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Minifinity The Classic Mini Forum and Resource | • View topic - HID Conversion

HID Conversion

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HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Sat 17th Mar 2007, 11:47pm

i originally purchased a xgl hid kit which included the ballasts, capsules, projectors, and wiring harness.
Image

however, as you may have noticed, they have "bubble" appearance which i didn't like.
Image

to get around this, i did a retrofit into a halogen housing.

halogen housing cut to fit the projector
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test fit of projector into cutout
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rear boot trimed to clear the projector
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mounting tabs fixed with a strong epoxy
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built a shield to prevent any reflection of the grey area
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butyl rubber insulation used to seal the between the housing and projector
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finished results
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if anyone wants to attempt a retrofit, feel free to ask me any questions and i'll do my best to help.
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RE: HID Conversion

Postby smiffy_no46 » Sun 18th Mar 2007, 01:18am

superb job you've done there!!, any idea what its all cost you to do the conversion??
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RE: HID Conversion

Postby Mikey13 » Sun 18th Mar 2007, 09:26am

they look really nice :)

i've wanted to change my angel eyes for a while, might look into doing that
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RE: HID Conversion

Postby wildoliver » Sun 18th Mar 2007, 10:44am

just to let you know you can now get hold of hid bulbs and balasts that will fit standard h4 headlamp holes.

Much easier!

Well done on the job though.
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Postby keithio450r » Sun 18th Mar 2007, 11:25am

Yeh ive been looking at the H4 conversions, but theres a few different companies doing them now - trying to decide which one to plump for. And is it worth the £200-300 price tag to convert? hmm decisions!!
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Postby delmonte » Sun 18th Mar 2007, 12:52pm

that is some seriously good fabricating, stylish and professional looking finish, superb job!
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Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Sun 18th Mar 2007, 07:05pm

wildoliver wrote:just to let you know you can now get hold of hid bulbs and balasts that will fit standard h4 headlamp holes.

Much easier!

Well done on the job though.

it's definitely much easier, but it's not as safe as true hid projection system.

first, when doing a retro with bulbs only, you have to consider about optics. an hid capsule does not align properly with the filament of a halogen bulb. unless it has been rebased/engineered to do so, which most kits aren't. with this is mind, the light pattern will be altered and thus cause glare to oncoming traffic.

second, most hid bulb kits will loose the ability to use your high beams. of course some of us have multiple driving lights that can fill that loss. but for thos who don't, the lack of high beams can be a factor. with a projection system, you can get a bi-xenon projector like what i got. it will function as both your high and low beam. here's a quick example (the lights aren't aligned yet in this vid):
http://www.realmofexcursion.com/videos/bi_xenon.wmv

my advice, spend a little more time and money and invest in a true hid conversion for peace of mind over a kit.

also, thanks eveyone for the comments!
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Postby boister77 » Sun 18th Mar 2007, 07:12pm

keithio450r wrote:Yeh ive been looking at the H4 conversions, but theres a few different companies doing them now - trying to decide which one to plump for. And is it worth the £200-300 price tag to convert? hmm decisions!!

as i mentioned in the post above, if you do decided to go this route. verify with the manufacturer if the capsule has been specifically designed to work (not just fit) in an H4 application. if not, glare and an incorrect beam pattern will be a problem.

for the amount you posted, you can do a proper retrofit with projectors in the states. i don't know how much pricing is your area for parts, but it's just to give you an idea.
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Postby mr.x » Mon 19th Mar 2007, 10:39pm

how much to make me a set?
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Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby wildoliver » Tue 20th Mar 2007, 10:35am

boister77 wrote:
wildoliver wrote:just to let you know you can now get hold of hid bulbs and balasts that will fit standard h4 headlamp holes.

Much easier!

Well done on the job though.

it's definitely much easier, but it's not as safe as true hid projection system.

first, when doing a retro with bulbs only, you have to consider about optics. an hid capsule does not align properly with the filament of a halogen bulb. unless it has been rebased/engineered to do so, which most kits aren't. with this is mind, the light pattern will be altered and thus cause glare to oncoming traffic.

second, most hid bulb kits will loose the ability to use your high beams. of course some of us have multiple driving lights that can fill that loss. but for thos who don't, the lack of high beams can be a factor. with a projection system, you can get a bi-xenon projector like what i got. it will function as both your high and low beam. here's a quick example (the lights aren't aligned yet in this vid):
http://www.realmofexcursion.com/videos/bi_xenon.wmv

my advice, spend a little more time and money and invest in a true hid conversion for peace of mind over a kit.

also, thanks eveyone for the comments!


Well the ones I have access to have the shutter sytem which is exactly what you will have unless your lights have 2 bulbs, no-one produces a bi filament xenon bulb as it is technically impossible due to the nature of the bulb, even the car manufacturers that fit them as standard either use 2 bulbs or a shutter system. A bi filament xenon bulb would be dangerous due to the time it takes for the bulb to ignite, leaving you without lights for a second or so between switch over.

