By Punchy325 on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 03:57 pm: Edit

Anyone know much about the Xexon HID lightbulbs (headlamp replacement) that are all over E-bay???

By Discosaurus (Discosaurus) on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 04:00 pm: Edit

rice rocket wanna be racer lights

By Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 04:52 pm: Edit

Oh well, say no more, its all cleared up now.

Dean

By Danno on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 05:24 pm: Edit

i'll confess...i put a bid on a set just for shit's and grins WTF, the ones i bid on have a 10yr warranty on them if they dim or go out. i've changed the bulbs on my 96 two times in the last 4 years. but i would never spend the $69 that they are selling them for on their websites.

if i'm the winning bidder, i'll post before/after pic's

By gp (Garrett) on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 10:01 am: Edit

i did buy some xenon bulbs on ebay. they are not the blue ones that you seen on the low riders cruising around. xenon bulbs are more of a bright white and i have to say that i do really like them. i too thought they could possible be cheesy as all hell. but when compared to the yellow halogen lamps there is no comparison. the xenon's have better range and the white light has better depth i think. i got mine on ebay for like $25 or so for the set. have had them on for a year and they are great. have a 2 or 3 year warranty as well. looking to get the xenon 100 watt bulbs for my hella 2000's now. they make them in the 55 watt lights i know for sure. looking for 100 or 130 watts. my .02 cents.

ps: mine are not the HID's. just the standard xenon bulbs.

By tenacstud on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 10:12 am: Edit

I bought some of those Xeon bulbs also for my disco. After I purchased them a kid here at work told me they are illegal in most states and he has been pulled over twice for having them. I decided to risk it, it passed inspection and I havent been pulled over once. The other thing I read is that in snow and rain they are not nearly as effective as halogen. I guess the light in the xeon's disperse in rain and snow, whereas halogen keeps a tight beam. I will look for the article I read and post it.

By tenacstud on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 10:19 am: Edit

Here is the link to that article regarding the HID's http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/info/bulbs/

By Tom P. on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 10:38 am: Edit

Danno,

What bulbs are you running? I'd check your brand/source. I'm still stock on my 96 Disco - original bulbs!!!

Tom Proctor
96 Disco

By gp (Garrett) on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 10:38 am: Edit

again i don't have the HID's so i cannot really speak for them, but i would imagine that the engineers at Porsche, BMW and MB know what they are doing. maybe i should not assume this, but from what i have seen they certainly have a better lighting pattern and are defnitely a brighter light. it seems that the worlds best auto engineers would have a pretty good reason to be using HID lights.
also my xenon bulbs are the superwhites. they DO make a difference. i have yet to see what they are like in the snow and will report back here if they do suck. but so far i am very happy with them. i am a very skeptical person when it comes to gimiky stuff like this on ebay, but i was very suprised. what can i say......i like 'em.

By Discosaurus (Discosaurus) on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 11:31 am: Edit

""Oh well, say no more, its all cleared up now.""

hehehe

No, really. I thought you guys were talking about those blue bulb things - you know, the one that makes your 82 Toyota look like it's running modern xenon's ? They have been proven to have little value. Actually, in tests I've seen, done with light meters, those blue bulbs actually put out LESS light then standard OEM bulbs.

Note there is a difference between Xenon and Halogen bulbs. Xenon bulbs are commonly refered to as HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlights and require a high voltage power source. These are commonly found on higher tier auto's and can also be bought aftermarket. Hella has their 4000HID series which cost about $600 EACH. When first turned on, they cast a very blue light which quickly becomes brighter white (but still contains much more higher frequency blue light then halogens).

Halogens are, well, halogens and are used in most modern cars, replacing the old 'sealed beam' lamps.

keith
discosaurus

By Discosaurus (Discosaurus) on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 11:39 am: Edit

...BTW, that link tenacstud posted has some really good info. It's a must read before you screw with your lamps...

Thanks !!

keith
discosaurus

By Matt Milbrandt (95discovery) on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 02:58 pm: Edit

I put some "Xenon" bulbs in my mother's Cadillac, she says she can see better. Anyway, for shits and giggles I put it next to my uncles CL, there was no comparison between the light from the Cadillac and the light from the Mercedes. The real HIDs made the bulbs look like candles.

Matt

By Rich Lee on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 10:34 pm: Edit

Sylvania is the US distributor for Osram bulbs. Osram is one of the pioneers in halogen lighting and a serios bulb manufacturer with a reputation for quality products. They make two upgraded H-4 55/65 watt bulbs that replace the originals in the Disco. The first one is called "Cool Blue" it is actually a brighter white than OEM and not a real "blue" like the poseur bulbs. It is DOT approved. It is filled with a mixture of iodine and xenon gas that allows the fillament to burn a little brighter. The bulb glass also has a vey slight blue tint to it. Compared side-by-side to a new OEM bulb, the light "looks" brighter and my wife (who has bad night vision) swears that they are far better, with less eyestrain. She runs these in her 91 Rangie with Hella E-code european headlamps, a HUGE improvement over the stock Rangie lights.

