Hid+projector Upgrade

[mtsusa]

Thinking of eventually retro-fitting my stock headlamps to a bi-xenon hids/projectors. Can anyone shed some light on this (no pun intended) i.e. problems they experienced, etc?

 

And what's a good HID/projector kit?

 

Thanks!

[plumber802]

I don't have projectors but I did retrofit my low beams and fogs with 4300K HIDs.IMO this is a "no brainer" mod and worth every penny.In my case,I pulled the 2 fuses for the Daytime Running Lights to avoid any flicker.However,some guys are running them without doing this without any issues.If you do get flicker it may shorten the life of the ballasts.Got mine through http://www.bfxenon.com/ use the coupon code:"forum" for an extra 15% off.This is a great quality kit (100% plug and play) and they use McCulloch Ballasts not the crappy ChiCom stuff you get off Ebay.Look for Phillips or McCulloch ballasts.Hope this helps.

[herkdriver007]

i did a retro with the morimoto mini xenons...click the link in my sig for more info

[AKBlue]

I too retro'ed a set of MH1 projectors.

[jrrod2004]

same for me but mine is a GMT800: http://www.jrrod2004.com/silverado/hidretrofit.html

[mtsusa]

those all look great...question though, without the bi xenons how do the stock high beams look with the HID lows? Or do you even need the highs?

[mtsusa]

I'm a little confused, too, trying to assemble the right stuff (for the best price). I was looking at the Apexcone Raptor HID kit http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/Apexcone-Raptor-HID-Kit and the Morimoto mini bi-xenon projectors http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_i...products_id=221. I'm assuming I'd have to also purchase the bi-xenon relay harness. If that's all right, what's the best bulb, d2s or h1?

 

And, I noticed on DDM's website they have H4 hi/lo...but doesn't the bi-xenon projector give me the hi/lo effect even with an h1 or d2s bulb?

 

I'm pretty new to the HID light scene...I appreciate any and all advice!

[herkdriver007]

the morimoto will give you hi/lo if you choose to use it, up to you. I have found no need for my high's except for "flash to pass"; i dont even have my "bi xenon" wired up yet, just the low's with OEM highs

 

D2S, as far as i know, will not fit where the H1 bulb goes... If you get the complete kit from TRS, they will set u up right with bulbs and ballasts.

 

The DDM setup (or similar) will REPLACE the oem bulb in the oem housing (H11). I would never go to a true HID high beam, since they take a few seconds to warm up and are almost worthless as flash to pass or quick on/off highs...you'll only destroy the bulbs using them this way

[mtsusa]

Alright...so I could use the DDM HID kit with the H1 bulb then in the morimoto bi-xenon h1 projectors? Unless I'm sacrificing quality (which I don't want to do) this route seems to be the most cost effective.

[mtsusa]

Ah...the more I look at other kits it seems like the DDM ones might not be the best quality?

 

And, if anyone could truthfully tell me, is there really a noticeable/significant improvement in the light output?

[herkdriver007]

TRS will set you up with the bulbs/ballasts for the morimoto's...you dont need the DDM kit. If you wanted to try HIDs without projectors, then get the DDM kit and when you decide to upgrade, you could keep the ballasts and wire up the H1 bulbs

[mtsusa]

If I do this I refuse to put HIDs in halogen reflectors. All or nothing. But before I do it, can any of you who did this upgrade tell me if there's truly a noticeable difference in light quality...I mean, is it worth the $300 or so for a kit? And how does it look in snow and rain?

[iminaquagmire]

Difference is huge. I hate driving other vehicles at night now. Driving the ambulance at work, I actually had to get out and make sure there wasn't a bulb out. If you want to see the difference, go test drive a car with good factory HID projectors like a TL or Lexus. There is a big difference also between DDM and TRS's Morimoto or OEM bulbs and ballasts. You really do get what you pay for.

 

Starting from scratch and using the stock headlights, I'd use the TRS Morimoto H1 or D2S, the new 50W morimoto ballasts, and genuine Philips OEM D2S or Rebased H1 bulbs in 4300K. I know you can get a kit like that with D2S, but I'm sure Matt can make you a kit using the H1 if you contact him.

[sk]

If I do this I refuse to put HIDs in halogen reflectors.

Good, because it's illegal to put HID filaments in halogen reflectors.

 

I know, I know -- thousands of people do it. And there have already been numerous threads here and on other boards about it. And very few people get stopped or ticketed. But the bottom line is that it is illegal. There is an interesting article here:

HID Comparison

 

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now ...

[wfleeger]

Very good information. Thanks SK.