The power consumption is irrelevant given that most of the output is heat rather than light. The light output, however, is higher from the discharge type because of higher efficiency.
Unfortunately, the laws in this country on allowable headlamp output didn't realise that light outputs per watt would improve over the years.
But the number of people who fit none-self-levelling HID kits to their cars is *TINY*. There is zero chance of legislation being introduced.
So ?
Your local MOT tester doesn't remove all the bulbs to check for E-marks !
As Ronny said, he doesn't get flashed, and he passes the MOT light-ouput test just fine.
Maybe water pressurised, but a plastic gear to keep them centred and to slow the movement so the whole light gets sprayed as it goes up and down.
That ROCKS !
They're almost always pressure operated.
Only for a manufacturer making a new car.
Once you've bought it, you're free to add/remove things as you see fit.
There isn't one.
The legislation will be changed to measure the actual light output allowed with and without self levelling.
Not that it will make any difference to some anyway.
The light test is to measure how level your lights are, and mine passes this fine every year, if it failed then in theory I could just remove the bulbs as it takes around 2 mins to do and refit halogens.
So its not actually a light output test, just to check if the lights are blinding other roadusers, and apparently mine are ok.
well if they did that it'll go in with xenon bulbs and come out with HID's back in no doubt? :)
bit like my MR2 turbo will be going for an MOT with cat converter and coming out with a nur spec and decat pipe hopefully ;)
Until you hit a bump. With your blinding lights. That's why the law requires self levelling with this type of device.
But what do you care anyway?
The MOT guy sticks some sort of optical box infront of your headlights with a target on the top. The light has to be both bright, and focussed on the middle of target. My first car failed because one of the reflectors had tarnished - the light showing up on top of the box was about as bright as a candle :)
Any damage to the reflector will show up on the beam pattern - or lack of it. As will some after market high wattage bulbs - again by poor beam pattern, as the filament isn't optimised for that reflector. As is the case with simply replacing a halogen with an HID bubble. The two should be designed for one another.
But an MOT light alignment tester doesn't measure the actual light output.
MisterJung's HID kits *are* designed for a halogen reflector ! See his site. If they weren't, then the final result wouldn't be much use !!
Why are you so anti-HID ? Clearly they're a good thing. The more light you can get onto the road, the better. I personally run 100w bulbs in my car for this very reason - stock 60w bulbs are a waste of time.
Right - so as I said, there IS an "MOT light-output test". Granted, it doesn't give you a brightness in lumens or anything, but that's not relevent. When I said Ronny "passes the MOT light-output test just fine", I was simply referring to the fact that his HID lights must be aligned properly - otherwise he'd have failed !
And those will cause excessive dazzle too - which is why they're illegal.
I'm not against HID lamps - provided they are fitted with auto levelling as required by law in this country.
Oh - and having just driven some 150 miles this evening after dark on a mixture of unlit country roads and motorways, I didn't fine the output from standard 55 watt dip beams in the least bit lacking. Unless the lights were adjusted upwards, more powerful lamps wouldn't light any further ahead due to the sharp cutoff. If you have problems with decent 55 watt units, you'd be best to have your eyes tested.
You really don't listen do you. The MOT only tests a static car - not under real driving conditions where the lights don't stay parallel to the road due to the vehicle pitching.
100watt bulbs aren't illegal on the road in all cars.
Only those produced after a certain date, because of the lack of E marking. They were also a Saab dealer recommended retro fit in Scandinavia in the '80s, particularly on the earlier 900 and 99 models
Imagine you are driving down a country road, someone comes along and 'claims' they are blinded by your lights and crashes into a tree injuring their passenger. You stop. They sue you, your insurance will cover you you think, they claim you blinded them with your lights. Your insurance company inspects your car, undeclared light modification using non type approved parts. Your MOT certificate isn't worth squat as it only states that on the day of the MOT your lights meet the MOT standard. You are on your own....kiss good buy to your worldly possessions...house...car....
Will
But surely a self-levelling system would have its limits, wouldn't it?
i.e. if it was a really bumpy road then surely the self-levelling system would have trouble keeping up, wouldn't it?
Peter
Depends entirely how it's achieved. It's possible to use 'mirrors' to deflect the beam, and these could react quickly enough for all circumstances. And there are other possibilities.
To avoid dazzle, the power of the light isn't the main thing. It's avoiding the full power of that light from hitting the eyes of an on coming driver through whatever means. Careful control of the beam pattern is one, and control of the aim under all circumstances is the other.
How the bloody hell am I going to dazzle anyone with my full-beam ?!?!?
Do you leave yours on when there's traffic ahead of you or something ?!?!?
Dip beam ? What ?
Why would you spend hundreds of pounds on a HID kit to improve your dip beam, when you already have a full-beam function to increase light output ?
What relevence does that have ? If your 55w dip-beam bulbs don't dazzle people before you've got your HID kit fitted, then they're not gonna dazzla people AFTER you've had your HID kit fitted ! Making the main beam brighter, doesn't have any effect on the dip-beam !
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