Brighter light?

[waverider]

I think within the last year I read a post on here about a replacement bulb for the 12RT that was about twice the price of the stock and about 50% brighter. I've been trying to find it (searching) with no luck. Can anyone hook me up with the thread or the name of the bulb? Thanks!

Larry

[velomoto]

Larry, not sure if this is the one you were referring to but I've seen a couple very positive reviews on different MC forums: Philips MotoVision Lamps One of the questions, which I've never seen answered is whether or not these are street legal in the states.

 

Cheers,

Greg

[Jerry Duke]

Save your money and go with HID lights.

http://www.cqlight.ca/

[Dave_in_TX]

Save your money and go with HID lights.

http://www.cqlight.ca/

At those prices, I think I'll save my money and go with the +50 bulbs!

[Dick_at_Lake_Tahoe_NV]

Save your money and go with HID lights.

http://www.cqlight.ca/

 

This seems really cheap for an HID light and Ballast. Have you done business with this company before. How's the quality of their product. $99 for an H-7 Motorcycle set-up--Now that's cheap.

[jimwms]

I have these and have been quite pleased with them.

[waverider]

H7 or H4 ???

[jimwms]

I did high and low on mine; H7 and H3.

[OoPEZoO]

At those prices, I think I'll save my money and go with the +50 bulbs!

 

I'm guessing you have never ridden a bike at night with an HID setup? If you did, I would be willing to bet that you would be singing a different tune. If I bought a new bike, and HID setup would be the #1 thing on my list to buy.

 

I didn't know how good they were until I was riding with a group of Harley's and Goldwings through the middle of Wyoming trying to find a campsite in the pitch black. They kept waving me forward until I was at the front of the pack. I turned on my High Beam and it felt like the whole world lite up. Turns out we were all in the same boat......leaving Sturgis and looking for a place to sleep. Most of us ended up at the same campsite and my HID headlights were the talk of the campfire that night. They are worth every penny.

[Dick_at_Lake_Tahoe_NV]

At those prices, I think I'll save my money and go with the +50 bulbs!

 

I'm guessing you have never ridden a bike at night with an HID setup? If you did, I would be willing to bet that you would be singing a different tune. If I bought a new bike, and HID setup would be the #1 thing on my list to buy.

 

I didn't know how good they were until I was riding with a group of Harley's and Goldwings through the middle of Wyoming trying to find a campsite in the pitch black. They kept waving me forward until I was at the front of the pack. I turned on my High Beam and it felt like the whole world lite up. Turns out we were all in the same boat......leaving Sturgis and looking for a place to sleep. Most of us ended up at the same campsite and my HID headlights were the talk of the campfire that night. They are worth every penny.

Where did you buy the HID lights for your bike, and did you put them in High and Low Beams?

[OoPEZoO]

Where did you buy the HID lights for your bike, and did you put them in High and Low Beams?

 

I have high and low beams. I wish I could tell you where they came from. I would like to know myself. Unfortunatly, they were on the bike when I bought it two years ago. I should be seeing the previous owner this next weekend for MAYHEM in the mountains. I'll make sure to ask him where he got them.

[CruisinCruzan]

Couple of things to think about (take everything I say with a large grain of salt). Claims by manufacturers about the "equivalent" light outputs are meaningless. Even more objective measures such as lumens (which is the volume of light produced) may not be measured the same from manufacturer to manufacturer. To get any measureable difference in actual volume of light you need higher wattages or a different lighting technology like HID. Bulbs may have different color spectrums and one may be preferable to another but the actual volume of light produced will be very similar at the same wattage. There is an amazing amount of hype associated with lights. That being said I have given you a link to the bulb I replaced my high beam with. Greater lumens than the standard and guess what, at a higher wattage. I've had no problems with it. I like light like a Harley guy likes chrome so I replaced the low beams with HIDs and supplented the high beam with Hella HID driving lights. I have 4 35 watt HID lights and my overwattage high beam, my bike makes serious light (took my time to aim all of this works very well).

http://www.rallylights.com/hella/H7.asp (it is the 65 watt 2100 lumen bulb)

[Dave_in_TX]

At those prices, I think I'll save my money and go with the +50 bulbs!

 

I'm guessing you have never ridden a bike at night with an HID setup? If you did, I would be willing to bet that you would be singing a different tune. If I bought a new bike, and HID setup would be the #1 thing on my list to buy.

 

I didn't know how good they were until I was riding with a group of Harley's and Goldwings through the middle of Wyoming trying to find a campsite in the pitch black. They kept waving me forward until I was at the front of the pack. I turned on my High Beam and it felt like the whole world lite up. Turns out we were all in the same boat......leaving Sturgis and looking for a place to sleep. Most of us ended up at the same campsite and my HID headlights were the talk of the campfire that night. They are worth every penny.

 

The previous poster implied that HID was less costly. For the price of a single HID bulb upgrade, I can upgrade all three of the H7 bulbs on my 1200RT to +50.

[CruisinCruzan]

I'm not sure how you perceived that I was saying HID was less costly. It is absolutely not. I have spent more on my lights than the vast majority of people but that is what I wanted. I am curious what the +50 of your bulb means. If you take it to mean that it produces a 50% greater volume of light than a standard 55 watt bulb at the same wattage I would not believe it. An average light volume from a HID bulb (35 watt, the standard size) is 3000 lumens, the standard 55 watt H7 1250-1400 lumens. The 65 watt H7 ~2100 lumens. Of course we haven't discussed color temperatures, reflector design, etc. The bottom line is, 55 watts is 55 watts, you will have much less improvement from brand to brand than if you increased your wattage or changed technology. Each person would have to decided for themselves what is worthwhile to them. I readily admit I am a little over the top with my lights. BTW for rear visibility I have 4 16 led Hyper Lights, 2 on either side of the license and 2 mounted on my large BMW top case with a small trailer plug to disconnect when I ride without the topcase (my version of the CMSL). They are combo running lights and flashing brake lights. I also have 2 16 led amber hyper lights under each mirror that flash when the corresponding turn signal flashes. Like I said I LIKE light (all supplemented with DOT red/white reflective tape). My wife says that a car will hit me because they will be looking at all the lights and reflections off the tape.

[OoPEZoO]

The previous poster implied that HID was less costly. For the price of a single HID bulb upgrade, I can upgrade all three of the H7 bulbs on my 1200RT to +50.

 

I realize that, but why would you?

Do what you want.....but I'm telling you that the "+50" bulbs are nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Most of them are cheap Chinese made junk that won't survive 12 months on a motorcycle. Some of them are better quality, but as CruisinCruzan said in his last post "55W is 55W"......no ifs, ands, or buts.

 

While the +50 bulbs might seem to put out a little more light, and be a little more efficiant, something else has to give. Watts are determined by Voltage x Current. For all intents and purposes our voltage is obviously 12 Volts. That only leaves the current and directly related to that is the resistivity of the filament in the bulb. They can change the filiment to put a little more light out at the same current, but not enough to make a real difference. I could go into the actual equations if you want. I do it for a living.

 

The only real way to get better lighting is to buy REAL higher wattage bulbs (that will start to put a strain on your electrical system), or to go to an HID setup. Your money would be better spent biting the bullet and spending the money on the HID system.

 

If you want to look into higher wattage bulbs, I suggest these guys www.suvlights.com. For some reason their site doesn't seem to be working this morning, but I have used them for years. I also suggest thinking about setting up your headlights on a relay system if you go that way.

 

I'm not trying to start any type of pissing match, just inform people properly. It just really burns my *ss when I see marketing departments sucker a whole bunch of people into buying something that is electricaly impossible. I work for a large power tool company and see it/fight it every day.

[E30TECH]

Are these HID kits 'plug and play'? (ie is the bulb a direct fit). I understand that you have to mount a ballast, but I'm wondering if anything needs to be modified in order for it to work.

 

What are the drawbacks of HID? I would only use it in the low beam.

 

EDIT:

I saw the website above says plug and play, but is it really ? What Kelvin rating would one recommend on the RT?

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Just a word here on more powerful lighting. The BMW bulb socket is barely adequate to handle the current of the standard lights. The ground tang is particularly bad in this respect although in truth, that may be because of the 6mm spade connector as much as the tang itself. I would avoid going to higher wattage bulbs.

 

I'm planning on HID lighting for my Blackbird in the near future. It already has great lights, at least the low beam is great but more cannot hurt. As to color temperature, I'm leaning towards 5K as a compromise between the 4K or so that incandescent lights make and 6K, which is daylight temperature but tends to dazzle at night.

[Survived-til-now]

Larry

 

Do a search under HID, R1200RT - there is lots on the site and info on how to wire for a 1200rt, CANBUS problems etc. I have put some on myself

 

I do not agree with the comment that =50% Xenon are a gimmick. I have used them for years and they are the cheapest way of getting more light for not a lot of bucks.

 

I have HIDs now on both high and low but there are pro's and cons for the high and you need to be very careful setting the lows up so they do not dazzle other drivers/riders

 

I suggest you review what you are actually doing to see if the investment in HIDs is worthwhile.

Do you often ride at night, do you ride in the rain, do you ride on concrete roads/light tarmac or on the newer very black tarmac. I found the +50's good until I started commuting in all weathers and along freeways that are now paved with dark tarmac that seems to absorb all the light - until I fitted HIDs - and that made a big difference.

 

Regards

 

Andy

[OoPEZoO]

Are these HID kits 'plug and play'? (ie is the bulb a direct fit). I understand that you have to mount a ballast, but I'm wondering if anything needs to be modified in order for it to work.

 

What are the drawbacks of HID? I would only use it in the low beam.

 

EDIT:

I saw the website above says plug and play, but is it really ? What Kelvin rating would one recommend on the RT?

 

They are about as plug and play as you get. The HID bulb plugs into the light housing. The ballast plugs onto the HID bulb. Then the original light wiring plugs into the ballast.

 

The original wiring fires the ballast. Then the ballast lights the HID bulb. Its really that simple.

 

As far a drawbacks......after 2 years and 25k miles......I don't see any drawbacks at all. The lighting is far superior to any standard bulbs you can buy, and its less strain on the electrical system because the ballasts use a transformer circuit to get a much higher voltage instead of just higher current like high wattage bulbs.

 

The only negative would be if the HID bulb burnt out while riding you might have trouble finding a replacement at your local Autozone. For that reason, I carry a backup standard bulb incase of emergency. You can always diconnect the original wiring from the ballast and reconnect it to a standard bulb with no adverse effects.

[E30TECH]

They are about as plug and play as you get. The HID bulb plugs into the light housing. The ballast plugs onto the HID bulb. Then the original light wiring plugs into the ballast.

 

Oh sh!t, I thought you had to cut some wiring. I didn't realize that the original headlight plugged into the ballast.

 

What about mounting the ballast on the RT? What is the recommended spot?

 

I guess I'll be buying this sooner than I thought

 

I have to stay off this site as everytime I read something, I have to buy it. A few weeks ago it was the 2730...

 

 

The only negative would be if the HID bulb burnt out while riding you might have trouble finding a replacement at your local Autozone. For that reason, I carry a backup standard bulb incase of emergency. You can always diconnect the original wiring from the ballast and reconnect it to a standard bulb with no adverse effects.

In that case you could ride with just the highbeam until you can replace the bulb. Understood it can/will blind oncoming traffic, but this would be in an emergency situation only (ie just to get home).

[OoPEZoO]

What about mounting the ballast on the RT? What is the recommended spot?

 

In that case you could ride with just the highbeam until you can replace the bulb. Understood it can/will blind oncoming traffic, but this would be in an emergency situation only (ie just to get home).

