SteveG Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Last weekend I fitted the Xenon HID lights that Jez brought back from Russia - thanks Jez. I decided to fit them in the grille area, rather than on the bumper, to get a higher position for the beam... I have each of them angled out to give a good wide spread of beam. As you can see in the pic above, the lenses on these already have a 'fog' pattern to spread the beam of the HID bulb... Hopefully they are recessed enough to stop an errant tree pushing them into my intercooler ... Wired into a Carling switch, bought from X-Eng, that I put into vacant slot in switch panel.. Just need to get some more robust brackets made up for the lamps now I have position right. Didn't take any pics of them working at night as they don't usually come out that well to show true difference. Take it from me, these are bright lights. A pair are more than enough for me and do the job of illuminating ahead off road really well. Very pleased so far. A couple of more pics, Steve.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Looking good Steve, I like the positioning Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Neat job, should be a little brighter than LR headlights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Nice job Steve, the switch panel looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Being a bright spark ... don't you find that brighter lights mean darker shadows, and it's in the shadows that unpleasantness hides? I'm just reflecting my slight experience of night time trips away from smooth metalled roads. Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 The solution to which is....more lights to remove the shadows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Profound James, quite profound Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ101 Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Fitted a set to Puggy's cruiser a while back,, impressed with the build quality,, certainly no cheap halfruds spot lamp,,, PS,, nice legal plate their mate not !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveG Posted November 1, 2008 Author Share Posted November 1, 2008 PS,, nice legal plate their mate not !! In a good mood today Tim?? Well if you mean it's illegal because it doesn't have the BS mark and suppliers details stamped on it, then neither does the plates I bought for the RR in April from Halfords. Otherwise it conforms to all other reqs. Cheers Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveG Posted November 1, 2008 Author Share Posted November 1, 2008 Being a bright spark ... don't you find that brighter lights mean darker shadows, and it's in the shadows that unpleasantness hides?I'm just reflecting my slight experience of night time trips away from smooth metalled roads. Regards, Does this mean you drive around with your lights off then David? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ101 Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 In a good mood today Tim?? Well if you mean it's illegal because it doesn't have the BS mark and suppliers details stamped on it, then neither does the plates I bought for the RR in April from Halfords. Otherwise it conforms to all other reqs. Great day,, thanks Steve Well expect the RR to fail its MOT maybe,, sorry Plates fitted to models registered after 1 September 2001 that aren't embossed with the name and postcode of the supplier and BS AU145d British Standard symbol will result in an automatic failure. The move is designed to make it easy for testers to spot non-road-legal show plates, as these don't have a BS symbol." Also see DVLA Regs self-adhesive number plates do not meet British Standard requirements ,, The rangie has a proper one for "road use" !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 By the looks of things, he's parked in a carpark, not on the public road, so who cares what plates he has or hasn't got! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Anal, Tim, anal ! Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ101 Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Not having a pop boys Having just spend a few hours this week sorting out artwork for our plates to comply with the new rules that came out today, and put a load of stock ones in the bin !!! So not anal Mo,, just the way things are , don't shoot the messenger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Does this mean you drive around with your lights off then David? Now you know that isn't so. Expanding the thoughts behind my comment. I took 'HIDs for off road' to mean just that. On a bumpy surface any depression becomes a shadow, due to the relatively shallow angle of the headlights. It's difficult to see whether the shadow is hiding a shallow dip, or a sudden 6" drop. Shining a brighter light causes the eye to close down, to avoid dazzle, so the shadow appears darker. Thus I'm not convinced that HID is a benefit when you can't guarantee that everything is lit. Mount extra lights higher than your headlights, aim them sharply down, so the beam cut-off is no further ahead of your car than your normal dip beam cut-off (on a level road), and there will be some benefit due to the steeper relative angle of the light beam (shining into the shadow caused by the dip beam), but even then I'm not convinced about HIDs for use on uneven surfaces. As it happens, I've tried HIDs as headlights, and gone back to Philips Silverstar conventional bulbs. The dip beam HID gives a brighter light, turning the tarmac almost white, but I can see there anyway, so there was no practical advantage, and some disadvantage. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 so there was no practical advantage, and some disadvantage. These HID's are a bit different, trust me you'll be able to see where you're going with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Very very neat solution - looks almost factory* Gawd help any ignornat motorist coming towards you with main beam on, if they don't "Dip" after the first "Flash" from you Nige *(I say that in a nice way not as in cr*p finish and faulty ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 These HID's are a bit different, trust me you'll be able to see where you're going with them On metalled roads, or un-metalled roads, AKA Green Lanes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Mount extra lights higher than your headlights, aim them sharply down, so the beam cut-off is no further ahead of your car than your normal dip beam cut-off (on a level road), and there will be some benefit due to the steeper relative angle of the light beam (shining into the shadow caused by the dip beam), but even then I'm not convinced about HIDs for use on uneven surfaces. I realised I missed a bit from this earlier response. If, in the future, I mount fog lights at the top of the windscreen, for after dark Green Lane work, I will arrange the housing and lens so the sharp cut-off is at the bottom of the light pattern, IE all the light shining ABOVE the cut-off, not below, as is the normal orientation of fog lights. I will then aim the lamp downwards so the cut-off line just clears the leading edge of the bonnet. This arrangement will stop wasting light illuminating the bonnet (and dazzling the driver), but will give the best possible downlight to eradicate the shadows caused by the dipped headlights. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Not having a pop boys Having just spend a few hours this week sorting out artwork for our plates to comply with the new rules that came out today, and put a load of stock ones in the bin !!! So not anal Mo,, just the way things are , don't shoot the messenger We'll shoot you anyway, Tim, not unreasonable is it ? Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 I used to have some eyeball fog lights which I mounted upside down on the roof of my Ninety for exactly the reasons David gives above. If the light source is higher than your eyes then there will be light deeper into any potholes than you can see anyway. The cutoff didn't stop any bonnet illumination though, it wasn't that "sharp". In the end I mounted them back up the roof, which solved the problem. They only came off when the cage was fitted, and are now replaced with pencil-beam spotlights in a cowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T1G UP Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Great day,, thanks SteveWell expect the RR to fail its MOT maybe,, sorry Also see DVLA Regs self-adhesive number plates do not meet British Standard requirements ,, The rangie has a proper one for "road use" !! These stupid little laws that the government keep making up make my blood boil! Have you seen the belgium number plates, the italian number plates etc there around 6" x 2" and they don't even run a front plate half the time! over 40% of the GDP is spent running this country! Find something and someone else to bother. RANT OVER. Like the HID's and the positioning looks almost stock. As for the shadows getting darker, i'm not afraid of the dark anfd the headlights will light the road on dipped beam fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 the italian number plates etc there around 6" x 2" and they don't even run a front plate half the time! Really? Some may do, at their own risk... Mine is still there, a bit bent, and semi-covered by the winch hook...I could get fined just for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 the first time I ran HIDs in a 24 hour comp I was a little sceptical, it got darker and darker and I tried going as long as possible without turning lights on at all, I was expecting the same dribble of light that pretty much every spotlight manages and the resultant issues they cause.. eventually there was no alternative so I hit the big button labelled "sunshine" on the console and breathed a sigh of relief as several kilotonnes of hiroshima grade lumens turned the forest back into daytime. they chuck out soooooo much light worrying about static and dynamic intensity imbalance or point light calcs becomes kind of redundant we found some new ones at Vepsskii, I'll put some pics up tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Smith Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 I fit a normal numberplate with cable ties for the MOT. But as far as I know, and two traffic cops I have asked agree with me. Provided your plate was fitted before the law changed and is still in good condition it is still legal. Only new plates have to have the BS mark etc, if fitted before 1st sept '01 they have to conform to the standard, but do not have to display the BS number. Interestingly DVLA are considering making adhesive plates compulsory to stop theft Do like those lights, is anyone going to import them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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