H7 Xenon light bulbs HID?

[Doyle]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/H7-Xenon-ligh...6QQihZ008QQcategoryZ10398QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

are these worth the money? and is it a good idea to get them?

Doyle.

 

[television]

Two things 100 watt lamps will turn on your faulty lamp indicator in the car' and are illegal in the UK.
The technoligy bit about Xenon is rubbish.

malcolm

 

[Doyle]

*edit*
hang on a min all the new BMW's etc. have them so are they illegal?

 

[Blobcat]

Xenons are legal it is 100W Halogens which are not. Philips do some veru good replacement bulbs.

 

[Doyle]

ahh i see what is the 100W ones illegal had a rumage through the tinternet there and came up with nuffin bout the 100w being a problem.

 

[icq3800846]

Basically, as far as I am aware, there are two technologies in modern cars.

The older technology uses standard bulbs, some are just normal yellow looking ones, and some are a little upgraded and contain some xenon gas which allows for a slightly brighter light and is a standard fit in the H7 hole in your headlight.

Now these slightly better xenon bulbs cost up to about 25 quid, and nearly everyone I talk to sings the praises of Phillips Blue Vision.

The law says that you can only have bulbs up to the 55 watt mark, this is the power that the bulbs consume, and does nto really reflect the output in lumens, or strength of light. Having said that a standard 55 watt H7 halogen bulb will not be as bright as an 80 watt or 100 watt bulb.

The legal way for a quick and cheap upgrade is to go with one of the newer xenon H7 bulbs which reputedly output up to 50% more light but still operate at 55 watts so are street legal. I have them for my high beams. Characteristically you can tell a xenon H7 bulb when it is coming towards you because it has a nice white look, and the older halogen ones look kind of yellow in comparison.

You can also get xenon bulbs with a blue tint to them. These work by having a blue coating on the bulb, so the only light that is projected is blue light. This is a style thing only. By filtering all other colour light, the actual strength of the light emitted is LOWER than if you put in white unfiltered bulbs.

I guess a good balance would be to have blue tint xenon H7s. The xenon bulb should put out more light than an old fashioned halogen H7, but some of that extra power will be lost due to the blue filtering.

The second technology available is known as HID. This is the real deal, bees knees, one to go for if you can afford it, super duper impressive stuff.

The downside is that it is expensive. You need to buy a conversion kit as it is non standard wiring, you need to fit a ballast and igniter and different bulbs.

My guess is that if you can change a car stereo, or have ever done anything like wiring in a high level brake light then you would probably have the necessary skills to fit these HID upgrade kits yourself.

HID only uses (currently) 35 watts, but has a light output somewhere close to 300% of a standard halogen bulb or twice that of a xenon filled H7 bulb.

Beware, if in doubt it is best to have the kit fitted by an expert, or so the blurb on HIDs go. This is because the bulbs may use on 35 watts of electrical power but they operate at up to 25,000 volts. This amount of voltage is to be avoided at all costs unless you want to end up looking like something from the Buger King griddle.

The other downside to HID is that the bulbs (if they ever go) can cost upwards of £50.00 each and that is ebay prices. Retail prices are around £90.00 each on average AND they come in different colours, so it is always adviseable to upgrade them in pairs to avoid different colour headlights.

My own personal advice would be to go to a discount motor store and buy a pair of Phillips Blue Vision 150% bulbs, which will definitely be better than stock halogen ones, and if you still lust after something brighter, consider HID but be prepared to pay £300.00 for a conversion kit from a reputable dealer. Or more.

 

[mioba]

agree with malcolm on this one

"proper xenons" need a totally different headlamp unit and electrics.
thats why they are a costly extra, if these were proper xenons then everyone would use them.

its a situation that has people thinking, wow i can xenons really cheap - fools paradise i am afraid.

 

[Blobcat]

Basically, as far as I am aware, there are two technologies in modern cars.

The older technology uses standard bulbs, some are just normal yellow looking ones, and some are a little upgraded and contain some xenon gas which allows for a slightly brighter light and is a standard fit in the H7 hole in your headlight.

