New Driving Lights...What the HELLA

[Benzbaby Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Benzbaby]

Guys n Gals, first newbie post. Wanting to drop the hammer on some Hellas ix xgd, but need to wipeout the Lightforce from options, as usual don't want to make the 1k mistake. I have researched Prado point for ages on this topic and besides stating the obvious "personal choice" I could do with some live aid. Predators wont fit the TJM bar I have installed so out goes the XGT,Blitz, Genesis 210 juuust. Trouble is I cannot find concise info on spread /spot on Hella products apart from the small diagram from the homesite. I was recommended 170 Venom, and seem ok.
My key areas of operation are Country /Highway, Western Australian Outback. And now a few questions.

Are Lightforce Australian made and not just owned?
Are purpose built HID better than aftermarket conversion, including manufacturer replaced HID conversions, ie: ff 4000 compact, Genesis210?
At 35w HID, spread, spot or both one type?
Does the Hella powder coat easily bubble from the zinc housing?
Do Lightforce have issues with the polycarb yellowing in our climate?

Pretty sure the seller I have lined up on ebay only sells two pencils in H4000ix xgd, but the price is unbeatable, seller is FNB4WD, experience anyone with this seller? seems dinkydi
Has anyone tried utilising Lightforce covers in spread/wide etc to modify the Hella beam?
Yeah I know they wont fit but we are more creative being Aussies and we all love to modify, speaking from my exp as a young kid out prospecting/camping with dad, I know the necessities of seeing the road out wide for cattle and other large animals not just skippy, but also the driveable distance in front for reaction time, no I don't want to Laser melt the bitumen for 1500m up the road and ionize animals, useless anyway at 100-110kph.

Sorry upfront for the maybe perceived idiot questions.

[Benzbaby Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Benzbaby]

Are Lightforce Australian made and not just owned?
Are purpose built HID better than aftermarket conversion, including manufacturer replaced HID conversions, ie: ff 4000 compact, Genesis210?
At 35w HID, spread, spot or both one type?
Does the Hella powder coat easily bubble from the zinc housing?
Do Lightforce have issues with the polycarb yellowing in our climate

Just thought I would answer my own questions after another week of intense research.
Answers : 1 Don't know, current info says some are some are not.
2 That's a Yes, purpose built reflectors made to the specified globe are always better.
3 At 35 w purpose built HID should be adequate but also depends on other auxillary lighting eg: Other driving lights mounted, Led bars mounted and mounting positions, lumen output, spot of flood type beams.
4 Unknown no evidence to say affirmative or negative.
5 Unknown , some owners with older style lights say yes, but is pending on any chemical treatment to the PC which may directly affect and accentuate the UV deterioration effect on the PC.
6 FNB4WD is a legit seller and has some positive feedback from members of this forum.
7 Unknown as to whether L/Force lens covers will have a positive or negative effect on the Hella lamps, sounds like a good opportunity to try it out and see if its worth considering as a DIY mod.

[Spousey Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Spousey]

I recently purchased a Prado which has Lightforce Genesis 35w Hids fitted the car is a 2010 model and the lights were fitted from new,when I purchased it one of the lights did not work and the other was very dim and the lens covers clips were brittle from uv rays, I removed them and took them into the head office here in adelaide asking for them to fit new globes and lens covers, I told them when I took them in that they were 5 years old,they took them out to the workshop and after waiting 5 minutes they came back and said that they would replace them free of charge as the body of the lights was also affected by ultra violet rays and water had gotten into them, I could not believe it so I certainly recommend their after sales service.Looking them up on ebay they are worth around $800 a pair gotta be happy with that.

[clarkie383 Member Find all posts View Profile Close clarkie383]

I had hella 4000s spread beams on my prado with a 70 watt ebay HID kit.
Wow im glad i didn't go the 100 watt or the pencil beam.
Awesome lights but reflection of signs was bad and i would think that with brighter globes and pencil beams it would be worse.
I would do same again.

[evltoy Member Find all posts View Profile Close evltoy]

I was at TJM yesterday and we got onto the subject of HID driving lights.

We both agreed that HIDs are best for road usage and the pencil is a waste of time as HIDs throw very far full stop. So best to use a spead/ broad beam for distance and better coverage.

your light bars are good for 4x4 tracks are they have the best spead and less hot spots. They are a waste of time on the blacktops

be careful with HID upgrade kits. If they dont come with a specifically made reflector you will not get the full benefit of HID. I personally prefer to buy the right light set from the set go to make sure everything is right.

[Andyfive Member Find all posts View Profile Close Andyfive]

I have the X-ray 90 w hid on my tjm bar. Pencil and spread beam.

http://xrayvision.net/hid-driving-li...20-series-hid/

These are bright and really do light up the road.

Only negatives are they take too long to warm up and are so bright that street signs reflect way too much and that I had to buy them from my local tjm dealer.

I have a set if LEDs that I'll also mount to give me better spread in the bush.

