Old Library

Nate's seen this cause he lives in the lighting forum but 
I thought others might find it interesting.
Check out http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=527514
for pictures of how I modified my Projektzwo dual rounds
(should be same procedure for Hella dual round kit), 
to take the 4100K Philips HIDs.   Before and after pics are at
the bottom, and more are coming.   The HIDs are two F-stops brighter
according to the camera which should mean 4 times as much light.

All I can say after one night of driving is they're bright, they're
white, and they put a lot of light out to the sides where the old lights 
didn't.  Drove my favorite twisty road (where I hit a deer a few weeks
back) last night with highs and lows on, and other than in the
hairpins I could see into all the deepest shadows.
Hopefully I'll see the next one coming before I hit it, or it
hits me.  On straighter roads, I don't feel like I'm outdriving
the lights so much any more.  I need to replace the clear
protectors on the front of the lenses before I can make a final
assesment though.  Right now those protectors are so scratched
up that they're creating some glare.

Overall, happy so far, although I can't imagine why anyone
would want anything bluer.  It'd totally destroy your
night vision and cause eyestrain.

	ian

&#115;teeleg3&#64;westnet<img src=/i/dc.gif border=0 width=35 height=15> wrote:

>Nice look Ian.  How difficult was the HID conversion? 


Well, if you look at the link I gave you'll see that I created
some shields to control the upward splash of light (eliminate
it on the left, and cut it off a bit on the right).  Following my
page,  http://www.houseofthud.com/cartech/hids
that shouldn't take someone else more than 20-30 minutes
once they've got the projectors out of their low beams.

Other than than that, a kit like the autolamps-online one
is almost plug and play..   Just attached the power lines to
two of the small posts on the battery terminals, plug the ballast
power into the relays, plug the old wire that went to the Halogen light
into the switching lead on the relay, HID hi voltage wires into
the ballast, and poof, it makes light.  The only other modification was
to the cap that goes over the back of the projector housing so
that the wires on the end of the HID bulb's base can stick out a 
hole.  Will then seal that up with some tape.  Zip tie ballasts,
relays and wires into various crevices.. run the wires from the battery
over to the passenger side under the lip above the radiator
and you're done.  Hour or two tops if you've got everything you need.


>Most important, how much 
>was the conversion? 


Well, we just finished a group buy with Autolamps-online,
which gave us a 10% discount.
Normal price for H1 HID kit from them.. $550.  With discount $495. 
Can buy a DIY D2S kit (parts, you assemble yourself somehow)
for $399.    Other people have kits for less, although I
can't speak to quality and completeness.   


>I am running Hella dual rounds already and I got them 
>loaded with Razo 4100K bulbs.  It's real bright and real white already.  Is 
>there a difference over that?


Ya, somewhere between 3 and 4 times higher light output.  ;) 
The before picture
http://www.houseofthud.com/cartech/hids/hid-halogen.jpg
was shot at 1/15th second F4.4 and flash whitebalance (close to daylight WB)
using brand new Philips Vision Plus H1 55watt bulbs which are already
brighter than the halogens that came with the Pzwo kit.

The after picture
http://www.houseofthud.com/cartech/hids/hid-final.jpg
was also shot at 1/15th second, F4.4 and flash WB
and you can see that it's white colored, and the brightest areas
are blasted out so they're too bright for this setting of the camera.
If I adjust the camera so that the HIDs look as dim as the Halogens
I have to shoot at 1/60th, F4.4.   1/60th is 2 full F-stops
less light, which equates to 2x 2x or 4 times as much light.

The Razo 4100K bulbs are also 55 watts so even if they're brighter than
my untinted Vision Plus bulbs they probably still put out about
1/3rd as much light as any HID kit.  And the 4100K color temperature
really isn't a big selling point to me.  Honestly, I'd be
perfectly happy with this same light output at a warmer color
temperature, but an arc lamp is an arc lamp.  It doesn't
produce just warm colors.  I don't know how people stand
6000K kits.  Your eyes just don't focus on blue well because
it scatters going through the fluid in your eyes and lenses.

