puts out approximately 1150 lumens with the same power consumption. Not a huge increase, but still significant.

One other high-efficiency bulb that is difficult to find is something called "HIR" - halogen infrared reflecting. I've only seen these in 9005 and 9006 guises, and only a couple of times on eBay. You might be able to find them on Google. They work by reflecting the invisible infrared rays that all halogen bulbs produce back into the filament, making it burn brighter than a regular bulb. The seller claimed a huge improvement to lumenous properties with basically zero compromises. I have not personally tried these but I did find a review a while ago that favorably compared them to other non-HIR bulbs. The specs on them say that they produce almost 100% more light than a standard halogen! These are probably worth a shot, however they are pretty expensive for halogen bulbs ($60 for a pair).

It's easy to fall into the "Xenon" bulb trap because even reputable manufacturers make them. The Sylvania Silverstar is an example and is a ripoff (not only are they expensive, they put out less light than a standard halogen and also they only last for 150 hours instead of the standard 1000). Wagner TrueVision, LazerBlue, PIAA's stuff, and CoolBlue are all similar and should be avoided, unless having blue headlights and trying to look cool is worth driving blind at night.

So, in summary, here is some data to think about:

Standard 9006 halogen (low beam): 1000 lumens, 800 hour rated life $6
Sylvania 9006 Xtravision (low beam): 1060 lumens, 300 hour rated life $10
GE 9006 Nighthawk (low beam): 1150 lumens, 250 hour rated life $14
Toshiba HIR 9006 (low beam): 1800 lumens, 800 hour rated life $27
Sylvania 9006 Silverstar (low beam): 910 lumens, 150 hour rated life $20

If the glass on the bulb isn't clear, don't buy it.

Update, October 29, 2006: Sylvania has just released a new headlamp bulb, the "Sylvania Silverstar Ultra". I have not tried these yet but the general concensus among forum users seems positive. The specs on these new bulbs are decent: 1000 lumens (H3 low beam), 30% longer life than a regular Silverstar, and a 4000k color temperature. Be warned though that 30% longer than a regular Silverstar is still not very long and that these bulbs are expensive, retailing for about $50 for a pair, but fair weather visibility should be somewhat better than a regular halogen.

Update, November 05, 2007: I've finally been able to test the HIR bulbs for myself and the difference is obvious. The light output is still not as good as true HID systems but its definitely worth the money, and (in my opinion) a better value than HID. I definitely recommend HIR bulbs for anyone that can use them -- that is, if your car can utilize 9005 or 9006 bulbs. As far as I know, there aren't any HIR bulbs that work in dual-beam systems, yet.

Guide ID: 10000000001832221Guide created: 09/13/06 (updated 01/30/0

[LOWFLYER]

Good article, basically what I said, but waaaaaaay longer nice to have some backup though.

[brent4a]

Good article, but you will not convince me that the standard halogen is brighter than the silverstar, but i do agree that the bulb life is shorter though.

[LordGT]

Originally Posted by brent4a

Good article, but you will not convince me that the standard halogen is brighter than the silverstar, but i do agree that the bulb life is shorter though.

If the data is correct, then the Halogen is brighter, or more correctly it puts out MORE Lumens. BUT!!!!!! and there is a BUT!

The standard Halogen is in the 2500K color temp range while the newer Silverstar is in the 4000K color temp range. So if the normal Silverstar is in the 3500K to 4000K range, it would appear to be brighter because of the Whiter light.

Of course I'm a newbie at this light stuff, but that's what I get from all that I've read recently. Just my .02

[LOWFLYER]

IMHO, the Silverstars or any other Xenon gas filled halogen claiming 4K+ color temperature are a waste of $$. The performance to $$ ratio just doesn't add up. $40-60 for a set of lightly blue tinted bulbs that don't offer THAT much extra light output doesn't seem fair in all honesty when you can get a set of genuine HID's for $20 more that are proven to offer 3x the output you get from a standard halogen. Also, as mentioned in the article I believe, if you buy the higher wattage lowbeams they cause more electrical draw, heat up quite a bit more, and can melt wiring and connector housings; so be careful.

[brent4a]

I would like to go to HID in my truck and bike. I like the pure white. I have a silverstar in my bike as well as my truck. They are a little high priced and only seem to last about a year and a half or so, but they are an improvement over stock lights. I am weary of putting more wattage bulbs in also. I hope to convert both over to HID this spring and i am going to get a set that has a highbeam since i do alot of night interstate driving in my truck.

[Landon]

I've done the HID conversion on my V2k.....It might take me a day or so to remember where I got it from though. It was a plug and play kit, mostly. I had to mount the balast behind the horn as the HID dealer informed of the high wattage being carried by the wires between the Balast and bulb. I just had to splice in a longer wire from the battery to the balast. Everything else plugged right in. Was only about 100 bucks and it looks great. I went with the 6000k and aside from being brighter you also get alot more attention from drivers (which is good). Let me know if you want some pics.....

Oh....it's also a low beam and high beam. There is a motor in the bulb housing that moves the light deflector but it doesn't make a huge difference.

[Landon]

Update.....It was this site right here. It's a guy in California. He was very helpful in explaining everything before I purchased it.

XenonLink.com HID Conversion Kit.

[brent4a]

Your saying that there is not much difference between the high and low beam ? Is the low beam enough to see at night w/o the high beams? Im just curious since i want to order both kits at the same time.

[Landon]

I wouldn't worry with getting the bi-xenon for the bike. The housing just doesn't make good use of the extra light. What I did do was re-aim the headlight up a little so that the low beam gives me plenty of distance.

For you vehicle I can't say, depends on the housing.

-Landon