Damian Ware wrote on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 11:15 am:
What is a good price for HID's I'm not really keen on spending 1k on lighting. I saw some on a camry and they are no better than running 130W globes.
If you run 130W globes in a Soarer the sockets will fry the moment that you turn them on. I don't think that HB3/4 bulbs have ever been made to draw 130W either.
I paid just under $400 for mine, that was at a discounted price. This pic was taken half off the road (as that's where I was parked)... IMO a lot better than regular halogen globes. I'll post up a clearer photo later on tonight.
Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 10:44 pm, by: Damian Ware(Frozenpod)
Glass breaks?
After 330,000; in the camry not one broken headlight with most done on FWY's with trucks and heaps of stone chips in the front bar.
The sockets are different for the soarer not sure how much current they can handel but the camry H4 sockets were fine.
I would say the wire is about 1mm^2 which is good for about 10A so the sockets could probably handel the same.
So 10A at 12V will give you about 120W.
They might be 0.75mm^2 at the smallest which will still allow for 7A according to Australian standards 3001 (I think that is the one) for wire sizing. So I would think the lenses are going to be the biggest problem when running higher wattage globes.
Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 11:04 pm, by: Damian Ware(Frozenpod)
The other thing to remember is they also run at 14.4V I'm not 100% on this but I think there rating ie 65W or 100W is done at 14.4V even though they claim to be 12V globes.
Mark many know the answer to that one if not I should be able to test a globe at work to see what it outputs.
I'm running the standard headlight fuse with my HIDs. Some kits require you to change them to a higher amperage (I think about a 20A), but here's a few pics I randomly took tonight on the way home...
35W right there
Ken Cornell TryHard Western Australia 4.0GT V8 Soarer
A few HID kits that I have seen require you to either pull the headlight out and remove the bulb locator clip (on the back of the headlight housing) or if you have small hands remove them with a small screwdriver to fit the globes in, and then fasten again but not too tightly so the housing ring will keep the bulb in place. The bulbs themselves in some kits don't actually fit properly into a Soarer headlight, from experience. The kit I bought went in beautifully like the normal globes and had no problem with the connectors either. So if you're looking for an HID kit I'd recommend getting a Japanese-branded one as it'll most likely fit.
Monday, June 26, 2006 - 12:33 am, by: Mark Paddick(Sparks)
Some cars are modded when complied so, no not all Soarer headlight connectors or bulbs are the same.
I would steer clear of HID kits requiring higher fuse rating. This would imply very poor inverter (ballast) design as the bulb wattage is considerably lower than incandescent bulbs. The extra current has to be needed somewhere so it must be the ballast. Good designs achieves low inrush currents so don't need bigger fuses and the bulbs will last longer.
What Colin said about bulb alignment in the light and also correct headlight beam alignment can make a lot more difference than bigger better bulbs. Much more than you may think. Once upon atime such stuff was covered in mandatory anual rego checks in at least two states and/or territories. Sadly not any more. It would at least be one less thing for me to bitch about after just being blinded by some dickhead with 130W bulbs in possum spotting headlights.
Thanks guys. I brought the HID kit off ebay that mark posted. I'll need to check my current blubs as there green, completely ••••••••• lighting (previous owner) so might be different.
Monday, June 26, 2006 - 05:42 pm, by: Mike Triggs(Mikeandimah)
On the topic of headlights: today, I took the '95's right light out and found lots of white powder inside. I was quite mystified until I took the lens off, and found that the rim to which the retainer ring attaches was powdered and splintered. The white powder found earlier was glass.
I fitted a lens obtained from a Korean headlight of unknown origin (the lens was the same). This light had taken a big hit and the rim was not in great condition- but far better than the Soarer lens.
The disintegration of the headlight glass lens is a real mystery to me- the car has not taken a hit and other than the usual crud on the inside of the polycarbonate outer lens was in great condition.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 07:11 am, by: Matthew Sharpe(Madmatt)
Mike Triggs wrote on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 05:42 pm:
The disintegration of the headlight glass lens is a real mystery to me- the car has not taken a hit and other than the usual crud on the inside of the polycarbonate outer lens was in great condition.
Mike, its a very common problem. When I replaced the rear housing on my light earlier in the year the donor light had the same problem. I think its probably caused by the lens moving around a little in its metal housing and just grinding away. The glass appears to be a very brittle type (typical for optical applications) so it does flake very easily. Fortunately my own light had not suffered at all, so I stuck a little silicon around it to stop it from moving when I re-assembled it.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 11:43 am, by: Mike Triggs(Mikeandimah)
Interesting, Matthew. This was the third light I've taken apart and there was no sign of flaking or powdering on the first two (the left lights from both '97 and '95 models). Methinks it's something to do with the tension of the ring on the projector lens rim, some may be overtightened- I found the two screws hard to undo on this light.
Well I got my HID kit in the mail today from the ebay joint Mark posted. Took about 1 week to get here. Pretty good service. Total was $330 delivered, awesome price. Now to fit them tonight and finally I'll be able to see correctly.
Fitted the HID kit. All I can say is bloody awesome. I had some trouble with the globes. They have these small locking tabs and there bigger than my headlight sockets, so I've had to trim them a little to get them to lock into place.
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to say the least Mike.