BTW, it is possible in many instances to run higher wattage
halogen bulbs and get a pretty significant light increase.
I know someone running 90/110watt  low/high halogens and it's quite good.
But I don't know how the projector housing will hold up to it
because halogens generate an emense amount of heat (55 watt halogens
generate a lot of heat and some light, while 35 watt HIDs generate
a lot of light and not much heat) .  I'm about to order some 100 watt H3 
bulbs to run in the Hella high beams, so I've got a little more light out 
at distance to match the tremendous amount of light the HIDs are putting 
down out to 150-200 feet or so. 

	ian

I'm not Ian (thank God ;), but I can tell you from experience, no matter
what anyone else says, you can't match the output or intensity of HID
with halogen.  Regardless of wattage, coating, manufacturer claims, etc,
it just won't happen.  That's not to say your lights aren't brighter
than stockers, but HIDs would be brighter still.  Here's some
comparisons of my car with MKIV look headlights and piaa 55w superwhites
on one side and my K2 6000k HID kit on the other.  You'll notice
immediately:

http://www.wsu.edu/~fiction/hids.htm

The coloration in the pictures isn't really representative of what they
look like in real life.  In actuality, they've calmed down quite a bit.
They're still noticeably purple, but less than those pics.  I'm pretty
sure they've evened out to what they will stay like now.  I've had them
for almost a year actually.

Install for me was cake, all plug and play.  NO splicing whatsoever.
It'd take anyone with 1/2 a brain like 10 minutes to install them.  I
got mine on ebay for about 400, but they might be cheaper now.  For a
real Philips kit by a reputable dealer WITH a warranty it'll prolly cost
you a bit more...not really sure anymore.  

Hope this answers your questions!  L8z,

Fiction

Steven Micherdzinski &lt;&#115;teeleg3&#64;westnet<img src=/i/dc.gif border=0 width=35 height=15>&gt; wrote:

>Thanks for all the info Ian.  I looked back at your earlier post and saw all
>the links to the thread on the vortex.  Lots of good info.  I am going to
>look into the kit for my Hellas.  The pics look real nice too.  There was a
>big difference between the stockers and the Hellas.  I actually had someone
>flash me their brites from the other side of the road.  He musta thought I
>had my hi's on.  Then I flashed my hi's at him and I think he nearly swerved
>off the road. 


If your Hellas are blinding people in the opposite lane then they're
aimed wrong.  Unless you're talking about doing it cresting a hill
on a right turn, the cutoff should pretty much always prevent that.
I don't think I've ever been flashed.  In fact, the high beams
are so focused that sometimes I leave em on when I'm going around
the outside of a left turn with oncoming traffic and I don't 
get flashed.


>I can only imagine what the HID kit will do.  Last question:
>Do I need to install the shields to control the upward splash with the
>HID's?  I rather like that upward splash.


I like it too, which is why I kept it on the far right side.  But 
if you look at my photos you'll see that a major trait of the HIDs
is that the light is not only brighter but extends further in
every direction.  Further straight out, and to the sides, and if I let
it it'd extend further up and out at the splash.  The problem is, the
left side upward splash will end up projecting the HID's 4 times as much
light a hell of a long way out in the center/right side of
the lane above the horizontal cutoff.  You blind everyone while overtaking 
on the left, and probably while going around any right turn in the road.

So I straightened out the shield on the left side, and used a 
modified pattern for the right, where I let it go up some, and then
straight out horizontal again.  That means if I'm close to someone 
on the left, the cutoff should kill it below their mirror
and if I'm way back, then it just projects out behind and
to the right of them (on the road signs, where they do now).

I did a little cruising around tonight in traffic, testing that theory,
and it seems to work perfectly.  Even found a white car
to drive behind, and beside so I could see where the light was going.
I never saw it light up their mirrors, yet I could still see
the road signs perfectly.  

Ultimately the shields are an easy mod.  Following my directions..
20-30 minutes.  I'm serious.  You need the materials, 
tin snips, a drill, and a screw driver.   That's assuming your
Hella projectors open up the same way mine do.  3 screws
on the outside, 4 on the inside.   I'd love it if someone
could verify that.  If they're glued together or something, then
that's a whole different ballgame.


>I also saw the pics of Fiction's HID converted Mk4's.
>I guess I will be blinding people as I wind up the mountains this snowboard
>season.


One of my main goals in doing this upgrade is to avoid irritating other
people.  I'm no great fan of blinding blue/white HIDs coming at
me, so I'm doing what I can to save others from that, while
still maximizing my lighting on the road, and out to the sides
where the deer and antelope play.  

	ian

Steven Micherdzinski &lt;&#115;teeleg3&#64;westnet<img src=/i/dc.gif border=0 width=35 height=15>&gt; wrote:

>The Hellas come apart with screws.
>You can remove the outside plastic shields, and then remove the projector
>assembly from the frame.


Good, then they're just like the Hellas in my Pzwo lows (cept
they have the city light and that funny opening at
the bottom.   My shield instructions will work for both.

	ian