Xenon Headlight conversion kit

[Trumpy]

  ZapXR6T said:

Drive with the driving lights on as well as lowbeam and you should have enough light and it will dazzle the traffic less than aftermarket Xenon's.

Sorry, brief off-thread:

They are foglights, not driving lights. Hence they are illegal to use in NSW unless there are inclemental weather conditions. This has been covered before, for more info do a search.

Back to topic:

I have arranged with Frank to do a trial fit and I will evaluate the Xenons in the XR6 T for a couple of weeks.

I will then write up an independant review to let you all know what I think. I am not getting the lights for free, and will have to return them after that time (unless I decide to buy them myself), therefor I have no motivation to sway my review either way. I will try and measure any differences between the stockies and the xenons, from both my point of view as well as oncoming traffic, and also detail the installation.

Hopefully we will be putting them in in a couple of weeks.

Matt

[DallasQLD]

Lets see how Trumpy goes. The Xenons are not designed to dazzle but they are over 50% brighter.

The WRC rally cars pioneered this technology. My interest in them stems from rally use where theyt are invaluable. Last weekend in the Rally of Canberra it was so dusty that many crews had to stop on stages because they couldnt see in the transition from day to night. This is where they are very good and the cars fitted with Xenons had a lot less trouble.

If you can't justify the money then don't bother. If you don't think they are worth the money then don't bother. If you can't afford them then don't bother. But for goodness sake don't carp on about wheather you thing they are bad value or not based upon your own view. Others may think they are great. Just like some have put on APS kits, nizpro kits, body kits and all sort of gear. Dont critisise until you have seen the results - Then as usual critisise all you like!

Many of us are car nuts and love customoising our cars. This is yet another product that we may be able to use to make our cars more enjoyable to drive.

Its one of the reasons that those blue look bulbs are so common now. We love to do it. Here is a professional way to do it and achieve a a much better result.

I only started this post to see if anyone might be interested in trying them out. I have seen the results and they are good. My car has em standard and I am mighty impressed. The XR standard lights were pretty good but they can be better and this option is one way of achieving that.

I am not being paid by XenonOz nor am I even a Customer.

Dallas

[ZAP]

Ok,

Then how about this for logic. Currently they are illegal and can affect the safety of the car.

While it is all well and good to say lets see what they are like, Trumpy is taking a risk by having them fitted. Anything could happen and cause problems.

While I am not doubting the quality of these kits, aftermarket is always riskier than OEM due to they are not engineered specificly for our cars.

Trumpy take the risk if you want, but know the consquenses.

Dallas, remember we are not bagging Xenons, your car has been designed to run them the T has not. It is not as simple as replacing a globe, the technology and operation is completly different from hallogen lights.

[Mondie]

Looking forward to your opinion Trumpy.

Be sure to take heaps of pics

[Trumpy]

Zap,

All respect to your post mate, but you were the one that suggested people drive around with their fog lights on, which is illegal.

I dont consider this to be at all risky. To suggest that OEM lights are more reliable is laughable at best. My last Late model camira had an intermittent fault where the lights would go out completely when changing from Highs to lows. Safe. Yep.

I do lots of country miles, and any light upgrade is worth it for me. The blindness that you experience when switching from high beam to low is in my opinion one of the most dangerous times driving a car, and if this can be minimised, then I am all for it.

Do you have a copy of the ADR relevant to fitting Xenon lights to a vehicle not specifically designed for it? I would be interested to read. As yet I have not seen actual proof that they are legal/ illegal or affect the safety of the vehicle in any way.

I would rather upgrade the existing lights than mount extra lights on a nudge bar (not having a go at you Jeff!) as I believe added lights like these affect pedestrian safety in a city environment. Also, if you add additional lights on a front bar, and they are above the line of the existing headlights, these too are illegal! You cant win!

I am going to contact the RTA and a friend in the NSW HWP to see what impact there is. However I am still going to trial the lights, as I believe it is unfair to criticize this without having any actual proof as to whether the upgrade is suitable to a Falcon or not.

