HID Project Change

[geswek]

I have a buddy here who just opened his shop; does a lot of custom work and his team is amazing.

He recently got a hold of one of the best retro guys in the area; seen this dudes work and it's amazing.

I was talking to him about changing out my HIDs for something better as I recall someone doing that to a Canadian car.

I guess my question is; do you guys think it's worth the investment to have much better lighting then the OEM setup? I'm thinking a different projector housing would be a good upgrade since OEM isn't that great.

Thoughts?

[LowFrequencies]

If they're using higher quality retrofit kits, it can get expensive but the light output will be a night and day difference.  When done correctly, you can get a much better light output and crisp/clean cutoff lines.

[ShoBoat]

I have a buddy here who just opened his shop; does a lot of custom work and his team is amazing.

He recently got a hold of one of the best retro guys in the area; seen this dudes work and it's amazing.

I was talking to him about changing out my HIDs for something better as I recall someone doing that to a Canadian car.

I guess my question is; do you guys think it's worth the investment to have much better lighting then the OEM setup? I'm thinking a different projector housing would be a good upgrade since OEM isn't that great.

Thoughts?

That would have been mine, I did the retro, also I think someone did their explorer also.  Cost isn't that bad. About $500 if you do the work yourself. Here is an output shot.

I have others, I'll have to find them.


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[MDesign Performance]

Purchasing some proper bulbs would be a start and you might actually like the results, look at Osram Xenarc D3S 5000K Bulbs. The authentic ones are made in Germany so make sure you purchase from a reputable source.

[explorergotoluvit]

lightwerkz.net did mine and it truly is a huge difference in light output they can clear out lenses and make them be a wider output as well with new projectors. I have done two retro on my own with help of one of my buddy's.  One on a wrx replacing projectors the were halogen and one the was a bugeye wrx with housing.  The were for left hand drive and we converted to Right hand and in that one we put tsx projectors in and the output of them and at the time were the best but now i believe there are better projectors but it just depends on how much to spend and how much you light output on the road but I truly believe that it well worth it.

For another example, the limited explorers have terrible lighting output i first thought that they weren't even HID's because the projector was so bad.  So lightwerkz did new projectors and bulbs and it made a huge difference. This is just my input hope it helps

I do have a post of mine in the explorer part of this forum but recently took my 4300k bulb out and  did 5500k ones. I felt like the 4300 were a little yellow and wanted more of a pure white. They say the 4300k have more lumens then the 5500k and thats why I went with the 4300 first but just felt like going with the more pure white output.

[ShoBoat]

There is another Canadian member that is using Prolightz to have this done, here is the link to my retro. I just realized the pics are gone. I will repost them later today. http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,2221.0.html


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[MDesign Performance]

The only reason I say to try out different, high quality bulbs is because I actually have experience in this field. I use to offer the service on the Malibu forums when I had my Malibu therefore I know the work involved, linked below:

http://www.chevymalibuforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7413

As far as it being better than the OEM projectors, I think it is more cost effective to spend $80-100 on German made Osram Xenarc bulbs and if you believe you need more improvement I would then look into projector retrofits. Being cost effective isn't the only advantage, you'll also have the advantage of never having your headlights split and won't ever have to risk the small chance (depending on your retrofitter) of condensation in the headlight.

[ShoBoat]

You will get a better output from a rebased hid bulb, that said halogen projectors are just that. They are designed for halogen bulbs. The throw of light is pushed forward and not to the sides. Hence the smaller reflector. Here is a before pic of mine with Morimoto hid 6k bulbs in them.  as you can see the pattern is not anywhere like a true hid projector. I have been down this road, also you will need to lower you alignment as to not blind oncoming traffic. Halogen projectors typically are not stepped, meaning that the light cut off is flat. Defeating the nice shinny bulbs you just put in there. If you are going that route, like it's stated get good bulbs and good ballasts. Cheap bulbs will yellow your projectors over time due to the extra uv they put out.


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[geswek]

I found these; I have HID's already -- they're just not that bright imo.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1X-New-OSRAM-D3S-35W-66340-HBI-5000K-INTENSE-XENARC-OEM-Bulb-Xenon-HID-Headlight-/261459883864?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3ce0393758&vxp=mtr

[ShoBoat]

That is really cheap for D3S bulbs. They would drop right into the OEM hid housing. I wonder why they are so cheap? Usually these are closer to $200


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[geswek]

LOL; no idea but I just searched for what Spartn said.

They have DOT German tag and I looked up other sites; like Audi forum and guy posted same kind of tag on his.

[MDesign Performance]

You will get a better output from a rebased hid bulb, that said halogen projectors are just that. They are designed for halogen bulbs. The throw of light is pushed forward and not to the sides. Hence the smaller reflector.

That is true, though the OP is interested in going from OEM HID Projectors to aftermarket HID projectors from what I understand, also looked up his bulb which is a D3S HID bulb.

This is why I suggest a simple bulb swap to the OP as the vehicle is already equipped with HID projectors with the proper cutoff.

[MDesign Performance]

LOL; no idea but I just searched for what Spartn said.

They have DOT German tag and I looked up other sites; like Audi forum and guy posted same kind of tag on his.

The price seems right, that is for 1 bulb so it would be closer to $100 for a pair which is what they go for. These bulbs come on the newer Audi's which is that crisp white light that everyone is after. You just have to make sure they're authentic and get them from a reputable source as there are fakes.

Here's some info:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/494819-eBay-Osram-Xenarc-5000K-D1S-bulbs-with-photos

[geswek]

The price seems right, that is for 1 bulb so it would be closer to $100 for a pair which is what they go for. These bulbs come on the newer Audi's which is that crisp white light that everyone is after. You just have to make sure they're authentic and get them from a reputable source as there are fakes.

Here's some info:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/494819-eBay-Osram-Xenarc-5000K-D1S-bulbs-with-photos

That's the thread I read.

They look the same.

I do want that crisp white color; mine seem weak imo.

The ones he linked are D1S; I need D3S right?

[explorergotoluvit]

That is really cheap for D3S bulbs. They would drop right into the OEM hid housing. I wonder why they are so cheap? Usually these are closer to $200


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fake there not the real thing