HID Headlights On Apparatus

[x635 4,066]

A department near me took delivery of a new 2010 Pierce Contender engine with HID headlights. This is the fire apparatus that I've seen equipped with this. Apparently, it improves nighttime visibilty greatly, but other drivers think that the high beams are on. Does anyone use these type of headlights on their apparatus?

[JimmyPFD 11]

;)Did it come with an amp and subwoofers too?

(HID's should be outlawed)

[x635 4,066]

(HID's should be outlawed)

Nope. Apparently it's going to be a standard for the Pierce Contender unless spec'd differently. This is a no-frills engine, cost just over $300,000. More photos and info to follow on another thread.

[Alpinerunner 61]

HIDs aren't bad unless they are aimed wrong, which is common on aftermarket installs. They actually "lose" less light than regular headlights (i.e. they have a more focused beam) so when properly aimed, they should be less blinding to oncoming drivers.

[Dondestro 9]

I've been waiting for this for a while. About the blinding of other drivers, alot of new trucks built are so loaded with led warning lights do you really thing hid headlights are going to blind them.

I Also have a few questions; Most trucks have wigwags installed in them, can you do this with HIDS? Is that the only style of HIDS you can get or are there others.

[99subi 121]

;)Did it come with an amp and subwoofers too?

(HID's should be outlawed)

This is where 95% of the population gets it wrong. HID's only blind the hell out of people when they are installed wrong and/or are not installed into a projector housing.

The apparatus above has a nice projector setup.

[dmc2007 17]

This is where 95% of the population gets it wrong. HID's only blind the hell out of people when they are installed wrong and/or are not installed into a projector housing.

The apparatus above has a nice projector setup.

+1. HID's are great when properly installed. It's when you get the idiots installing them in their stock reflector housings (i.e., taking out their old, non-HID bulb and not properly retrofitting in a new housing before installing an HID bulb) that you have issues.

[Bnechis 3,961]

Most trucks have wigwags installed in them, can you do this with HIDS?

There are are plenty of flashing lights on a fire truck that getting rid of wigwag headlights will not make any difference in moving traffic. But it sure is nice not to have any blind spots and to see any issue out front, even a missed pot hole can result in a major issue. I always turned off the wigwags and when the extra attention is needed, just flash the high beams. Works fine.

[Ach67-1A 3]

Taken from wiki:

High-intensity discharge lamps

A high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp is a type of electrical lamp which produces light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes housed inside a translucent or transparent fused quartz or fused alumina arc tube. This tube is filled with both gas and metal salts. The gas facilitates the arc's initial strike. Once the arc is started, it heats and evaporates the metal salts forming a plasma, which greatly increases the intensity of light produced by the arc and reduces its power consumption. High-intensity discharge lamps are a type of arc lamp.

Compared with fluorescent and incandescent lamps, HID lamps have higher luminous efficacy since a greater proportion of their radiation is in visible light as opposed to heat. Their overall luminous efficacy is also much higher: they give a greater amount of light output per watt of electricity input.

Hid bulbs are basically just like a welding arc when you get down right down to it. The different colors of the headlights you see are the different temperatures at which the gas burns. As for wigwags it would shorten the life of the bulb considerably as every time you turn them on and off you are striking an arc and from what i have seen in the aftermarket kits the manufacturers frown upon flashing the bulbs on and off (car alarms etc.).

Edited July 7, 2010 by Ach67-1A

[99subi 121]

plus that wuold do a real number of the igniters in the ballast

[Portsmouth OH Fire Buff 8]

Wasn't there a thread about this a few months back? Someone had pictures of the HID lights as well as the camparison between them and older headlights on another of thier engines while in house projecting their lights on the bay doors.

[fireguy30 13]

A department near me took delivery of a new 2010 Pierce Contender engine with HID headlights. This is the fire apparatus that I've seen equipped with this. Apparently, it improves nighttime visibilty greatly, but other drivers think that the high beams are on. Does anyone use these type of headlights on their apparatus?

are these true hid's or is it just a project lens ? A dept. by me has the same thing on there new ladder truck and there not hid's there just a projector lens you can tell just look for the power pack for the lamps if not there fake n and you cant wigwag hids i know someone who tried they blow out unless they just have there high beams wigwag witch would be kinda cool good luck to them on there new truck

Edited July 7, 2010 by fireguy30

[JimmyPFD 11]

This is where 95% of the population gets it wrong. HID's only blind the hell out of people when they are installed wrong and/or are not installed into a projector housing.

The apparatus above has a nice projector setup.

They blind every sedan and coupe driver when installed on trucks.

BMW has used these as stock in their SUVs for years; and have been "blinding" sedan drivers for just as long. It can be the same as someone having their brights on in your rear view and distracting beyond a half mile, (line of sight permitting). High beams and fog lights do the job depending on the situation.

HID's are distracting and unnecessary and the risk/benefit value only balances in their favor, if the driver only considers themselves. Kind of like the every now and then idiot that keeps their brights on in traffic because one of their low beams would go out otherwise.

Dagnabbit! (insert crusty middle aged man sneer here)

Edited July 7, 2010 by JimmyPFD