HID - H4 Car Replacement

[ViReN]

Hi All,

I have standard H4 55/60 W (Philips) Halogen bulb in my car (Suzuki-Zen).
Want to replace the Bulb with HID Bulb.

I understand that HID will require Ballast (& some Extra wires), other than that what else would I require?

Which ones will be bright + best + cost efficient?
How Easy/Difficult will it be for me to do the replacement?
(I can change normal H4 Bulbs, but is there any extra care that is required to handle HID Bulbs?)

Thanks in Advance,
ViReN

 

[markdi]

car headlight assemblys that were never designed for hid
should not be converted to hid.

buy a whole hid headlight assembly and install it - ebay.

a friend of mine has the most obnoxious hid conversion
I have ever seen. - you would hate having him behind you at night.


he just got tickets totaling more than 1300.00.


to convert your existing head lamps you need to re base d2s
hid lamps to h4 base - or buy them re based on ebay.

as some sort of complete conversion kit


sounds like I am Richard Pryor talking about coke ha ha

 

[txmatt]

markdi is right. The optics (reflector and lens) in most automotive halogen assemblies don't control the light well enough (sharp horizontal cutoff) to keep light from shining too high. In addition, the HID bulb will likely not emit light from the same spot as the halogen filament which will alter the light distribution even if the assembly offers a sharp horizontal cutoff. Some halogen projector assemblies work okay with HID conversions but the best best is to buy HID assemblies if available for your car.

 

[enLIGHTenment]

Aside from the legality issues, a fixture designed for halogen is unlikely to be strong enough to contain the fragments from an exploding HID bulb.

 

[markdi]

bull ka ka they would not explode with that much force

 

[cheesehead]

I agree, why all of sudden are HIDs exploding, that is ridiculous. Only if they are overdriven by CPF members, will they explode.

Also the HID reflectors are designed to limit light output. If you just stuff an HID into an H4 assembly, it's like using off-road lights on the street, and well, that's obnoxious.

 

[ViReN]

Hi all,

Thanks for kind responses including PM's Recieved.

I live in a place (a Third world country) where you need to have lights throwing big to the front coming vehicles untill they use the dipper beam!

so considerations of High Light (being unlawful) is not there.

No intentions of overdriving em...so i would be safe to drive them at their normal values /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Which ones are safe ? and if i have to replace the entire Light Assembly, which ones would you suggest ?

Thanks & Regards,
ViReN

 

[Azecos]

for H4 you'll need a bi-xenon set. If you just put in a normal conversion kit you'll be driving around with highbeam on all the time.

 

[ViReN]

What would be normal life of HID bulb as compared to that of Halogen one?

Thanks & Regards,
ViReN

 

[Vortex]

Viren, 2000+ hours

For your car if you really badly want HID that won't get in trouble, it is kinda technically legal and it looks amazing.

Buy 2 Ballast, 2 D2S bulbs and 2 Bi-xenon projectors from an
audi, mercedez, bmw etc...

Take apart your cars headlamps and mount the bi-xenon projectors to your car's fatory reflectors so you can retain factory aiming adjustments.

Wire everything up with some relays and fuses to your existing switch and presto Factory HID!!

I did it and it was a success!

You will need to educate yourself here:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/216460

read the FAQ

and here:

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/

There a lots of people that have done it.

You can buy parts on ebay, forums or here:

http://www.hidretro.com/page20.htm

and here:

http://www.hidplanet.com/bosch.html


Good Luck and enjoy.

 

[enLIGHTenment]

[ QUOTE ]
cheesehead said:
I agree, why all of sudden are HIDs exploding, that is ridiculous. Only if they are overdriven by CPF members, will they explode.


[/ QUOTE ]

That's dangerously wrong advice. HID bulbs can explode even if used properly.

[ QUOTE ]

Please note that D1 and D2 type bulbs operate at high temperature with great pressure probably near or over 30 atmospheres. The internal quartz arc tube temperature is probably typically around 800 degrees C (1400-1500 degrees F or so). The outer bulb is not this hot, but it is definitely burning hot. The arc tube always has at least some miniscule risk of exploding and should only be operated in a headlight housing or other suitable container. Improper operation increases the risk of bulb explosion.


[/ QUOTE ]

http://www.aerovisions.com/hid/hid_hangar_tech.html#safety

 

[cheesehead]

EH, I agree, I am scared running the bulb without a proper housing, but it's still a rare event. Seeing the quartz tube glowing bright red when the light is turned off is pretty convincing that the light is under a "bit" of stress.

 

[markdi]

if one does explode practically any refector/lens will contain it.

 

[IsaacHayes]

Yeah check out the projector housings on ebay. You could mount them somehow in your lenses. The projectors should be all the focus you need and they have a metal sheild that cuts off the horizontal.