retrofitting

[teck]

i need some help here ok i have an HID kit the bulb is an H3 can some one please tell me what do i need to complete a retro-fit and what projector fits this type of bulb

[alfonso2501]

you may want to check here: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/
or here: http://hidtech.com/
these people live & breath HID. Some of their cut-offs are just awesome! *edit* BTW, it's a great that you're using projectors! I can't stand it when these dum kids just stick an HID kit in there with out using projectors & blind everyone, it just sucks . Also the cops won't bust you're chops either.

[Greenblurr93]

it wont matter if they are halogen projectors... that will still throw major glare... what u need to do is buy HID projectors with the bulbs for them, then use your ballasts and retro them into your housing.

[eckoman_pdx]

I want to point out, since many people don't realise it...Retrofiiting HID projecotrs into your stock or aftermarket non-hid headlight housings is Illegel, just as illegel as throwing HIDs into stock housings. Remember, Federal Law states it is againt to law to modify the headlight housing in ANY MANNER.

If you get busted for retroitted HID,s it will be one heck of a time undoing it for a "fix it" ticket. A Kit will be far eaiser to undo in this manner, so it' a thought. Silverbolt has HIDs and so does SilverY2KCivic. Silverblt has Etronic, an SilverY2Kcivic has McCullogh, and neither really has bad glare. Of course, this can go the other way and produce awful light output and glare...but I've seen retrofitted HID projecots that had awful glare and awful light output in the housing the retro'd be into, I mean REAL BAD, worse than stock headlihts...so it goes both ways. That's a good example of WHY modifiyng headlight housings is against the law.

If you go plug and play, DON'T plug and play, wire them using relays, which is what you'll have to do with retro-fitted HID's anyways. The reason i the stock wires are too small a gauge to really handle HID's start-up current over many uses oer the long haul. If you need help with relays, let me know and I can try and explain it to you. It's pretty easy, and it's help sve your wiring. Either way you go, retro-fit or "HID Kit," power them using relays.

[siege911]

Ok... this might be kinda a dumb question, but HID's are different than projectors or halo's, right? B/c I've seen halo projector kits for sale, and they say they're street legal.

[eckoman_pdx]

HID's are different than "projectors" like Halo's, "Angel Eye's," TYC's, etc. HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. It is a type of lighting, Halogens are the basic lighting on many cars, HIDs are an option on some cars and are standard on other cars, like the BMW 525i.

When people refer to HID projectors, they ARE NOT refering to halo projectors you buy and install. They are refering to buying the projector unit from a car that CAME with HID's, like an Audi, and retrofitting them into a stock or aftermarket headlight housing. Some car's, such as thw IS300, use reflector style HID's versus projectors.

At any rate, buying Halo projectors is completly different than buying HID's. The lighting type they take is still Halogen bulbs.

HID's, of course...don't use Halogen bulbs, they use HID bulbs, and also require the ballist/ignitor. Also, when using Halo's, I recommend powering them using relay's, just like you should do any time you use HID's. Remember, when you have the high beams on with projectors, you are have both the high and low beams lite at once, and the stock gauge wiring is not ment for that much current at once. It is ment for one or the other.

[siege911]

thanks eckoman... very helpful

[eckoman_pdx]

Originally Posted by siege911

thanks eckoman... very helpful

No Problem. I'm always glad to help.

[Silverbolt]

haha, eckoman_pdx! The freakin lighting expert of AF!!!

Just wanted to add to what eckoman_pdx already said. Regular projectors are totally different from HID projectors. Regular (halogen) projectors are using a lens that was originally from foglights, and the lighting is very focused. HID projectors have a much more even spread with a very nice cut-off (horizon).

I first bought projectors with plans of buying HIDs later... in hopes of having a similar look to an S2000. To my disapointment, the regular aftermarket projector headlights have a TOTALLY different light spread than that of a true HID projector. Thats why, as soon as I get my G35, I'll be retrofitting either a 3 series HID projector or S2000's into it!

