projector headlight conversion
06-26-2009, 11:07 AM
#1
projector headlight conversion
Ok Guys and gals, i just picked up a set of these projector headlights
http://www.360tuners.com/index.asp?P...OD&ProdID=2488
for the simple fact of the black housing instead of the crome. One thing i don't like is the housing is plastic, thus it could melt with a hot bulb. my question is, the guy at the shop said he recommended a 4300 kelvin bulb or less. They come with a set of 55w halogens, but i want to switch them to hid or a brighter halogen. most seem to be rated at 6000-8000 or more kelvin. So did i just get a crap light set or do you think i can run a little hotter bulb with no damage (halogen) or hid because it burns cooler (6500 kelvin hid kit is what im looking at) any advice info would be much appriciated! Thanks in advace my yota friends!
http://www.360tuners.com/index.asp?P...OD&ProdID=2488
for the simple fact of the black housing instead of the crome. One thing i don't like is the housing is plastic, thus it could melt with a hot bulb. my question is, the guy at the shop said he recommended a 4300 kelvin bulb or less. They come with a set of 55w halogens, but i want to switch them to hid or a brighter halogen. most seem to be rated at 6000-8000 or more kelvin. So did i just get a crap light set or do you think i can run a little hotter bulb with no damage (halogen) or hid because it burns cooler (6500 kelvin hid kit is what im looking at) any advice info would be much appriciated! Thanks in advace my yota friends!
06-26-2009, 11:32 AM
#2
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(6500 kelvin hid kit is what im looking at)
X2
Make sure that you get a set that comes with it's own wiring harness that just plugs into your factory harness. The factory wires are too thin. You need something beefier and some one has already rigged something up so you can just plug and play and as far as using an hid bulb in that plastic thing, forget it, I think it will melt on you.
Have you considered replacing the wires on the stockheadlight with a thicker gauge and then going for a brighter bulb? After which you could install a set of hid driving lights.
X2
Make sure that you get a set that comes with it's own wiring harness that just plugs into your factory harness. The factory wires are too thin. You need something beefier and some one has already rigged something up so you can just plug and play and as far as using an hid bulb in that plastic thing, forget it, I think it will melt on you.
Have you considered replacing the wires on the stockheadlight with a thicker gauge and then going for a brighter bulb? After which you could install a set of hid driving lights.
06-26-2009, 11:52 AM
#3
yeah i have looked at a lot of the forums on here and see many different ways to go. my biggest thing is the black housing as im trying to get rid of all the chrom on my rig. so let me get this right, your saying to get 4crawlers wiring kit for the headlights, then put a 90 watt bulb in this black housing? or get the ebay housing that are glass and metal?
06-26-2009, 12:24 PM
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I suggest you take those lenses back, and get some real lenses 
I run the hella 200mm e-code lense with 80/100w Xeon bulbs. Those lenses are super nice!! Everyone who buys em loves em. Great quality, all nice glass
I run the hella 200mm e-code lense with 80/100w Xeon bulbs. Those lenses are super nice!! Everyone who buys em loves em. Great quality, all nice glass
06-26-2009, 12:32 PM
#6
if those are the same crappy black housings that are sold on ebay (an it looks like they are) then good luck with them. you wont be able to see anything at night. because of the black housing, it doesnt reflect any light out on the road and the "projector" is just a lens and its not sealed off to the rest of the housing so light gets scattered everywhere and that means there is eve less on the road. your stock lights will put out more light then these. i would suggest you return them or cancel the order.
as for the HID kits, 4300-4500k is what the cars that come with HIDs from the factory use. anything more then 5000k and you start to loose brightness from the blueish light and in rain or fog you wont be able to see anything.
go to HIDplanet.com and start looking around in the university. you will learn a lot from that forum.
as for the HID kits, 4300-4500k is what the cars that come with HIDs from the factory use. anything more then 5000k and you start to loose brightness from the blueish light and in rain or fog you wont be able to see anything.
go to HIDplanet.com and start looking around in the university. you will learn a lot from that forum.
06-26-2009, 12:39 PM
#7
Jay i will check those out. Thanks for the advice.
Rob thanks for the link to hid planet, looks like those peple really know the hid stuff. As far as the these things go i will toy with them just for fun, see if i can mount them on the quad of some crap like that. Thanks guys
Rob thanks for the link to hid planet, looks like those peple really know the hid stuff. As far as the these things go i will toy with them just for fun, see if i can mount them on the quad of some crap like that. Thanks guys
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06-26-2009, 01:14 PM
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I'm bean counting here. So I'm just looking at it from the most-bang-for-the-buck angle. Which comes down to this ratio:
$1 : # of additional lumens over factory.
If you take a voltmeter and check the juice being kicked out by the headlight plug, there is a chance that you are getting shortchanged right off the bat. Meaning that it might not be kicking out factory specs anymore. Replacing the wires might, and usually does bring it back to specs. So if you are being shortchanged, AND you are going to replace the wires, you might as well select a thicker diameter wire for the job while you are at it especially if you are planning to stick a something bigger than a 55w bulb in the factory lens case.
So, bean counting wise:
1. clean the surface of the factory lens with tooth paste or ?
2. a run fatter wires to the headlight. search for it in this forum
3. replace the bulbs with a premium bulbs
4. install a set of HID driving lights, low, near the centerline, aim them 75 feet out.
I am still going to have to go with 6500k for the HID. I like it. Anything below 5500k is too warm (red). As a reference 6000k is daylight and 6500 is overcast daylight. I prefer overcast daylight. It is a little cooler (blue) with out being obnoxious about it.
If you go for the HID as your headlights, good luck with that. I thought about it and the trade off is too great for me to pull the trigger on that. They are too close to the turn signals and overpower them so left turns at intersections may lead to a misunderstanding of your intentions by other drivers of on coming traffic. Also, even a light fog will kick glare back into your own face with the HIDs as headlights. With HIDs as driving lights you can simply turn them off in inclement weather or go with an amber lens cover.
$1 : # of additional lumens over factory.
If you take a voltmeter and check the juice being kicked out by the headlight plug, there is a chance that you are getting shortchanged right off the bat. Meaning that it might not be kicking out factory specs anymore. Replacing the wires might, and usually does bring it back to specs. So if you are being shortchanged, AND you are going to replace the wires, you might as well select a thicker diameter wire for the job while you are at it especially if you are planning to stick a something bigger than a 55w bulb in the factory lens case.
So, bean counting wise:
1. clean the surface of the factory lens with tooth paste or ?
2. a run fatter wires to the headlight. search for it in this forum
3. replace the bulbs with a premium bulbs
4. install a set of HID driving lights, low, near the centerline, aim them 75 feet out.
I am still going to have to go with 6500k for the HID. I like it. Anything below 5500k is too warm (red). As a reference 6000k is daylight and 6500 is overcast daylight. I prefer overcast daylight. It is a little cooler (blue) with out being obnoxious about it.
If you go for the HID as your headlights, good luck with that. I thought about it and the trade off is too great for me to pull the trigger on that. They are too close to the turn signals and overpower them so left turns at intersections may lead to a misunderstanding of your intentions by other drivers of on coming traffic. Also, even a light fog will kick glare back into your own face with the HIDs as headlights. With HIDs as driving lights you can simply turn them off in inclement weather or go with an amber lens cover.
06-26-2009, 01:35 PM
#9
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Have them and love them. Worth the money.
Don't get the plastic garbage you will end up getting real ones anyway.
06-26-2009, 01:42 PM
#10
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anyone running hid's in their first gens?
I might be getting a chance to pick up a set of h4 hid's off my friend from his 81'..
All i would need is the housing, probley go with roundeyes or ecodes.
Like these
I might be getting a chance to pick up a set of h4 hid's off my friend from his 81'..
All i would need is the housing, probley go with roundeyes or ecodes.
Like these
06-26-2009, 02:07 PM
#11
Contributing Member
Ok Guys and gals, i just picked up a set of these projector headlights
http://www.360tuners.com/index.asp?P...OD&ProdID=2488
for the simple fact of the black housing instead of the crome. One thing i don't like is the housing is plastic, thus it could melt with a hot bulb. my question is, the guy at the shop said he recommended a 4300 kelvin bulb or less. They come with a set of 55w halogens, but i want to switch them to hid or a brighter halogen. most seem to be rated at 6000-8000 or more kelvin. So did i just get a crap light set or do you think i can run a little hotter bulb with no damage (halogen) or hid because it burns cooler (6500 kelvin hid kit is what im looking at) any advice info would be much appriciated! Thanks in advace my yota friends!
http://www.360tuners.com/index.asp?P...OD&ProdID=2488
for the simple fact of the black housing instead of the crome. One thing i don't like is the housing is plastic, thus it could melt with a hot bulb. my question is, the guy at the shop said he recommended a 4300 kelvin bulb or less. They come with a set of 55w halogens, but i want to switch them to hid or a brighter halogen. most seem to be rated at 6000-8000 or more kelvin. So did i just get a crap light set or do you think i can run a little hotter bulb with no damage (halogen) or hid because it burns cooler (6500 kelvin hid kit is what im looking at) any advice info would be much appriciated! Thanks in advace my yota friends!
If I didn't chime in on this, someone else will; everyone's going to tell you that putting true HID bulbs in the H4 housings is NOT a good idea... sure they make great light, but they also blind oncoming traffic... the housings are not designed for the HID bulbs...
06-26-2009, 02:26 PM
#15
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I run halogen 80/100w xeon blue (off road)bulbs. They get very hot. Check my cardomain for some pictures of the pattern and light output, trust me its amazing. I wouldnt even go with hids now..
A friend of mine has the same lenses on his chevy (1990 with the 200mm lenses) and runs hids. He loves em!! The nice e-code cutoff means that you won't be blinding EVERYONE, these lenses do NOT throw light up, this won't eluminate the overhead signs instead they concentrate all the light onto the road, with a little kick to get the signs on the side of the road.
The one thing that sucks it the wet weather performance. The whiter (and bluer) the light gets the worse it is in the rain. Since it rains so often here I rigged up a set of yellow fog lights, just for this purpose.
*edit* here you go, unaimed low beam pattern:
A friend of mine has the same lenses on his chevy (1990 with the 200mm lenses) and runs hids. He loves em!! The nice e-code cutoff means that you won't be blinding EVERYONE, these lenses do NOT throw light up, this won't eluminate the overhead signs instead they concentrate all the light onto the road, with a little kick to get the signs on the side of the road.
The one thing that sucks it the wet weather performance. The whiter (and bluer) the light gets the worse it is in the rain. Since it rains so often here I rigged up a set of yellow fog lights, just for this purpose.
*edit* here you go, unaimed low beam pattern:
Last edited by Jay351; 06-26-2009 at 02:29 PM.
06-26-2009, 02:32 PM
#16
Contributing Member
no HID's and Xenon gas bulbs are completely different
HID's require a balast for each bulb since they run off completely different power than the standard 12v H4 bulb:
H4's as you know just plug directly into the 12v of the truck, and can be a Xenon gas, Halogen gas, etc...
typically the problem with the HID's is that they don't have the reflector inside the bulb and/or two seperate filaments like the gas bulbs do. Perhaps the only one I've seen that'll get around this problem is this guy; it actually move's the filament to to the reflector:
http://www.xenonvalot.com/xpic/h4_dual_hylow_anim.gif
HID's require a balast for each bulb since they run off completely different power than the standard 12v H4 bulb:
H4's as you know just plug directly into the 12v of the truck, and can be a Xenon gas, Halogen gas, etc...
typically the problem with the HID's is that they don't have the reflector inside the bulb and/or two seperate filaments like the gas bulbs do. Perhaps the only one I've seen that'll get around this problem is this guy; it actually move's the filament to to the reflector:
http://www.xenonvalot.com/xpic/h4_dual_hylow_anim.gif
Last edited by iamsuperbleeder; 06-26-2009 at 02:33 PM.
06-26-2009, 02:36 PM
#18
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I have Xenon 55/100watters in my current conversion headlights, and have no complaints 
definately an upgrade from sealed beams, although a wiring harness upgrade would also help with switching to the higher output bulbs:
definately an upgrade from sealed beams, although a wiring harness upgrade would also help with switching to the higher output bulbs:
06-26-2009, 02:37 PM
#19
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The xeon bulbs I got are just regular bulbs. I just wanted the brighter bulb so I opted for the xeon blue (as you can see its a very nice white output) and chose the 80/100w bulb.
see my picture? Thats e-codes with h4 hella 80/100w xeon blue bulbs, not hid
Hey bleeder, how do you like those lenses? I wanted to stay away from those cheapys, I found their light patterns were horrible!!
see my picture? Thats e-codes with h4 hella 80/100w xeon blue bulbs, not hid
Hey bleeder, how do you like those lenses? I wanted to stay away from those cheapys, I found their light patterns were horrible!!