It is also incorrect to call your lights "true HID" while they are indeed true hid, the inferrence that the types I mention are not is wrong, what your lights are are HID projectors.

Re. the lining up of the bulb, again the types I mention are designed for use on the road unlike a lot of kits so yes fully lined up.
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Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Thu 22nd Mar 2007, 04:21am

wildoliver wrote:Well the ones I have access to have the shutter sytem which is exactly what you will have unless your lights have 2 bulbs

i have a moveable shutter/shield as well, with one capsule per projector. post pics/info of your bulbs as i would be interested to share it with fellow members who are interested in a easier retrofit.

wildoliver wrote:It is also incorrect to call your lights "true HID" while they are indeed true hid, the inferrence that the types I mention are not is wrong, what your lights are are HID projectors.

take note, i gave you the benefit of the doubt as i do know hid kits that have been engineered to align correctly exist. as for mentioning true HID, that holds true for either a projection or reflector based system that uses a capsule that is specifically designed to coexist together.

wildoliver wrote:Re. the lining up of the bulb, again the types I mention are designed for use on the road unlike a lot of kits so yes fully lined up.

as i mentioned, please share more about the bulbs you offer. i would especially like to see your cutoff pics as well as your projection pattern on the road. i have other people who are interested in hid conversion, if i can provide more information about your bulbs, they may consider this route as it would be easier.

take note...i'm not trying to step on anyones toes. however, i feel a need to make it clear that not all hid kits are designed properly. in the states, there's an abundance of improper kits in use which is very dangerous as glare is a very big and dangerous issue.
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RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby Tony_B » Thu 22nd Mar 2007, 10:07am

Nice work - they were as ugly as sin before you retro'd them :)

How much difference does it make to driving in the dark??
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RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby wholovesthemini » Wed 2nd May 2007, 05:00pm

looking good. fancy making me a set of lights and sending them across the pond?
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Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Wed 2nd May 2007, 05:16pm

who_loves_the_mini? wrote:looking good. fancy making me a set of lights and sending them across the pond?

thanks! a few people have inquired as well. i might consider something.
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RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby chairchild » Thu 3rd May 2007, 11:52pm

The ones I can get (from a company called "Ultra") have a Xenon dipped beam, with a halogen bulb for the high beam.


Hehe, and that first pic of where you've got them fitted, make your mini look like its on drugs! :lol:
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Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby Coedy » Sat 5th May 2007, 05:58pm

boister77 wrote:
who_loves_the_mini? wrote:looking good. fancy making me a set of lights and sending them across the pond?

thanks! a few people have inquired as well. i might consider something.


if you ever decided to go down this route id definately be interested. :D
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RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby MadMini » Sun 6th May 2007, 11:15am

Hehe been running HID projectors for 4 years now, i will never go back to halogen, Top Job!!!! looks ace!!
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RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby sidewalkdave » Tue 8th May 2007, 04:54pm

looks amazing
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RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby LankyJames » Tue 8th May 2007, 05:26pm

As ever fantastic work and pictures!

Im so glad you changed them, i almost thought you'd made your car the ugliest rhubarber around!
Its such a nice mini! I LIKE!

Oh and i dont know jack about these lights are they just brighter?
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RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby l_jonez » Tue 8th May 2007, 09:45pm

dont know if its of intrest to anyone but i've been reading up on hid (with the aim of converting my car) and found this

" Internationalised European vehicle regulations require such headlamps to be equipped with lens cleaners and an automatic self-levelling system to keep the beams aimed correctly regardless of vehicle load and attitude, but no such devices are required in North America, where inherently more glaring beam patterns are also permitted"

on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-inten ... harge_lamp

i take it that if the above is true we would have to have lense cleaners etc to do the conversion to european standards!!

also i was looking at this style of bixenon
http://www.xenonvalot.com/newh4bixenon.html
it uses a sliding mechanism to allow both low and high beam, do you think it would be sutible for a mini?
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RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby Paul » Tue 8th May 2007, 10:04pm

In a recent Practical Classics product page, they were showing Hid conversions for classic cars. The company uses P7000 Tripod Lenses which means they should fit a mini, but you could ask if unsure?

http://www.snoopershop.com/cgi-bin/sear ... =ClassicH4
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Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Thu 10th May 2007, 11:05pm

l_jonez wrote:i take it that if the above is true we would have to have lense cleaners etc to do the conversion to european standards!!

if you do confirm that it's true, then yes, i would retro fit with the lens cleaner.

l_jonez wrote:also i was looking at this style of bixenon
http://www.xenonvalot.com/newh4bixenon.html
it uses a sliding mechanism to allow both low and high beam, do you think it would be sutible for a mini?

in my opinion, i would avoid any type of retrofit that uses the an oem halogen housing. while companies do claim to have properly aligned the hid capsule to the halogen housing, i still believe in retrofitting a complete hid system.
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RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: HID Conversion

Postby mr.x » Sat 12th May 2007, 11:16pm

When can you make me a set? How much?
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Tue 20th Jan 2009, 09:40pm

thought i'd share an update.

i have since done a new retrofit using better components. for my current retrofit, i'm using the following: tl projector, zkw replica lens, phillips dl-50/740 50w bulbs, generic 55W hid ballast. the results are far superior to my previous retrofit. the width and intensity is amazing.

