HID ballasts

[quattrojames]

How long do these ballasts/Bulbs last?

How longs a piece of string really?

I bought my HID's two years ago for about £70 from a UK ebay seller, and they have never given me any bulb warnings or anything. The kit looks exactly the same as the one's from the Far East so I expect it was just imported by an entrepreneur!

My ballast has just failed so it's lasted nearly two years, I can get one from China for £15 delivered which looks exactly the same as my existing one. I have chosen to spend £50 on two new slimline ballast's from a UK seller again. That way I can hide them out of the way and get two new ones, and will probably sell the one that still works on.

You certainly don't need to to spend as much as £120, kits are available from about £30 now, although I do accept that you get what you pay for.

 

[Ronniebiggs]

I was looking at the kit that J7USS has a link to. They are £60 per side. So do you need to search for an A4 specific HID or will any HID do? Preferably one that doesnt need to be butchered into the standard wiring?

In that case if I can find some on e-bay I will get them at that price. Just need to find some that are suitable now

 

[quattrojames]

Any HID will do as long as it has H7 bulb fitment. Do an ebay search for "A4 HID" or similar and have a browse, they start at about £22, but the cheaper ones will sting you on postage! You can pay more for smaller ballasts etc which can be easy to hide away behind the headlights etc.

Have a look at what's available and the different seller ratings and let me know if you have any questions :thumbsup: 4300k is OEM xenon colour, the higher the k rating the more blue the light. I have 6000k and wouldn't want any higher. The lower the k "brighter" the light if that makes sense. If I was doing it again I would go for 4300k I think.

Just remember "You get what you pay for"!

 

[PetrolDave]

How long do these ballasts/Bulbs last?

Is it a case that when they die you need to spend another £60 per light again to replace or do you just buy a bulb for a few pounds again?

Like the look of these sets but its hard to justify the £120 for them just to have a slightly brighter bulb when I have so many things I want to buy

HID bulbs last a lot longer than normal incandescent bulbs - they don't have a heated filament they strike an arc inside the bulb.

Once you've had them you'll realise they are a lot more than just "a slightly brighter bulb", they're much brighter, much whiter and give a more even spread of light. If you drive fast at night then they are a "must" IMHO.

 

[Ronniebiggs]

So now we get to the bulb argument

The set im looking at has 6000K bulbs. It appears that the 4300 (Think its 4300!) are the ones to go for due to the brightness. The 6000K will be very blue.

Any opinions?

Andy

 

[Ronniebiggs]

Ordered them from Hong kong £44 for the pair delivered.
6000K bulbs. Im sure they will be great once they arrive. Lets see how quick they get here. I have had things in the past take a few days and sometimes a few weeks!

 

[quattrojames]

The 6000K will be very blue.

I wouldn't say they are "very" blue - I have them in mine and they are fine, they are certainly not chavishly blue at all! I think you can get up to 12000k which are very blue.

I think you will be more than happy with the 6k's If not you could always fit some different bulbs in due course.

I ordered some new foglight grilles from China which took 5 days.

 

[Ronniebiggs]

6000K will be fine. Cant wait to get them.

I guess everyone will have these soon. Think I must be about last to get them. O well better late than never.

 

[quattrojames]

Ballasts arrived and fitted, I am impressed how small they are, they have tucked away very neatly under the bonnet

 

[Ronniebiggs]

WOWThey are thin!

Think my new ones are going to look like your old ones.

 

[Woorlord]

Ballasts arrived and fitted, I am impressed how small they are, they have tucked away very neatly under the bonnet

Hi QuattroJames - Do you have a link for the Ebay seller you purchased the "slimline" HID's? Just done an Ebay search and there are loads under "Audi slimline HID" - especially non-UK sellers.

Thinking of replacing my ballasts, (mine are same size as your original units).
My problem has been the n/s unit occasionally produces interference at switch on whilst driving, triggering ABS / BRAKE errors on the DIS. Thought about screening the ballasts and grounding but would be in favour of fitting smaller units first.

 

[quattrojames]

Woorlord, you have PM.

I bought THESE.

They have worked faultlessly :icon_thumright:

 

[Ronniebiggs]

Hope this hasnt already been asked. But can you get the HID headlights to go with the dipped beam? Is it worth it?

Andy

 

[sebbelcher]

Without getting too technical, it is incorrect to say that lower Kelvin lights are brighter that higher K. The K value is the colour temperature in degrees Kelvin, and more affects the percevied colour of the light, rather than the brightness.

Full article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_temperature

 

[quattrojames]

Hope this hasnt already been asked. But can you get the HID headlights to go with the dipped beam? Is it worth it?

Andy

HID's are for the dipped beam as they fit in the ellipsoid light units. You cannot really use HID's in your main beams as:
a) The main beam bulb is in a reflector type unit,
b) Main beams need to flash which HID's cannot really do.

 

[Ronniebiggs]

Thanks James. Wonder if you can get white/Blue light headlamps then. So they at least match the dipped beam?

 

[quattrojames]

Thanks James. Wonder if you can get white/Blue light headlamps then. So they at least match the dipped beam?

I have a set of THESE in my main beams and they match the HID's very well, note they are 100w so if that worries you go for the 55w's

 

[golf]

Without getting too technical, it is incorrect to say that lower Kelvin lights are brighter that higher K. The K value is the colour temperature in degrees Kelvin, and more affects the percevied colour of the light, rather than the brightness.

Full article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_temperature

If we are referring to HID's then the lower colour temperature (measured in kelvins) then the brighter and whiter the light. 4300k bulbs produce the most useable light:

4100-4300K = 3200 lumens (bulbs fitted as OEM equipment by ALL manufacturers as this is the brightest)
5000K= 3000 lumens
6000K= 2400 lumens
7000K= ~1800 lumens
8000K= ~1500 lumens (ridiculously blue, and not much more light than halogen just a lot more glare)

 

[Ronniebiggs]

Thanks James will be buying them on payday:thumbsup: