VF Commodore HID Kits

[Voodoo_SV6]

I've got that setup on my VF. HID low and high and a dual colour lightbar behind the lower grill. The Lightbar is not great, but certainly lights up the peripherals well before the high beams warm up. 95% of my 200km round trip to work daily is 80kph - 110kph non suburban, so it's pretty essential when driving at dusk or after most nights.

In the HSV, I have HID low and high and halogen driving lights to get the light up quickly when I need high beams.

 

[Skylarking]

iirc when I was looking into it a while ago, HID highs are fine. HID lows (without the prereqs) aren't. I've got both.

Problem I have with HID highs is that it takes a good 6-8 seconds to warm up to max output when switching them on for the first time (or after they've been off for a few minutes). This is with a ballast too. I know one of the other blokes on these forums installed a light bar to work in addition to the HIDs. Looks like it works well. Oh I also have a problem where it's difficult to see incoming car coming around a corner (as my lights massively overpower theirs and I can't see the reflection on the trees/road), so they usually get flashed for a solid half second.

Hm, haven't seen any oncoming cars dart into the shrubbery have we

LED globs should solve the start up delay but not sure whether it will solve the issue of washing out any cues that an oncoming vehilce is about to be blinded

 

[losh1971]

What about Plus 150s?

 

[Tonner Matt]

i must look into the legality of HID/LED high beams.

In the Northern Territory HID high beam globes are legal.
This info below is copied directly from the NT Government Vehicle Standards Website:
# HID lamps may be retro-fitted to the vehicle main beam (high beam) circuit without the requirement for self-levelling or lens cleaning devices. However the road rules prohibits against dazzling another road user with bright vehicle lights.

Don't know about the legality of LED's in the Northern Territory as I haven't found any specific info about them.
I reckon that they would probably be legal in high beams only, just like the HID globes are, but to be 100% sure I would obviously have to contact them and find out

 

[[paradox]]

What about Plus 150s?

i only ever got like 9 months max out of halogen +150s in my VE

 

[TTubrag]

Can anyone explain to me why the lens projection is in this formation?

I assume that it shines brighter on the left but not into oncoming traffic on the right?

That’s the downside of LEDs in an aftermarket retro fit low beam application. They don’t comply with the light output and cutoff design parameters of the Halogen bulbs you’re looking to replace. So they don’t perform as well as you’d hope.

In many cases, LEDs perform worse than a good quality aftermarket Halogen, like an Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited.
Typically a retrofit LED will waste light output, throwing light outside the cutoff and into oncoming drivers eyes, even with a projector lense. And although LEDs can look brighter because they run more white at a higher Kelvin rating, they can output less light (lumens) than a quality aftermarket Halogen.

 

[TTubrag]

i only ever got like 9 months max out of halogen +150s in my VE

Got 5 years out of my last set of Osram Nightbreaker Unlimiteds. Wife kept using them at day time too.
Got sold with the car. Really should have replaced them after 2.5 years as Halogens can lose lumens (perceived brightness) over time.
But even after 5 years, when compared to the OEM Halogens in my little Honda runabout, the Osrams were still much brighter.

Have Nightbreaker Unlimiteds in the Holden now. MORE than bright enough for city and country driving.

 

[[paradox]]

Got 5 years out of my last set of Osram Nightbreaker Unlimiteds.

not sure if they follow the same +figure as Philips, but they would be +110?
https://www.powerbulbs.com/uploads/...GHT-BREAKER-UNLIMITED-H7-Twin-New_750_750.jpg
obviously the higher +figure the lower the life expectency,
i think i got a couple of years out of +130, but the +150 werent worth the money to replace that often.

 

[TTubrag]

not sure if they follow the same +figure as Philips, but they would be +110?
https://www.powerbulbs.com/uploads/...GHT-BREAKER-UNLIMITED-H7-Twin-New_750_750.jpg
obviously the higher +figure the lower the life expectency,
i think i got a couple of years out of +130, but the +150 werent worth the money to replace that often.

My guess is Osram doesn't follow the same 'plus' standard as Philips. Given it's marketing spin, there probably isn't even a 'plus' standard. But I think you've hit the nail on the head. The brighter and whiter they burn halogen bulbs, the sooner they burn out. Based on my experience, the Nightbreaker Unlimiteds hit that sweetspot of good price, performance with long service life. With the added benefits of not running super hot int he lenses, not blinding oncoming traffic and having UV filtering on the bulbs (if built to EU standards) to protect the plastic reflector lenses from hazing over from the inside out.

Here's a good resource for comparing alternative bulbs against real world performance, rather than just perceived performance.
http://bulbfacts.com/

 

[Gmac 2.0]

Interestingly Holden fitted HID globes to the Chevy SS export....minus self levelling and washers??