So here is some updated information on headlights, prompted by another users comments to stay away from HID conversions from mrjung (he was correct).
1) HID retrofit kits are no longer legal for sale as of August 2003. Sellers may be fined $5000 per day for offering them for sale. Aside from that, there are some real problems with conversion kits, even those that have the filament in the proper position. Essentially, HID lamps emit light in a different radiation patter than regular incadecent bulbs. This leads to sever spotting in conversion lamps that were not designed for HID bulbs in the first place. Also HID lamps that are designed for the bulbs from the start are designed for a broader flatter beam (mind you I am ignoring the superior Europeon lighting standards and focusing on the US standards). For some great information, check out these two websites www.hidforum.com and http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/216460 . The bottom line is the consensus is to forget doing an HID conversion using the stock lenses.
2) Lights like piaa Ultrabrightblindyoublues, are a waste of money. Any blue bulb is a waste of money and there is no such thing as 55w=110w, all this is playing with the filament and measurments, the bulbs do not have higher lumens output. BTW, ALL FACTORY HID LAMPS are 4100k lights. HID lamps are only manufactured in 4100K and 5000k (for replacement). Any other color temp HID lamp is either tinted or falsely advertised.
So what do you do?
1) As others have said, first get voltage to your bulbs. Get the Slee wiring harness. Here is an explanation from Daniel Stern Lighting as to why:
"In many cases, the thin factory wires are inadequate even for the stock headlamp equipment. Headlamp bulb light output is severely compromised with decreased voltage. For example, normal engine-running voltage in a "12-volt" automotive electrical system is around 13.5 volts. At approximately this voltage, halogen headlamp bulbs achieve 100 percent of their design luminous output. When operating voltage drops to 95 percent (12.825v), headlamp bulbs produce only 83 percent of their rated light output. When voltage drops to 90 percent (12.15v), bulb output is only 67 percent of what it should be. And when voltage drops to 85 percent (11.475v), bulb output is a paltry 53 percent of normal! [Source: Hella KG Hueck AG, Germany]. It is much more common than you might think for factory headlamp wiring/switch setups to produce this kind of voltage drop, especially once they're no longer brand new and the connections have accumulated some corrosion and dirt."
2) Upgrade the Bulbs. Stock the lamps on the LC put out the following light (these are max numbers):
HB4 (9006) 55watts 1100 lumens
HB3 (9005) 65watts 1900 lumens
For comparision here is the spec for all HID lamps:
D1S ~35watts 3200lumens
So what are the options for upgrades. First, you can get the 9006 80 watt bulbs and 9005 100 watt bulbs from rallylights.com. I spoke with them recently and they informed me that Hella has stopped the manufacture of the high output bulbs in Korea due to quality issues (no crap!!!!) and they are awaiting deliverly of German bulbs (thank God). I have been unable to find output listings for the 80/100 bulbs but would estimate with the wiring harness they are about 2000-2500 lumens.
Say you don't want to do the wiring harness (or like my Wife's BMW, she won't put up with it), or you don't want to replace bulbs all the time, what are your options? They are called HIR bulbs as other have discussed in the past. There are sold by John Deere and Slee Off Road has them under the IPF brand. You can also get them from daniel stern lighting for $39 each. The information on the HIR bulbs from Daniel Stern is:
The new bulbs are not some tinted or overwattage version of 9005 and 9006,
but rather employ a relatively new technology called HIR, Halogen
Infrared. The mechanical dimensions of the bulb are all virtually
identical to the 9005 and 9006 bulbs, but the bulb glass is spherical
instead of tubular, with the sphere centered around the filament. There is
a "Durable IR Reflective" coating on the spherical glass. Infrared = heat,
so the coating causes heat to be reflected back to the filament at the
center of the sphere. This causes the filament to become much hotter
(producing more light) than it can by passing electricity through it,
*without* the shorter life or greater heat production that comes with
overwattage bulbs (to say nothing of overwattage bulbs' incompatibility
with stock wiring.)
Here's the comparison:
Low beam stock: 9006, 12.8V, 55W, 1000 lumens
Low beam new: HIR2, 12.8V, 55W, 1875 lumens
High beam stock: 9005, 12.8V, 65W, 1700 lumens
High beam new: HIR1, 12.8V, 65W, 2530 lumens
So you're looking at nearly 88 percent more light from the low beams and a
grand total of 137% more light (49% of which from the high beam units, 88%
of which from the low beams, which may be wired to remain on with the high
beams) on high beam. The beam pattern will not change, but there will be
considerably more light within the beam pattern.
