H4 HID Conversion Kit Installed; Writeup Now Available

[Ed Scherer]

A few weeks ago, I installed the 928 Specialists "H4 BI-XENON High/Low Beam Kit". I'm really happy with the results, so I figured I'd share the positive experience and pass along what I hope is some useful information.



I also told Dave Roberts that I'd write up the installation procedure I used, so that's available now as a 20-page Acrobat (PDF) document. Seems kind of long, I know, but it includes tons of photos and details of some modifications I made.

[Ed Scherer]

Originally Posted by borland

You might want to review your luminosity table. It appears that your HID high beam is less intense than the HID low beam. Looks like spot meter, did you use the garage door to locate the spot for each measurement? If so, then your probably not be capturing total lumens broadcasted. Starbrights may be defocused as compared with the HID. Brightness and luminosity are not the same measurement.

I suspect that since the "high beam" (such as it is) is done via reflector shift, the light output is just redirected over a larger area, and hence the lower illuminace at a particular spot. Like I said in the writeup, just taking the maximum illumination that I could find was a pretty crappy technique to use. I'd really like to follow up (when/if I have time, and perhaps if I sense enough interest from others) to set up a grid, take lots of measurements, and actually map out the beam pattern.

As to lumens and total light output, that's a spec that you can get from the bulb manufacturers. How those lumens actually become usable, as you probably know, is a matter of good reflector design, optics, etc.

Originally Posted by borland

Do you have any plans to replace the foglamp bulbs with Starbrights? I found they made a big difference with the high beam setting.

I also have the Starbrights in the headlights. If run the foglamp and low beams, it's a pretty broad lighting of the road, without glaring the driver in front's rear view mirror. Aiming is everything.

I'm just not sure about that yet. I'm still thinking about it. I'm not sure I want to lose the "quick flash" function of the H3 "assist" high beams, and I don't know if I'd want the "throw the light everywhere" HID bulbs for the H3 fog lights. I'll listen to other people's experiences with this before committing to any further changes. It's my understanding that the reflectors designed for transverse filament bulbs like the H3 don't fare so well (with respect to preserving a reasonbly good beam pattern) when you put in a more-or-less axial light source HID bulb.

[Ed Scherer]

BTW, I fixed a few problems in that original writeup. It's at revision 1.2 now.

[Bill Ball]

Superior guide, Ed. Very detailed and professional.

[Alan]

Ed,
Very nice job! Can I use include your write up as one of the appendix sections in the Primer Document on projects for your 928 - its exactly the kind of thing I had in mind (I had a HID section placeholder in the outline) - I'd put it in exactly "as is" with yout copyright etc. Rich Andrade has created a similarly well done document on engine control... I'm hoping for more... you guys have created a great benchmark standard! and an outline format template for others.

Alan

[Ed Scherer]

Originally Posted by Alan

Can I use include your write up as one of the appendix sections in the Primer Document on projects for your 928 - its exactly the kind of thing I had in mind (I had a HID section placeholder in the outline) - I'd put it in exactly "as is" with yout copyright etc.

Sure, if you'd like. I can't remember what your plans are for your document, but I'm hoping that this kind of stuff is just generally useful to people, whatever the distribution channel. I've gotten so much help from others; just trying to give some back.

Originally Posted by Alan

Rich Andrade has created a similarly well done document on engine control... I'm hoping for more... you guys have created a great benchmark standard! and an outline format template for others.

Thanks! Well, I'd have to also say, though, that I'm trying to follow the lead of others who have done some great work... Tony Harkin, John Pirtle, etc., whose write-ups have made a huge difference in making it easier to dive into jobs that I might otherwise have avoided.


BTW, I've been a bit remiss in not sending you any review info on your doc. I actually took it with me on the flights to Spokane last week, but I wound up working on this HID write-up instead. My wife is off to California for a few days this week on business, though, so I'll have some quiet evenings when I hope to get to it. Unless, of course, the 928SP X-over exhaust shows up, in which case I'll be under my car instead.

[CWO4Mann]

Wow! Very helpful. You must write technical manuals for a living. I've downloaded the pdf and printed it and it is now in my WSM set.

Thank you!

Dave

[Bill Ball]

Originally Posted by CWO4Mann

...You must write technical manuals for a living....Dave

That's exactly what I thought too.

[Ed Scherer]

Originally Posted by CWO4Mann

You must write technical manuals for a living.

Originally Posted by Bill Ball

That's exactly what I thought too.

Bzzzztttt... sorry guys. I'm actually one of those software guys (mix of management and in-the-trenches development) who actually doesn't mind writing documents. But it's a pretty secondary (or tertiary, or lower) activity.

Good technical writers, though, are incredibly valuable. At a previous company I worked for, we had an extraordinarily good tech writer. Probably 10 times as productive as I could ever hope to be, yet higher quality than I could hope to be.

Regardless, it's a pretty satisfying thing to turn out a good document that turns out to be useful.

[tv]

Great contribution ED! Thats what makes 928 ownership a great deal easier. Thanks

[JPTL]

Ed,
Now 4 1/2 years after the 1st post of this thread, these kits have gotten much cheaper. I'm kicking around the idea of HID's. Are you still running HID's or have you gone back to standard bulbs so as to not offend oncoming motorists (I read Andrew's post in another thread)?
Have you revised your installation since 8/05?
Any attempts at HID in the H3 driving lights/high beam fixtures?

[Alan]

I have HID in the H3 Fogs - works fine as long as you modify the reflectors a little to avoid stray upward lighting.

Alan

[Ed Scherer]

Originally Posted by JPTL

Ed,
Now 4 1/2 years after the 1st post of this thread, these kits have gotten much cheaper. I'm kicking around the idea of HID's. Are you still running HID's or have you gone back to standard bulbs so as to not offend oncoming motorists (I read Andrew's post in another thread)?
Have you revised your installation since 8/05?
Any attempts at HID in the H3 driving lights/high beam fixtures?

Wow... hard to believe it has been that long!

Yup, I'm still running the HIDs. No changes since then, and they work great. I've got them pretty carefully aligned. I think I can remember only once over the entire four years that I've been flashed; that's probably no more often than with the old halogens.

The only thing I might do is try to seal the backs properly. I had to remove the original H4 seals on the back to make room for the HID bulbs, which extend way too far back to fit inside the original gray seals. I didn't think it'd be much of a problem, but I've noticed the inside surface of the glass has gotten a little cloudy — a bit of a film. I haven't thought much about how I'm going to do it, but I'd really like to do a cleaning and try to get them sealed up.

[JBrown]

I would put the HIDs in the fogs to match the headlights. It would make it look so much better.
Everytime I put a set of HIDs in a customers car, within a week they come back to get the fogs done to match the headlights. Plus HIDs in the headlights and fogs give you assume light

[JPTL]

I like the idea of matching HID in the headlights with the driving lights. Now it looks like that can be done for not too much $$. The Silverstars are decent, but far from the illumination that HID's are capable of. Currently I have 100w halogens in the running lights and use them as dusk headlights quite often. It would be nice to have these fitted with HID's. I can imagine the light that they alone must put out.
If I were to do HID headlights, I don't care much about the aux. high beams matching the HID headlights - in fact I'd like to keep the stalk-flash option. Plus, I get the sense that high beams become unnecessary with a properly set-up HID kit.
Re: cleaning the reflectors and inside glass of these fixtures, I can imagine that such brilliant light must accentuate any cloudiness/streaks. I've always thought that those no-wipe chandelier cleaning products might work well for the non-reachable parts of the fixutures. Supposedly no-wipe & don't leave a film.
JBrown, hopefully your 928th post isn't wasted on a forum other than this one