Performance differences between a aftermarket HID kit and a OEM HID retro
I'm creating this thread to give you a great visual aid tool. This thread was created to give you guys a quick glance at the performance of a retro over a conventional far chepaer HID kit. I'll let the pictures do the explaining....
UPDATE - Brit video now showing how bad it really is with HID "kits" in halogen designed housings. Don't let the uninformed try to swing your head in the wrong direction. Watch this video http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/videos/...enon_test.html
I'm going to copy the info over from HIDplanet and here it is:
Quote: Originally Posted by JDMlyfstyles
I really hope this thread can help you guys. Ur making the road more dangerous than it already is by adding a HID kit to your car. so please do HID the right way by doing a retrofit.
HID kits are illegal due to the glare that they cause. Glare is Light that is emitted in a Uncontrollable path. When light is traveling in a uncontrollable path it can hit other vehicle operators affecting there vision because of the High amount of uncontrollable light that is being Emitted from a HID kit in a standard Halogen housing. If you have ever turned a flashlight on right in front of your face while it is dark out, that is the same feeling that the other drivers on the road experience from a standard HID kit.
OEM Vehicles such as Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Lexus are all equipped with HID or Xenon Headlights. Some use reflector housing’s without projectors. Others use HID projectors.
The Lexus IS300 is a Prime Example of a HID reflector housing. It does not use a Projector. It uses a Specially designed Reflector housing that is meant to use HID. This does not create the Super sharp cutoff. But it does control where the light is being Emitted.
Other vehicles such as the Honda S2000 Use HID projectors, These Projectors are meant to use HID. They are Specially Designed and have been tested Hundreds of times to get the right projection of light while maintaining a Good Cutoff.
Here are pictures of Halogen housings mated with a HID kit......
This teg is a prime example of Glare. This is what it looks like to oncoming traffic
Disaster pix. HID kit in Halogen Housing
Now for the good stuff......HID retros
This is what HID is suppose to look like.. Pictured is a STi
Talk about a Razor Sharp Cutoff. Pictured is a S2000 OEM setup
Its not just honda's either. Here is a mid 90's Lexus with a HID kit..
Now you guys might be asking yourselves, "well, yeah those aren't a dodge Neon". True, so let me show you the "light" about HID kits in a neon housings versus a retro in a neon housing.
To date, NHTSA has investigated 24 HID conversion kit suppliers; all investigations have resulted in recalls or termination of sales. ...
RM Racing
Astex USA
Kmax International
FET, Inc.
J. Liu LLC
Gourmet Garage
JC Whitney
Lighting Research
SPW Industries, Inc.
Pacific Micro-lite
McCulloch Motors, Inc.
Santeca Electronics
JF Manufacturing
Streetglow, Inc.
Outback Products, Inc.
Nu Performance
GR Motorsports, Inc.
Global Premier
New Clor
Importhookup.com
DG International
MTC Lighting
Umnitza
Liteglow
American Products Company
Last edited by haknslash : 01-16-2007 at 03:38 PM.
Hey hak I have a question for you. With some projectors they have a cutoff that angles up quite a bit on the right side (like the sti pics). Why is that? I had hella headlights on my focus and they were like that. With the bi xenons above they dont really seem to have that. Is it just to see stuff on the right side of the road?
also how do cars with factory hid in reflector housing get its color? I thought those companies still used all the same bulbs.
Hey hak I have a question for you. With some projectors they have a cutoff that angles up quite a bit on the right side (like the sti pics). Why is that? I had hella headlights on my focus and they were like that. With the bi xenons above they dont really seem to have that. Is it just to see stuff on the right side of the road?
also how do cars with factory hid in reflector housing get its color? I thought those companies still used all the same bulbs.
good questions.
The different flares you see are from diferent types of projectors. Usually in almost all cases, every Stanley made projector (S2K, TL, TSX, Murano, FX45, etc) all share the same "style" of step in the cut-off pattern. The step is there to help aid in lghting road signs and things that could be lurking off to the side of the road. Since we are in the US and go by US lighting standards, you'll always want to buy a LHD projector. If you were to buy a RHD projector the flare would be on the opposite, in our case here in the states, the wrong side of the road. Thus would be blinding everyone on the oncoming lane. not a good thing heh.
Most Bosch units like the E46 for example have a stepped cut-off that has a very high flare. This is again a big plus for the righthand side of the road. The only drawback is sometimes the flare can be somewhat obtrusive to people that might be in the far right lane. It isn't bad or unbareable. Its just kinda annoying to some motorists out there. This is the same projector used in a BMW 3-series so if you've sen one, that is what these look like. Similar/if not the projector used in the Sti picture.
