I'm not entirely sure if Tesla has been delivering cars without the tech package yet. However, if they have I'd like to know if anyone has yet upgraded their headlamps to HIDs. I expect the housings to still be projectors, so a bulb switch shouldn't be much of an issue, but is there a difference in the wiring? I ask because HID ballasts pull a lot of current at the moment they're struck and back off as the lights come up.
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I'm sure you would have to change more than just bulbs, and I was worried about poor visibility at night with the non-tech headlights, but they have really good visibility, especially the high beams. I wouldn't worry about it unless one must have HID's, in which case one most likely would have ordered the tech package.
I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say here. I was thinking about doing a HID swap assuming the beam pattern is reasonable - otherwise I'd need to do a retrofit like from something like a TSX (which is known as having one of the best headlights among all recent cars). I really wanted HIDs (all our cars have them), but we didn't think it was worth the almost-$4k pricetag since we didn't really care about anything else.
tdelta1000
Active Member
To retrofit to HID you would have to purchase ballasts and HID bulbs that match the config of the halogen bulbs. You can search the web for slim ballasts that you can hide up front in a tight space. Something similar to this:
I'm well aware of the hardware needed to convert the Model S to HIDs in terms of what is needed to drive the HID bulbs. A surprising number of people have had good luck with the system they sell at DDM Tuning, even though the bargain-basement price initially led me to believe the product to be of poor quality (which it apparently is not). A more important question is whether the headlight projector design is able to accomodate the differnt light characteristics of a HID bulb (e.g. the need for a sharp beam cutoff to avoid blinding oncoming traffic), or whether projectors designed for HIDs need to be fitted onto the headlight housings.
smorgasbord
Active Member
Here's the thread for Roadster HID Upgrade. For Roadster, the aftermarket HIDs work very well (see my post for comparison pictures), including the proper cut-off.
Until we know the base size for the Model S Halogen bulb, we won't know what kit to order. I believe, but am not sure, that Model S uses a single socket for Hi and Lo beams, but have been unable to find any indication of what size. Anyone without the Tech Pkg care to pull a headlight bulb out to look?
Until we know the base size for the Model S Halogen bulb, we won't know what kit to order. I believe, but am not sure, that Model S uses a single socket for Hi and Lo beams, but have been unable to find any indication of what size. Anyone without the Tech Pkg care to pull a headlight bulb out to look?
tdelta1000
Active Member
I just wanted to use the image as a reference point. I'm currently using the DDM setup on my Infiniti G and I would recommend them to anyone wanting to retrofit or replace expensive OEM HID ballasts. I think the projector design would be fine but I do think the bulbs would play a bigger factor. Some OEM bulbs have a coating on the bulb to keep the light shining from a specific area like this:
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