Now, it's not a problem to use HIR1 in any high beam that takes 9005. High
beams are by definition difficult to make too intense. If there's anyone
in front of you to object to glare, you should be using LOW beams. There
is a low-beam HIR bulb, but it must be used with discretion. The HIR2 (low
beam bulb) produces 1875 lumens. That's about 88 percent more light than a
9006, so it must only be used in low beams that have, as part of their
design, excellent control of upward stray light. If the low beam pattern
doesn't have a sharp horizontal cutoff at the top of the beam, if there's
appreciable upward stray light above horizontal, you will produce
excessive glare and get excessive backdazzle with HIR2s.
These bulbs are spendy - $39/ea - but their cost is worth considering in
context: Any number of companies will charge you more than this for a
tarted-up 9005 or 9006 with blue colored glass (PIAA comes to mind) that
doesn't produce more light and has a very short lifespan.
The HIR bulbs have a double-wide top ear on the plastic bulb base, this is
to comply with the law requiring different bulbs to have different bases.
The extra-wide plastic top ear is easily trimmed or filed to make the bulb
fit your headlamp's bulb receptacle. Once that's done, they go directly
into the headlamp, and the existing sockets snap on.
More information on the HIR bulbs can be found at:
http://www.gelighting.com/na/litlib/hir1techsheet1.html
I am awaiting a pair of these for my Wife's BMW and will report back how they work with the stock harness.
Finally, a personal note. Remember it is not how much light you need under good conditions but under bad conditions. Last night was I driving back from Reno to the SF Bay Area on Hwy 80. It was raining hard and dark up in the mountains. I have 80/100 bulbs with a harness (well right now 1 80 and 1 55 due to bulb burnout). I was going around a sweeping turn, and suddnely, I could not see where the road was going, the line or anything else due to paving lines being worn off, road spray and heavy rain. I hit the high beams, and I could see everything. It is when this happens that the investment is worth every penny. Bottom line, you need light when it dark, wet and crummy conditions.
Cary
1) HID retrofit kits are no longer legal for sale as of August 2003. Sellers may be fined $5000 per day for offering them for sale. Aside from that, there are some real problems with conversion kits, even those that have the filament in the proper position. Essentially, HID lamps emit light in a different radiation patter than regular incadecent bulbs. This leads to sever spotting in conversion lamps that were not designed for HID bulbs in the first place. Also HID lamps that are designed for the bulbs from the start are designed for a broader flatter beam (mind you I am ignoring the superior Europeon lighting standards and focusing on the US standards). For some great information, check out these two websites www.hidforum.com and http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/216460 . The bottom line is the consensus is to forget doing an HID conversion using the stock lenses.
2) Lights like piaa Ultrabrightblindyoublues, are a waste of money. Any blue bulb is a waste of money and there is no such thing as 55w=110w, all this is playing with the filament and measurments, the bulbs do not have higher lumens output. BTW, ALL FACTORY HID LAMPS are 4100k lights. HID lamps are only manufactured in 4100K and 5000k (for replacement). Any other color temp HID lamp is either tinted or falsely advertised.
So what do you do?
1) As others have said, first get voltage to your bulbs. Get the Slee wiring harness. Here is an explanation from Daniel Stern Lighting as to why:
"In many cases, the thin factory wires are inadequate even for the stock headlamp equipment. Headlamp bulb light output is severely compromised with decreased voltage. For example, normal engine-running voltage in a "12-volt" automotive electrical system is around 13.5 volts. At approximately this voltage, halogen headlamp bulbs achieve 100 percent of their design luminous output. When operating voltage drops to 95 percent (12.825v), headlamp bulbs produce only 83 percent of their rated light output. When voltage drops to 90 percent (12.15v), bulb output is only 67 percent of what it should be. And when voltage drops to 85 percent (11.475v), bulb output is a paltry 53 percent of normal! [Source: Hella KG Hueck AG, Germany]. It is much more common than you might think for factory headlamp wiring/switch setups to produce this kind of voltage drop, especially once they're no longer brand new and the connections have accumulated some corrosion and dirt."
