[Austria]

is it possibly that my camaro will have Xenon lights

 

[OctaneZ28]

Base headlights are halogen, and the RS headlights are HIDs.

 

[09SemperSS]

Like Octane said. RS package has HIDs.

 

[Marvelous]

This is suuch a retarded move by GM IMO, if it's kept this way! If people can't simply get HID's without having to get the RS package, then that's just really really really stupid and it will annoy me if they do this

 

[justgreat]

This is suuch a retarded move by GM IMO, if it's kept this way! If people can't simply get HID's without having to get the RS package, then that's just really really really stupid and it will annoy me if they do this

you have touched on a sore point for gm. the next step before gm releases pricing info will be to list the actual options and option groups and therein lies the rub: unlike ford with the mustang, gm likes to bunch their options into option groups and force the consumer to buy stuff they don't necessariy want or need. hopefully, gm will allow the buyer to pick and choose their options, but i wouldn't hold my breath.


jackg
06 sts6

 

[67RSSSx2]

Guess I'm just really old school. Exactly what are HID, Xenon, and halogen lights? Why would someone want them over conventional lights?

 

[Norah]

So I'm probably going to get told I'm wrong here somehow, but from what I understand Xenon is commonly used in automotive HIDs. HIDs are a form of metal halide lamp that uses either Xenon or Argon. Cars use Xenon because it has a shorter warm up time therefore it starts emitting light sooner than argon, which is primarily used for street lamps. HIDs do not have filaments, but instead activates the electrons of the gas with an electrical arc.

Halogen lamps use a filament, though it is more efficient than a conventional light. They started coming into circulation in the mid 60s in automobiles, and primarily is what you will find in cars today (I'm pretty sure).

The really important part is the difference between the lumens produced and wattage required (lumens is the measurement of perceived power of light). Here is a quote from good ole' wikipedia (which I've poked around and the numbers seem to be accurate)

HID headlamp bulbs produce between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens from between 35 and 38 watts of electrical power, while halogen filament headlamp bulbs produce between 700 and 2,100 lumens from between 40 and 72 watts at 12.8 V

Heres a good picture:

So, I want HIDs Hope that helps!

 

[hopeful09]

So I'm probably going to get told I'm wrong here somehow, but from what I understand Xenon is commonly used in automotive HIDs. HIDs are a form of metal halide lamp that uses either Xenon or Argon. Cars use Xenon because it has a shorter warm up time therefore it starts emitting light sooner than argon, which is primarily used for street lamps. HIDs do not have filaments, but instead activates the electrons of the gas with an electrical arc.

Halogen lamps use a filament, though it is more efficient than a conventional light. They started coming into circulation in the mid 60s in automobiles, and primarily is what you will find in cars today (I'm pretty sure).

The really important part is the difference between the lumens produced and wattage required (lumens is the measurement of perceived power of light). Here is a quote from good ole' wikipedia (which I've poked around and the numbers seem to be accurate)



Heres a good picture:

So, I want HIDs Hope that helps!

Good research!
HID for me.

 

[camarodb]

So I'm probably going to get told I'm wrong here somehow, but from what I understand Xenon is commonly used in automotive HIDs. HIDs are a form of metal halide lamp that uses either Xenon or Argon. Cars use Xenon because it has a shorter warm up time therefore it starts emitting light sooner than argon, which is primarily used for street lamps. HIDs do not have filaments, but instead activates the electrons of the gas with an electrical arc.

Halogen lamps use a filament, though it is more efficient than a conventional light. They started coming into circulation in the mid 60s in automobiles, and primarily is what you will find in cars today (I'm pretty sure).

The really important part is the difference between the lumens produced and wattage required (lumens is the measurement of perceived power of light). Here is a quote from good ole' wikipedia (which I've poked around and the numbers seem to be accurate)



Heres a good picture:

So, I want HIDs Hope that helps!

LOL neerd.... JK good work and i think you are correct, i would take the HID's over anyhthing else my self. the more i can see at night and the farther i can see the better i like it. some roads like the tunpike between south florida and orlando have very few lights on them and are very dark to drive on at a night because of that, the HID's would light up the road nicely

 

[Jonz5GEN]

Great info, Norah. You are absolutely correct with the HID's. You should run your own automotive search engine........."forget GOOGLE, just ask Norah!"

 

[daGrip]

I have a pair of 6" Round KCHilites Long Range H.I.D.'s on my Jeep. They provide 35W with 600,000 Candle Beam Power. They're awesome lights.

So yes, I too will go with the RS package (H.I.D.'s) on a SS.

 

[67RSSSx2]

Norah, great explanation. Thanks!

Certainly HID's increase visibility at night. But are they a blinding issue for oncoming drivers?

 

[weland]

After having to replace an HID headlamp on my Benz...

Base headlights are halogen, and the RS headlights are HIDs.

I think I'll pass. I had a fender-bender that broke the plastic mounting hardware on one of my SLK320 headlamps. Mercedes-Benz's MSRP for a single HID headlamp is $1600 -- I decided to replace both with halogens and save myself over $1K. I doubt GM would markup the cost on any part as much as MB, but those things are expensive to replace.

 

[Norah]

Haha, thanks guys! I have a lot of time on my hands, as well as quite a bit of curiosity, so I'd be doing most of this reading anyway if I wasn't answering a question

Norah, great explanation. Thanks!

Certainly HID's increase visibility at night. But are they a blinding issue for oncoming drivers?

They don't blind anyone, but if they are pointed directly at driver's of other cars they do cause a temporary "dazzling" affect. Because there isn't a gradient of light as with filament lamps, the eye gets stunned by the sudden sharp beam of light that it encounters. That is part of the controversy with HIDs.

There are also huge problems if you have the wrong type of projector lens, which is how the light is divided and concentrated into a specific part of the road. The shape of the lens from the automaker takes into account all the variables of the car's front end, ride height, etc when designing and mounting the HID lenses. Usually, the lenses are so concentrated into a specific area that it won't blind drivers in oncoming traffic, but some aftermarket ones cheap out on the lens, causing the beams of light to scatter, resulting in problems for other drivers.

In Europe, they have regulations regarding cleaning the exterior of HID lamps on cars regularly because dirt/bugs also causes the light to scatter.

 

[Jonz5GEN]

In Europe, they have regulations regarding cleaning the exterior of HID lamps on cars regularly because dirt/bugs also causes the light to scatter.

Interesting...I guess that explains several European autos having the high pressure washer nozzles for the headlights.

 

[Blacky]

that is correctly, here in Europe. (Germany) are there regulate for HIDs (xenon) the water nozzles cleaning, and the automatic heights adjustment during weight additional load. Without that it is not possible to become the Car street legal (TÜV technik controll) here xenon.
All this regulations are really strong , you can see it with the ugly amber taillights for the europa Version. Hope GM make it possible to become here in germany the SS with an RS package incl, the HIDs.

regards :hello:

 

[Tommy35SS]

Does anybody know how much lumens the Camaro produces with each kind of headlight? It may be a dead thread, but at least I searched