Ive got HID on some of my other cars and the LED on the GK are very bright, much brighter than the normal halogens on my silvias. Has that harsh white/blue light like HIDs have though, Im not in love with the LEDs but do like the way they look on the GK Vs the lower level lights.

 

HIDs? Ok, those too, but how about we ask for the RS!

 

We owners seem to get lost as to what area the fit was brought over for. Low Co$t. Sure the R18 could be used but odds are that engine is more expensive. Raising the base price of the already most expense sub-compact in USA even more. As far as HID/LED's. Honda as of yet only puts on CR-Z EX and models with a "Touring" designation. If you ask me, I think the Civic EX-L Navi/SI & Fit Type R (SI in USDM) if it ever comes should be offered w/ HID's standard.

I can also see ever new car offered in USDM having them standard across the board. They are so cheap. Even if the optics arent projectors (remember 99-03 TL/CL) will work fine. I mean how long did it take for cars to transition to a halogen back in the 60's/70's?

It's a fun "economy" car. Thats what it is. Maybe you jumped too fast. I always wait for 2nd year. My mom made mistake of buying the still best selling compact (2012 Civic EX-L Navi) to be almost completely changed for 2013 after mass complaints. She traded for 2013 same model. Sometimes customers need to sit back and watch the car they are interested, read all reviews because automakers are too ready to set-up changes in mistakes they made.

It all has to do with aim my friend. If hid conversion company gave a tutorial on how to aim the headlight on a level parking lot 20-25 feet from a wall and how high or low(by feet) the beam should hit the wall, far less people would be blinded.

 

I understand that the car is meant to be fun and economical, but it hurts their brand image when customers know that the manufacturer has better offerings in other markets and are "diluting" our versions (see civic hatch)

There was a time they offered vehicles that wasnt about volume, but about building their brand image and cultivating a loyal customer base...and it seems like that time has passed...

While I am no fan of the Veloster turbo, I like the idea behind it and it can be purchsed for a few grand more than the fit, with loads of goodies and a turbo engine....oh and it gets about 28-30 mixed....right about where my fit is....

I love my GE8 and will do exactly what was mentioned and wait this year out....otherwise I'll have to up my budget a bit and expand my search.

A civic hatch like the one they sell in Europe would kick ass tho!

 

didnt have the luxury of waiting any longer and the 2 months we had to wait for honda to get it made was almost too long. That said I have 2 race/fun cars and a turbo sr20 van, I dont need the Fit to be quick so it serves the purpose I bought it for. That said I would have liked a 5 number car (this is a size/tax bracket for cars) with about 40 more horse power. Only one in Japan that is 5 number and had more power than the Fit was the Golf Polo GTi which is hideously unreliable and about double the price of the Fit so got the thumbs down.

If they do release a fit "type R" or something like that in the next 12 months I will be disappointed even though I couldnt have waited that long for it.

 

This is not a problem...

RETROFIT!
:]
Fun project to get 10x better light output.

 

need HID or LED

 

The energy savings of a 20W LED module over a 60W halogen bulb in an automotive application is negligible. The reliability of halogens is pretty good and the bulbs are cheap and easy to replace when they do fail every decade or so.

I see little difference between the beam patterns of good halogen reflectors, projectors, or LEDs. There may be some highly perceptive people who perceive a difference, but there are likely more who imagine a difference when none exists.

Years ago, a car magazine did a test with laypeople comparing European H4 headlights with sealed beams of various types. Almost every observer selected the sealed beam as being brighter and better simply because it produced hot spots in the near field of its beam pattern. The H4 lights produced a broad, even pattern that didn't have any hot spots and was perceived as being dimmer, even though it produced better overall lighting.

 

I also was very disappointed that the fit didn't have HID or LED headlights, until I drove mine at night. HOLY CRAP Honda has done amazing things - the beam is extremely bright and very well focused. I've hated every halogen headlight I've ever owned, but the Fit's stock beams are fantastic and I am a certifiable lighting nerd.

What I find really interesting is all the older gen owners who have no first-hand experience with the GK but still come to post a bunch of negativity in the GK forum. I wonder if this happens in other car forums?

 

Just wait till you see LED or HID headlights on the Fit

 

Too tell you the truth, the stock halogen headlights on the fit are pretty good considering the type of car it is. Sure, HIDs make a difference, but for the general non-FF fit owner our there, I think the halogen are suitable. Honda did do an amazing job.

 

I find my halogen headlights extremely bright, and thats with oem bulbs. I’m sure a set of silverstar bulbs will be even better.

 

Hid lamps. and led lamps have different color light outputs based on where they are on the kelvin scale temperature wise. 4-5000k on the scale yields the most light output. These will look white or greenish white. The higher in the scale you go the bluer the light will get, and the less light output you will have. Same with anything below 4000k on the kelvin scale.

 

I think it's because the 3rd gen headlights the bulb reflector is smaller and more focused than the previous generations. I love how mine works at night and on occasion would use the fog lights.

 

Amazed at what Honda's reflector has done with the reliable, inexpensive, and ubiquitous H4 bulb. The stock lighting is a lot better, i.e. more than adequate, than that on our F350, which needs much more frequently replaced SilverStars (too blue) or Xtreme-Visions to measure up.

Those who blind others with HID bulbs in factory reflectors not designed for them shouldn't be surprised if they drive their windshield into a lug nut one night (certainly not from me, but there are those who are less restrained).

 

It's funny how fads come and go with automotive lighting.

The human eye is most sensitive in the yellow-green part of the spectrum which is right at the color of halogen headlights. Sensitivity drops off with light that is blue or red. It's not a good idea to use bluish light for nighttime illumination, yet lots of people feel that blue is good because the first expensive HID lights tended to be bluish. Now I see some kewl dudez running violet headlights. They're showing their ignorance of the principles involved.

It's pretty hard to improve upon a small halogen filament for a light source. It's easy to design a reflector or projector lens to broadcast a controlled beam when one has such a small source. The fact that the filament is self-regulating and only requires a raw 12V source to power it is a distinct advantage. The ability to put two filaments in one bulb for high and low beams is also nice for headlight designers.

HIDs are pretty good as light sources, but they are not smaller than halogens. They require either separate lights for high and low beams or some sort of mechanical shutter. They also require an external electronics package that involves high voltages, something that does not contribute to long life. That's why quality HIDs are quite expensive.

LEDs show quite a bit of promise, but they have their own issues. "white" LEDs work by having a ultraviolet LED shine on a fluorescent material that converts the UV photons to visible light photons. You can tailor the light quality by using different materials the fluoresce at different wavelengths to get the color you like. This is where strides are being made now. LEDs have the advantage of long life, but that life depends upon the electronic package that supports the LED and the heat sinking of the bulb. Current LED "bulbs" are larger than halogens and therefore do not provide such a concentrated light source. That's why they don't work well in current reflectors.