Hummer Forums by Elcova

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- Technical Discussion and Customizing your H2 (http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5)

- - HID lights (http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22520)

Anyone thinking of installing HID lights on your H2 might be interested in the following.

On the front of my H2 I have now have no less than eight HID?s (!). Attached is a photo.

I replaced the stock headlights with a set of HID?s from Delta with HID in both high and low beam. The Delta?s use an innovative method of physically moving a single filament in (high beam) or out (low beam) behind a shield. Looks really cool when you watch it (but you have to pull the filament out of the housing to see it). However, the low beam light pattern is not at all standard, and really just creates a large circular ring of light that deviates the light away from the center. I really cannot recommend these, as I am continuously flashed by oncoming traffic. I have read that there is now a more focused pure HID alternative, and would definitely try those next time (but after investing in the Delta?s I am going to have to live with them!).
I replaced the round driving lights with PIAA 600?s. The PIAA 600?s are excellent, The only problem was in the installation/alignment. In the end I had to attach a variable tensioner between the lights and the chassis in order to align them correctly.
I installed a chrome Warn light bar on the front chrome brush guard. Fits well, but if you buy one I recommend that you immediately coat the inside with an anti-rust product as mine has rusted badly on the inside, and the rust is just starting to spread out from the W cutout on the front!
On the light bar I installed four Hella Rallye 4000 Luminator Compact Chromium Spot Lights. The non-compact Hella 4000?s will not fit. As these are not HID?s, I purchased separately the four HID kits with the ballasts. In all I saved about 30% compared to buying the HID?s from Hella. I also preferred all-chrome spots rather than the matt black Hella HID compacts. The spots are slightly spread out, with the two outer ones angled at 5 degrees towards the side. The light is bluish.

Besides these HID?s I also installed a set of small PIAA fog lights. When deciding where to install these, I wanted to place them as low as possible, and as near to each side as possible. In the end I cut out holes for them in the front bumper (!), as you can see from the attached photo.

The placement of the eight ballasts was a problem, but I eventually found room for them inside the hood as you can see from attached photo.

The switches for the lights I installed in the driver?s door panel. Each switch has three positions: Up ? On with both high/low beam, Center ? Off, Down ? On with only high beam. See attached photo.

The last red switch is for a train horn, to switch between the stock horn and the train horn. (Note: I installed the compressor for the train horn inside the front protection cover under the engine as it would not fit in the recommended place due to the supercharger).

The result is very impressive. Night is turned into day. This is very important for me as I often drive at night through the Andes mountains with sheer drops on one or the other side of the narrow road.

if you EVER high beam me in the face, i swear i will sue.

Very nice. :beerchug:

Michael good job on installs and info. Keep it up.

Have You installed the 160 degree thermostat for the engine yet? Can be gotten at LIG where You got other gauges. This would be a good install for Your rig. Can be done in 15 minutes.

Great idea on fog lights in lower metal bumper. I do not recall anyone mentioning having done that. If My show rig did not have lower chrome bumpers i would be cutting amd grinding smooth my cut holes to mount fog lamps. I off hand have not given thought how to cut a chrome bumper without causing a serious rust problem from starting an d in general just having the chrome to start flaking off. I may think about cutting another black bumper and then ship it off for chroming. In fact i could add super nice backup lights in the rear to work with backup camera.
Man michael now You got me thinking about somw way to do the fog lamps and back up lamps and spend a ton of dollars to have them chromed. Well actually it cost more to ship them.

Well anyway keep sending ideas but, do the 160 T-Stat if You have not already.

Michael are You from Ecuador? I ask only because Your name is, well just American or British. I have heard Ecuador is a beautiful place to see. Such a varing range of terrians to see etc. I would like to get some Pics emailed to me to add to My most likely never to get to visit picture book. I will private message You with an email to send them to if You do not mind?

TAZ

Why would a 160 degree thermostat help? I do not have any overheating problems any longer - the temperature stays rock solid at 210...?

I am a Brit, but have lived in Ecuador for 25 years. If you send me your email, I Will send you some photos of H2 in Ecuador, including one that was on the cover of the Moss Motors H2 catalogue a couple of months back. What is the max size of JPG file you would like?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Baker

Hi Michael
You should have gotten a PM with email to send pics. JPG size does not matter. What ever will get best quality pic.

I suggested the 160 degree Tstat as even though supercharger runs it's cooling system and engine it's own temp coolling system You are running a supercharger. Even though 210 is Ok You would have a little more cushion of cooling should You pull a load on occasion. Also it has been a while since I studied it but, I think water in a closed system will boil quicker at higher altitudes. Please forgive Me if i wrong on that point. It just seems I remember that water boils more easily at higher altitude in My studies before. Had been thinking about building a stock H2 with upgrades to run Pike's Peak in a near future year. Have full table for 2007. But, just been doing some research.

