F355 HIDs Installed

While it kind of looks cooler it doesn't mean much without photos of the light pattern against a flat surface. I suspect the "cut-off" is poor and that oncoming drivers will be somewhat blinded. I don't think there is any way it can be called an "upgrade."

There's a reason some HIDs are very cheap (and others aren't).

Experts (and the law in some countries) are very much against these retrofits.

I would be the first to install HIDs on my 355 if it were a complete package that incorporated the correct reflector and lens along with quality bulbs.

Good info. here:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

 

I have had them on my 355 for 5 years. And no they don't blind on comers at all, its not the first time i have heard that old wives tale. Mine also legally pass the UKs MOT yearly test. If they are adjusted correctly then they are no problem. Many have done this upgrade and the clarity of the light beam is fantastic and shames the standard 355 beams.
I agree a great up grade and your car looks great I also changed my standard side lights to LED types to. But in the UK we do have the clear light lenses, so it looks great.
In led threads like this there will always be voiced negatives and positive. The final decision is down to the owner.

 

It's incorrect to say that the light pattern is only produced by the projector. Completely incorrect.

Golly Geeeeeee.... you don't think that guy could increase his sales by also offering HID's?? Wouldn't make a lot of sense though to "bash" HIDs and then also offer them for sale, now would it?


"NHTSA Cracks Down on Aftermarket HID Conversion Kits

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is targeting high-intensity discharge (HID) conversion kits for enforcement actions. NHTSA has concluded that it is impossible to produce HID conversion kits (converting a halogen system to HID) that would be compliant with the federal lighting standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. The noncompliant kits frequently include a HID bulb, a ballast, an igniter, a relay and wiring harness adapters. The NHTSA believes this equipment presents a safety risk to the public since the kits can be expected to produce excessive glare to oncoming motorists. In one investigation, the NHTSA found that an HID conversion headlamp exceeded the maximum allowable candlepower by over 800%.

Under FMVSS No. 108 Section S7.7 (replaceable light sources), each replaceable light source for headlamps must be designed to conform to the dimensions and electrical specifications for the headlamp source it is intended to replace. For example, if an HID kit is marketed as replacing an H1 light source, then it must match the H1's wire coil filament size and location, the electrical connector size and location and the ballast design for use with an H1 light source (which is impossible since there is no ballast). Consequently, companies that are manufacturing HID light sources (e.g., D1S, D1R, D2S, D2R, 9500, etc�) with incandescent light source bases (e.g., H1, H3, H7, H8, H9, H11, H13, HB1, HB2, HB3, HB4, HB5, etc�) should be aware that this light source design would not be one that conforms to FMVSS No. 108, and could not be imported and sold in the United States without violating Federal law. (The importer is treated as the manufacturer and subject to the same fines and penalties that apply to a domestic manufacturer.)

NHTSA has also determined that a commonly used disclaimer "for off-road use only" has no legal meaning and is not recognized by the agency as the manufacturer, importer and retailer are not in a position to control use once a product has been sold. Any equipment offered for sale which is covered by FMVSS No. 108 (headlamps, taillamps, side markers, etc.) must comply with the standard."

 

They are awesome.

I RARELY drive my 348 at night, so I wont waste my money fitting some HID's to it.

But, every other car I own I have fitted them and I will fit them to ALL my cars that I buy for the rest of my life.

They really are that good!! Brilliant!

 

Doesn't matter how high the quality or if it's a projector housing. They have to be designed and made for each other.

You did this with your car so obviously you're convinced it's "right." I'm not going to argue about it.

 

Not to say that your lights aren't brighter/safer/not-dangerously-distracting-to-other-drivers than OEM, but Daniel Stern is a highly respected expert on car lighting.

Did you take any before/after photos of the beam pattern at various distances?

 

Looks great and quite the cool setting too. I'm with PAP on this one, I'd do it but I rarely drive the car in the dark.

 

Looks good. Any chance that you could do a footcandle measurement with a lightmeter so that we can compare the numbers here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=171084 ?

 

HID's in most projectors "work" in that there is a cutoff, and the lights can frequently be adjusted to meet specs. It is still suboptimal versus having HID's in projectors that are designed for HID's--the difference is how HID's and Halogens produce light, and how this interacts with the focal point and other designs of the reflector and projector lens. After all of my research, I do agree that the best (focused, evenly dispersed, no hot spots) light is obtained with an HID specific projector.

Having said that, I have carefully aimed conversions in two of my cars (halogen projectors, HID bulbs). If I had unlimited time, though, I would retrofit HID projectors into these headlight units. Still, I love the increased light.

 

The stock headlights in my 355 are very bright and do a great job along with the foglights at lighting up the road..

