[urq] HIDS

[Steve Eiche]

Well, yes, there is a reason not put them on the brights.  HID ballasts and bulbs don't like to be turned on and off rapidly, which you would do if you "flash to pass".  The new Audis with "bixenon" HIDs use one bulb with a movable shutter that changes from low to high.  The dedicated high beam is still a halogen bulb, which can survive the flash.  If you don't flash to pass, then an HID high beam would be great.

I don't like the idea of the "dual bulb" H4s that use two HID capsules for the above reason as well as the fact that the two bulbs cannot be positioned properly due to the nature of the HID capsule. On a true H4 bulb, the high and low beam filaments are coaxial, which is not true of the dual bulb HID. Some of the HID kits that you can find now use a motor or solenoid to move the bulb so that the capsule is in the proper position for low and high beam.  So, when you go from low to high beam the bulb moves without turning off the capsule.    

To me, the ideal HID H4 replacement would be the motor/solenoid equipped, single bulb unit with 4300k color temperature.  You MIGHT go to 6000k if you want a little more blue (I don't, I would rather have the extra brightness of the 4300k bulbs), but you definitely do not want more than 6000k.  I drove an ur quattro with 10000k bulbs, and they were awful.  The light was an eye-straining purple and did not provide even as much light as a halogen.

YMMV.

Steve


Brandon wrote:

Cool thanks.

Is there a decent reason NOT to do the brights too?  Other than another
$200 on high beams that aren't used as often....

Brandon
'84 ur