eddd Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 About a month ago I mentioned I was going to try a set of HID running lights. I already have a HID headlight conversion which works very well. I was running PIAA 004XT halogen running lights but want better lighting. I settled on a set of Trail Tech SCMR16 HID Spots. The ballasts are internal, making the mounting and wiring very easy. I wanted to see the light output for myself, so I called to be sure I could return them if I wasn't satisfied. I didn't doubt that they would be brighter, just if they would be $300+ brighter/better. I decided they were keepers and mounted them in time for Spring Torrey. They come with silicone covers which offer great road debris protection, but must be taken off when the light are in use at night. The covers give off very bright ambient light which affects your ability to see down the road. Here is a shot with just my HID head light, followed by one with the headlight and running lights. And a couple of frontal shots. While the pictures show they are very bright they do not do them justice. These lights do an exceptional job. They do have some potential drawbacks, like price, and the fact that they take 8-10 seconds to reach full brightness. I did not find the delay to be an issue for me. They are instant off, and it is easy to time it so you can turn them back on even as an oncoming vehicle is approaching. By the time the vehicle has gone by you are quickly back up to full illumination. Reflective road signs, barriers, mailboxes, and such may require you to turn them off since they are so bright the reflection can make it very difficult for you to see. Again, I didn't find this to be a major concern. For what I wanted, great lighting in wide open spaces, they are exceptional. Link to comment
skinny_tom (aka boney) Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Are those spots, floods, or one of each? Link to comment
eddd Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 I went with both spots. The degree of coverage is tight, so I didn't feel one would give the edge of the road coverage I wanted. The combination of spot and flood seems to be a good choice for riders such as yourself who do more off-road riding. There are some youtube videos showing the floods on ATVs and the illumination is very impressive. Link to comment
elkroeger Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Those are nice! I recently put a pair of MR-11's on Lori's bike. at only 13 watts (and if you point 'em properly) you can leave them on with oncoming traffic. It's not 30 watts of pure daylight, but better than a lot of 55W halogens I've used.... http://trailtech.net/single_hid_mr11.html Link to comment
Edgar Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Nice lights Eddd. Nobody can cross the boarder illegally with you on the road! Do you have 3 ballasts hidden away in your dashboard? Where did you find room for everything? Link to comment
eddd Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 Nice lights Eddd. Nobody can cross the boarder illegally with you on the road! Do you have 3 ballasts hidden away in your dashboard? Where did you find room for everything? My headlight ballast is mounted in the dash where one of the speakers would be. The Trail Tech driving lights are total self contained. The ballast is in the rear portion of the light housing, right behind the lamp. All you need to do it to connect the red and black wires to a 12 volt source. Link to comment
Lmar Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Nice, they sure light up the road. Link to comment
Fugu Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I had some of those for a while. Running w/ the covers on never bugged me. If you should have the problems I did, namely the reflector hazing, talk to Trail Tech even if out of warranty. They swapped a couple sets of those out for me, eventually crediting me for upgrade to their larger self contained HIDs. Hopefully they worked the bugs out but if not, they should work with you as they did with me. They work really well as conspicuity lights up there. Link to comment
eddd Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 I did have one of the original lamp with hazing. It was replaced immediately without any hassle. Link to comment
awagnon Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I really wanted to buy a pair of these for my F650 because the alternator is on the wimpy side. However, some of my friends have had the hazing problem also. The PIAA lights are the same and probably made by the same company. Does anyone know if they have a hazing problem? I've heard PIAA isn't as generous as Trail Tech on replacements when there is a problem. Link to comment
eddd Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 The hazing seems to be a production problem that is immediately obvious, not something that develops over time. After having one replaced, both of mine have remained crystal clear. Link to comment
Fugu Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 My hazing developed over time. I sent an email to Trail Tech inquiring as to who's making the PIAAs. Their reply: The PIAA lights are made right here in Battle Ground, WA. Justin Yancy Trail Tech Inc. Tech Support and Sales Dept. justin@trailtech.net Ph. 360-687-4530 Fax. 360-687-8164 So there you have it. Link to comment
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