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  • HID or LED? yet again

    9012 LED or HID?
    Am quite happy self fit either, spend most of my time semi rural poor or no street lighting and am torn between the longevity and instant on 4000lm 6.5k LED, or 5k HID in 35w? or 55w?, which I know in all probability will put more light on the road than the LED’s..

    Is a facelift, so easy fit.

  • #2
    facelift is super easy and loads of room - both LED / HID will fit in the light unit with about 3 minutes of your time. Personally now, I'd go for LED - I had HID in my old facelift and were fab. BUT, if you try to flash your lights in the daytime, the HID will just flick and dull off as they need 30 seconds to fully warm up - furthermore, HID are now illegal. There is a chap on facebook - HNA Supplies who supplies excellent LED for the facelift

    https://www.facebook.com/hnasupplies/ Andy Brookes.
    Attached Files

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    • #3
      Thanks, will check out the FB link.
      Car is a taxi, so lights get loads of on/off cycles per night (am guessing LED copes better with that?) and no flash with HID is a bit of a arse. Not too bothered how the lights look, more concerned about how well they work, had 35w 6k HID in my previous Vec and odd startup niggle, plus not great in the wet, has made me a little more choosy this time around.

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      • #4
        Had a good look through the FB page and although there were numerous pics of pretty LED lights, few were showing dipped beam light on the road and I was left asking if the output was more style than substance. Think I will go with HID's, which despite their flaws do give plenty of light.

        Thanks for link though.

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        • #5
          Seems that nearly all LED kits are 6000k and above. In my old facelift, these weren't a patch on my 35W 4300k HIDs. At the time, I spent days looking for 4300k LEDs but nothing out there.

          Today, my preference would be OEM Intellilux, 4300k HIDs and then 6000k LEDs. However LEDs are instant flash on main beam and HIDs are lazy, depends what you want - main beam flash or to see down the road.
          Insignia B Sports Tourer Elite 170 manual, Flip Chip.

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          • #6
            Definitely going with light on the road, will order some 35w HID's tomorrow in either 4300 or 5000k. LED's certainly seem to be improving, but if I wanted style would just strap a couple of lava lamps on the front, which in fairness would probably be brighter than the glow worms that come with the car.

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            • #7
              Did you buy the HID lights?

              I received some LED bulbs from HNASupplies and I'm amazed at the light they put out. So much so my neighbours car alarm was triggered when I tested the high beams (I think this was just coincidental in all honesty though).
              I was a bit sceptical with people saying the LEDs produced less light. That may be the case, I'm not sure as I dont have HIDs to compare them with, but like I say I really am amazed. Straight forward swap over so no need for wiring a kit up (which intimidated me a little, not gonna lie). I'll never go back!

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              • #8
                Yup, went with 35w 5000k from hids4u as I wasn't paying and was owed a set, although they arrived with 5500k bulbs and as had no note suggesting a ballast upgrade, I reckon they have run out of 5000k and supplied 5500 instead. No need be shy of wiring up HID, is simple plug and go.

                Would have preferred LED, but am yet to be convinced that LED in projectors work as well as HID and would prefer see some pictures of light output on the road, rather than pics of projectors that are bright and shiny viewed facing the car. Reckon you might be right that alarm was a coincidence, although a VHF taxi radio often acts as a good trigger usually at 3am oooop's..

                LED still a temptation https://www.horizonleds.co.uk/HIR2-9...it-8000-lumens if the lumen output is to be believed, siggy projectors designed for halogen are not the best at putting lumens where it matters most, despite making quite a good job of the beam pattern itself. (no idea if VX canbus, depth or longevity of fan)..

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                • #9
                  I wanted to upload a picture and a GIF of mine lighting up the whole street but I'm fairly new to the forum scene so dont know how to 🤔 doesnt seem to be as simple fb

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                  • #10
                    Although the article is a couple of years old now, I think this is a good appraisal of the various lighting options https://www.essentialjourneys.co.uk/insignia/
                    2018 1.5T SRi Nav
                    Bi-colour 18" alloys, de-chromed grille and foglights, full heated leather, reversing cam with park assist, heated front screen and steering wheel, blind spot monitoring, self parking (used once, it's crap!), Nextbase 522GW front & rear dashcams

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by PeteH View Post
                      Although the article is a couple of years old now, I think this is a good appraisal of the various lighting options https://www.essentialjourneys.co.uk/insignia/
                      the very reason I'm glad my GS does not have the intellilux lights. If anyone's were to fail, it would be mine!

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                      • #12
                        Am quite sure cops (especially French ones) would be quite understanding if you didn't have a couple of spare headlight units in the boot

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Redlands View Post
                          Am quite sure cops (especially French ones) would be quite understanding if you didn't have a couple of spare headlight units in the boot
                          go back to the facelift Vectra, or even plenty of the French cars. What do they expect you to do at the side of the road when your bulb blows, dismantle the front bumper at the roadside?

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                          • #14
                            Has anyone actually fitted hids that are a perfect match for the drls, ive been through about 3 sets now all claiming to be diamond white, etc etc.

                            tried 5000k still has a blue tinge, 4300k slightly better, a bit yellow, im thinking of going down the led route, just to get the colour match

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by the gas man View Post
                              Has anyone actually fitted hids that are a perfect match for the drls, ive been through about 3 sets now all claiming to be diamond white, etc etc.

                              tried 5000k still has a blue tinge, 4300k slightly better, a bit yellow, im thinking of going down the led route, just to get the colour match
                              I found 5000k hids to be a great match when I had my facelift. I did find the temperature colour varied slightly from different sellers though. I found hids direct did the best match. I found LEDs far better in many ways when I changed to them though. The instant on was far better than hid warm up and I found that even though they're advertised as 6500k. They're more like 500k hids. A brilliant white without the blue.

                              A vid I took at the time
                              2017 Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport Sri Nav 1.5 (165ps) Turbo petrol in Lava Red - Keyless entry and start - 18” five spoke alloy wheels - Front fog lights - Tinted rear windows - Aluminium sports pedals - Ambient interior led lighting - Front and rear parking assist - Active emergency braking - Forward collision assist - Front pedestrian alert - Traffic sign recognition - Lane keep assist - Cruise control - Speed warning and limiter - Voice recognition - Bluetooth - Duel zone climate control - Front and rear electric windows - High beam assist - Auto lights - Auto wipers - Wifi hotspot - 8” colour touchscreen Navi 900 with Android Auto, Apple Car Play and DAB

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