Image

Image

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Image

for those interested, here are additional pics of the work:
http://www.vtecminis.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=21&page=1

if you are interested in attempting a retro and have questions, please feel free to ask.
Last edited by boister77 on Mon 9th Feb 2009, 04:36am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby Tony_B » Sat 31st Jan 2009, 08:46pm

Bwaaar... that's awesome! How much did all the bits cost?

Can't stand how useless standard lights are on mine, this would be a (/another!) great thing to add to my to do list
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby LankyJames » Sat 31st Jan 2009, 10:07pm

So very jealous, i like those black chrome style lights, where the hell did you get them from let alone the HID kit!

Looks like awesome work, would love to try it :)
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby Tigger » Sun 8th Feb 2009, 03:21pm

there are some h4 kits on ebay

would these work

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HID-Xenon-CONVERS ... 240%3A1308

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Re: HID Conversion

Postby Tigger » Sun 8th Feb 2009, 10:40pm

Just been looking into these HID h4 kits and there are stacks on flee bay.

like this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BI-XENON-HID-CONV ... 240%3A1318

they fit straight into the standard H4 slot with no mods required for the Unit like above

Might be getting some for my little project

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Re: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 04:28am

Tony_B wrote:Bwaaar... that's awesome! How much did all the bits cost?

around $400. it does seem like a lot, but the results are truly priceless.
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 04:30am

LankyJames wrote:So very jealous, i like those black chrome style lights, where the hell did you get them from let alone the HID kit!

got them from ebay. search for 7" black housing.
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 04:33am



Tigger wrote:Just been looking into these HID h4 kits and there are stacks on flee bay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BI-XENON-HID-CONV ... 240%3A1318


please do not use those kits. yes the are very tempting as it's plug and play, but they can be dangerous. optics are key to any lighting system. using a hid bulb in a housing designed for halogen can cause excess glare to oncoming traffic.
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby Tigger » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 09:05am

so can you modify the standard halogen units to accept the Hid kits

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Re: HID Conversion

Postby tadleysimon » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 05:55pm

2 things,

is there a hid kit available that does have the 'bubble' look that i can just wire into my car rather than mess about retro fitting anything?

and i think the guide to make your own should be stickied or stuck in the tech section :D
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 07:22pm

Tigger wrote:so can you modify the standard halogen units to accept the Hid kits

Mike

the only safe way to use hid's in a standard halogen housing is to do a projector retrofit.
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby R.P.C » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 07:26pm

boister am i wrong or do the hid projectors just do the dip beam? they dont produce the full beam do they? i've not seen hid set up working
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby Tigger » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 08:18pm

these were advertised in mini world this month.

http://www.essexracing.com/product_info ... ts_id=1077

they say they are a direct replacemnt for the H4 bulb.

so you say you need to get projectors instead of the hid kits. Is there no way to modify the standard halogen lamps to work with the hid h4 kits?

Mike
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 10:17pm

R.P.C wrote:boister am i wrong or do the hid projectors just do the dip beam? they dont produce the full beam do they? i've not seen hid set up working

you are correct in a way. projectors control the beam more precisely than a reflector housing. by doing this, you greatly reduce the amount of glare to oncoming traffic and project a majority of the light onto the road.

this picture is a great example; notice the sharp cutoff.
Image
Last edited by boister77 on Mon 9th Feb 2009, 10:19pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Mon 9th Feb 2009, 10:18pm

Tigger wrote:these were advertised in mini world this month.

http://www.essexracing.com/product_info ... ts_id=1077

they say they are a direct replacemnt for the H4 bulb.

so you say you need to get projectors instead of the hid kits. Is there no way to modify the standard halogen lamps to work with the hid h4 kits?

Mike

it's all bad marketing. no hid "kit" can be used in a halogen housing safely. hid bulbs required different optics as opposed to halogen bulbs.
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby R.P.C » Tue 10th Feb 2009, 07:15pm

boister77 wrote:
R.P.C wrote:boister am i wrong or do the hid projectors just do the dip beam? they dont produce the full beam do they? i've not seen hid set up working

you are correct in a way. [/img]

Still a bit confused, do they only do dipped beam?
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Re: HID Conversion

Postby boister77 » Wed 18th Feb 2009, 10:14pm

i a bit confused with your term "dipped". do you mean low beam? if so, certain projectors only have low beam operation. for low and high beam operation, you need a bi-xenon projector. this type of projector has a solenoid with alters the optics for high beam. the projector i'm currently using has the bi-xenon feature.
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