 

Like I said, mine is just ziptied up under the dash. I think its actually attached to the bracket for the factory radio speakers. Its out of site, and secure.....can't ask for much else.

 

Yup, there are plenty of options for emergency situations. I'm telling you......a quick night time ride on a HID equipped bike and you will be impressed quickly. Like I tell everyone......it WILL be my #1 upgrade on my list for every bike I own from now on.

[Dave_in_TX]

The previous poster implied that HID was less costly. For the price of a single HID bulb upgrade, I can upgrade all three of the H7 bulbs on my 1200RT to +50.

 

I realize that, but why would you?

Do what you want.....but I'm telling you that the "+50" bulbs are nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Most of them are cheap Chinese made junk that won't survive 12 months on a motorcycle. Some of them are better quality, but as CruisinCruzan said in his last post "55W is 55W"......no ifs, ands, or buts.

 

While the +50 bulbs might seem to put out a little more light, and be a little more efficiant, something else has to give. Watts are determined by Voltage x Current. For all intents and purposes our voltage is obviously 12 Volts. That only leaves the current and directly related to that is the resistivity of the filament in the bulb. They can change the filiment to put a little more light out at the same current, but not enough to make a real difference. I could go into the actual equations if you want. I do it for a living.

 

The only real way to get better lighting is to buy REAL higher wattage bulbs (that will start to put a strain on your electrical system), or to go to an HID setup. Your money would be better spent biting the bullet and spending the money on the HID system.

 

If you want to look into higher wattage bulbs, I suggest these guys www.suvlights.com. For some reason their site doesn't seem to be working this morning, but I have used them for years. I also suggest thinking about setting up your headlights on a relay system if you go that way.

 

I'm not trying to start any type of pissing match, just inform people properly. It just really burns my *ss when I see marketing departments sucker a whole bunch of people into buying something that is electricaly impossible. I work for a large power tool company and see it/fight it every day.

 

 

Obviously, you've never tried any of the +50 bulbs (and I'm not talking about any of the junk blue tinted bulbs or the gimmicky PIA with their supposedly higher color temperature). I'm not trying to start a p***ing match either. I have a dgree in Physics so I'm well aware of Ohm's law. I've been skeptical of some of the claims from some bulb manufacturers for a long time. I've also been skeptical of cheap/inexpensive HID conversions. AFAIK, Phillips, Narva, and Osram are the only ones marketing +50 bulbs. To the best of my knowledge, none of them are actually claiming that their bulbs produce more light, just that with some design changes and tighter manufacturing tolerances they have reduced stray light and more of the light output actually goes towards lighting up the road. I currently have a German made Osram H7 +50 in the high beam and right side low beam of my 1200RT. When running the low beams, it's amazing how much further the right beam projects down the road compared to the left one which is still the OEM bulb.

[E30TECH]

I've also been skeptical of cheap/inexpensive HID conversions.

Do you have an opinion on the HIDs from the link above ( http://www.cqlight.ca/ ) ?

[OoPEZoO]

Obviously, you've never tried any of the +50 bulbs

 

Not true. I have an old BMW E30 325es that I have spent probably close to (I'm 1/2 embarassed to say) $500 in trying to get better lights out in front of me. I've tried just about every bulb known to man that is made in an H1 style bulb. 55W, 55W (+50), 80W, 100W, PIAA, Narva, Sylvania, Osram......I've tried all of the above. Everything that was stuck in there was only marginaly better than stock bulbs until I went to an HID setup. The 100W bulbs were nice, but I was forced to either add relays or upgrade the wiring (neither of which I was going to do).

 

In fact......I'll have to do a little back reading, but give me a chance to go back into my monthly Roundel collection (magazine that the BMWCCA puts out every month). There was a great write up a few months ago that I guy actually did in his garage with about 10 different kind of bulbs without moving his car. He had a nice grid taped out on the inside of the door, and clearly measured the color of the bulbs, and the beam cutoff. I'll scan the pages and send them to you, or even mail you the magazine if you want. It was by far the best comparison of quality and marketing I've ever seen.

