My Current and future modifications...

Raj · Post by **Raj** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 11:45 pm

[quote="kkodal78"]
I'll try and see if i can use a 35w bulb with 75w ballast. Have a few H1 and H7 hid kits with 35W. I can sacrifice one of the bulbs to see if handles the current from 75W.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk
[/quote]

You'll find that nearly all hid kit bulbs are actually rated upto 60w as its these days far simpler to do that than have specific bulbs per different kits.

After looking into it further I have found that in all the kits offered it is the ballast that provides the increased supply required to produce the extra lumens (brightness). What the increased wattage ballast will do though is shorten the life of the bulb (as to be expected).

So it does confirm that if we just upgrade the oe ballast to a 55w one for example, then the crappy oe lights will be sorted.

kkodal78 · Post by **kkodal78** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 11:47 pm

So oe bulb would not handle 75w?

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storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:13 am

[quote="kkodal78"]
So oe bulb would not handle 75w?

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk
[/quote]

Maybe a giant ARC for few glorious seconds

)

)...try it on November 5th

Aren't the bulbs "struck" at startup like you do with Arc welders with a bit more oomph? Mine look way bright for milliseconds then die off a bit then warm up and get brighter...maybe not as bright as the first strike

Raj · Post by **Raj** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 12:48 pm

[quote="storminmike"]
[quote="kkodal78"]
So oe bulb would not handle 75w?

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk
[/quote]

Maybe a giant ARC for few glorious seconds

)

)...try it on November 5th

Aren't the bulbs "struck" at startup like you do with Arc welders with a bit more oomph? Mine look way bright for milliseconds then die off a bit then warm up and get brighter...maybe not as bright as the first strike
[/quote]

Yep from what I've now learnt. Apparently a huge 20,000v which then turns to a steady 85v is required to initially ignite and then maintain the hid bulb.

Raj · Post by **Raj** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 12:49 pm

[quote="kkodal78"]
So oe bulb would not handle 75w?

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk
[/quote]

Possibly not or for only a very short period. All the research I've been doing is around 35w and 55w kits which all seem to use the same bulbs tbh. I'm considering 55w ballasts.

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 9:24 pm

[quote="kkodal78"]
I'll try and see if i can use a 35w bulb with 75w ballast. Have a few H1 and H7 hid kits with 35W. I can sacrifice one of the bulbs to see if handles the current from 75W.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk
[/quote]

any news on the TEST yet?

some u tube comparisons on ballasts....hmmm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0etj9m2K6A

Raj · Post by **Raj** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:27 pm

[quote="storminmike"]
[quote="kkodal78"]
I'll try and see if i can use a 35w bulb with 75w ballast. Have a few H1 and H7 hid kits with 35W. I can sacrifice one of the bulbs to see if handles the current from 75W.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk
[/quote]

any news on the TEST yet?

some u tube comparisons on ballasts....hmmm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0etj9m2K6A
[/quote]

I saw that and a couple of other you tube clips. I spoke to the guys at hids direct about it. They obviously said it would be very difficult to just replace the ballasts and said it would be better to upgrade to a full kit. They also said it may be worth just getting standard halogen projector headlights to fit their kit to as they only had H7 bulb kits. I've seen a few that actually use D2 oe bulbs so would be a direct fit in my xenon headlights.

I'm still of the opinion that I should be able to just hardwire a replacement 55w ballast in place.

I've just acquired my next retrofit/mod for the X5 to fit first anyway then will concentrate on the xenons.

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:37 pm

[quote="Raj"]
[quote="storminmike"]
[quote="kkodal78"]
I'll try and see if i can use a 35w bulb with 75w ballast. Have a few H1 and H7 hid kits with 35W. I can sacrifice one of the bulbs to see if handles the current from 75W.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk
[/quote]

any news on the TEST yet?

some u tube comparisons on ballasts....hmmm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0etj9m2K6A
[/quote]

I saw that and a couple of other you tube clips. I spoke to the guys at hids direct about it. They obviously said it would be very difficult to just replace the ballasts and said it would be better to upgrade to a full kit. They also said it may be worth just getting standard halogen projector headlights to fit their kit to as they only had H7 bulb kits. I've seen a few that actually use D2 oe bulbs so would be a direct fit in my xenon headlights.

I'm still of the opinion that I should be able to just hardwire a replacement 55w ballast in place.

I've just acquired my next retrofit/mod for the X5 to fit first anyway then will concentrate on the xenons.
[/quote]

Depends on your starting point I suppose. For me it may already be easier as I run a 35w kit with H7 and from what I've seen the plugs on the kits look mostly the same. No doubt some outfit overseas supplier that has created a "standard" (

) for kit plugs. For those with OE it may be a bit trickier.

I've never seen OE under the hood

Can you scotchlock 20,000v

)

)........fizz

Raj · Post by **Raj** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:46 pm

[quote="storminmike"]
Depends on your starting point I suppose. For me it may already be easier as I run a 35w kit with H7 and from what I've seen the plugs on the kits look mostly the same. No doubt some outfit overseas supplier that has created a "standard" (

) for kit plugs. For those with OE it may be a bit trickier.

I've never seen OE under the hood
[/quote]

Agreed. If your already running a hid kit then it's easy. Just plug and play a 55w ballast in place of the 35w and job done.

[quote="storminmike"]
Can you scotchlock 20,000v

)

)........fizz
[/quote]

PMSL....

)

kkodal78 · Post by **kkodal78** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 2:23 pm

Received the new ballasts yesterday and will be installing them on Monday. Still 75w but it will be housed where the oem one was.
By the way I am very happy with the light output from 75w kit.

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 2:46 pm

I may be getting mixed messages with these posts but just to make sure we're all looking at things the same way.....

A 75W Bulb will draw 75W off it's power supply (ballast) - so needs a ballast that can handle the 75W load the bulb places upon it.

A 35W bulb will only draw a 35W load off a 75W ballast so should work just fine, but a 75W bulb will overload a 35W OE ballast, or possibly fail to strike. The bulbs will look identical - as do a 40/60/100W domestic lamp, or even a 50/55/85/100W H4 car bulb does. It's the filaments and arc gaps that are different. Bigger arc gap = more current required to strike and then sustain the arc in the plasma generated by the initial arc strike = bigger ballast needed. At least I think that's what my electronics theory is telling me (I learned it a looooonggg time ago) :-[

Richard

kkodal78 · Post by **kkodal78** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:30 pm

Now that I have a spare set of ballasts I am actually going to try that to see if a 35w bulb can handle the current from 75w ballast. Hopefully Monday or Tuesday I will have some idea about it. From previous posts it was said that 35w bulb can only handle upto 55w so we'll see if that's the case.

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 8:43 pm

[quote="kkodal78"]
Now that I have a spare set of ballasts I am actually going to try that to see if a 35w bulb can handle the current from 75w ballast. Hopefully Monday or Tuesday I will have some idea about it. From previous posts it was said that 35w bulb can only handle upto 55w so we'll see if that's the case.
[/quote]

We await the conclusions.....If I spot a blinding flash or 3 wise men heading your way we'll know it was a success

kkodal78 · Post by **kkodal78** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 4:10 pm

I have swapped the ballasts to see if my auto headlight is effected by the new ballasts and they work as they should with the new ballasts. I am happier that I don't have to play with the switch anymore. I am going to try the 35w bulbs tomorrow to see if it can handle the 75w ballasts. And of course I have to mount these ballasts underneath the headlight assembly where the oem one came out of.

kkodal78 · Post by **kkodal78** » Sat Nov 24, 2012 2:18 pm

Sorry for delay but I dropped off X at my Indy on Monday to get the cam cover gasket replaced and there was a slow leak on front tyres. He than found out that n/s front axle dust cover was ripped so replaced that as well. And of course the bonnet cable broke when he was trying to open it so that was replaced as well. After £378 I picked up the X last night. Will try to fiddle with the xenons within the next few days.
Also having some PDC issues. Indy looked at but could not find anything faulty. All sensors working. But when I back out of the driveway it sounds solid and pisses me off from front side. And the PDC light keeps flashing. Any ideas?

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