I understand the need for brighter head lights. The Elise, as originally delivered, suffered from poor aiming. Aiming the headlights improved the pattern significantly. I find them acceptable but not great.
One alternative is to upgrade the bulbs. This helps.
Another alternative is to convert to HID and this thread is exceptional in showing how this might be accomplished. However there are problems with these conversions. Some have been noted, like the additional power drain.
Another issue that has not been covered is the reduced quality of the beam due to the change in optics. While the projector optics have not been changed, the type and size of the light source has! The HID light source is an arc and is shaped differently from the original equipement bulb which has a filament. This difference results in a change in the light projected down the road. The cutoff might be the same but the glare and light projected under the cutoff changes.
It is even possible to have less light projected at a distance and while the front looks brighter and whiter, the distance light may in fact be less, something that really matters.
There is an exceptional article and additional information on the Daniel Stern Lighting website:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html
While I do not think the differences are necessarily dramatic, I think you should be aware of both the good points and bad when considering this conversion.
Michael
edited to add link