Anyway beside that it in realm of performance it is good to have a safety margin. With a programmer You can tell computer of the cooler T-stat and it will advance timing a little which will in turn gives You a little more HP and torque for when needed to make the high climbs in moutains.

Ligenfelter will not install a supercharger kit without going with 160 T-stat unless they changed policy. The 135 would be to much unless You were going to be running hot laps in desert distance runs or top end speed runs, like i hope to do this summer. Heat is the worst enemy to making power/torque. Heat causes detonation and even though You may not be going for speed etc. You are using the supercharger to improve performance at higher altitudes as they discovered in WW2 it helped the fighters performance at altitude in thinner air and increased ceiling of operation of the planes so they had advantage of coming down with sun behind them. Well a little off way to explain the cooler T-stat but, I believe You would benefit from it from reading the things you did to help solve Your heating problems before.

If You have not You can find pics of My show Queen with search in pics sections. We are having interest for several mag shoots but, depending on what We are doing. Have one that wants to go with us on speed runs, one or 2 that would like some tech articles on how we did what we did on some areas of the H2 and then may do a couple of things with RIDES. It is all waiting on this next upgrade and when Dragon get's it done so We can begin discussing times for mags. With the electronics not done We cannot commit, just do not want to do the mags wrong. Dragon has had some national contacts also for Us. I have begged Him to tell me what it is but, He does not want to until it is done and He can surprise me. I need to kick him for telling Me because i keep thinking about what it could be.

Well Michael can't wait to see your pics and the mag cover shot also. I get Moss and most likely saw it but, do not know if i still have it. I save them for a while then they get hauled out by daughter after a couple months. She gets tired of looking at the mags i read all the time about parts, tuning, all that kind of stuff. I'm searching now to see what is out there in body kits for Chrysler Crossfire as well as pefomance items.

Thanks in advance for Pics Michael. Maybe some day soon I can come down and go on a scenic tour with You in H2. I'm making plans to travel more i hope after first of new year. Hoping things keep lining up good health wise like it is. It will not be long i will be at shop in Dragon's way all the time again. Although as bad as it has been and thought I would never get to go to shop again I think He will be happy when i start showing up bugging him.

TAZ

You're right about the boiling point of water changing relative to elevation but with a closed system there isn't a pressure differential with a change in elevation (internal to the system) so it's not a factor.

What *is* a factor is the reduced atmosphere at higher elevations and the impact is causes by reduced thermal dissipation. Since the air is thinner at high altitudes, engines can't get rid of their heat so they tend to overheat unless their cooling systems are sized to account for the sparse atmosphere.

Couple that with the fact that volumetric efficiency falls off with low density air and you've got a recipe for disaster.

Thanks Doyle for setting Me straight on the altitude thing. It had been a couple of years sense I read about it.

TAZ

What size bulbs do you need in the driving lights? Did you have to get new housings for them?

The PIAA driving lights come with the HID bulbs and they simply replace the stock lights in the same position.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Baker

The PIAA driving lights come with the HID bulbs and they simply replace the stock lights in the same position.

Hey Michael,

Nice install job. I also have HID's on the headlights. I also mounted the ballasts the same way you did. The only difference is probably my reflectors. I bought a kit that only comes with the bulbs, ballasts and wire kits so I kept my stock reflectors. And Yes, the difference IS night and day.

Q1: What's the PIAA part number for the DRL replacement?
Q2: Do they just unscrewed off when the hood is in the open position? or did you have to remove the bumper and other junk?

1. PIAA 600 is the part number
2. Was fairly easy to get them off, more difficult to align the new ones - see my original post

I was looking at the PIA 600's...are they projectors? Very cool but not as chaep as a $300 conversion kit. I guess its the way to go to do it right. I put HID's into a reflector housing once and it threw more light into the sky than on the ground.

Not sure what you mean by projectors, but they are very effective, can be aimed, and definitely help.

this is by far the best HID set up i've ever seen

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Baker

Anyone thinking of installing HID lights on your H2 might be interested in the following.

However, the low beam light pattern is not at all standard, and really just creates a large circular ring of light that deviates the light away from the center. I really cannot recommend these, as I am continuously flashed by oncoming traffic. I have read that there is now a more focused pure HID alternative, and would definitely try those next time (but after investing in the Delta?s I am going to have to live with them!).

Could you point me towards the alternative? I need to stay as focused as I can, if you know what I mean... :giggling:

I agree with the others who have complimented you on your nice work. Very good job!

Tanks, Ed

Yea that setup is much better than that bug eyed look that makes people laugh...