[redpoint5]

Uh huh. I'm sure mcrews always drives at or below the speed limit in his Q45 Sport and never fails to signal since he is so concerned with abiding by the letter of the law.

The argument that HID conversion is illegal and therefore necessarily bad is only effective if it can be shown that all laws ought to be obeyed all of the time. But mcrews doesn't mention that it is illegal because he is very concerned that citizens obey the law, otherwise he would rail against LED bulbs in parking and brake lamps since those are just as illegal.

Great, so the argument against HID conversion isn't about compliance to the law so much as it is about safety. HID conversion is inherently dangerous because it "blinds" other drivers and causes accidents. There is data to corroborate this claim where? I have never seen a single source to support this.

My own experience with converting my motorcycle to HID is that it improved my safety considerably. The stock bulb was dangerously inadequate, so I illegally converted it to HID. I have found that the conversion does not put others at increased risk due to glare, but instead increases my safety by improving visibility.

We have all been annoyed by HID conversions that were poorly done and get angry that others could be so inconsiderate. This is the real argument; that some HID conversions are annoying and we resent that others could be so inconsiderate. While it's true that HID conversions are illegal, and some debate may exist concerning safety, the thing we have to deal with most is the lack of respect that others show towards us.

My take on the debate; go forward with the conversion but take care that the modification is in consideration of others and has a useful light output. If it fails either of these 2 criteria, then it's back to the drawing board.