Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

HID Kit - Fitted to the Coupe with a Guide

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • HID Kit - Fitted to the Coupe with a Guide

    On starting work again this year I had a sudden urge to do something about the poor lights on the Coupe so thought I'd try out a HID kit having seen a few guys on here do it and the pictures Maahny has posted up of his kits. I was almost tempted to grab a kit from Evo-S with the recent price drop but decided to try out a set off the 'bay so just chose the seller with a decent amount of positive feedback on their kits.

    Fitment for the Z3 Low Beam is 9006 and I went for a 6000k kit, so £70 + shipping and 24 hours later this nifty box arrived, it's even made for the M series ;)





    As predicted they were a doddle to fit and took about half an hour what with mounting the ballasts neatly etc. Here is a 50/50 shot, HID on left and Standard on right:



    and then both sides:



    The difference is awesome, and seriously worth the small outlay





    Now I just need to sort out the "orange" looking side lights!!



    I've posted up all the pictures I took during the install here: http://www.mdracing.co.uk/mcoupe_hid.asp

    And written a fitting guide for those wanting to fit their own here: http://www.mdracing.co.uk/howto10.asp

    An illuminated Jon :)

  • #2
    Great write up Jon and thanks for sharing.

    Aren't the MOT centres hotting up on these kits now? (non autolevelling/washerjets/mounted in halogen housing)
    Out: 99 S50 Titan Silver V876 KKO
    In: 98 S50 Estoril.......

    Comment


    • #3
      They claim to be MoT compliant but as with any modification it pays to have a "friendly" MoT tester :)

      Comment


      • #4
        Jon, that's a serious looking case they come in lol!

        Yea, the main problem is that with these old style headlights (just a glass lense) is that there is a lot of light "bleed" around the beam which is amplified with HID bulbs as they are brighter; you still get the visible horizontal cut off point of light where the beam ends but there is still a noticeable amount of light above and around this (you'll probably find that you light up motorway signs even if the beam isn't pointing at them or particularly blinding to other drivers).

        Whereas proper HID lights have very good beam control and a definite cut off point of where no light is shone and then the beam cuts in just a bit lower. Projector-style lamps on many recent cars that aren't HID from the factory are good for HID conversions as they are a similar kind of reflector setup.

        I would still recommend a HID conversion though!!! for the increased light and the modern look the crisper light gives.
        Last edited by c_w; 04-01-2008, 10:57 AM.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by c_w View Post
          Jon, that's a serious looking case they come in lol!

          I liked that too ! very OTT
          Ex 2001 S54
          New cars:
          Lotus Carlton
          350Z

          Comment


          • #6
            Are there any modern-style lenses that you could retro fit in the Z3M clusters? I'm thinking that if you were to fit HIDs and Angel Eyes at the same time, then as you've got to open the light unit to fit the angel eyes you may be able to change the lense to be better suited to the HIDs.

            After reading this guide, I'm gonna fit the HIDs I bought before xmas but didn't think would fit. Your kit looks like it has all the same fittings and connectors as mine, so should be just as simple to fit.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by DavidC View Post
              After reading this guide, I'm gonna fit the HIDs I bought before xmas but didn't think would fit. Your kit looks like it has all the same fittings and connectors as mine, so should be just as simple to fit.
              Yea, they're practically all the same kits sold by different people originating from China I reckon. I think only Phillips make OE-spec aftermarket HID kits.

              Comment


              • #8
                good write up ! I think if I decide to keep the coupe (still not sure) then I will be doing this mod now I have seen what it involves - the headlights in mine are really quite poor, they may need some adjustment but the light is still quite bad esp if the road is unlit.
                Ex 2001 S54
                New cars:
                Lotus Carlton
                350Z

                Comment


                • #9
                  What ebay seller did you use ?
                  Col N.
                  Life is not a rehearsal !

                  Porsche Cayenne S
                  ex Audi S4 Avant
                  ex 2001 S54 Titanium, Black
                  ex Porsche 968

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by ZiggyCol View Post
                    What ebay seller did you use ?
                    checkout the link to the full review says on there
                    Ex 2001 S54
                    New cars:
                    Lotus Carlton
                    350Z

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by ZiggyCol View Post
                      What ebay seller did you use ?
                      The link is in the guide: http://www.mdracing.co.uk/howto10.asp

                      There are some differences in kits but as C_W points out they all originate from the Far East (China, Taiwan etc.). Some kits I've seen though come with separate Starters and Ballasts so you have twice the kit to have to mount/hide away. I went for this kit as it has combined Starter/Ballast and also came in a very cool case that I'm going to use for something else now :)

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Jonmurgie View Post
                        The link is in the guide: http://www.mdracing.co.uk/howto10.asp

                        There are some differences in kits but as C_W points out they all originate from the Far East (China, Taiwan etc.). Some kits I've seen though come with separate Starters and Ballasts so you have twice the kit to have to mount/hide away. I went for this kit as it has combined Starter/Ballast and also came in a very cool case that I'm going to use for something else now :)
                        So what is the starter and what is the ballast and what does each bit do ?
                        Ex 2001 S54
                        New cars:
                        Lotus Carlton
                        350Z

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by MGR View Post
                          So what is the starter and what is the ballast and what does each bit do ?
                          They all seems to be just the ballast now, which is wired between the original wiring and the HID bulb.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I've got a HID kits on both dipped and mains on mine, but I will be removing the main beams soon as although they react quickly on a quick flash they seem to then dim and take few seconds to come up to full light after that.

                            I've mounted the 4 ballasts beneath the headlights which come out easily to reveal plenty of space for mounting them and it also means they are hidden and the conversion is completely undetectable.

                            Jon, the airbox comes out in seconds so that's how to change the bulbs easier for both dipped and mains.
                            Last edited by c_w; 04-01-2008, 02:20 PM.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              In your kits, does the ballast connect directly to the plug which is usually connected to the bulb, or do your kits come with an extenstion for the fly lead?

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X