Xenon headlights in an Exige S2?
Discussion
Hi si, just dropped you an email about your car. As for Xenons, as far I understand, it appears the lights on the later cars like ours changed from late 2007? The kits that everyone appears to be fitting don't fit the later headlights. Not heard of anyone fitting them on ours as yet but wouldn't mind doing it myself. Al
HID upgrades are Xenon gas. what burns is a gas. Technically you could argue they are not a bulb but a "burner".
It is not a filament like Halogen bulb, no matter what power you get from Halfords, hence the difference in hue between yellowy white (halogen) and bluey white (Xenon)
On an S1 you have a H4 Hi/Lo kit, 1 burner performing both Lo and Hi beams. With S2 you would need a separate burner for each lamp; i.e. 1 for lo beam, 1 for hi beam and 1 for spots. As Lo beam is the light you'll use more than any other (bit like a putter in your golf bag) I would recommend S2 owners upgrading that one first, perhaps complimenting with LED sidelights (usually about £10 a pair from aceparts) to give a harmonised look.
The technical bit about HIDs is you need a lot of power to ignite the Xenon gas. To provide this short term boost your existing wiring is diverted to a ballast. This stores a charge from your battery and then releases it in one blast to illuminate the burner. Once lit the lights draw LESS power than traditional Halogens. The kits provide new wires to go from the ballast to the new burner. Some kits provide a seperate wiring harness, but still take the on/off signal feed from your existing lights.
Although doing all lights with HIDs look good (I did it) and down dark country lanes REALLY lights up the hedgerows, for obvious reasons the Hi beam and spots will only be used when no other cars are in front of you.
1 observation. Some S2 users have recorded interference with the radio system. S1s are notoriuosly bad as the aerial is above the engine bay, so the ballasts installed in the wings didn't make mine any poorer than it already was. With S2s I think the aerials run across the front of the car so may be a bigger issue. This is where the support from Yvo could be invaluable.
It is not a filament like Halogen bulb, no matter what power you get from Halfords, hence the difference in hue between yellowy white (halogen) and bluey white (Xenon)
On an S1 you have a H4 Hi/Lo kit, 1 burner performing both Lo and Hi beams. With S2 you would need a separate burner for each lamp; i.e. 1 for lo beam, 1 for hi beam and 1 for spots. As Lo beam is the light you'll use more than any other (bit like a putter in your golf bag) I would recommend S2 owners upgrading that one first, perhaps complimenting with LED sidelights (usually about £10 a pair from aceparts) to give a harmonised look.
The technical bit about HIDs is you need a lot of power to ignite the Xenon gas. To provide this short term boost your existing wiring is diverted to a ballast. This stores a charge from your battery and then releases it in one blast to illuminate the burner. Once lit the lights draw LESS power than traditional Halogens. The kits provide new wires to go from the ballast to the new burner. Some kits provide a seperate wiring harness, but still take the on/off signal feed from your existing lights.
Although doing all lights with HIDs look good (I did it) and down dark country lanes REALLY lights up the hedgerows, for obvious reasons the Hi beam and spots will only be used when no other cars are in front of you.
1 observation. Some S2 users have recorded interference with the radio system. S1s are notoriuosly bad as the aerial is above the engine bay, so the ballasts installed in the wings didn't make mine any poorer than it already was. With S2s I think the aerials run across the front of the car so may be a bigger issue. This is where the support from Yvo could be invaluable.
At least on my 111R it runs under the passenger side "hump" at the front, so quite near to where you'd want a ballast/igniter. I've got ones from Yvo - nothing really special, can get the same off of eBay for much less it turns out - but at least you know they'll work fine and get good service from Yvo. On full beam they are something to behold, lighting up a massive area - still not to clever in dipped I find, but I remember them being better last year so I'm not sure if someone has adjusted my lights at MOT time.
theres plenty of room for 6 ballasts, I had the same on my old S2 back in 2003. You just need to get the right bulb type for the spotlights ...its like driving in daylight with all 6 done - particularly if you get the the driving lights aimed properly with the high beam
if your dips dont seem that great, even with HIDs, likely they need aligning properly at an MOT place ...make sure to get them done towards the top of the range that is allowed
if your dips dont seem that great, even with HIDs, likely they need aligning properly at an MOT place ...make sure to get them done towards the top of the range that is allowed
t tip till it's warm enough to spend the day tidying it up (ie. next summer 
)I'm very new to Elise ownership, and would love to change the lights I'm debating doing this upgrade, however I'm fingers and thumbs, how long did it take you to do the 6 lights? I presume it's car on the jack and wheel off to get access to the lamp unit. Where did you put the 3 ballasts on each side of the car?
pagey25 said:
I'm very new to Elise ownership, and would love to change the lights I'm debating doing this upgrade, however I'm fingers and thumbs, how long did it take you to do the 6 lights? I presume it's car on the jack and wheel off to get access to the lamp unit. Where did you put the 3 ballasts on each side of the car?
It's not a difficult job but it's awkward as everything is a tight fit. Basically whip the wheels off, remove the arch liners and the headlamp cover, then a few bolds that hold the lamp assembly in place. That makes like a lot easier.On mine I've only done the dip and main beam so two ballasts. The side lights are LED so a straight swap. The ballasts are just fixed to the crash structure with sticky pads and a couple of self tapping screws.
I'd allow a good afternoon to do it. Having done it once, worked out all the positioning etc I reckon I could do the job again in a couple of hours tops.
It's not technically difficult and witht eh eBay kits I've used no cutting or joining of wires. All just clips together.
pagey25 said:
thank you, I'm going to give it a go, what kitsndid you buy, as there seems to a lot of options out there
The eBay seller I got mine from doesn't exist any more (!) but I think they're all pretty much the same. I'm going to be taking the driving lights off this morning with the idea of upgrading them as well so if I find something resembling what I used in the past I'll post up on here.Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff