Jun 24, 2015, 06:16 PM
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HID conversion question
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1953 300 Adenauer, 1971 300 SEL 6.3, 1975 600, 1978 450 6.9
What's more unfortunate are forum posters that attempt to carry on an argument without any real understanding of the complex issues at hand, the mechanics of the products (we are talking about cars after-all), in this particular case the motivation for regulatory actions of the NHTSA, often times never having seen much less installed the product themselves, and confusing simple technical details such as the 10k color temperature of a product with its luminosity.
The OP wanted to know about which aftermarket HID kits, but instead some of us launch into a rant about why HIDs are blinding. That's like answering each performance modification thread with "speeding and emissions violations are bad." For those of you who wish to continue to rant about being blinded by HIDs here's a great venue for you to do so:
http://www.aarp.org/online_community/groups/
The OP wanted to know about which aftermarket HID kits, but instead some of us launch into a rant about why HIDs are blinding. That's like answering each performance modification thread with "speeding and emissions violations are bad." For those of you who wish to continue to rant about being blinded by HIDs here's a great venue for you to do so:
http://www.aarp.org/online_community/groups/
I'm out of this thread. The OP has gotten the facts from my link. It is up to him to decide if he wants to comprehend them.
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1953 300 Adenauer, 1971 300 SEL 6.3, 1975 600, 1978 450 6.9
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From: Ashburn, VA
2008 CLK63 Black Series
*sigh* we should have a sub-forum for any performance enhancements for each model. Put a disclaimer at the top of the page of the issues mods can cause. Yes every party should have their voice, but it seems each time we have a mod thread it turns into a pretty heated battle.
Last edited by shellx; Sep 28, 2011 at 09:51 AM.
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Hahaha I'm sure the OP is now aware there will be some old ladies in Mercedes upset at him if his HIDs are 10 degrees too high, 1000 degrees too cool, or 100 lumens too bright.
I too consider this matter settled - lets move on
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2011 E350 4-Matic Sport
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I think a great alternative is just upgrading the OEM bulbs to something that run a bit brighter and hotter. I believe Osram has a pair that are rated at 30% brighter. Obviously you still won't get the color temperature of the xenon gas or the lumen output of the HIDs but it'll improve the brightness of the OEM lights. I have to admit having driven through mild fog near LAX the other day the OEM lights aren't that great...
Anyone know if the W212 design is as retarded as the W211 that requires bumper removal or wheel removal to get to the bulbs?
Anyone know if the W212 design is as retarded as the W211 that requires bumper removal or wheel removal to get to the bulbs?
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From: Central Pennsylvania
2012 S350 Bluetec 4Matic, Diamond White, P2
ghh429, No white light is good in fog. That is one area that I find HIDs to be a poorer performer. Good fog lights like the ones on my Luxury E work great.
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What I'm trying to say is I was surprised at how poorly the OEM lights performed in dark conditions. The beam pattern is extremely low and not very bright.
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2011 E550 Sedan
Interesting thread. Now back to the OP's question. I had the mtec h7 kit on my R171. It was ok but not as nice as the OEM kit. MTEC kit seemed initially brighter but after 2-3 year they dimmed a little. I'm not sure if it was my eyes but they were still a lot better than the regular halogens. I posted some pics on slkworld of a oem vs non-oem kit.
http://www.slkworld.com/general-modi...installed.html
http://www.slkworld.com/general-modi...installed.html
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1953 300 Adenauer, 1971 300 SEL 6.3, 1975 600, 1978 450 6.9
R171 oem kit (left) vs mtec kit (right)
Attachment 219454
Attachment 219454
I guess I could mention the poor cut off and extra glare.
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1953 300 Adenauer, 1971 300 SEL 6.3, 1975 600, 1978 450 6.9
In addition, unless these are right hand drive cars, the cutoff is completely wrong.
Many people equate more glare with being "brighter" but it never is. These jerry-rigged mods only lighten your wallet, reduce your visibility and blind oncoming traffic that shouldn't be on the road anyway.
Many people equate more glare with being "brighter" but it never is. These jerry-rigged mods only lighten your wallet, reduce your visibility and blind oncoming traffic that shouldn't be on the road anyway.
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1953 300 Adenauer, 1971 300 SEL 6.3, 1975 600, 1978 450 6.9
What is this image supposed to show? It is comparing the Left beams to the Right beam of another vehicle and demonstrates how little people understand about lighting. The driver and passenger side beams should have completely different designs and cutoffs, with the passenger side having a higher cutoff to allow for a longer beam range.
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Ahhh gotta love the internet "experts" that have never installed or reviewed a single HID kit in their lives.
The Mtech kit will definitely be brighter than the OEM halogens but most likely not as good as the OEM HIDs. HIDs as with all lights even LEDs and lasers dim over time. The degradation curve is typically dependent on the quality of the bulb and the technology employed. For example LEDs typically have a flat operating curve with a very sharp drop off near end-of-life. The HID lumens (brightness) is just way brighter than halogens. End of story.
As for the throw yes LH headlights (for LHD) cars will have a tighter throw compared to RH headlights. That said with a well designed HID retrofit kit slightly broader (or higher) throw is not going to blind oncoming traffic - this usually only happens when the mal-fitting bulb slips in the holder (due to poor design) changing the focal point of the light and sometimes (depending on headlight design) causes the beam to be directly pointed at oncoming traffic. Typically this means 45+ degrees left and 30+ degrees over. I'm sure you guys have seen some HID kits that were pointed so that they are signalling aircraft - those are the problem ones. A >well designed< HID retrofit kit will not cause any issues and will be an improvement over OEM halogens. That said I have not installed the Mtech kit so hopefully someone else has an install review?
While I can say I have personally installed dozens of headlights, HID kits (OEM and retrofit), as well as pretty confident around a vehicle you shouldn't take my word for it. Do your own research. Afterall, I'm just some dude on an internet forum...
The Mtech kit will definitely be brighter than the OEM halogens but most likely not as good as the OEM HIDs. HIDs as with all lights even LEDs and lasers dim over time. The degradation curve is typically dependent on the quality of the bulb and the technology employed. For example LEDs typically have a flat operating curve with a very sharp drop off near end-of-life. The HID lumens (brightness) is just way brighter than halogens. End of story.
As for the throw yes LH headlights (for LHD) cars will have a tighter throw compared to RH headlights. That said with a well designed HID retrofit kit slightly broader (or higher) throw is not going to blind oncoming traffic - this usually only happens when the mal-fitting bulb slips in the holder (due to poor design) changing the focal point of the light and sometimes (depending on headlight design) causes the beam to be directly pointed at oncoming traffic. Typically this means 45+ degrees left and 30+ degrees over. I'm sure you guys have seen some HID kits that were pointed so that they are signalling aircraft - those are the problem ones. A >well designed< HID retrofit kit will not cause any issues and will be an improvement over OEM halogens. That said I have not installed the Mtech kit so hopefully someone else has an install review?
While I can say I have personally installed dozens of headlights, HID kits (OEM and retrofit), as well as pretty confident around a vehicle you shouldn't take my word for it. Do your own research. Afterall, I'm just some dude on an internet forum...
Last edited by ghh429; Oct 3, 2011 at 08:53 PM.
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w212 E550