I have stock Xenon lights in the BMW and they are also very bright...


Aren't the HID lights the ones with a "blueish" tint to them?

 

HID bulbs are available in assorted "color temperatures". I am doing this from memory, but 3000K is yellow, 4200K is about the same as modern Halogen bulbs, then 5000K, 6000K, 7000K, etc. Higher K equals bluer (and even purple) light. Based on ocular sensitivity, color temps above 5K are suboptimal for actually seeing, though the light may "look" neat.

So you can actually get a yellow HID bulb, if that is what you are after.

 

Very nice upgrade. what did it run you to convert.

 

Where'd you mount the ballasts and all the other electrical goodies? Doesn't seem like there's enough space anywhere in there to get them in. Looks good but I'm afraid I'd blind everyone since my headlights bounce all over the place...

 

PLENTY of room behind the foglights (small removable panels under the front of the car). I installed a HID system on my 355 a year ago and then removed it shortly thereafter. No question that they put out more light and consume less electricity. Keep in mind the higher the color temperature the less "useful" they are for the human eye (as Scotty pointed out) and the greater the chance they will attract the attention of "The Man" (law enforcement). And technically, they're not legal. Could come into play in a serious multi-vehicle accident depending on the "depth" of the investigation.

 

This looks excellent!! I really like the way it turned out. I may have gone with a whiter light though. But kudos to you glad you like it. Appears to be lots of haters on here. Otherwise I love it who cares what others think.

 

I recently installed the HIR conversion bulbs in my 355. (do a search on this forum) they are standard 55 watt bulbs, but have almost double the output of standard halogen bulbs. They have a very slightly whiter output (not blue) and were an incredible improvement over oem bulbs. Cost was very reasonable, around $55 or there about with shipping. The have considerably longer life as well, which is a bonus.

 

I would like to upgrade my bulbs as well. Any particular brand/model # you can recommend?

 

Hugh, where do you purchase the HIR bulbs? This seems like a great solution.

 

http://hirheadlights.com/

You want the HIR2/9012 bulbs for the low beam. Up to you if you wish to upgrade the high beams...I didn't bother, as I rarely use them, and the stock high beams work fine anyway.

Request the Philips, over the Toshiba (seller offers both at same price). They have essentially identical output (although there are claims the Philips is 25% brighter), but the Philips have much longer life over Toshiba. Oem is 1000 hours, Toshiba 800 hours, Philips 1400 hours.

Here are some details from another website, that charges more for the Philips, than the above listed website:

This brand-new Philips bulb incorporates a burner based on the latest version of high-tech H7 architecture. It has a high-precision filament coil, 5-axis focused and positioned within the burner by filament supports configured to leave a metal-free zone around the filament. The thermal image comparison you see on this page shows how the new design gives vastly improved control over unwanted reflections of the filament from the bulb wall and filament supports. This greatly improves beam focus and reduces shadows and glare light within the beam. The tubular bulb gives excellent control of stray light, and it's made of low-distortion quartz with a new infrared-reflective coating with maximized optical clarity. The fill gas has been newly formulated to give the HIR2/9012 bulb's characteristic extremely high light output with very long life.

This new Philips bulb has the highest luminance of any HIR2 (9012) ever made: 30 Mcd/m2. That's 25% better than the previous best-in-class Toshiba bulb. The improvement can be clearly seen in the thermal image comparison, and it gives the driver a significant increase in beam punch, boosting the ability to see what must be seen at night and in bad weather in time to avoid a collision. Light quality is bright white, with an excellent color temperature of 3450K.

Rated lifespan is 1400 hours (Tc). That's 40% longer than previous designs, making this not only the brightest and best but also the most cost-effective HIR2 (9012) bulb ever made.

This 55-watt bulb is US DOT certified, with a nominal output of 1875 lumens at 13.2 volts. ECE type approval (E-code mark) pending.

All in all, this is the best-performing bulb ever produced for optics designed to accept a bulb with a P(x)22d plastic base.

Application notes This new Philips bulb is physically, electrically, optically, and legally compatible with all previous 9012 (HIR2) bulbs, so it can be used for all the same design-specification, replacement, and upgrade applications. It can replace the 9006 (HB4) for special-service use; such a retrofit requires minor modification to the bulb base as described here. Like all previous HIR2 bulbs, it does not have a blacked-out tip, which means it cannot safely be used in road going headlamp or fog lamp designs that don't have a bulb shield completely covering at least the top half of the front of the bulb — a ring-style bulb shield that leaves the front of the bulb exposed to the lens is usually not sufficient.

 

Either you use the term "haters" very loosely or you're not that familiar with the definition. I don't believe there is anyone associated with this thread that hates HID's or hates the OP. Let's be a little realistic.