HiD's

[Tim Bancroft]

Not sure about all this HID malarkey.

My saloon has a set of Cibie Oscars as spots, blooming brilliant.

As for KC daylighters, those spot that are loved by the Land Rover 4WD people, are'nt they illegal on a road car. (Steve, not trying to be a smart alec, just intrigued)

[cnicholson]

Is it legal t o fit spot lights on a PI, after all the wiring loom has a wire for that very purpose by the radiator, and I have a nice set of spots in the loft that would be a good upgrade for the RBRR, once fitted via a relay circuit that is....

[tiggrr1]

timbancroft61 wrote:

As for KC daylighters, those spot that are loved by the Land Rover 4WD people, are'nt they illegal on a road car. (Steve, not trying to be a smart alec, just intrigued)

Take a look here Tim,


http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/5/made


especially at Paragraph 8 there is no wattage requirement to be legal Maximum or Minimum


I assume it is the wattage of the lamps you are not sure about?
As far as I am aware the only legal requirement is not to dazzle/blind other road users.

With more modern cars things change due to type approval and "E" marking of light units.
As in 60/55 watt bulbs.

At least that is how I understand it, I may well be reading it incorrectly ( I have been known to be wrong before  ;) )

Anyone else got any views on this?    

Sorry for the slight thread drift Roy  :B

[andy thompson]

Nick_Jones wrote:

I find that the 5 3/4" Halogens I've got on both cars are absolutely excellent even with standard bulbs  - far better than either of our moderns (even my wife commented on the PI lights recently!) - so inclined to question the need for HiD.  Can't say I particularly enjoy other people HiD lights either.  Maybe you need HiD so you can still see after being zapped by someone elses HiD.....  :-/

Nick

I agree Nick - Reckon decent relayed Halogen are as good if not better than HID for continuous night driving - certainly poorly set up HiD are a hazard to all concerned. Dougs PI was better with relayed 100W Halogen main beam than 4 x HiD - I think the issue is getting a reflector suitable for the light - standard halogen headlights don't seem to work - especially for other road users.

[tiggrr1]

Just to add to my post above,

Also note that Part 5b states

5.  Markings–

(a) Any vehicle not covered by sub-paragaph (b), (c) or (d):  An approval mark or a British Standard mark

(b) A motor vehicle first used before 1st April 1986:  No requirement


Therefore A motor vehicle first used before 1st April 1986 has no requirment for a British standard mark (kite mark) , it also predates the "E" mark requirement

So the only Legal requirement is not to inconvenience other road users ie dazzle them.


My interpretation of that little lot is that as our vehicles predate the legislation you can fit what ever you like as the legislation is not applied retrospectivly.

Getting a bit tired now after nightshift but I hope that makes sense, also happy to be proven to be wrong if anyone can find the amendment or legislation to do it  :)

Also not trying to be a smart alec Tim but I'm sure you can fit higher wattage bulbs (legally) to you Cibie Oscar's should the fancy take you. (and your wiring can stand it  :) )

[ferny]

Nick_Jones wrote:

I find that the 5 3/4" Halogens I've got on both cars are absolutely excellent even with standard bulbs  - far better than either of our moderns (even my wife commented on the PI lights recently!) - so inclined to question the need for HiD.  Can't say I particularly enjoy other people HiD lights either.  Maybe you need HiD so you can still see after being zapped by someone elses HiD.....  :-/

Nick

Same here. I fitted 100w spotlamps to the Herald and them some Silver Star bulbs and the headlight bulbs were just as bright. I've driven lots of cars with HiD lights and can't say I'm impressed. It's a "cleaner" light, but it's not better. Night Breaker bulbs are even better and only £11 for a pair although the Acclaim seems to burn them out for some reason.  :-/


It is hard to resist having a fiddle though...  :B



I've also been followed on the 10CR by a Triumph with HiD's and had to pull over as I was being blinded. Once I was behind them I was being slowed down.

[Nick Jones]

Jason wrote:

You're scarred by Nigel Gair's 4 HIDs on the 10CR - they were impressive but we had more than one dodgy adjuster and struggled to keep them aimed properly - sorry  8)

They may have had a hand in forming my opinion  :P

Those tall, chelsea tractory things driving 3 foot from the back bumper don't help either - can usually get away on the twisty bits but not always in a straight line....

Nick