Hey you guys...sorry to exhaust you on this topic...but help me out here.

A lot of you guys have told me that putting HID lighting in my car will not do any good due to no Ecode lens. Does it make that much of a difference? THe lens right now do a good job at disbursing the light. Won't putting HID bulbs in just make it the same disbursement pattern but with more light? Some even told me that light is going to go up in the sky and stuff. How is that so...if the oem lens that i have don't do that now?

I guess I'm new at this type of stuff....just trying to justify everything.

thanks for your help..


tko

http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/general-faq.htm
http://lighting.mbz.org/faq/


some sights for thought

HID's behind any DOT lens are quite ineffective, and according a friend of mine who works at Osram Slylvania, illegal in the US. You'd be better off spending $250 on E-codes, and upgrading your halogens to Philips, Sylvania or Hella high-output halogens. It will cost you less and put more light on the road than HID's behind DOT lenses.

In the case of Volvo, E-codes ARE the OEM lens....in Europe. The reflectors are the same. Here's the point behind E-codes (also called ECE's): they 1) focus a much higher percentage of the light on the road, and 2) they have a hard horizontal cutoff to shield the eyes of oncoming drivers. (You know how annoying those BMW lights are coming at you? Just imagine if they were behind DOT lenses!)

The current spec (E2 embossed on the lens) are quite good and are available OEM from a number of Volvo sources. You can even get the E2 spec for the 240 from IPD!

Check out this link (loads slow, but worth the wait) from someone who added HID's and Ecodes to his Accord, He documented 9006 and DOT lenses, then should the improvement with H4's behind E-codes. And the photographs hardly begin to tell the story! http://www.geocities.com/jchendds/gallery.html
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David \\ (98 S70 T5SE Black, misc mods (mostly lighting), red calipers) (92 940GLE)

"(You know how annoying those BMW lights are coming at you? Just imagine if they were behind DOT lenses!)"

If its a new BMW delivered in the US market it must have DOT lens.....even if it came stock with OEM HID's.
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Steve F. in Hoboken, NJ

Audi, BMW, M-B, and all late-model Volvos.....E-codes. No DOT's.
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David \\ (98 S70 T5SE Black, misc mods (mostly lighting), red calipers) (92 940GLE)

So if all late model(what years/build dates are you talking about here???) Volvos have E-code lenses.....then why cant you just add a HID upgrade??? I have a MY2000 S70, I aint going down to the garage right now to check.....but I think I have DOT.
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Steve F. in Hoboken, NJ

Well, nothing can stop you, and the police probably won't either. But shining $400 worth of extra light into the trees (and oncoming drivers eyes) strikes me as a waste of money. A $25 pair of Hella LightPowers behind $250 e-codes will cost less and put more illumination on the road.

Of course, the best combination is e-codes AND HID's, which is what I'll do when HID aftermarket kits from a reputable brand reach $250.

Late model is S80, S60, and 'new' V70. I'll bet 2001 S/V40's are equipped with E-codes too.

You can check your own lenses, Embossed somewhere on the lens glass, there should be an E or E2 in a circle, no US DOT. (If it has both, it's a hybrid. The hybrid would be minimally useful, but I don't think Volvo makes ECE-DOT hybrids.) If it has just DOT or US DOT, then you have the weaker lensing.
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David \\ (98 S70 T5SE Black, misc mods (mostly lighting), red calipers) (92 940GLE)

david,
I was in the car since my last post but forgot to check them. Right now I am running Philips Vision plus for low and OEM high(got a shit load of H7's due to 101...they just handed me 3 sets/6 bulbs). I been using the Vision Plus for about 2 years now.....but 99% of my driving is in NYC and even on the darkest nights its almost like day light out there, so its hard to notice a inprovment. I will also go with a HID conversion.....when I get off my ass.
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Steve F. in Hoboken, NJ

So if all late model(what years/build dates are you talking about here???) Volvos have E-code lenses.....then why cant you just add a HID upgrade??? I have a MY2000 S70, I aint going down to the garage right now to check.....but I think I have DOT.
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Steve F. in Hoboken, NJ

The ability of the lens and reflector to focus light into a usable pattern depends on the light source being in exactly the correct, designed location. Even though the HID replacement bulbs are the same size and shape, the exact location of the light source may be slightly different. As a result, the light pattern won't be as carefully focused as designed. The intense light generated by the HID bulbs makes it even worse. The bulb, reflector and lens are designed to work together. Upgrading to a higher wattage halogen bulb works because the design of the bulb is the same for any wattage.

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