Shawn:
You are correct. If you hunt a bit you can almost certainly find
the
halogen replacements at an auto parts store. Cheap and easy. I should
have
mentioned that in the first place...
Genuine HID lights are legal in all 50 states. What are NOT
legal are
the imitation HID lamps, such as the ones being sold in the auction that
was listed a bit earlier in this thread. Some states will ticket you for
them
others will not. Another tidbit; Watt for watt, the imitation HID lamps
put out less USEFUL light that plain halogen bulbs, which is why they
are illegal
in the first place. So to get equivalent illumination you will need to
upgrade
the wattage, which will place a higher load on wiring.
The rice boys love the imitation HID lamps, because it looks
high tech,
at a fraction of the cost. *REAL* HID kits would cost $500 and up for a
conversion and would include a solid-state ballast for each headlight.
When
you know this, it makes the rice boy fad even wackier. It's not about
performance - it's about having the APPEARANCE of performance.
Pretty silly, if you ask me - but what do I know?
Vance
------------------------------
Cogito Ergo Zoom
(I think, therefore I go fast)
TR6 Web page: http://home.comcast.net/~v.navarrette/
-----Original Message-----
From: Shawn J. Loseke [mailto:sloseke@holly.colostate.edu]
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2004 1:51 PM
To: Navarrette, Vance; 6pack@autox.team.net; Chris Foster
Subject: RE: Headlight Conversion
In some states it is illegal to put an HID (High Intensity Discharge)
style of
headlights into a car that isn't optioned with them from the factory.
Some
jurisdictions are more prone to police it than others. I know some
Colorado
Law Enforcement Agencies are very strict on it. As a result there are
many
import owners that are constantly getting tickets.
The lights that Vance mentions will provide more lumens but you don't
even
have to order them from VB. Any parts store will carry them. They are a
standard 7" round halogen units.
I spent a bit more coin and have installed Cibie's. The glass cut
pattern on
these and the resulting beam shape are awesome. They throw a very even
pattern
of light. There are no hot spots, just bright even illumination.
Shawn J. Loseke
1972 TR6
Fort Collins, CO
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