[Dick_at_Lake_Tahoe_NV]

"Do a search under HID, R1200RT - there is lots on the site and info on how to wire for a 1200rt, CANBUS problems etc. I have put some on myself" So does this mean that they are not "Plug and Play" for the R1200RT? It's hard to imagine that drawing 35W instead of 55W would cause the CANBUS to act up.

[flyingreg]

Save your money and go with HID lights.

http://www.cqlight.ca/

At those prices, I think I'll save my money and go with the +50 bulbs!

You can get HID's for much less, like $89 for a MC set-up. A quick search revealed this company in Maryland. Click on the products link and scroll to down the page. http://www.fashtek.com/ No prior experience with Fashtek, but at least they are not located in Taiwan or Hong Kong.

 

If you haven't used HID lights, you really don't know what you're missing, they turn night into day. And I recommend 5000K lighting to anyone that decides to install HID lights. Anything higher than 5000K is too blue and provides less useable light.

[CruisinCruzan]

Mounting is not a problem I have 4 ballasts under the dash without any fit or function problems. I have a 7 circuit fuse block and I have the 2 low beams each wired to a separate circuit so a blown fuse doesn't kill both lights. The wiring of the kit was very easy. I have my driving lamps wired with a switch that in the on position slaves them to the high beams and in the off position is always off. I leave them off if I think I will be doing a lot of on/off of the high beam. The average life span of a HID bulb far exceeds that of an incandescent bulb (and the higher wattages tend to have shorter lifespans). Like previously said only you can decide what is worthwhile. I don't spend a lot of time trying to justify adding more toys to what is essentially a big toy whose purpose is to provide me with sheer enjoyment, and it does. I believe that this happens to be a toy add on that adds significant functionality. Enjoy

[E30TECH]

The first link has free shipping. If you factor the free shipping, it seems to be a better deal (IMHO)

[DiggerJim]

And I recommend 5000K lighting to anyone that decides to install HID lights. Anything higher than 5000K is too blue and provides less useable light.

I thought noontime sunlight was about 6500K. I wouldn't go 10000K as that is very blue, but I would think 6500K would be better than 5000K.

 

Anyone else have experience with these who'd like to pipe up?

 

Jim

[smiller]

There was a thread a while back where a before-and-after picture was posted (as an attachment to the first post) after an HID conversion, and to be honest I couldn't see much difference in the lighting level between the two. The only way I could tell which one was HID was the color of the light, but otherwise the two pictures they looked pretty similar. The owner said that the HID seemed superior, though.

[CruisinCruzan]

The closest color temp to sunlight is about 4300K, lower temps give a yellower light higher temps go to blue then purple (@ about 10000K). The most important thing to remember is that as you stray from 4300K you get less light.

[CruisinCruzan]

Try this for an idea of HID lights form our previous board owner. http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/469194/page/0/fpart/1/vc/1

[OoPEZoO]

The closest color temp to sunlight is about 4300K, lower temps give a yellower light higher temps go to blue then purple (@ about 10000K). The most important thing to remember is that as you stray from 4300K you get less light.

 

Here is a good scale of different light measurments. Sorry its a little tough to read.

 

[Dave_in_TX]

I've also been skeptical of cheap/inexpensive HID conversions.

Do you have an opinion on the HIDs from the link above ( http://www.cqlight.ca/ ) ?

 

Well, since you asked, I'm a bit skeptical about them when the information page claims that a higher color temperature indicates higher light output. Color temperature is not a measure of light output, only an indication of what frequency of light is produced.

[E30TECH]

I've also been skeptical of cheap/inexpensive HID conversions.

Do you have an opinion on the HIDs from the link above ( http://www.cqlight.ca/ ) ?