Now when shopping for projectors, some different companies make several variying projector shield styles depending on projector model. Meaning that there are a few different cut-off patterns but with the same comapny who made the projector. a good example is Valeo. They make shields that have patterns that are similar in flare size to the Bosch or Hella units and some have cut-off patterns that are more similar to the more linear Stanley style of cut-off beam pattern. Its all in which projector your talking about. Especially with Valeos.
The reason why you see colors in a HID OEM reflector housing is because HID emits a colorful spectrum of light. It has yellow down on the bottom and the blue hue you se is actually the arc igniting the gas causing that "ora of hue" around the light source. This isn't the same colors you se in projectors. Those colors in projectors are formed by the shield and its interior dynamics. It is nothing more than basically holding a prsim up to a light source and it will give you the same effect.
Last edited by haknslash : 12-13-2005 at 01:11 PM.
good info hak thanks! Do you ever get anyone asking about the projectors in your srt-4? I saw a 94-98 mustang gt with retros and it looked pretty good. He needed to re-aim them though.
good info hak thanks! Do you ever get anyone asking about the projectors in your srt-4? I saw a 94-98 mustang gt with retros and it looked pretty good. He needed to re-aim them though.
No problem. The info is here for you guys
I get compliments and questions all the time regarding my headlights. Especially from the locals.
good questions.
Those colors in projectors are formed by the shield and its interior dynamics. It is nothing more than basically holding a prsim up to a light source and it will give you the same effect.
Does that mean the lens on the projector can make the light be more of a blue or white? Because I've heard they are all 4300K and still I see some very blue on some white/almost yellow but they both get the road illuminated.
Does that mean the lens on the projector can make the light be more of a blue or white? Because I've heard they are all 4300K and still I see some very blue on some white/almost yellow but they both get the road illuminated.
Would the projector model also change the color?
Your seeing the aging of the capsule. Sure some projectors over the other illuminate say maybe a tad more blue here or a tad more white here but for the most part they put out close to the same color, bright white. Now colorshifting is what a bulb does over time. As it ages the output color changes. When bulbs are brand new is when they are almost yellowish bright white but as they age they lose more lumens because their color changes more blue as time goes on. It takes a few hundred hours on a bulb for it to start having significant output color changes.
The only differences in colors between different projectors would be their different colorbands they have. Each different projector has its own triat colorband.
just wanted to share my comparison, stock 9006 vs. rebased D2R, both in stock housing of a new Grand Cherokee. Yes there's a bit more glare, but overall this is much better than other headlights.
Those pics are kinda famous as far as the HID e-net world goes. They showed up on the Lighting FAQ a long time back and everyone has used it since to help show what kits do.
will the projectors work from this if you put them in the 2003 and up headlights.Projector Headlights for 1995-1999 Neon's
These high quality lenses are made by DEPO, the same manufacturer that has been producing headlights for the 95-05 Neon for years with great quality!
These headlights project a bright beam in front of you and look great while doing so!
PLEASE do not confuse these with the old APC projector lights that put out dangerously low light levels, keep in mind these are produced by the #1 volume producer of aftermarket lamps – DEPO!
These are simple to install, as they use the same factory bracketry, and they also use the factory style connector, so theres no cutting, welding, splicing, etc.
I figured this would be a great video for people to watch and understand why a kit is not the best idea.
This video is great because not only does he have one HID kit in one headlight (drivers side) and the other stock halogen (passenger side) to show good differences but you can also tell just how much glare you get with using HID in something that is clearly designed for halogen use. Also notice that the halogen side is actually puting out more useable light on the GROUND, where it counts! All because its working like its designed to. The HID on the otherhand is clearly out of control and looks like crap http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcX63...search=Hidding
hey hak i got a question, is the beam on your TL retro the same length as the standard headlights on the srt-4 with the standard halogen bulbs.
LOL no way. The stock halogens dither or fizzle out much sooner that say my TL's. With my TL hybrids I can have my beam (upper step) completely parallel to the ground and shoot my cutoff over 1/8th mile long. The reason why I can shoot my beam further besides the fact its HID is because with a projector, you have a sharp cutoff so your able to aim in a way that no light above the cutoff will blind anyone. With reflectors, halogen or HID, the beam isn't nearly as controlled so it just scatters everywhere and can't emit that distance nearly as efficient or safe because it wold get into anyone and everyone's eyes.
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Performance differences between a aftermarket HID kit and a OEM HID retro
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