HID Do's & Don'ts - The HID Lighting Tutorial

[Zwill]

If I understand everything said correctly, then we should try to get an oem projector kit out of a car like the infiniti Q45 and retrofit it to our respective vehicles. I for one prefer the better vision the real thing would get me rather than just "the Look" of HID. But is there anyone down here skilled enough to do that and at what cost? Also, where are we going to get an oem kit?

[Michael Knight...]

To be honest if you do some research on your headlamps (such as the type of material in them, their measurements etc.) you can do a retrofit for yourself with excellent results. Take a conversion from ordinary headlamp reflectors to projectors, all that is really needed is time to examine specs of other headlamps with projectors and some ingenuity.(Like you said). Some may say this is "playing MacGyver" but it actually works out a lot better in the end for you than if you were to find an OEM kit and slap it on your car.

[renegade]

Is there any where tht u can get projectors custom made for ur vehicle cause i drive a g11 charade and for the longest time i have been searching for crystals or projectors and i cant find any of the above pm me if there is any relevant info

[Terran]

If I understand everything said correctly, then we should try to get an oem projector kit out of a car like the infiniti Q45 and retrofit it to our respective vehicles. I for one prefer the better vision the real thing would get me rather than just "the Look" of HID. But is there anyone down here skilled enough to do that and at what cost? Also, where are we going to get an oem kit?

Same thing I was asking a while back, but no one has come forward, and nobody seems to know of anybody.

Check out www.theretrofitsource.com and www.hidplanet.com to see some of the amazing work these guys are doing. They even sell parts for you to do a complete retrofit. They source parts from scrapyards from major automobile manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Benz, Lexus and Honda. They can supply you with a complete kit to do a retrofit for around US$400 + shipping to Trinidad, duties and VAT. The work is up to you. Alternatively, you can send your headlamps to them to do the job and supply parts - for an additional US$200 or so.

[Aaron 2NR]

installed a 8k on my ride an its worth the money spent...the kit i got came with the glare shield and didnt see neone flashin lights or neting to signal that im blindin them....
the hid's light up the entire road...

[Terran]

Aaron 2NR, any output pics? As I suggested earlier in this thread, take some wall shots from varying distances... let's see what you're getting, and if possible, state the model vehicle and year that you're using.

[Aaron 2NR]

i got some pics but wireless was givin rel trouble last nite...i have to take over some since i got them aligned tho

[Terran]

That would be good...

It should guide some of us to the pros and cons of kits. Not all modern vehicles are equipped with headlamps that are built with optics adaptable to HID. Many of us wonder about our own vehicles being able to safely use an HID lighting system (like me), and this could be testimony for some.

[cacasplat3]

thinking of getting this kit.....waiting for a response from the dealer.......

[cacasplat3]

if i decide to get the kit it would be a 4300K kit.
these kits come with relays built into the connectors....

[Rahtid]

samiir, where did u buy it? wat price?

[Samiir_Tuner]

i bought my kit from xenondepot...www.xenondepot.com 250us...reallly good quality and i have a couple parthners who have their kit going on to 2 years with not one problem...i have them in my stock housing right now but soon enough ill be doing a retrofit with s2000 projectors from www.customlightz.com ... im sure if u get some spare headlights and try to do a retro u should be ok..i mean u hadda be a lil mechanically inclined

[Yeo]

Here's mines, 4300K in my Sonata.. and yes, the Sonata came with projectors, so I'm not blinding oncoming cars.

[cacasplat3]

^^^^end lines appear to be quite sharp......except for a little stray in the middle......
u mind posting a pic of the headlight itself, with the light off?

[Yeo]

^^^^end lines appear to be quite sharp......except for a little stray in the middle......
u mind posting a pic of the headlight itself, with the light off?

That "stray" is from the drivers side light and it's also there on the pass side light on the right side, that's there to allow light to be cast up towards the shoulder to see pedestrians/street signs etc.







Lights off


Lights on

[Terran]

Yeo, that's good. Thanks for posting. Been trying to encourage guys who have done conversions to do the same thing and let's see the results. It would help to discourage others wanting to buy kits for vehicles' headlights that are NOT adaptive to HID systems.

[Aaron 2NR]

im using my original housin on mine but noone ever complained about glare affecting them from mine...i dunno if its because of the eyelids on my headlights or wat..ill take some pics this weekend....after hid's i wont be goin back to halogens at all....

[Yeo]

^^In the last pic, you can clearly see the cut-off line so as to not blind oncoming traffic.

[Michael Knight...]

Projectors, perfect for HIDs.

[Terran]

^^In the last pic, you can clearly see the cut-off line so as to not blind oncoming traffic.

Yep! Looks like a laser beam against the wall!

[teichou]

great info

[cacasplat3]

yur lights look godd.....i got a lil bit mis-lead cuz i was thinking it was a RHD

i noticed that R34 GTR's have HID's and they have headlights that look like normal halogen headlamps....so i'm guessing i should be OK with these....

[Yeo]

i noticed that R34 GTR's have HID's and they have headlights that look like normal halogen headlamps....

Next time you see one, ask the owner to switch their lights on and look inside the lamp.. NOT AT THE LIGHT eh! and you'll notive they have a small sheild and the reflectors are angled.

If you do go HID's, and you don't get the projectors, their is a kit that has a magnetic sheild installed, it cuts the light for low beams, or you can install eyelids.

[Terran]

cacasplat3, HID lights were shoehorned around the projector. However, lamp housings on more modern vehicles (not all) have been developed to adapt to HID lighting systems. Therefore, you can use halogen or HID and the results will be outstanding. As such, there are different HID bulb types that are suited to projector housings or reflective housings such as yours pictured above. Be careful when choosing a kit that you buy the correct bulb type.

For your information, I have seen several examples of Maximas/Cefiros as yours pictured above that have done conversions with perfect results. I do believe your lamp housing is adaptive to HID. For best results though, spend the money and buy a GOOD kit.

[VK-Sportsman]

Yep! Looks like a laser beam against the wall!

Now this is what you call razor sharp cutoff
(E46 LHD projector)



http://www.hidplanet.com/bosch.html

[Yeo]

what should i be looking for in a bulb

You basically need the same type of bulb... but HID. Foe eg, if you use a H1 bulb, make sure the kit is for a H1 HID replacement bulb. HOWEVER, make sure the ballasts that come with the kit are clearly marked stating, waterproof, shockproof and dustproof. Also, if they are large, make sure you know where they will fit.

[GMAN]

SR,

SR- can you tell me where to obtain the kit for the local Corolla 1NZE with the Double headlight (Separate low & Hi beam) and how much?

[eliteauto]

some good info posted ( re experiences) since I last read

[Aaron 2NR]

here are some pics of my setup.....i never regret the money i invested in this kit...its a hi/low beam h4 setup but the low beam is so bright and distribute the light where it should be so i dont even use the high beam


this shot was after i installed the kit..didnt align them yet


if you notice infront the headlamp bulb there is a shield, this came with the hid kit....

[Terran]

I'm curious to see pics AFTER the alignment. Your beam pattern as in the above pictures does not seem consisent or very wide. There is some foreground lighting, than a grey patch, then more light ahead in the distance. The shot taken right up to the garage door (?) also shows hot spots and an uneven distribution of light. Can you take a wall shot from 25 feet away?

The shot taken of the car coming into the garage... the cut off line is uneven. It's slightly scattered, so you may have some stray light affecting oncoming drivers.

Don't mean to sound as if I am thrashing you or anything, but I only expect from people posting pics like this that we can all learn something from it. The number of people using kits now is growing at a fast rate, and many of them are making misinformed decisions about using HID.