HID Headlights

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'92 Fourtrak, 2.8, TDX

Hi all.

Has any one fitted a HID (H4 Hi/Lo) Headlight bulb conversion kit to their truck . Comments would be gladly recieved.

High Intensity Discharge lamps example. Link below.

http://www.ultimatecarparts.co.uk/h4-hi-lo-dual-beam-6000k-hid-conversion-kit-p-67.html

Edward

HID bulbs

Hi all.

Has no one any views, comments or experience on these replacement bulbs. I accept the powers that be and the boys in blue do not like them. Surely some of the car boys must have come across them.

The head lights on Fourtraks are always a subject at this time of year, even if its the legality of 80/100 watt bulbs, or what one can do to improve the lighting. Lets have some comments!!!!on these HID bulbs.

Should we start a thread on head light mods re what people have experiencesd of re head light mods and what bulbs are most effective and ect.

Edward (ews)

Edward (ews) '92 Fourtrak 2.8 TDX

Most are illegal if they are

Most are illegal if they are aftermarket kits, they do not comply with the current European legislation, and often cause problems for oncoming drivers.

Vehicle manufacturers who fit them as standard have to comply with legislation, so therefore are legal.

HID's legality

A complex issue. Legal to sell to all, as after market fitment. But not to fit and use on the road if your vehicle can not be fitted with the the correct headlamps and has self leveling and washers. H4 headlamps as per the Fourtrak do not meet the requirement. ( has washers though)

This issue does not seem to have been tested in the courts/law and it seems even the police are confused over which section of the laws to take action against users who have been found to using these bulbs,in headlights which do not meet the regs, they seem to use the section regarding missaligned headlights rather than any Construction and Use regs or similar. A very grey area !!!!!! There are thoughts/suggestions to use the MOT test to check for correct bulb fitment, though no indication that the actual bulb will be looked at, just fitment ie H4 or what ever.

I think I will give them a miss, and stick with my H4 100 watt jobbies, at least these have not given me any problems over a number of years,and they do give a good light pattern at night and for the MOT test.

Edward (ews) '92 Fourtrak 2.8 TDX

just been

just been googling
www.powerbulbs.com/xenon-bulbs.asp?cat1=39
this lot reckon some of their xenon bulbs give more light and are road legal throughout eu... comments anyone?

it was a lot simpler in the good old days when nearly everything had 7 inch round lights and a set of replacements from hella, wipac or cibie was a vast improvement.

i once had a fiat 131 estate with a really crap electrical system.. it gave a really low voltage at the headlights, fitting four relays so the headlights got full battery voltage was a vast improvement on that one... might be worth checking the headlight voltages before doing anything else.

another quick fix is to use a pair of cheap fog lights in addition to dip beams... illegal in good weather... but probably a more get awayable with than fitting illegal replacement headlights... sorry officer didnt realise id accidentally turned them on.. would work a lot of the time Wink

Voltage at headlights

Hi.

Interesting, to see what is actualy delivered to the the headlights through the loom ???. What we need is a on site Auto Electrician memnber or some one to advise on how to carry out these sort of tests.

Have today just fitted a set of Osram Night Breaker Bulbs, will be interesting to see how they compare to my 80/100 watt bulbs !!!

Though it has been suggested the problem lies with the reflectors in the headlamp unit. ( The shroud around the the bulb, as replacment units do not have this )

Edward (ews) '92 Fourtrak 2.8 TDX

its easy enough to check the

its easy enough to check the voltage at the headlights , all you need is a digital voltmeter... the h4 bulb connector has 3 terminals, earth, high and low beam.. just measure the voltage between the high or low and earth.. with the lights turned on Wink ... might also be worth checking to a good chassis earth as well as the earth on the connector.
simple digital multimeters are only a fiver or so ,.. but there are now digital clamp on meters available for not alot which will also measure the amps flowing in a wire by sensing its magnetic field... handy for checking glow plugs and alternators
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Digital-LCD-Clamp-On-Meter-AMP-AC-DC-Volt-Multimeter-UK_W0QQitemZ300341795227QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET?hash=item45edc4199b

been looking at ebay this

been looking at ebay this afternoon... there appear to be two sorts of zenon h4 bulbs.. blue ones and clear ones.... the blue ones seem to be marketed as giving your car the hid look, whatever that is , and the clear ones mention the 30 or 50 % increased light output... so after a 25 mile trip in the dark to return the MIL home ive splashed out less than a fiver a pair for two pairs of clear ones... one will go in the f reg fourtrak the other in the h reg 200 disco, should know by the end of the week whether ive wasted nearly a tenner or not.

Hi. The Osram Night Breaker

Hi.

