ok, here is what i want to do.. i figured it will be quicker with the picture than in words to show others and for me to comprehend this project. and here are a few links related to this project... EBAY headlight housing http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/02-03-IMPREZA-WRX-JDM-BLACK-TWIN-HALO-HEADLIGHTS-RS-TS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33710QQihZ008QQitemZ180136955942QQrdZ1 THREAD AT NASIOC http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=605048 and if the 9007 bulbs are not able to work with a projector, it's still a ++ for me because with this housing i get the better looks (angel eyes), at least a projected beam pattern (still not great but better than having one in my reflector housing), and finally, a HIGH BEAM!! i suppose if these headlight housings can work with H7 bulbs (which are the ones they are equipped with), running them with HID is a no problem as far as dealing with melting issues because HID kit runs cooler than halogens.. o, and at this point, i dont really care for blinding other people as long as I can see well. those stupid SUVs blind the shit outta you anyways. let me know what you guys think! i just never thought investing over $1000 for a decent light is a smart idea when you can get important parts for engine/tranny build with that kind of money. i`m not debating whether or not the ideal retrofit is overpriced (and i mean the right way, using the right type of housing, projector, ballast, shrouds, etc) but i just simply want something a little bit better than stock lights and i think this project is worth the money/time that will be invested in my summer vacation. thanks and sorry for a LONG post!
BTW, i am probably not going to end up doing a straight up retrofitting of a projector..because the only reason why i`m looking to install these headlight housings is that these might be the easiest way to get my high beams back, and look good at the same time. however, i am FULLY aware that professional retrofitting with the right kind of bulb/harness/etc will yield the best result. but at this point, i`m somewhat happy with the HID kit i have; i`m just looking to enhance them a little bit, so no need to have the absolute best. i figured HID kit w/projector housing w high beams is > then HID kit with reflector housing w/o high beams with my budget right now. now if someone can wire these babies to make'em work on my car, i`d be a happy man! nitro cough, nitro LOL
but seriously, if nitro`s not up for the job, i`ll need some help guys haha. yes i realize this is about the 4th thread i made regarding HID kits. and yes, ALEX, i`m sorry for not being able to close the deal with your retrofitting, but i just cant afford it..!
Ive read that thread before, good luck with the project. You'll certainly learn a lot about lighting (and that it isnt a "cheap" mod to do it right) I believe 10th Street quoted you around 700-760 for a TSX retrofit with e55 shrouds, labor and materials. You obviously have to buy ballasts and bulbs, thats simply unavoidable. You can buy an HID kit and buy a harness adapter for your bulbs to go from H1 to D2S OR you can use OEM parts. Best of luck.
i think my main concern now is, will the HID kit i have right now work with those headlight housings?
so i guess i`m just going to have to align the stockers higher cuz i cant really see much.. the lights are awesome, my cutoff is actually not THAT bad, but the beam shoots straight to the ground...
ok, here is the problem... i already have a HID kit for the stock 9007 bulbs on the 03 bugeyes, and at this point, i have decided that i want to retrofit a projector because i get no high beam, and the low-beam is facing straight to the ground.. however, i`m running short on $, so i started to search, trying desperately to see if there is a projector that would create a decent cut-off using the 9007 bulbs i already have. so my options within my budget are: 1. change everything to stock so i get my high beams and fog lights back and hope that my HID kit will sell...but this way i get the boring look of the halogen and the light output sucks.. the only thing good about doing this is that i get my high-beam back, but i really wanna see far with just the low-beam. 2. leave everything i`ve got, and just adjust the beam a little higher (the beam pattern is actually not that bad but it could def. be better.. i`m willing to blind others on the road if i can see things better. those stupid SUVs blind me 24/7 anyways) 3. or buy the ebay angel eye housings and retrofit hella projectors that works with 9007 bulbs if it even exists. this way, i would have both low beam (HID) and high beam (halogen), and the 'cool' angel eyes... it's just that i would really hate to see these housings melt down...if i do the retrofit, i`m going to cover the housing with my stock protector and seal it up with sillicone. Also, another downside to this is that i would be lost trying to wire things and eventually break something.. please help me... it seems at this point, i`m leaning towards the option to just adjust the headlights a little higher because i really like the output of the HIDs.
I'm not sure your logic is, well, logical with option number 2. If the stock halogen beams are fine with the current alignment, but the HIDs are not, well then it's obvious that the HIDs are in fact worse in the stock housing. You're not going to get the projector style cutoff using the stock setup, regardless of what kind of bulb you have. Don't be the douche bag that points his low beams up As I see it, you have 3 options. 1. Go back to stock. It works. Get some sylvania silverstars or cool blues if you want a more hid look. 2. Deal with the current setup and hope you never have to drive anywhere where deer roam. 3. Pony up and either get Alex to do a retrofit for you, or buy some jdm/edm headlights (or any other aftermarket ones with projectors). I would not recommend a diy headlight project like the one you are talking about. I think you'll be getting in way over your head (as far as experience and money are concerned).
