Re: Xenon HID retrofits: an optical engineer's view


"Vamp" <None@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"JB" <JB@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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I modified a pair of spare headlight units for my SO's BMW E36 over the
last week or two. Osram ballasts, Philips D2S lamps and original Bosch
reflectors with special cutoff 'masks'. The difference is simply
*astounding*. I knew they would be an improvement, but Jesus do they do
the business. Not an easy DIY conversion unless you have access to the
kit I've got at work in the lighting lab, but still not too demanding.
For a comparison, I tried a pair of these Chinese
"Sooper-Dooper-10000Kelvin-Burn yer Eyeballs Out & fry yer Ballasts" H1
retrofits which my friend had bought from Ebay for about £240. These
so-called retrofits are a cheap copy of the Philips D2S arc-tube cemented
into an H1 halogen base with heavily insulated flying leads (25kV
ignition voltage. V.Nasty). Once fitted into standard E36 headlamp, I
photometered the original 55W H1, this Chinese one, and my conversion
with a properly focussed Philips D2S lamp. Considering the 'claimed' 4x
lumen output of the Chinese lamps, they actually produced only a real
13.8% improvement in lamp lumens reaching the road surface over the
original Bosch H1 halogen units. The beam quality however was *******
and certainly illegal.
Using correctly focussed genuine Philips lamps and new masks in the same
reflectors, the improvement became 281%! Xenon HIDs do seriously *rock*.
I seem to have also gained a spare ballast and lamp too which will now be
going into my Trike's Cibie 'Z-beam' low beam unit :>).



lucky b'stard! i keep meaning to get the kit from my MR2 Turbo converted
to the BMW, needs diffrent bulbs when i have the cash i'll get them
swapped with my mate and fitted! makes such a difference! miss having
them!
Unfortunately I'm not the lucky *** at all who gets the benefit. I got
the E36, a '99 323i Sport auto touring, as a replacement for my old e34
touring, hoping to save some cash on fuel. I made the big mistake of
letting the SO have a go as she'd never driven an auto and *hated* the e34.
Needless to say, I haven't seen it since. Apparently it's a "girlie car in a
girlie colour" (M3 Techno Violet)! If I need 4 wheels now when I'm not using
the bike or trike, I'm relgated to her VW Caravelle LWB TDi! (but which
seems to now have a 'tuning module' suddenly appear in the ECU wiring loom!
Can't think how that got there......

JB



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