The Osram Night Breaker bulbs claim a 90% increase in light output, it will be interesting to see how if they actualy do give some improvement on standard bulbs. I have put these in as one of my 80/100 watt jobbies failed and they were all I could get at the time. ( price wise, these Osram bulbs are not cheap !!)

Edward (ews) '92 Fourtrak 2.8 TDX

ive spent sometime on google

ive spent sometime on google and beleive ive got to the bottom of the legalities confusion

xenon h4 replacement bulbs are legal , they are just the same as normal halogen bulbs but contain xenon gas instead of whatever gas was in the old ones. there are two types of xenon bulbs , clear ones which claim increased light output.. 30, 50, 90% from 3 to 30 quid a pair. blue ones for the boys who want their cars to look pretty... actually give out less usable light than standard.

HID headlamps are something totally different , legal when fitted as origional equipment with self leveling , and headlamp washers. due to the several second delay for the arc to get to full brightness either dip beam remains on with main beam , or there is only one light source which is physically moved within the headlight to give the dip/main change. there are aftermarket kits involving bulbs electronic boxes and/or repacement headlights which as i understand it are definatly illegal when fitted to a vehicle without washers and auto self leveling, and possiblly illegal when fitted to anything that didnt have them when it left the factory/passed whatever type approval is current in the eu.

as i see it clear xenon bulbs are worth a try , wouldnt touch the blue ones with a bargepole, hid is for the boy racer posers with money to burn Smile

well today i fitted a set of

well today i fitted a set of xenon mega white plus 50% bulbs in our disco 200tdi... was a bit sceptical cos the bulbs have a blue/red tinge not the clear ones i was expecting. just been down the road .. its a dim blue/red light.. total crap... ive emailed the supplier demanding a full refund...theyve got a couple of days or i will go for a paypay refund and lovely feedback on ebay.and probably trading standards aswell.
got the other set, 30% plus but glass clear bulbs to try tomorrow.

put the 30% clear bulbs in

put the 30% clear bulbs in the disco today, done a 20 mile b road run this evening,, hard to quantify the difference on main beam, only got to use them once due to the amount of traffic, but there is a definate improvement on dip definatly more light up the lefthand kerb and hedge which is where the dog walkers and cyclists like to hide.. and nobody was anoyed enough to flash at me.... guess id better do the fourtak now .

Replaced my halogens with

Replaced my halogens with these. No improvment for normal driving. However they are far supiriour in fog and spray conditions. Not being a white light they do not produce the same glare back. I bought them off e-baye (just bulbs) for not much more than hallogens as an expreriment. I would not bother at the URP.

If you want to spend the cash try red over blue rally bulbs. Fare supperiour light when I had them in a Rover. But I didn't fit them, and when one blew and I found it would cost over £50 for a new one I decided that the light wasnt that much better... Also even with the best bulbs, is it actuallt the reflecters in the headlight that are at falt?

Any veiws expresed in this thread by me are purely from my own experience, and (sometimes) falible memory. Hope my comments help, but please don't take them as gospel.

Any veiws expresed in this thread by me are purely from my own experience, and (sometimes) falible memory. Hope my comments help, but please don't take them as gospel.

The Police are not confused,

The Police are not confused, they simply apply the European "E" marking legislation as it is simple to understand, and prosecute.

This has become popular legislation as many of the boy racers are finding out, they fit the clear Lexus style lights then get a tug from Lilly Law. The first thing they do is look for the impressed European "E" marking, no marking then ticket, marking then off you go son.

Some manufacturers are now getting crafty as they are losing sales because of the Police actions, they now put the "E" mark on the inside of the light unit. Police are only allowed to make a visual examination and not strip or touch the light, so issue tickets. Many of the boy racers turn up at court, remove the light and take it into court, Police and court time wasted, and the boy racers come out laughing.

Good Find/Replacment headlamps

Hi.

Interesting find,and I think a reasonable price. What with a 25% increase in light output add to this some bulbs with 90/100% increased output it should be daylight out there, compared to the standard fitment!!!!! But all this comes down to what the companies are using as a standard.

As it happens I have recently replaced my headlight units with a set from 'Milners' about the same price,these did not have plastic reflectors. Never the less in interesting find.

Edward (ews) '92 Fourtrak 2.8 TDX

I use xenon bulbs

Brought 2 from halfords (dare i say it) about a year or so ago, still working fine, passed mot yesterday no prob on lights (failed on other minor stuff lol), but you only get a slight improvement in lighting, dont forget your only supposed to have 55w in your headlamps, the wiring isnt designed for bigger power, i advise this for all users of fourtraks - get spotlights!!!

Full of ideas but no time to do them!!

www.bloodredoffroad.com
www.milneroffroad.com
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