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

Well, I'll buck the trend a little here. After all the money I spent on my rig it runs a set of Lightforce Genesis halogens. How often do you actually have your spotlights turned on? I think if mine are actually turned on for more than 20hrs in a year I would be very surprised. With the lack of distance from LED technology, and the reflection issues and warm up time of HID, not to mention the cost of them both, I'm more than happy with my good quality lights.

I had a pair of Hella 2000's on my old cruiser, they were originally halogen, then had a eBay HID kit that was crappy and flickered, then a Phillips HID kit that was so bright it reflected off any signs like crazy and took a while to warm up, then back to halogens!

Just my 2c, but my halogen Lightforces working with my factory high beams are plenty bright enough for me.

[shodown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shodown]

Well, I'll buck the trend a little here. After all the money I spent on my rig it runs a set of Lightforce Genesis halogens. How often do you actually have your spotlights turned on? I think if mine are actually turned on for more than 20hrs in a year I would be very surprised. With the lack of distance from LED technology, and the reflection issues and warm up time of HID, not to mention the cost of them both, I'm more than happy with my good quality lights.

I had a pair of Hella 2000's on my old cruiser, they were originally halogen, then had a eBay HID kit that was crappy and flickered, then a Phillips HID kit that was so bright it reflected off any signs like crazy and took a while to warm up, then back to halogens!

Just my 2c, but my halogen Lightforces working with my factory high beams are plenty bright enough for me.

AussieAndy - I couldnt agree with you more - except I would most likely use mine more than 20 hours a year :P

I retrofitted some IPF800's with a 55w 4300k HID kit. Yes, they gave off a great amount of light, however it was about 3 seconds before I got usable light, then another 8 seconds or so until they had fully warmed up and turned from the initial blueish white to the proper 4300k white colour. Oh well, not so bad I thought, took it for a spin and was nearly blinded by the glare from some signage. I guess perhaps with a 3000k globe it may not be so bad, but the warm up times shat me also.

Bought a set of Genesis Halogen spots for and am well happy with the distance. Spread could be a little better as it gets lost on the bendy roads etc, but there are combo filters etc I can try if I really want.

I would like to go get an LED bar, but dont want to fork out an absolute fortune for a 6000K bar that is only going to blind me also - am thinking of buying an LED bar with an amber cover to hopefully end up with a similar halogen looking light output.

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

AussieAndy - I couldnt agree with you more - except I would most likely use mine more than 20 hours a year :P

I retrofitted some IPF800's with a 55w 4300k HID kit. Yes, they gave off a great amount of light, however it was about 3 seconds before I got usable light, then another 8 seconds or so until they had fully warmed up and turned from the initial blueish white to the proper 4300k white colour. Oh well, not so bad I thought, took it for a spin and was nearly blinded by the glare from some signage. I guess perhaps with a 3000k globe it may not be so bad, but the warm up times shat me also.

Bought a set of Genesis Halogen spots for and am well happy with the distance. Spread could be a little better as it gets lost on the bendy roads etc, but there are combo filters etc I can try if I really want.

I would like to go get an LED bar, but dont want to fork out an absolute fortune for a 6000K bar that is only going to blind me also - am thinking of buying an LED bar with an amber cover to hopefully end up with a similar halogen looking light output.

I've got a pair of combo covers for mine too, I've found the best is one combo cover and one spot cover, but it looks funny like that and the wife doesn't like it. If we're going on a trip I put the one combo lens on otherwise I just run the pair of spots.

I guess if you do lots of country night driving the money would be worth spending, but I, like probably 70% of people on here, don't do that much. To be honest I don't think I would even use them for 20hrs a year!

[evltoy Member Find all posts View Profile Close evltoy]

I totally hear where you are coming from AussieAndy.

Is it true to say that the bigger wattage HID (80-90watt) take longer to warm up then the 50w?

Drivers with HID's are all saying the reflection of signs (flashback) is an issue, but some are positioning the passenger light towards the centre of the road to overcome/minimise this.

4-5 times a year I do most of my 600km one way drives at night on hwy's as its less busier so I would get some usage out of HID's.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

I have to agree with Andy and Showdown, I would buy halogen over HID, in fact I should see if I can ditch my HID conversion and go back to Halogens.

I would like to go for a decent night drive with some quality LED spots to see what they are like, but couldn't see myself buying a set without a good test run.

Cheers Andrew

[shodown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shodown]

I've got a pair of combo covers for mine too, I've found the best is one combo cover and one spot cover, but it looks funny like that and the wife doesn't like it. If we're going on a trip I put the one combo lens on otherwise I just run the pair of spots.

I guess if you do lots of country night driving the money would be worth spending, but I, like probably 70% of people on here, don't do that much. To be honest I don't think I would even use them for 20hrs a year!

I'll have to buy the combo and see how they look. I would be prepared to sacrifice some of the distance for spread.

I am also thinking of getting a third spotty...... Two combo and one spot That could save me from LED bar perhaps....

Evltoy - I think to overcome the glare 3000k HID globes could be the compromise. There is still glare from the Lightforce Genesis halogens, however being yellow it is easily tolerated and doesnt hurt the eyes so much compared to the 4300k HID I had. I just wasnt fond of the warm up either.... what if I need to highbeam some dumb shit who cuts me off....