55watt HID Lights

hotstuff

hotstuff

A2OC Donor
Well the time has come to make Humpy (and his ageing owner, lol) see better.
Will be purchasing HID's and LED's for the headlamp clusters and plan to fit for next week end.
Some confussion though, I see that "new" 55watt systems are now available and wonder if its prudent to go the higher wattage route, will this not lead to higher temperatures within the cluster and possible tarnish of some components? Many members have raved about this upgrade and i am quite happy to go the 35watt way, but for £10 ish more, perhaps the investment is worthwhile. Any input anyone?
 
I presume the 55w version gives out more light. I find the 35w kit more than adequate.

Luckily HIDs in the A2 seem to work well and don't dazzle oncoming drivers once the headlights are aimed correctly. More light may just cause extra glare and cause problems for other road users and for you at MOT time.

Not sure about the extra heat generated, but it's also a consideration.
 
Don't do it Tony - the extra heat generated will crase the clear plastic of the lens and will also cause damage to nearby bulbs. These higher wattage bulbs are designed for projector systems where the heat is shielded away from other bulbs and is usually all metal.

Stick to a 35watt system and get the anti-glare kits if possible, they're worth it in terms of better beam pattern.

Cheers,

Mike
 
The typical halogen bulbs are 55W. They are less efficient than HID, they generate more heat and less light, which if 55W hid will hurt the plastic or affect near by bulbs, my 55W halogens should have toasted my lens and side lights by now.

Having said that, the efficient HID systems at 35W, are more than a match for the tungsten burning types. My worry is that the huge amount of light from 55W HID not focused properly with a projector lens is going to blind the on-coming traffic.
 
It's not necessarily the heat that crazes the lenses, but the massively increased UV light output. Typical HID glass envelopes don't block the UV waves generated by the arc as they are intended for use in projector systems and the huge slab of glass in front of the envelope does all the blocking.

Stick with 35watts - save engery, save fuel, still get more light!

Cheers,

mike
 
Which one, & who sells the most suitable unit to buy for the A2?

Also I had someone talk about fitting a second set of HID's in place of the fogs, whats the take on that?


SARGE
 
Sarge786 said:
Which one, & who sells the most suitable unit to buy for the A2?

Also I had someone talk about fitting a second set of HID's in place of the fogs, whats the take on that?

SARGE
Click to expand...

HIDs in the fogs? How often do you actually use the fog lights? I hope it is not someone who does the side light + fog combo...
 
The HIDS4U kit is the one I have, although I see the prices have gone up a bit since last summer
 
And now the truth for you all: the 55W HID kits are the same with the 35 ones, except for the circuitry that is designed to consume 55 watts in order to stop some car's computers from displaying the "burnt bulb" alarm. That's why they only cost marginally less than the 55W ones.
 
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