A&Q about Lotus
Q:
I have a question concerning H.I.D. high beams vs. lotus driving lamps. Assuming approximately the same cost, what would be the advantage of H.I.D. high beams vs. the existing high beams and the additional driving lamps? I would think that the combination would throw more light. Any thought about this? Thanks
A:
You can do a search, but most don't reccomend using a HID setup for high beams. Get HID low beams.
HID lights are brighter, but they require heating up to reach max potential. Halogen bulbs turn on instantly. If you had HID bulbs for your high beams, you would not be able to flash your high beams in the daytime. This could also be dangerous at night on those dark roads.
Best bet is silverstars for high, HID for low. If you really want the extra light for high beams, go with the driving lights.
Do a search, this has been discussed many times.
-Whit
A:
I don't believe my question has been discussed. I'm interested in total light output of the driving lamps and standard high beams vs. H.I.D. high beams. Thanks
A:
I have HID high beams & low beams. I also have the driving lights as well. I love having all 3.
As for the point of flashing the highs, yes they take 2 seconds to reach full output, but they definitely have enough to flash on coming traffic with out blinding them.
With both High and Low HID's the driving lights are redundant, but I have the driving lights aimed more towards the road surface. I only use the driving lights when I am on the dark unlit town roads up near my house.
I had the osram bulbs in my first Elise. The osrams simply can't compete.
A:
scotty, did you have the driving lights before the H.I.D. high beams? If so, which are brighter? The combo or just the H.I.D. high beams?
A:
The problem with HID high beams has already been pointed out above. They take a moment to activate (2 seconds in the post above). If you are on a back road and have no oncoming traffic, you can light up the high beams and have it now without HIDs. With HIDs, you have to wait. Most high beam usage tends to be intermittent. On to see, off when a car approaches, then back on. HIDs just won't do the job here. Also, consider that the thing that "wears out" HIDs is cycling them on and off - again, not good if used as High Beams...
With the Osram SilverStars and the Lotus Driving Lights, when you turn on the high beams, the night lights up - NOW! - not two seconds later. There is plenty of light, so you really don't need more.
The HID low beams are on all the time, so this is not really a consideration for low beam usage.
A:
Scotty and Tim thanks for the response, but I still would like to know the answer to my question. Thanks
A:
I have all three and do not notice any problems with the start-up delay when turning on the hi beams. It is there but it seems less than 2 seconds (however I've never counted it off). But then I don't drive that much at night anyway... too darn dark! (hence the reason for all the lights). I received my car with the driving lights installed and then had the hi/lo HIDs put in. Before and after HID installation, the driving lights add more light - mostly lower and to the sides in my car. If you want the most light at night, go HID high beams and driving lights. I think you will find that the start-up delay is a minor annoyance - if you notice it at all.
A:
Not asnwering the original question either but I opted for HID low beams and HID in the driving lights and Osram SilverStars in the high beams. That way I can flash the lights or get instant on as Tim points out without wearing HID bulbs out and I can turn on the really bright driving lights if I am doing late night driving with no-one around. Someone else went with this set up and it made sense to me.
I plan to get the kits installed this week. Lotuscar - you might want to pm Chester (ekological) and see if he knows the answer if you get no response here.
A:
Originally Posted by lotuscar
scotty, did you have the driving lights before the H.I.D. high beams? If so, which are brighter? The combo or just the H.I.D. high beams?
On my first Elise, I had the Osrams High and Low, and I then installed the driving lights because the Osrams were not enough for the dark unlit roads I drive on.
On my Second Elise, I opted to have the HIDs on High and Low and the Lotus driving lights.
The driving lights are not as bright as the HIDs. The HID High beams light up a bigger area and are positioned higher up on the car and thus do a better job than the Driving lights.
As I stated before, it does take about 2 seconds for the high beams to come on full strength, but they are at least at 50 to 75% initially which is good for flashing traffic. I actually think that is better than blinding up on coming traffic with full strength HID high beams.
So take home points
1) Low beam HIDs much brighter and better than Osram
2) High beam HIDs much brighter than Osrams as well, 50 to 75% instantly, then 100% after 2 seconds. To address early burning out of HIDs I have not had them long enough to say if this will be an issue, and frankly I don't care.
3) Lotus driving lights are an awesome supplement to the HIDs and light up the road completely. There is absolutely no way to out drive the lights in this setup on the Elise.
4) If you do not have HIDs, the Driving lights are needed to supplement the High beams for dark country roads.
5) The driving light's pattern is a more focused beam than the High beams
6) If you have High and Low HIDs, the driving lights are not really needed.
A:
You can test the warm-up time in a dark garage at night. Hit the beams and see how long it takes the arcs to come up to full output.
The OEM HID low beams on my Toyota take a couple of seconds to stabilize at full brughtness. I don't care, because I turn the low beams on while backing the car out of the barn and they are at full brightness before I get to the end of the driveway. I don't turn them off until I power down the car.
I love HID low beams
I persoanlly don't think this slow-to-light behavior is what I want out of high beams given the much different way I use high beams.
And as others have stated, HIDs wear each time they are struck. Not an issue for low beams, but highs are used differently. They also have a much higher current draw for those two seconds, but that should not be an issue with a well designed kit and properly sized fuse.
A:
Here is a short Video showing High and Low Beam HIDs along with driving lights. You can see the amount of time needed for the High beams to get to full strength for a flash as well.
A:
HID high beams are brighter than the factory driving lights and HID high beams are brighter than the factory high beams, so a combination of HID low beams, HID high beams and Lotus driving lights will be the brightest of all.
Now your question is answered.