 

Well, since you asked, I'm a bit skeptical about them when the information page claims that a higher color temperature indicates higher light output. Color temperature is not a measure of light output, only an indication of what frequency of light is produced.

 

Point taken.

 

Thanks

[bimmers]

I have the motovision/Philips on the low beam (H7) and I ride little at dark so they really are supposed to be more for visibility with their orange(ish) glow.

They are great at night but I think the OEM were good as well. And I am comparing to BMW Xenon lights on X5 and 750.

I would be most concerned with additional heat generation inside all that plastic. And of course the plug connector is not the strongest link.

 

HID is great I am sure if you want to be blind when when powering them down.

 

h

[flyingreg]

And I recommend 5000K lighting to anyone that decides to install HID lights. Anything higher than 5000K is too blue and provides less useable light.

I thought noontime sunlight was about 6500K. I wouldn't go 10000K as that is very blue, but I would think 6500K would be better than 5000K.

 

Anyone else have experience with these who'd like to pipe up?

 

Jim

Jim, the problem is, these aren't the sun. Above about 4500K, the light being emitted becomes increasingly blue. 5000K is a good trade-off. I have 4300K HID and it is great. 5000K is really the limit on white light from a HID. I know you asked for someone else to chime in, but I know what I'm talking about on this. Take it for what it's worth.

[flyingreg]

I would be most concerned with additional heat generation inside all that plastic. And of course the plug connector is not the strongest link.

 

HID is great I am sure if you want to be blind when when powering them down.

The heat generated is considerably less than halogen as HID uses much less energy over conventional bulbs, after start-up is achieved.

 

I'm not sure I understood your second point.

[flyingreg]

The first link has free shipping. If you factor the free shipping, it seems to be a better deal (IMHO)

I have no interest in fashtek and haven't done business with them. But, the shipping, at least when I put an item in the shopping cart was only $10, bringing the total price to $99. The MC HID kit at the other link is same price. The difference is the other guy only offers HID from 6500K and up. Fashtek offers 4300, 5000, 6000, etc. Again, no interest in Fashtek, just want riders to get the right stuff. 4300K or 5000K HID, no higher.

[BigAL]

Dumb Question Here --- >

 

Is the H7 or H3 the high beam ?

 

I think I may want to try the HID @ 5000K for the high beam on my 1150RT, as my stock high beams are pretty much crap. If I like the way they work, I'll try the low beams too. I'm thinking that I'll need to be careful about aiming them, as I'd hate to blind everyone oncoming.

 

This is a great thread, really good discussion. Thanks for all the info and opinions!

 

AL

[CruisinCruzan]

On the R12RT all the bulbs are H7. I would suggest you go with the low beams instead. As mentioned I have HIDs on the low beams (as do most when they make the conversion) I used an overwattage bulb on the high beam as I felt that flashing a HID is probably the one thing that would reduce the life of the ballast and perhaps the bulb (caveat I have not read any good studies on this). When I decided to augment the high beam I bought HID driving lights that I slave to the high beam only when I don't think I will be doing a lot of on-off, otherwise I leave them off. You will get much more use out of the low beams. I have only been flashed once, just take some time to aim them. Not a difficult thing to do.

[E30TECH]

I got a few extra $$ in a restitution case (more than I was expecting ) ( Due to this dentist's screw up)

 

I was thinking about blowing some of it on the HID setup for the low beam.

 

I was curious of a few more things:

 

how long is the delay for the HID bulb to light?

 

Do you aim the light in the same fashion as a standard H7?

 

How is the glare for oncoming traffic? I would get the 5000K unit.

 

Are HID bulbs interchangeable with other brand ballasts?

[CruisinCruzan]

It lights right up and gets to full power in less than a second. You aim it the same way. The key is that the HID bulb needs to produce the light in the same point as the standard bulb. If the light focus is further in or out it will affect the beam pattern (which is how H4 bulbs work they just change the axis of the light). If you buy a kit you will get the ballast and ignitor (or the ballast will have the ignitor incorporated into it). The bulb should work with any ballast made for that type of bulb. If you can get a 4200 or 4300K bulb that will be whiter than the 5000 which will have a slight blue tint (unless that is what you want).