I have stated my concerns above about the reflector / lens design ( I was the one that raised the issue) so I am aware of any implications of that. This is a trial to see the suitability of the kit to a falcon. Once I get the results, I will post them in an unbiased manner. If they are , I will tell the forum. If they are a fantastic upgrade, I will tell the forum.

Making changes to a vehicle is always a compromise between precieved illegality and the benefits from it.

I have upgraded the exhaust on my motorbike, because the extra exhaust noise has helped keep me alive in city traffic. Car drivers now know I am there, and dont try to drive over the top of me. When was the last time you saw a harley get forced out of his lane? Yes my exhaust (ie bike) is illegal. I know the risk, and will cop a fine if it ever eventuates. Because it keeps me alive.

I think that this type of change can be held in the same light (pardon the pun).

[Trumpy]

  Mondie said:

Looking forward to your opinion Trumpy.

Be sure to take heaps of pics

Thanks Mondie.

Will take a stack of pics, and plan to get some comparison shots at night to hopefully measure the improvement. Just happy that I am able to give this an independant trial, to help you guys out that are a little further away. This company are only a 40 minute drive from the 'Gong.

[ducatijb]

Sometimes these legality issues are a bit over the top IMHO

[Turbo6man]

  Trumpy said:

Zap,

All respect to your post mate, but you were the one that suggested people drive around with their fog lights on, which is illegal.

Sorry, but I can't see anywhere that Zap has stated this ...

Naturally people have differing opinions - that is acceptable as we all clearly state our reasons for forming said opinions. Just what the forum is about

However, misquoting "facts" or "statements" is unproductive at least and inflammatory at worst.

It may be that Zap was confused as to the purpose of the lower lights on the BA - he did not refer to them as fog lights so what he was suggesting was certainly not illegal in his mind - I don't think he actually has his car yet. On the AU T series the lower lights were driving lights (and they were wired through the high beam circuit) even though Ford called them fog lights. So even the manufacturer is confused.

Be that as it may, we all know the lower lights are a spread beam light and it is wired by the factory as a fog light. That is not to say that they cannot be wired to come on in conjunction with the high beams - I have actually done this on my son's ute so as to take away the shadows in front of the car when the highs are on. It is as simple as fitting an extra switch and relay and it does improve the quality of the light very noticably. It is also possible to fit driving light inserts in place of the foggies but of course the effectiveness of driving lights is reduced when placed this close to the ground. You would also have to disable the factory fog light switch if you did this.

[Turbo6man]

  Trumpy said:

Do you have a copy of the ADR relevant to fitting Xenon lights to a vehicle not specifically designed for it? I would be interested to read. As yet I have not seen actual proof that they are legal/ illegal or affect the safety of the vehicle in any way.

I would rather upgrade the existing lights than mount extra lights on a nudge bar (not having a go at you Jeff!) as I believe added lights like these affect pedestrian safety in a city environment. Also, if you add additional lights on a front bar, and they are above the line of the existing headlights, these too are illegal! You cant win!

I do have a copy of the ADRs. Without dragging it out now, I will go by memory and say that the ADRs do not mention Xenon specifically but generally talks about non-compliant lights in the terms of reference that I set out in a previous post.

It is a very long section on lighting so I will not post it here but if anyone wants it I can be PMed - just send me your email address and I'll forward any sections you need.

Mate, pedestrian safety in a city environment is always going to be an issue for someone who walks in front of a car whether there is a nudge bar and driving lights there or not

It is not true that driving lights placed above your standard headlights are illegal - there is a max legal height and I think it is 1200mm above ground, again just going from memory. Roof mounted driving lights facing forward are illegal regardless of their height above ground.

Fog lights must be level with or below the cars standard low beams and there is also a min height which I think is 200mm above ground.

[ZAP]

Trumpy,

It is your car, your cash and your risk.

I understand your views on this and am keen to see the results.

Hella sell a similar kit and they clearly state:

Please note: Suitable for off-road applications only. Not ADR Compliant or legal for road use.

XenonOz quoted: The point on ADR's is acknowledged - we're working on this and so far it's costs us plenty!

This is for your info, I am not bagging out the product only a heads up.