HID head lights
 

Has anyone used HID head lights on there GL project yet? For those of you that don't know what HID is it means High Intensity Discharge. Like the bluesh white lights you see on BMW and new Porsche. I have a friend that has a shop that can get the HID bulb that will plug in as a replacement for most any type of head light and give you the 8300k or what ever the brightest one is... I am thinking of going with a set up like this on my project. The cost is around $300 to $400

Vincent

I think Alex is using HID lights on his Split GL.

i have them on my 72 super:

using the 4100k bulbs and hella ballasts. they are the brightest. as you go up in numbers to 8300k the light becomes more blue/purple in colour, but your light output decreases. so the hotter the temp ____k, the more purple you'll see but the less lumens of light they will produce.

I actaully found some nice short Bi-Xenon projectors that will be fitted into my headlights with the help of some friends.

Hope to have them done for x-mas.

Alex

911 & Porsche World magazine have just done a feature on fitting a kit to a 964 porsche. As these headlights are so similar to bug ones the article maybe appropriate

hey petevw

I looked at your Yahoo page and did not see any pics of your HID head lamps do you have any pics of the light and what they look like at night?

Thanks

i think there is a pic of the ballast. i will try get a pic of the lights at night. will probably take a couple of days. i have to borrow a digi cam.

yes I saw the pic of the Ballist.

Pete,

At the next Boxer AG meet, there will be a digi cam.

Sandeep

I put a pair of Silver Stars in mine, very simple, very bright and not too expensive.

I'm replying here rather than the "Has anyone thought of this?" thread which really is the catalyst for my ponderings. I didn't want to send that thread on a wayward tangent as I am interested in that continuing saga as well.

I apologize in advance for length this will probably be even though my question is somewhat basic. My searching on the Internet yielded a lot advertisements with the accompanying propaganda. Some useful information filtered through as well.

I, too (as in the other thread), have been thinking long and hard about what to do with a Super Beetle (1303) with regards to headlights. I don't want to end up with something that may look like an updated version of the Mulholland Look. That, however, is a matter of style.

My inquiry now is a matter of function. Unfortunately, it involves a series of what-is-it's and what's-better.

I assume the Super has a stock headlight like my '85 Vanagon did. (I'll stick with US-names for simplicity.) And I assume stock headlights are different from halogen headlights which my '81 Pickup and '86 Jetta had.

That said, what are the headlights offered as replacements which come as "clear" and "crystal cut"?

They seem to use Xenon bulbs such as 9004's. I know they are not HID kits or projection units. Are they better?

I never gave headlights a lot of thought until we bought our '02 Cabrio and '02 Golf. By comparison, out '93 EuroVan didn't put out squat for light. This was my first venture into searching for information on headlights. The cost of converting the EuroVan was prohibitive considering how long we wanted to keep it, how old it already was then, and where we -- actually, I -- wanted to spend my disposable income.

The result for EuroVan was I purchased some Xenon bulbs off of eBay. They bulbs were a significant improvement but they were still a weak sister compared to the two Golfs.

So, then, what do my Golfs have? They obviously are not projection headlights. I doubt they are HID's. But they are better than what's currently in my EuroVan.

(I was told if I converted my EuroVan to an HID kit, I would lose my high beams with the 9004.)

Okay, getting back to Super Beetle -- where do all of the options stand up to each other as far as which is better? If possible, can it be quantified as to how much better? I assume the options are (a) regular headlights, (b) clear/crystal headlights, (c) whatever my Golfs have, (d) an HID kit complete with ballasts, and (e) projection headlamps.

(Also, are (b) and (c) above the same? And, is (e) a subset of (d)?)

If I want an HID/projection system, do I need to go to a Mercedes/Mini/Porsche/other system and have it custom fitted (or is it "cussed 'em fitted")? I may want to do that, but do I need to do it? Can I convert to clear/crystal, and then convert to an HID kit?

And finally, do I need separate lamps for high beams and fog lights?

Thanks for reading this far and thanks in advance to anyone who will inform me.

Hey Pete!

How much amps does the HID ballast take. And how much power does it use, meaning does you Alternator light glow a little when you turn on your headlights?

hi
clear or crystal as you call them have a clear front lense the refraction of the light to the side of the road dependant on what country you liuve in is done by the reflecter bowl by flutes within it look at my avtar they are clear lights.

i have legal bulbs in there 55w60w and they are so much better than any normal aircooled headlight the pair i took of where brand new uk spec hellas they are never gonna put out as much light when they got frosted glass mind are they !

i have the hella catalouge here and in there you can get the hid sets in variuos different sizes seem to slowly be comeing down in price a little only problem with hid lights is where to put the control box !! hid lights are in like two parts a sort of quite large relay box and then what you would normally call the bulb is actually a burner! it looks like a bulb mind.

HID bulbs
 

I scored a set of HID halo projector beams online for 150 bucks. These are designed to go in a 1991 civic. I am taking them apart and cutting them down to fit in my car. Should look very nice when completed

Hi

Ive been looking at putting HID or projector lights in my new project bug. I will be using Aero guards again, these use an early Beetle/Porsche headlight bucket. What Ive been thinking of doing is is buy some Hella lights from rally lights and mount them under early beetle headlights with clear lenses. Found this tech article on fiting them to a ricer.

http://home.comcast.net/~c.tangonan/..._Tutorial.html http://www.rallylights.com/

Steve C

look up
 

see my post in germanlook

i have the the "H4" HID's in the super. it draws crazy amps to fire them(20amps). once they are on and "warmed up", they don't draw very many amps.

i'm continuing with Alex's project. currently working on making a adapter plate to mount the Bi-Xenon projectors in the headlight buckets. i have made a template for them, out of lexan, and might machine it out of aluminum. even though they are short, i think they might stick out of the inner fender a little. i have to mount the fender, and mock it up.

later,
pete

Hi

I bought a Hella A3 Audi Xenon headlight conversion kit for my new 1303. Im going to remove the light modules and fit them behind some clear early bug headlight lenses. They even have an ECU to level the headlights.

Steve

http://www.clubvw.org.au/images/A3_LIGHTS1.jpg
http://www.clubvw.org.au/images/A3_LIGHTS2.jpg
http://www.clubvw.org.au/images/A3_LIGHTS3.jpg

While I think the HIDs would be awesome, is there any thought/concern about how they will function?

By no means am I a lighting expert, but the HIDs are designed to function with a certain lens. If you just transplant them into another lens, they might cause some wicked glare. I was looking very seriously into retrofitting them into my golf, but gave up when I learned that it would probably blind everyone on the road.

Just wondering if you guys were considering this. . . .

Hi Craig

The kit I have uses no lense at all, Im using a early Beetle clear lense, as used on most early US spec Beetles to cover them.

Steve

WOwww that must have cost you a big grape out your wallet..

Verry expensive but verry verry good..

In the future.. I will buy the HID lights apart (Hella also sells them apart)

Greetings Wiebrand

p.s. that most be looking cool Steve

Hi

They cost me about $750 Au. The Hella indivdual units were going to cost about $1500 Au from Hella and they wernt Xenon, just Halogen. Used ones were about $1200 Au.

Steve

Oke... Than the choice is simpel :laugh:

Ok, sounds like that is an alternative then. ;) Definitely post some pics when you finish. I absolutely LOVE the HIDs on my BMW, would love to have them in a beetle as well.

I've today also looked up for the prices. The prices for al the individual units together is around the 638 euro's.. THis is with the xenon headlights, halogen headlights (with small light (stadslicht in dutch)) and with the blinkers..
p.s. this is without levelling equipment.

Wiebrand

p.s. keeps the pics coming steve

it amazes me how complicated even headlight systems have gotten. truly amazing technology though. we have HIDs on my wife's Passat. makes you wonder what we did before them. no pun intended...it is like night and day compared to sealed beam.

Hi

Have a look on UK Ebay for user wbo00, hes the guy I bought mine from, he seems to have a lot of them on there at the moment. Hes a real gentleman. Only the Audi A3 ones seem to have the leveling system.

Steve

how about the gen2 sylvania x6024 7" sealed beam upgrade kit

http://www.brightheadlights-hid.com/...aled-beams.htm

Here's a question

I was looking at a website for HID kits and they had the regular ones and ones that were called "Bi-Xenon" which it stated it as haveing hi and low beams. My question is to all of you who have HID's allready is that do the regular H4 HID kits come with Hi and Low beams or do I need to order the special Bi-Xenon ones? Thanks

Clint

i finally got the pics for you guys, thease are my H4 lamps

http://www.cardomain.com/id/dominicanvolks

my gauges are oil preasure, tach and generation

bad links!

sorry about that check out the cardomain site guys

http://www.cardomain.com/id/dominicanvolks

Kataplun..

WHich mark of lights are that??

Greetings Wiebrand

i cant recall but i think they are CSC

Most H4 HID kits come as a low beam only. Now...like you said...they have bi-xenon which reflects the light so it is a high and low beam in one.

BTW, I have the Xenarc X6024 kit...awesome!!!

You have them in your beetle? Pics! Pics! (please)

If GRMNLK is who I think he is, he hasn't got them in his new '58' as his VERY nice 66 was killed on the freeway just before christmas :bawling:

As requested...
these are when first turned on...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...5.jpg~original
And when warmed up...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...9.jpg~original
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...9.jpg~original

Its about time to bring back an old issue...
I know how HID systems work but i cant figure out if they will work correctly with the stock (seales beam) or with the clear lense headlights on a 1973 super, because of the small cap both headlamps have (where the tip of the bulb sits behind). Factory HID as the Audi A3 the headlamp has a small lense.

Can anybody explain the difference??? Im really confused on the headlamp technology and Im getting pissed off. :mad: :mad: :bawling:
Can I fit an upgrade kit (single or Bi-xenon) to a normal headlamp or i will have to retrofit parts of an A3 headlamp unit for example into an original super headlamp?

Chris

OASIS,
The lights in your Golf are HID's

Mike,