[E30TECH]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking I'd like a slight blue tint.

 

I'll probably get the kit from http://www.fashtek.com/ as flyingreg suggested.

 

Anyone interested in contacting them for a group buy. It is listed on their site "CONTACT US ABOUT: WHOLESALE, GROUPBUYS, LOCAL PICKUP, BULK ORDERS "

[Survived-til-now]

Dick

 

Sorry to take so long to get back.

 

The wattage might be only 35w for HID's and about 3 amps draw compared to normal 60 watts 5 amp draw but the start-up can be up to 12 amps each for the HID ballast. With two on a R1200RT low beam circuit it can cook the wiring or the CANBUS can decide the draw is too much and shut down the circuit. One of the usual occurences is for just one HID to light but when the the engine is shut down and restarted both come on - this is probably due to the one that was on having a charged ballast and therefore allowing the other ballast to start-up. You can solve all this by wiring direct to the battery and using the low beam feeds to switch a relay or relays (I use a relay on each low beam HID) BUT then you get a front bulbs warning on the display screen (doesn't worry me at all) and some resort to resistors to kid the CANBUS - which defeats the reduced draw of the HIDs.

 

Someone said the start-up time is about a second. I get an initial flash but the bulb takes a good few seconds to warm up to full brightness. Fortunately, the ballast stays charged for quite a while once up and running so you can dip main beam and get it back for quite a while.

 

really do suggest you search the site - there's lot out there on HIDs and the Canbus.

 

Regards

 

Andy

[CruisinCruzan]

I would echo leaving out any connection to the CanBus. I wired in a fuse block I have all 7 circuits used. I avoid the CanBus like the plague. I don't have the skill to figure out a problem with it so I felt it was best to avoid it altogether. I have my low beams each wired to a separate circuit on the block that way one fuse blowing won't wipe out both lights. My HID driving lights are wired to one circuit but if they blow it is not as critical.

[HandyAndy]

Dick

The wattage might be only 35w for HID's and about 3 amps draw compared to normal 60 watts 5 amp draw but the start-up can be up to 12 amps each for the HID ballast.

 

I did some measurements last night and found this.

My 55w H7 bulb draws 3.84A when the voltage at the bulb was 13.06vdc.

my 35w HID lamp (from a BMW car) draws an initial start up current of around 10A slowly falling down to the running current of 3.1A after about 1 min of operation. Voltage at the ballast was 12.94Vdc.

 

So there really is not much saving in current draw (only 0.7A), but the difference in light output is quite dramatic!

 

If you calculate the wattage from these readings the H7 works out to 50.1w and the HID 40.1w.

 

I plan on installing the HID in place of the stock H7 high beam.

I have always found my low beams to be very good but the high beam makes next to no difference when on! It apears to be aimed way up in the trees! The only way to bring it down also lowers the low beams and then they are too low. Of course you can bend the bulb flange and change the alignment a bit but then you start all over when the bulb blows!

The BMW dealer had to resort to this trick on my BMW MINI as the high beams were actually aimed lower than my low beams!

 

Andy.

[E30TECH]

Can the stock wiring handle that high amp in rush without any problems?

[Chris Macbeth]

Just a word here on more powerful lighting. The BMW bulb socket is barely adequate to handle the current of the standard lights....

Yep, I completely agree. I tried higher wattage bulbs and melted the reflector .... since it is actually plastic with a flash reflective coating. I think 55W is all the heat it can handle. Be careful.

[Michael_T]

A question on this last post concerning higher wattage bulbs and the results of the extra heat producted: has anyone experimented with "venting" the lighting module to reduce the heat build up? I read some information from "Easter Beaver" Heat Cautions and he indicates that the issue may be "solved" by venting.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Michael