When you take a H7 projector, and install a hacked together shonky bulb
If thats in reference to a bulb from a reputable HID supplier i think it's a bit unfair.
When you take a H7 projector, and install a hacked together shonky bulb
i maybe wrong in this but i think you will find its just the uk the are illegal not europ mate
Fair enough (and this is not directed at anyone here) but if audi had made the lights on the B6 half way decent there wouldnt be a need for after market HIDsMost people get away with it here in the UK too, but that doesnt change the fact that its illegal.
As already said the A4s projector lamps give the exact same pattern as a OEM xenons so how is it dazzling anyone when set up to MOT specifications on a beam setterAnd the reason its illegal is that its not "safe" if your dazzling other motorists with the glare from your converted headlamps! Safety is more than just about you being able to see slightly further up the road.
my argument is that retro fit well set up in projectors is no worse than oem .
Just picked this thread up after being away for a few days,
I also ordered a kit from HIDsdirect and the ballasts did NOT fit in the OEM section under the light unit, they stuck out about 5mm...
As there is no room between the base plate and the underside of the headlamp unit, I returned them and went for a slimline kit. If you have fited these larger ones and then put your lights back in, this would explain why the beams are so low....
Personally my HID's are a massively better than my old lights, however I did also buy 2 brand new headlamp units as well....
And my point is that they cant be setup correctly.
You dont have auto levelling and washers for a start, and the bulb/projector lens alignment is nothing more than guesswork.
I can fully understand your reasoning, and have to admit i've been tempted myself because the stock lights can seem pretty crap in certain lighting, but i simply dont accept it can be done right with a conversion kit. Which is why i havent done it.
I've picked up a set of proper S4 OEM light units last month for one of my A4's and they'll be getting installed over the next few months once i've collected the parts to retrofit the washers and auto levelling at the same time. I'm on the lookout for a facelift set for the other car, but these seem rarer unfortunately
When designing the optics (lens and/or reflector) for a lamp, the characteristics of the light source are the driving factor around which everything else must be engineered.
Now, what about those "retrofit" jobs in which the beam cutoff still appears sharp? Don't be fooled; it's an error to judge a beam pattern solely by its cutoff. In many lamps, especially the projector types, the cutoff will remain the same regardless of what light source is behind it. Halogen bulb, HID capsule, cigarette lighter, firefly, hold it up to the sun—whatever. That's because of the way a projector lamp works. The cutoff is simply the projected image of a piece of metal running side-to-side behind the lens. Where the optics come in is in distributing the light under the cutoff. And, as with all other automotive lamps (and, in fact, all optical instruments), the optics are calculated based not just on where the light source is within the lamp (focal length) but also the specific photometric characteristics of the light source...which parts of it are brighter, which parts of it are darker, where the boundaries of the light source are, whether the boundaries are sharp or fuzzy, the shape of the light source, and so forth.
As above mine are slimline this is not the problem at all. The problem hopefully and the guy at HIDs direct seems to agree is that they are the wrong bulbs... just waiting to return them, then they will be fine.
And about the whole legal/illegal thing. Hate to put it bluntly, but I could not give a **** if it's illegal, I was aware it was illegal when i bought them. A4 lights are poo anyway. Correctly setup in a projector lens, they are not going to dazzle anyone.
these ones yup?
Single beam Canbus Pro HID Conversion kit - Xenon HID Headlight Upgrade Kits from HIDs DIRECT Ltd
Im so scared to fit mine now haha. Still confused how they will fit under the headlights Mine seemed to stick out loads from the light unit :\
And to everyone complaining about HID kits... drop it... its boring....
because i'm not talking about alignment of the lens with the outside world, i'm talking about the alignment of the HID burner and the lens/projector assembly, which is required to give a proper even distribution of light.
You claim they're the same, but i've had mine apart to joey mod them, and theres no mention of D2S on the projector or lens assembly. Sure the plastic casing says both, but thats just a casing.
The geometry of the HID light output is completely different to a halogen bulb, and the optics ARE different to cope with this.
Read here for more information:
Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply