Thinking about HID retrofit, some ?'s

[showtime]

I am thinking about doing an HID projector retrofit but I have a few questions. Thanks in advance to anyone who helps.

I am thinking of either using an acura TL projector or the infinity FX projector, those projectors are hi-low but are also a little large so im wondering if they would fit.

TL stats - depth 6.25", height 4.4" and width is 4.25"
FX stats - depth 5.5", height 3.9" and width is 4.35"

Would either of those heights be a problem?

Also would it be better to do a TSX projector for low and another projector/reflector for high beams?

I searched, I promise. I read through all the DIY on many different forums I am just concerned with the size of the bi xenon projector.

[02redgalant]

I remember when i was checking this idea out ericbla told me FX's would fit..best thing to is to just measure the back of the headlight housing itself..also pay close attention to depth since we have the a/c line the passenger side you'd probably have to put the projector closer to the headlight lense since you'll have the projector/bulb/ballast..

for bixenon just remember that they solenoids that open up the lense (for highs) too much and they can actually stop working



as far doing tsx low and another reflector..it really depends how comfortable/creative you are drilling your headlight since its basically double work..astig had a really good tutorial which gives your some guidance on mounting...hidplanet has some great article too on this....but essentially its more work..its took me about a week or two just to get one projector in each head right lol the project is time consuming

[OMEGA PHX]

I am really interested in the matter but I didn't want to open a thread, I have the same questions about the height and depth, I've all threads including ASTIG's tutorials and other forum I found a diagram that is supposed to show the wiring of the solenoids: http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z290/OMEGAPHX/bosch_wiring_final_v3.gif
And don't know why but I can't activate my account on HIDPlanet to continue my research.

[qnz]

I would take the measurements found on HID planet with a grain of salt. I purchased a set of projectors SC300 projectors because they were supposedly 10mm shorter than the TSX projectors, However they ended up only being maybe 1 mm shorter. The TSX projector measurements were correct tho.

Its been a while since I took measurements of my JDM headlights so I cannot say if those sizes will fit or not.

The galant USDM housing is definately wide enough to fit any projector, However, the height is a little bit limiting, and the depth is really limiting. When mounting the projector to where you think it looks "correct" inside the housing, it will probably sit too deep in the housing, making the back end of the projector sit out of the headlight housing. This was a problem for me with JDM housings because there is a hard AC line behind the lows on the passenger side, preventing my from poking the back of the projector too far out the back. I dont know if this is a problem with USDM headlights since its been years since I had USDMs.

If I had USDMs, I would attempt Bi-Xenons instead of trying to cram a high and low into the USDM projector. Especially if its your first time. If you are really creative and good at fabricating things, then you are better than me. Hope that helps.

[OMEGA PHX]

I was thinking of buying the TL since their lens diameter is 3" and FX are 2.5".
And FX projectors are supossed to be cheaper then TL atleast at theretrofitdource.com
With ebay atleast for the TL I can have them for like $150 shipped to me in PR.

[02redgalant]

yea fx's are cheaper because the output on the TL is better..as in width and distance....there's alot of hybrid lense swaps that can help fx's...i've never seen that schematic for wiring it looks like a mess LOL if you go to hidplanets university section theres a whole thread on harnesses thats cleaner and more straight forward...qnz's is on point..if you really question the size a projector ask the seller..usdm a/c issue have to do with placement of the projector...on mine i barely have an inch of space meaning i'd have to take out the headlight to change bulbs

[showtime]

for bixenon just remember that they solenoids that open up the lense (for highs) too much and they can actually stop working

I rarely use high beams, I would just want them as a precaution.

Thanks for the info guys, I will check into more projectors. I love the output of the TL so if I can fit those, that is what I will do. I will do some measuring and planning and post pictures of the progress.

[OMEGA PHX]

I rarely use high beams, I would just want them as a precaution.

Thanks for the info guys, I will check into more projectors. I love the output of the TL so if I can fit those, that is what I will do. I will do some measuring and planning and post pictures of the progress.

I'll suscribe cause in the past few days this is all I've been researching but don't know if TL's fit so I'll wait for those measurements.

@ 02redgalant I wish I could read through HIDPlanet but my account doesn't activate so I can't.

There's a retrofit online seller that sells the FX with clear lenses and show pics of the supposed improvements on the sharpness on the cutoff and color flicker for like $160+Shipping and TL's with clear ZKW-R lenses for $230+Shipping

[02redgalant]

idk what to tell you email an admin..or open another account
once you get arreglao
heres the link to the harnessess

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6612

[OMEGA PHX]

idk what to tell you email an admin..or open another account
once you get arreglao
heres the link to the harnessess

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6612

I tried to email the admin but haven't received an answer so I cant see your link.

[qnz]

the retrofit source is a bit pricey. Way better deals can be had in the for sale forum. The good thing about theretrofitsource is they do have the product in stock tho.

[showtime]

the retrofit source is a bit pricey. Way better deals can be had in the for sale forum. The good thing about theretrofitsource is they do have the product in stock tho.

yeah its a little expensive, but I feel safer ordering from them than ebay...

I am going to measure the headlights in the morning and see if I can do a TL projector.

[wright06jhs]

I just got through retro fitting my head lights tonight. Check out my thread i made here. Valuable information for you that are wanting to do the retro-fit.

https://www.thegalantcenter.org/showthread.php?p=586421#post586421

[OMEGA PHX]

Did some quick unprecise measurements to my headlight and for what I can see the height is going to be a problem to fit TL, don't know if this can be fixed by simply trimming the reflector on top or on the bottom. This is unprecise I'll wait till you do the more precise measurements to proceed.

[showtime]

i am probably going to go with the FX projector with the clear lense.

@ omega, did you by chance measure the passenger headlight to see if the AC lines will get in the way?

[OMEGA PHX]

i am probably going to go with the FX projector with the clear lense.

@ omega, did you by chance measure the passenger headlight to see if the AC lines will get in the way?

I think I'll do the same with the FX-Rfrom TRS.com like you but since I have the HID ballast I'll buy the PNP:Bixenon and a H4 relay harness from them thats all you need, and I'll add some CCFL halos.

My measurements were from outside of the headlights, quick and unprecise but yeah I measured the passenger I have a 2001 I4 and there's only a rubber hose thats like approximately 4" behind the bulb opening on the head, the depth of the entire head is like 7"or 8" so a 6"projector wouldn't be a problem, from that hose to the front end of the head lense there's 12" so we could play with it. Analyzing the heads and staring at them the depth or width doesn't looks like its going to be a problem but the height, I measured like 3.9"-4" and that exactly the height listed for the FX projector, the FX are .10'' inch wider but the wideness doesn't seem to be a limiter on this head

I would really like the .5" extra of the TL lenses but the height is going to be a problem or we'll end up trimming a big chunk of the reflector or head on the bottom or the top.

[showtime]

I do agree, tl would be great but it would require a lot of trimming. TRS has great relay harness options which I will go with as well, makes it a lot cleaner and easier.

Also any thoughts on making a custom molding to hid all the screws, nuts and bolts? Or how were you thinking about hiding them?

youtube video of a retrofit, pretty nice. specifically on part 3 I was curious to everyones thoughts on using the acrylic to make a custom molding to hide those bolts...it gives a really clean look but does not seam safe for the projector because I feel like the acrylic would stick or cause some sort of damage to the projector.

part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imIiglkq7HA
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qExaAFgvquE&feature=related
part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg_C_jtonZw&feature=related
part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ1repIX_UU&feature=related

[OMEGA PHX]

@ showtime

I have contacted Matt @TRS:

Ok now the projectors I'm really interested are the TL's but have heard that they are really big, and I'm afraid about them not fitting after buying them on my Mitsu Galant 2001 H4 heads. I know the measurements by your site but I want to know if by any chance you know or have seen this done to my heads or if you think it will fit.
I am glad to hear I was able to understand your questions and provide helpful information. On your new questions:

1) The TL projectors are indeed very good projectors, and they are also on the bigger side relative to other popular choices. You MAY be able to fit these in your Galant housings, but I recommend the FX-R projectors more so, heres why:

1) It's true that these are the 2 best bi-xenon projectors in terms of overall performance, yes.

2) Low beam performance: The TL is a bit more uniformly lit, but the FX-R is brighter to the sides and has a slightly more intense hot spot

3) The cutoff on the FX-R is significantly sharper than a TL is out of the box since it has the clear lens already installed. You can achieve similar sharpness and color with the TL but it will take some work and extra money to get the ZKW-R lenses

4) The size of the TL's makes the slightly harder to retrofit than the FX-R's, and their big bi-xenon solenoid makes them next to impossible to completely cover with a shroud.

5) FX-R is cheaper, by about $85

Winner in my opinion: The FX-R. If you want to buy a pair of our TL/ZKW-R's and pay more, be my guest, but is it worth it? naw. Plus, your Galant housings are relatively thin from top to bottom, and thats where the TL's are biggest (height) because of their bixenon solenoid, so thats gonna make doing the job with those pretty difficult. Yes I've seen those vids many times, the acrylic ideais really good but in the vid they had a prepared station with the shop vac ready and everything, to attach the projectors I think I'll use "L" brackets from behind, and then I need to see how the projector sits and have the shrouds (would like E55 but maybe I'll need the E46 extended) to see whats needs to be done if the projector or the screws are still visible.

[showtime]

Thanks for contacting them, I might be purchasing them once school is out and I have time to actually do the retrofit. Also I think I will pass on the acyrlic idea for now, it looks very clean but I might just do a shroud and some paint.

[OMEGA PHX]

Can anyone with access to HIDPlanet, post some info and tutorials here, I would like to know how to power a headlight bulb with a pc power supply and I know in HIDplanet theres a tut, but I dont have access to the site, for some odd reason I have registered like 3 times and never receive the account activation email so post it here, or make it a word document and send it to my email.

[OMEGA PHX]

I need the info ^^^
Plz anyone with access to HIDPlanet hook me up.

[02redgalant]

pc power supply?your kidding right?

[02redgalant]

this is the only harness you'll ever need if your making one for hid,i've ran this harness for about a 2 years now...chances are you'll find a bunch of different layouts but I can tell you from personal experience this one works! with no issues at all....best of all *knock on wood*
if you crash your car,fat chick sits on it..etc you can pull this harness out pop stock heads in and you still have stock plugs

NOTES
the diode is there so the lows stay on with the highs
I run 14 gauge wiring
25-30amp fuse...really depends on your setup and how much wattage you'll be using at once...to be honest idk how to calculate this but luckily my dad is an electrical engineeer sooo..ya..google or maybe someone on the forum who's an electrical engineer can chime in
run 2 separate grounds!! not 1 wire with like 5+ solders as pictured here
we run a positive switched setup,replace the 9003 as pictured with our stock H4 plug...

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q181/cooliojrm/9007_Harness.jpg

[OMEGA PHX]

I saw some pics taken by member JVX from HIDPlanet of the cutoff of FX35 with clear lense and the other of the FX-R (Replica) with the same clear lense. Which one would you choose?

FX35 2.5" clear lense:Wide and bright under the cutoff
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z290/OMEGAPHX/FX35.jpg

FX-R 2.5" clear lense:Wider than the above but loses some brightness at the bottom of the cutoff
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z290/OMEGAPHX/FXR.jpg

[showtime]

i think I am going with the FX-R because it is a little smaller than the FX45 projector.

[showtime]

hey omega, and everyone else, what are your thoughts on the morimoto mini projector?

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=221&osCsid=f77485696cf45902efd0f7c9683aeea7

[OMEGA PHX]

I've read about them they are the easiest projector to retrofit because of their size, the output look impressive for a projector of it size, and some say that dremeling the reflector is not needed to installs them, heres a pic of the cutoff from JVX at HIDPlanet, they are wide and the cutoff looks intense:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z290/OMEGAPHX/MIni.jpg

[showtime]

wow that cutoff looks really nice, do you think I would be able to run 55 watt with those projectors?

[OMEGA PHX]

You can but I wouldn't do it, because you are at risk of burning the chrome finish of the bowl. This projectors take H1 bulbs, and common hid kit H1 bulbs like ddm run hotter than example phillips d2s, and can burn the chrome. In the case of d2s projectors many run the Phillips bulbs at 55w but phillips bulbs are able to run cooler at 55w than any common hid kit at 55w, so I wouldn't recommend it. You don't want your bowl to look like this right lol:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z290/OMEGAPHX/pro_bowl.jpg


Also you should know that some bulbs need to be trimmed a bit to sit correctly on the mini projectors, but there is a seller on ebay that sells some bulbs that fit perfectly and are like $13.
There's a thread on HIDPlanet of all the improvements that can be done to the Mini's here: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=54116&start=0

I've been a little absent because all I do is read at HIDPlanet, there's all the info you could want and the comparison pics of the most used projectors.

[showtime]

i have been reading HID planted a lot lately, its a great site to help for retrofits.

[OMEGA PHX]

Lol I already pulled the trigger my parts are shipped but haven't arrived, bt that will remain secret.

[showtime]

Lol I already pulled the trigger my parts are shipped but haven't arrived, bt that will remain secret.

Well I hope to see some pictures when they get in! And maybe a DIY? That would help me a lot lol

[OMEGA PHX]

Well I hope to see some pictures when they get in! And maybe a DIY? That would help me a lot lol

We'll see how it goes lol, this is my summer project.

[johnygezony]

Those Morimotos would be nice for some foglights to !