hid conversion

[Lude394]

Does anyone have any suggestions on hid conversion? What brand, where to get it and price? I was also thinking of getting the dcsport adapters, does anyone have an opinion on them.

[Interlude]

I have a Xenon Depot HID kit and it is great.

I have a 5th gen Prelude and it has many problems you have to over come when installing a retrofit HID kit. Most companies say that they are 100% plug and play, but that is most unlikely especially for the Prelude. The Prelude housings have a reflector. That reflector is the mushroom cap thing you see in the headlight. Most of the time, HID bulbs are too long and hit the reflector when trying to install it. That creates shorts and could fry electronics or the bulb/ballast. Also the bulb just doesn't fit right.

With the Xenon Depot kit the bulbs were rebased in a way that the length were the same as the H1 stock bulbs. So basically there was no problems with it hitting the reflector.

I have had my kit installed for over a year, and I have had no problems with oncoming traffic or cops. Most people aim their bulbs down to avoid glaring oncoming traffic. However I didn't find a need to and nobody has complained or high-beamed me.

[del]

if you want my opinion, if you want HID in the prelude, go with a projector retrofit. the reflector housings on 5th gen preludes are notorious for glare. the xenon light is very poorly distributed from the reflector housing. projectors focus the light where it needs to be, on the ground. you won't have hotspots, the spread is twice as wide, glare is not an issure. problem is it'd have to be a custom job. you can find some online or you can build one yourself. check out the retrofit i had on my lude.

[unknownluder69]

anyone have any good headlights for a 4th gen cause the stock ones kind of suk balls

[Interlude]

Originally Posted by del

if you want my opinion, if you want HID in the prelude, go with a projector retrofit. the reflector housings on 5th gen preludes are notorious for glare. the xenon light is very poorly distributed from the reflector housing. projectors focus the light where it needs to be, on the ground. you won't have hotspots, the spread is twice as wide, glare is not an issure. problem is it'd have to be a custom job. you can find some online or you can build one yourself. check out the retrofit i had on my lude.

Projector retrofits are the best way, but also the most expensive and time consuming. Imagine heating up the housings to open them, too hot you melt the housings, not hot enough, you can't get them open. Then you have to carefully cut out the reflector and find a way to mount the HID projectors, that is not easy. Then how do you make sure that the projectors are centered and are properly aiming in the right direction? It is a pain in the ass to get it done right, if you are a perfectionist like I am. Okay, lets say you have successfully finished one headlight. Then you have to do the exact same thing to the other one to the same measurements.

Used HID projectors and ballasts don't come cheap. Also there are many different materials and tools you might not have at home (ie. silicon sealant, proper mounting hardware, etc.).

Are you going to attempt doing this with your original lights, not being able to drive the car in the mean time and possibly screw them up... are or you going to buy another set that further increases the cost of the project?

Even if you get someone to do it, the prices are totally insane.

It is not worth doing for the average guy that just wants HIDs... Sure regular HID kits don't have a perfect cut off, but it works fine for me. I don't have glare affecting anyone, and it just looks awesome, but the best part is, I installed them in 10 minutes.

I am not saying projector retrofits are bad, I would love to have a set! I just think it takes to much time, and costs too much money. If you have the dough, go for it, it is the better alternative, but for the typical car enthusiast that may not be a DIY'er or have the money, HID plug and play kits are the best solution.