front dim lights

[mnmmurphy]

i have recently purchased an fto and the dim lights are very poor.i mean if i had a good flash light i could see better.is this normal and is there anyway of changing it

[colm_mcm]

two ways:

Improve the light output by fitting HID's

Polish the surface of the lens if it's opaque.

There are guides on how to do either of these jobs here on the forum.

[mnmmurphy]

two ways:

Improve the light output by fitting HID's

Polish the surface of the lens if it's opaque.

There are guides on how to do either of these jobs here on the forum.

what are hids

[colm_mcm]

Wikipedia says:

HID (xenon) light sources


HID stands for high-intensity discharge, a technical term for the electric arc that produces the light. The high intensity of the arc comes from metallic salts that are vapourised within the arc chamber. These lamps are formally known as gas-discharge burners, and produce more light for a given level of power consumption than ordinary tungsten and tungsten-halogen bulbs. Because of the increased amounts of light available from HID burners relative to halogen bulbs, HID headlamps producing a given beam pattern can be made smaller than halogen headlamps producing a comparable beam pattern. Alternatively, the larger size can be retained, in which case the xenon headlamp can produce a more robust beam pattern.

Automotive HID lamps are commonly called 'xenon headlamps', though they are actually metal halide lamps that contain xenon gas. The xenon gas allows the lamps to produce minimally adequate light immediately upon powerup, and accelerates the lamps' run-up time. If argon were used instead, as is commonly done in street lights and other stationary metal halide lamp applications, it would take several minutes for the lamps to reach their full output. The light from HID headlamps has a distinct bluish tint when compared with tungsten-filament headlamps.

Here's where we bought some:
http://www.fto-ireland.com/forum/phpBB2 ... php?t=5494

Here's how to get the lens off the unit to re-seal if it's letting in water
http://www.completefto.com.au/completefto.asp?aid=488

Here's how to resurface the headlight so it's not all scratched:
http://www.fto-ireland.com/forum/phpBB2 ... php?t=1840

[optical illusion]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-inten ... harge_lamp

Basically, they're great. You won't be using them on full beams though.

[optical illusion]

Oh whoops, you got there first Colm.

[mnmmurphy]

Wikipedia says:

HID (xenon) light sources


HID stands for high-intensity discharge, a technical term for the electric arc that produces the light. The high intensity of the arc comes from metallic salts that are vapourised within the arc chamber. These lamps are formally known as gas-discharge burners, and produce more light for a given level of power consumption than ordinary tungsten and tungsten-halogen bulbs. Because of the increased amounts of light available from HID burners relative to halogen bulbs, HID headlamps producing a given beam pattern can be made smaller than halogen headlamps producing a comparable beam pattern. Alternatively, the larger size can be retained, in which case the xenon headlamp can produce a more robust beam pattern.



thanks colm

Automotive HID lamps are commonly called 'xenon headlamps', though they are actually metal halide lamps that contain xenon gas. The xenon gas allows the lamps to produce minimally adequate light immediately upon powerup, and accelerates the lamps' run-up time. If argon were used instead, as is commonly done in street lights and other stationary metal halide lamp applications, it would take several minutes for the lamps to reach their full output. The light from HID headlamps has a distinct bluish tint when compared with tungsten-filament headlamps.

Here's where we bought some:
http://www.fto-ireland.com/forum/phpBB2 ... php?t=5494

Here's how to get the lens off the unit to re-seal if it's letting in water
http://www.completefto.com.au/completefto.asp?aid=488

Here's how to resurface the headlight so it's not all scratched:
http://www.fto-ireland.com/forum/phpBB2 ... php?t=1840

[colm_mcm]

no problem.
Now be sure to tell us all about your recent purchase in the "Introduce Yourself" section!