Now these slightly better xenon bulbs cost up to about 25 quid, and nearly everyone I talk to sings the praises of Phillips Blue Vision.

The law says that you can only have bulbs up to the 55 watt mark, this is the power that the bulbs consume, and does nto really reflect the output in lumens, or strength of light. Having said that a standard 55 watt H7 halogen bulb will not be as bright as an 80 watt or 100 watt bulb.

The legal way for a quick and cheap upgrade is to go with one of the newer xenon H7 bulbs which reputedly output up to 50% more light but still operate at 55 watts so are street legal. I have them for my high beams. Characteristically you can tell a xenon H7 bulb when it is coming towards you because it has a nice white look, and the older halogen ones look kind of yellow in comparison.

You can also get xenon bulbs with a blue tint to them. These work by having a blue coating on the bulb, so the only light that is projected is blue light. This is a style thing only. By filtering all other colour light, the actual strength of the light emitted is LOWER than if you put in white unfiltered bulbs.

I guess a good balance would be to have blue tint xenon H7s. The xenon bulb should put out more light than an old fashioned halogen H7, but some of that extra power will be lost due to the blue filtering.

The second technology available is known as HID. This is the real deal, bees knees, one to go for if you can afford it, super duper impressive stuff.

The downside is that it is expensive. You need to buy a conversion kit as it is non standard wiring, you need to fit a ballast and igniter and different bulbs.

My guess is that if you can change a car stereo, or have ever done anything like wiring in a high level brake light then you would probably have the necessary skills to fit these HID upgrade kits yourself.

HID only uses (currently) 35 watts, but has a light output somewhere close to 300% of a standard halogen bulb or twice that of a xenon filled H7 bulb.

Beware, if in doubt it is best to have the kit fitted by an expert, or so the blurb on HIDs go. This is because the bulbs may use on 35 watts of electrical power but they operate at up to 25,000 volts. This amount of voltage is to be avoided at all costs unless you want to end up looking like something from the Buger King griddle.

The other downside to HID is that the bulbs (if they ever go) can cost upwards of £50.00 each and that is ebay prices. Retail prices are around £90.00 each on average AND they come in different colours, so it is always adviseable to upgrade them in pairs to avoid different colour headlights.

My own personal advice would be to go to a discount motor store and buy a pair of Phillips Blue Vision 150% bulbs, which will definitely be better than stock halogen ones, and if you still lust after something brighter, consider HID but be prepared to pay £300.00 for a conversion kit from a reputable dealer. Or more.

Very well written and I completly agree. Philips do a HID kit for bikes which is excellent although expensive.

 

[Doyle]

ok so...

Included Are Bulbs for the:
Dipped Beam - 2x H7 Bulbs - 12V 100W or 55W
Full Beam - 2x H7 Bulbs - 12V 100W or 55W

if going for these getthe 55W ones but u all prefer the phillips clear ones?

and if i got the cash go for the HID conversion kit?

that right?

Doyle.

 

[Blobcat]

Yes that's right, although the philips blue ones are better.

 

[Doyle]

Yes that's right, although the philips blue ones are better.

why?

i thought the blue ones let out less light? would they not be worse?

Doyle.

 

[carabind]

I fitted similar (ie to what's been advertised on ebay) a couple of weeks ago to my dips and to be truthful, the light is completely different -a cold blue/white light. Takes a bit of getting used to and I've not made my mind up yet whether to keep them or put the old ones back. They probably look good from outside the car, but from inside, think they're not as bright, due to the blue coating
Probably worth a punt at £13 (but I got mine for £7.50 inc P7P off ebay), the Philips one are around £25on the net - Have a look at http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/home.php?cat=256

Whatever you go for, let us know how you get on with them

 

[Balal]

why?

i thought the blue ones let out less light? would they not be worse?

Doyle.

Doyle! I have got them bulbs replacemnt in my car as well, they look good, light wise from inside as mentioned above they look abit lighter then normal.

Eh well! you can see them tomorrow at the GTG.

and as malcolm mentioned in his post, my faulty lamp indicator remains on!