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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Driving / December 2006HID lights question
In some of the stuff I have read about HID lights it seems that the HID are only the low beams and the high beams are just plain halogen. Am I miss-reading things and if not, what's the point of using great HID for low beams that don't need to be all that bright in the first place. Ashton Crusher <Hello@nowhere.net> said in rec.autos.driving: >In some of the stuff I have read about HID lights it seems that the >HID are only the low beams and the high beams are just plain halogen. That's only done by cheap-a.s manufacturers like GM. Both my IS-300 and my Acura TL had HIDs for both high and low beams. My Corvette, which costs more than both of those, has HID low beams and halogen high beams. It's nothing more than the bean counters being given too much control over the final product. :(  SignatureWell, it appears that the gory .sigs about Carl's dead wife did their job. I've tucked them away for now, but if he (or one of his sockpuppets) comes back, so will the nasty .sigs. :) > Ashton Crusher <Hello@nowhere.net> said in rec.autos.driving: >> In some of the stuff I have read about HID lights it seems that the >> HID are only the low beams and the high beams are just plain halogen. > That's only done by cheap-a.s manufacturers like GM. I believe that early models used that setup. My 2000 Audi S4 has HID low beams and halogen high beams. Since I have the E-code assemblies, my high beams intensity at the hot spot is twice as bright, and since I have the Osram Rallye H7 bulbs for high beams, I have 2100 lumens worth of illumination (compared to the original 1500). This is compared to the 3200 lumens of illumination I have from the D2S bulbs (thought they are somewhat less than that since they're now selective yellow). >> Ashton Crusher <Hello@nowhere.net> said in rec.autos.driving: > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >the 3200 lumens of illumination I have from the D2S bulbs (thought they >are somewhat less than that since they're now selective yellow). That still leaves me scratching my head, why bother with HID for low beams, seems stupid. If they are only going to do either hi or low, why pic low???? > That still leaves me scratching my head, why bother with HID for low > beams, seems stupid. If they are only going to do either hi or low, > why pic low???? 1. Unlike halogen bulbs, HIDs take a little time to get to full brightness. Therefore, they're not suitable for high beam use unless they remain switched on. 2. Turning HIDs on and off repeatedly is very bad for the life of the bulb. Many people use their high beams in that fashion. > > That still leaves me scratching my head, why bother with HID for low > > beams, seems stupid. If they are only going to do either hi or low, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > 2. Turning HIDs on and off repeatedly is very bad for the life of the > bulb. Many people use their high beams in that fashion. They sure as f.ck better use their high-beams in that fashion, if there's oncoming traffic. Dave >> 2. Turning HIDs on and off repeatedly is very bad for the life of the >> bulb. Many people use their high beams in that fashion. > They sure as f.ck better use their high-beams in that fashion, if > there's oncoming traffic. And I'm sure you'll be spending $200 give or take every month or so for a new set. My Osram Rallye H7s in E-code assemblies are excellent high beams. >> > That still leaves me scratching my head, why bother with HID for low >> > beams, seems stupid. If they are only going to do either hi or low, [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >Dave I think he meant many people turn them off and on again over and over due to oncoming traffic. >> That still leaves me scratching my head, why bother with HID for low >> beams, seems stupid. If they are only going to do either hi or low, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >2. Turning HIDs on and off repeatedly is very bad for the life of the >bulb. Many people use their high beams in that fashion. Thanks, now that aspect makes sense. Still leaves me wondering why bother with them at all though if they are only suitable for low beams. I've never noticed low beams needing more "power" since more power just can't be used if you don't want to blind oncoming traffic. Better lenses with current power would be nice on many vehicles though. I guess the answer probably comes down to - HID costs more so it makes a nice fashion statement for people who need to show how much money they can spend on pointless complexity. >> 1. Unlike halogen bulbs, HIDs take a little time to get to full >> brightness. Therefore, they're not suitable for high beam use unless >> they remain switched on. >> >> 2. Turning HIDs on and off repeatedly is very bad for the life of the >> bulb. Many people use their high beams in that fashion. > Thanks, now that aspect makes sense. Still leaves me wondering why > bother with them at all though if they are only suitable for low > beams. I've never noticed low beams needing more "power" since more > power just can't be used if you don't want to blind oncoming traffic. That's more dependent on the beam pattern than the brightness of the bulb. HIDs, as opposed to halogen bulbs, allow a "more robust" beam pattern. In other words, the light can have a wider distribution without sacrificing the necessary minimum intensity at certain points in the beam relative to the center axis of the bulb. >> That still leaves me scratching my head, why bother with HID for low >> beams, seems stupid. If they are only going to do either hi or low, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > 2. Turning HIDs on and off repeatedly is very bad for the life of the > bulb. Many people use their high beams in that fashion. 3. Low beams are used more frequently, and just because the high beams aren't used doesn't mean they're not needed. That makes it more important to have powerful low beams. The loss is also less with the high beams since the light doesn't need to be controlled to the same degree. Ulf Ulf <asdf@asdf.com> said in rec.autos.driving: >>> That still leaves me scratching my head, why bother with HID for low >>> beams, seems stupid. If they are only going to do either hi or low, [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >important to have powerful low beams. The loss is also less with the >high beams since the light doesn't need to be controlled to the same degree. All of this makes me wonder what Toyota and Honda were thinking when they equipped their cars with HID high beams. If the bulbs are really as delicate as claimed above, it sounds like a serious warranty expense for the carmakers. OTOH, Toyota and Honda engineers are pretty smart; perhaps they have found a way to make their HID high beam bulbs less delicate? SignatureCarl Troller's wife catches a train: http://www.zippyvideos.com/119967005339285/faces_of_death_-_women_gets_hit_by_tr ain_funny/ And his daughter catches one, too: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/309176/girl_hit_by_a_train/ > Ulf <asdf@asdf.com> said in rec.autos.driving: > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > OTOH, Toyota and Honda engineers are pretty smart; perhaps they have > found a way to make their HID high beam bulbs less delicate? What Arif said was true when they were first introduced, which was more than a decade ago. Now that's not much of a problem, both the ballasts and bulbs are more reliable. Remember, his S4 is getting quite old by now... :-) Ulf > All of this makes me wonder what Toyota and Honda were thinking when > they equipped their cars with HID high beams. If the bulbs are really > as delicate as claimed above, it sounds like a serious warranty > expense for the carmakers. Forgot to reply earlier. Regarding your question, I was under the impression that there was a movable shield that allowed one xenon bulb to act as low beam only or low and high beam. If they are indeed separate bulbs, then let me know what specific Honda and/or Toyota models you're referring to. Arif Khokar <akhokar1234@wvu.edu> said in rec.autos.driving: >> All of this makes me wonder what Toyota and Honda were thinking when >> they equipped their cars with HID high beams. If the bulbs are really [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >separate bulbs, then let me know what specific Honda and/or Toyota >models you're referring to. I don't know if they are separate bulbs - all I know is both the high and low beams are HIDs. The vehicles in question are the Lexus IS-300 (mine was a 2002) and the Acura TL (2004). SignatureI hate speediots - especially Carl Troller. |
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