Teck, to directly answer your question. If you already have an H3 HID kit. All you really need is any aftermarket projector headlight. They all have the same generic H3 socket with a generic halogen projector. Its not considered a "retrofit" since you're not converting to an HID projector. Its more closely considered as being an HID conversion.

If you really want a "retro-fit", you'll have to toss your H3 HID bulbs, and buy the standard HID style bulbs. Then you'll have to buy a true HID projector, and modify it into your headlight.

My G35 will be having a "retrofit" since I'll be retrofitting an HID projector into my oem HID reflector style headlight.

Oh an eckoman_pdx, I have my high beams now. All I did was treat them as foglights and connected them to their own switch that ran directly to the battery. I actually used my old foglight switch that I disconnected for years! Now I'm using it again, but this time for my high beams I think the wiring is way too thin, but I'm not going to be using them that much anyways.

[eckoman_pdx]

Originally Posted by Silverbolt

haha, eckoman_pdx! The freakin lighting expert of AF!!!

Just wanted to add to what eckoman_pdx already said. Regular projectors are totally different from HID projectors. Regular (halogen) projectors are using a lens that was originally from foglights, and the lighting is very focused. HID projectors have a much more even spread with a very nice cut-off (horizon).

I first bought projectors with plans of buying HIDs later... in hopes of having a similar look to an S2000. To my disapointment, the regular aftermarket projector headlights have a TOTALLY different light spread than that of a true HID projector. Thats why, as soon as I get my G35, I'll be retrofitting either a 3 series HID projector or S2000's into it!

Teck, to directly answer your question. If you already have an H3 HID kit. All you really need is any aftermarket projector headlight. They all have the same generic H3 socket with a generic halogen projector. Its not considered a "retrofit" since you're not converting to an HID projector. Its more closely considered as being an HID conversion.

If you really want a "retro-fit", you'll have to toss your H3 HID bulbs, and buy the standard HID style bulbs. Then you'll have to buy a true HID projector, and modify it into your headlight.

My G35 will be having a "retrofit" since I'll be retrofitting an HID projector into my oem HID reflector style headlight.

Oh an eckoman_pdx, I have my high beams now. All I did was treat them as foglights and connected them to their own switch that ran directly to the battery. I actually used my old foglight switch that I disconnected for years! Now I'm using it again, but this time for my high beams I think the wiring is way too thin, but I'm not going to be using them that much anyways.

Hahaha, lighting expert, thanks for the vote o confidence I've always felt it best to know as much as possible about things like lights before messing with it. Especialy it being a safety feature that involves vision. No one wants to "drive blind" becuase of crappy light output.

On that note, I'm glad to see you have the high beams working finally.

Since you are running the high beam switch (old fog light switch) directly off the battery, I am assuming you have it hooked up and powered via a relay. Is the switch activating the trigger wires, (which tell the relay to power the lights/shut them off)?

If thats the case, did you use a pre-made/existing relay or existng wiring? I only ask buecasue I am assuming if you made a relay, you would hae used thicker wiring to begin with. I am very intersted to know the specifics of what you did.

At any rate, glad to here you have high beams again. Not that you really need em with HID's under most circumstances, but that still must be helpful. It's always that one time you need em, when you never have em, LOL. On a side note, why retrofit HID projectors into an HID reflector housing? I mean, it has HID's, plus some of the retros I've seen of projectors look bad, mostly ones where the projector had to sit back in the reflector housings (because it was deep), like retroing them into stock 96-00 civic headlights. I saw a retro once in a 6th gen that looked like crap.

Anyways, keep me updated.

[Silverbolt]

Why would I retrofit an HID projector into G35 HID reflector headlights? Look at the pictures below and tell me you wouldnt do the same! haha

[Silverbolt]

[eckoman_pdx]

Doesn't look bad, but I guess I've never been a fan of retrofitting, LOL. At least it comes with HID's, LOL . Better than our cars come with stock, LOL.