2) Upgrade the Bulbs. Stock the lamps on the LC put out the following light (these are max numbers):
HB4 (9006) 55watts 1100 lumens
HB3 (9005) 65watts 1900 lumens
For comparision here is the spec for all HID lamps:
D1S ~35watts 3200lumens
So what are the options for upgrades. First, you can get the 9006 80 watt bulbs and 9005 100 watt bulbs from rallylights.com. I spoke with them recently and they informed me that Hella has stopped the manufacture of the high output bulbs in Korea due to quality issues (no crap!!!!) and they are awaiting deliverly of German bulbs (thank God). I have been unable to find output listings for the 80/100 bulbs but would estimate with the wiring harness they are about 2000-2500 lumens.
Say you don't want to do the wiring harness (or like my Wife's BMW, she won't put up with it), or you don't want to replace bulbs all the time, what are your options? They are called HIR bulbs as other have discussed in the past. There are sold by John Deere and Slee Off Road has them under the IPF brand. You can also get them from daniel stern lighting for $39 each. The information on the HIR bulbs from Daniel Stern is:
The new bulbs are not some tinted or overwattage version of 9005 and 9006,
but rather employ a relatively new technology called HIR, Halogen
Infrared. The mechanical dimensions of the bulb are all virtually
identical to the 9005 and 9006 bulbs, but the bulb glass is spherical
instead of tubular, with the sphere centered around the filament. There is
a "Durable IR Reflective" coating on the spherical glass. Infrared = heat,
so the coating causes heat to be reflected back to the filament at the
center of the sphere. This causes the filament to become much hotter
(producing more light) than it can by passing electricity through it,
*without* the shorter life or greater heat production that comes with
overwattage bulbs (to say nothing of overwattage bulbs' incompatibility
with stock wiring.)
Here's the comparison:
Low beam stock: 9006, 12.8V, 55W, 1000 lumens
Low beam new: HIR2, 12.8V, 55W, 1875 lumens
High beam stock: 9005, 12.8V, 65W, 1700 lumens
High beam new: HIR1, 12.8V, 65W, 2530 lumens
So you're looking at nearly 88 percent more light from the low beams and a
grand total of 137% more light (49% of which from the high beam units, 88%
of which from the low beams, which may be wired to remain on with the high
beams) on high beam. The beam pattern will not change, but there will be
considerably more light within the beam pattern.
Now, it's not a problem to use HIR1 in any high beam that takes 9005. High
beams are by definition difficult to make too intense. If there's anyone
in front of you to object to glare, you should be using LOW beams. There
is a low-beam HIR bulb, but it must be used with discretion. The HIR2 (low
beam bulb) produces 1875 lumens. That's about 88 percent more light than a
9006, so it must only be used in low beams that have, as part of their
design, excellent control of upward stray light. If the low beam pattern
doesn't have a sharp horizontal cutoff at the top of the beam, if there's
appreciable upward stray light above horizontal, you will produce
excessive glare and get excessive backdazzle with HIR2s.
These bulbs are spendy - $39/ea - but their cost is worth considering in
context: Any number of companies will charge you more than this for a
tarted-up 9005 or 9006 with blue colored glass (PIAA comes to mind) that
doesn't produce more light and has a very short lifespan.
The HIR bulbs have a double-wide top ear on the plastic bulb base, this is
to comply with the law requiring different bulbs to have different bases.
The extra-wide plastic top ear is easily trimmed or filed to make the bulb
fit your headlamp's bulb receptacle. Once that's done, they go directly
into the headlamp, and the existing sockets snap on.
More information on the HIR bulbs can be found at:
http://www.gelighting.com/na/litlib/hir1techsheet1.html
I am awaiting a pair of these for my Wife's BMW and will report back how they work with the stock harness.
Finally, a personal note. Remember it is not how much light you need under good conditions but under bad conditions. Last night was I driving back from Reno to the SF Bay Area on Hwy 80. It was raining hard and dark up in the mountains. I have 80/100 bulbs with a harness (well right now 1 80 and 1 55 due to bulb burnout). I was going around a sweeping turn, and suddnely, I could not see where the road was going, the line or anything else due to paving lines being worn off, road spray and heavy rain. I hit the high beams, and I could see everything. It is when this happens that the investment is worth every penny. Bottom line, you need light when it dark, wet and crummy conditions.
Cary
), I figured that I'd go with the Slee upgraded 9006/9005 harness and auxilary harness. I have tried the PIAA bulbs and Hellas, with mediocre success, and alot of burned out bulbs. Especially the PIAA's in my wifes New Beetle, cause they're a B!tch to change. 