I am currently running the Sylvania/Osram "Vision Plus" 55/65 watt H4 bulbs in my Disco. They are also supposed to be filled with the xenon/Iodine gas mixture, under higher pressure and with a different fillament winding. I chose these because I like the "warmer" (more yellow) color "temperature" of these bulbs, particularly in dense fog since they have less glare than the "Cool Blues" particularly with the larger Disco headlights that don't have as sharp of a beam pattern as the european E-code lights.
If you read the info on the HID site, you will see that "blue-er" in not always better.

Sylvania/Osram claims these have a 25% gain in light output over the OEM H-4s and I am much inclined to agree with them. Side-by-side, they are clearly brighter than new OEM 55/65watt H-4s, even with the same color "temperature".

If you want more light from your OEM headlights, I would strongly recommend either of these bulbs as a first step. You can get either the "Vision Plus" or "Cool Blue" bulbs at any Kragen/Grand Auto stores or Pep Boys gfor about $14-$16/ea. You can also get the Osram boxed version of the "Cool Blues" from Ken Beard (great guy) at Susquehana Motorsports for about $22/PAIR (look in the "Vendors" links).

If you want MORE light from your headlamps, go to an aftermarket high-wattage harness that runs the main headlamp current through bigger wires and extra relays instead of the headlight switch (or make your own harness). I did this after rebuilding my headlamp switch which had gone "intermittent" due to accumulated dust in the contacts. Those contacts are WIMPY! I would not run any more current through them than you have to. ONLY after you go with the aux harness would I recommend going to mega-wattage (100/130, etc)H-4 bulbs. Persomally, I would rather put the same extra wattage behind more reflectors and lenses of your choice (Hella/Lightforce/PIAA/IPF/whatever).

Good Luck,

RL

By Frode H�bertz Haaland (Discofrode) on Friday, October 19, 2001 - 09:17 am: Edit

Osram has two upgraded bulbs:
+30% and +50%
The +30s are checked and validated by motorists organizations giving superior light over standard H4. They double the price from standard H4
Have not seen any tests on the +50% yet, but I suspect they work pretty good. They double the price again from +30s...
Same thing goes for both: Same release of thermal energy, which I myself would be concerned of if running 100/130W - BUT Disco-owners claim running them for years without burning the reflectors. This means that for a few bucks you can get more light without interfering any system or running any dangers.
As for upgrading the loom/re-relaying, Roman (Polandrover.com) experienced the MFU **cking up when doing it. If it can be done (as on older vehicles), you get substantially more light over standard. I had a 0.9volt drop from battery to left hand headlight. 1 volt drop translates into 50% less light. See Ottos pages.

Roverly Yours, Frode

http://home.halden.net/discovery

By Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) on Friday, October 19, 2001 - 10:17 am: Edit

Wait wait wait....

There is some confusion here. There are two entirely different types of xenon light.

1. High pressure xenon-filled filament lights, such as the ipf, piaas, itc. They cost around 30-50 bucks each. The filament is surrounded by super-dense high pressure xenon (an inert element) which stops the metal from boiling off so fast (like a pressure cooker, i guess) and allows the filament to run at a higher temp (and thus whiter color).

2. Xenon discharge tubes (or HID, high intensity discharge). No filament, just a very high voltage across a low-pressure xenon gas cavity. THESE COST MAJOR BUCKS. They sell them for like $700 per spot light, and these are the ones found on beamers and benzes. They are much more efficient and longer lasting, and have a very distinct blue light to them, not just white.

Both types are cool. But a set of 8 HID spots at RN will set you back a cooler $6400!!!

Dean

By Nathan Crabtree (Nathan) on Friday, October 19, 2001 - 10:46 am: Edit

I put a set of 80W-100W blubs in my Discovery and they do great. They are the ones that they use in the UK. They say for off road use only. If anybody want a set let me know. The price is $23.00 a set. E-mail me if you are interested.

Thanks
Nathan

By randall phelps (Randall) on Sunday, October 21, 2001 - 10:42 pm: Edit

i bought the H4 Xenon Super White bulbs from Kyoto via ebay, for 20 a pair. These really look great too! I can see a good 50% further in the dark than i could with my stock bulbs, and believe it or not, everything is a heck of a lot clearer and crisper. They don't seem to disperse in the rain either. The super whites have a slightly bluish tint to them, which mimicks HID performance (note that true HID costs a hell o f alot more than 20 a pair!) I was skeptical too when i ordered them, but i can't say anything but good things about them now (except that it took forever for the shipment to arrive, but with all the anthr*x scares going on, you gotta figure things are slow at the post office). i'd reccoment anyone to give em a try. They give your Disco the pricey HID look, and significantly improve your visibility, for less than stock replacement bulbs!

you can check kyoto out at www.kyotousa.com