And totally off topic, I think I once spotted your car before you owned it. I was just looking at your sig, and I definitely remember seeing a wrb wrx with a porsche turbo emblem a while back. http://www.wrxatlanta.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6129
Isnt his car black though? Usually, headlights will reflect off dense fog, producing more of a visibility problem than you already had. Though fog lights are not used most of time, they are very much essential because fog lights emit a specialized beam to cut through the fog, penetrating harsh weather, and enabling you a better and safer field of vision. The OEM housing simply isnt made for a rebased HID kit. You never want to blind on-coming traffic, its dangerous! You can adjust the right slightly higher than the left though if needed. Now there are good quality replica USDM bugeye lamps to be found on ebay, I dont think those are. IIRC, JT had those and they gave him some problems way back when. The angel eye in there may also be of poor quality and may burn out much quicker than expected. Ive never seen this kit in person nor its output, but Im willing to bet that its honestly not much of an improvement over stock (simply because the reflector housing isnt designed for it). It wont even come close to how a true HID will look nor the actual performance of a true HID. Unfortunately for you and the rest of us pre-2006 owners, the only HID option that I find worth the money is a retrofit. This is not because I do them, this is because there are simply no other alternatives. If you want my 2 cents, sell the HID kit, its only hurting ya in the long run.
ok, as for the angel eyes, i could really careless, but i really like the way the housings look. so what if i buy: D2S bulbs so that it wouldnt touch the projo and melt the housing D2S converter to work with my ballast bosch single xenon projector (low beam) regular halogen to be used as high beam
I'd be kind of worried that that would turn out rather ghetto. I'm thinking that raising one light enough to make the beam go from the ground to a point where you no longer need highs will not be a good thing. Do ever pass a car on the road at night and see that one of their headlights is brighter than the other?...well yeah...
ok, i have found a link to a website that shows retrofitting step by step.. http://www.geocities.com/jvxdriver/x5_retrofit.htm?200711 what do you guys think? i just searched on nasioc, and found out that these do not melt down. i would actually do a retrofit on my stocker, but it just looks fugly with just one projo in the housing, and i have to get bi-xenons with expensive harnesses if i go this route, where as the ebay one already has the set-up that i want, and all i need to do is replace the projector and use converters to work with D2S bulbs on a single-xenon low beam, and use the high beam provided on the ebay housing (H1 bulbs). and of course, i`m gonna seal up the hole thing with the stock clear lens, but i havent decided if i want to create little pores for condensation issues
Actually the new lr3 I dove the other night had lights setup like that. There are multiple ways headlights are aligned, one of them is the two-step I just spoke about. Anyways, the intention isnt to raise it to make up for high-beams or what not. its to simply light up slightly more of the RHS of your lane, etc.
You are missing the point...Bosch projectors are not worth your money. Buy a higher quality projector and you will not regret it. A bixenon retrofit doesnt look that bad IMO, and best of all its functional. Thats the least I can say for the ebay knock-off projectors. Id be surprised if the projector lens in that light was actually glass. All I am trying to say is you will 100% get what you pay for. Why would you make little pores? All the lights have small holes in the rear, even your stockers. If the lamps are that notorious for foggin up, do not buy them!
+1 ^^ Time and frustration is money. It sounds like you have some project on your hands. Good luck. Amen.
yea i totally agree with you about the ebay projector qualities; they are probably horrible, so the bosch projo was just a random example of a single xenon projo..(i`ll most likely opt for hella projos). also, the little pores i`m talking about is for when i cover up the whole headlight housing with my stock protective glass (the ebay ones dont even have them on, and yes again, that is crap). other than that, the people that ACTUALLY retrofitted a different set of projos into these housings are quite happy with what they have. as far as wiring goes, do you guys think it is possible? at the end of the day, i might just adjust the HID kit i have on and just call it a day. (like the kit that nitro is talking about the one with hi/low adjustable), just trying to see what is possible.
Anything is possible, its all about how much time you want to invest. I read the thread where the guy did this, as well as I had a couple people tell me about it. It honestly seems like too much work for what you're going to get out of it. Did you consider buying the EDM lamps like suggested above? You can get a killer deal if you wait and buy each side separately. People are frequently wrecking the cars and you'll find a left side or right side for sale from time to time. Get those, then if they're not bright enough, upgrade the projectors inside of it to TSX and you'll be mucho pleased Next time you're Downtown call me, come over and Ill show you the projector setup(s) I'm doing, and how much light they put out