Thread: HID xenon conversion of Headlights?

It's easy to do but illegal and pretty inconsiderate to other drivers.
It is just a matter of fitting the bulbs and finding a place for the inverter, and there is a tailor made place next to the indicators.

There is no way to make them legal inan RRC as the ADR states you must have headlight washers and automatic self levelling.


The cops tend to look for doofers with blue headlights.

I have converted the square spotlights (mine are Narva 181) and they are bright.
Regards Philip A

Philip, Leo is is South Africa (or so I assume from his location setting) so perhaps legalities are different over there.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

There is no way to make them legal inan RRC as the ADR states you must have headlight washers and automatic self levelling.

Doesn't the Boge leveller count?

Later cars with EAS are fine too .

A pox upon HID lamps in headlights ! - May the fleas of a Thousand smelly camels infest your armpits !!!

I'm not the least bit in favour of HID's in ANY headlamp fixture, whether designed for them, - and especially a retro-fit.

Bottom line is, you really don't *need* humungous amounts of light on Low beam, and HID's are invariably brighter and emit much more glare than incandescents (ordinary globes).

I've had a dual-beam setup in a previous car, the bulb moving to a differant position for Hi/Lo beams. Great on low, and so was the glare.... and so-so on HI. I pulled them out after a shrt time simply 'cos of the safety aspect .

For Hi beam, yes, as bright as you like... be aware that the cheap ones will take time to reach full brightness from cold... You get what you pay for.
Same goes for driving lights, cheap is NOT the way to go if you need instant 'ON'.

The other thing is colour temperature. Going over 4500 degrees is a waste of time and money, the bluer the lamp the less lumens you get. 3800 seems to be the most efficient.
The spectrum produced is'nt smooth, but has spikes and gaps. The bluer lamps tend to flatten off foliage and hide details such as branches/tree-trunks and wildlife, - but lighten up the bitumen nicely!

Simple answer is "Don't waste your money", spend it on brighter halogen globes with relays on the headlight circuit, clean your glass or replace your faded reflectors...and get HID driving lights with the money you have left over.!

Cynical James in Gosnells

Might just go with a decent set of spots, the price of HID ones seems to be coming down.