HID lights again

[Urban Surfer]

Has any one replaced the fog lights in their RT with HID lights?

If so which brand did you use?

Any complications?

Thanks in advance

[Survived-til-now]

Sorry - haven't done it but just a thought - my HID's get very hot and the installation advises keeping the headlight glass (plastic actually on my 1200RT) clean - so there could be a question of heat disperal through the more limited glass area on the 1150 RT's aux lamps..... I imagine the glass on the small HID aux lamps sold for the purpose is something special?

 

Andy

[AdirondackJack]

i feel like I'm on another planet, but. . . . . . .What foglights are you talking about? Other than the three sets of driving/fog/auxiliary lights I installed aftermarket (2-HID, and 1-QHalogen), there are no foglights to consider. . . . . . . .are there? Did I miss out on something the dealer should have included on my original purchase of the '08 RT? Please explain. Also,I would be happy to convey info on the various HID's installed on my bike. Dave R.

 

 

 

 

 

[Urban Surfer]

i feel like I'm on another planet, but. . . . . . .What foglights are you talking about? Other than the three sets of driving/fog/auxiliary lights I installed aftermarket (2-HID, and 1-QHalogen), there are no foglights to consider. . . . . . . .are there? Did I miss out on something the dealer should have included on my original purchase of the '08 RT? Please explain. Also,I would be happy to convey info on the various HID's installed on my bike. Dave R.

 

 

The fog lights are the lights on the side of the main head light housing on a 1150 RT. They are refered to fog lights in the manual.

I installed amber coloured Osram bulbs and they were very effective in traffic. I don't recall being cut off since I installed amber bulbs.

I would like something brighter. They are an H3 bulb.

It would seen that the HID set up is not much more money than bulbs

Thanks

 

[Survived-til-now]

i feel like I'm on another planet, but. . . . . . .What foglights are you talking about? Other than the three sets of driving/fog/auxiliary lights I installed aftermarket (2-HID, and 1-QHalogen), there are no foglights to consider. . . . . . . .are there? Did I miss out on something the dealer should have included on my original purchase of the '08 RT? Please explain. Also,I would be happy to convey info on the various HID's installed on my bike. Dave R.

 

The fog lights are the lights on the side of the main head light housing on a 1150 RT. They are refered to fog lights in the manual.

I installed amber coloured Osram bulbs and they were very effective in traffic. I don't recall being cut off since I installed amber bulbs.

I would like something brighter. They are an H3 bulb.

It would seen that the HID set up is not much more money than bulbs

Thanks

 

 

Yup - those are the lights I guessed we were talking about.

 

Because of the fixed spread of the 1150RT's aux lights it might be too bright with HID's - it is very easy to dazzle other drivers and would be too much at night (the spread is for fog and thus wider than the normal dipped beam).

 

But the comment about HID's not being much more money than bulbs makes me wonder if you understand the HID lights because HID's cost significantly more than bulbs????

 

HID are arc lamps powered by high voltage ballasts - are we talking about the same thing? If you just want brighter running lights in your aux lamps you could go for Xenon 50% brighter than halogen bulbs - now I had those long before I had HID's and they were definitely brighter and didn't cost much more than the normal bulbs (Phillips are but one brand that make 50% brighter halogen)......

 

 

[AdirondackJack]

+1 to the xenon idea. In fact, I gotta try that. Definitely a no to the HID for those little side parking-style bulbs. Also, no way to re-aim/divert them if they presented a problem for oncoming traffic.

[Urban Surfer]

Thanks that's just what I needed to know.

[NoHeat]

i feel like I'm on another planet, but. . . . . . .What foglights are you talking about?

 

Sometimes I wonder what planet BMW was on when they put the 'fog' moniker on those lights. I do not understand how they would help you to ride in the fog -- since they are mounted so high, you'd think that light from them will bounce back from water droplets into your vision just like light from the low beam, which is at the same height.

 

They do offer some value in lighting up the edge of the road and providing conspicuity, so maybe BMW should have called them something besides 'fog' lights.