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A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 6:39 pm
by alessandro132
More something that's been bothering me in the back of my head for a little while, and I know a lot of forum members are running aftermarket HIDs in non-HID projectors - but the irregular scattering of aftermarket HIDs in my OEM projectors is really shitting me. My RHS beam is pretty good, but there's a significant drop in light output from the LHS beam and doesn't have nearly as clearly-defined cut off.

Leo's HID bulbs are perfect and are just the right look I'm after colour-wise, it's just I know they can look a million times better through the JDM HID projectors on the JDM Spec Bs.

Question is, I'm not even going to consider forking out a stupid amount of money for new ones off Japanparts.com, and am not entirely keen on ordering some of those aftermarket ones from the states and have to pull my headlights apart :?


Sooooooo, would getting the whole kit and kaboodle S/H off IM be a better, cheaper alternative?

i.e.

http://www.importmonster.com.au/view?ur ... =BP5%20HID
http://www.importmonster.com.au/view?ur ... =BP5%20HID

Mark, if this is indeed feasible, I'm looking at you to source, and of course will pay in sexual favours and/or other kinky paraphernalia :wink:

Thoughts?

A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 7:13 pm
by HoFF
Is your globe seated properly?
Are the globe and lenses clean?
Any scratches on the lens?

I haven't got any issues at all with my hids. The output is fantastic.

As for the JDM lights I have no idea :(

Re: A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 10:55 pm
by alessandro132
Just to be clear - it's not a question of the quality of the HIDs- they're great. It's really a projector question.

The halogen beam disperses differently to a xenon beam and both require different projectors to give the best light scattering.

I'm just being a bit OCD/perfectionist that's all :wink:

I'll find the link which gives the details of halogen vs xenon light dispersion when I'm back at home :)

Re: A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 11:30 pm
by Jack_Keaka
i thought it had something to do with the fact that we drive on the left in aus? so the right headlight doesn't shine in the faces of oncoming traffic...

Re: A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:08 am
by alessandro132
Jack_Keaka wrote:i thought it had something to do with the fact that we drive on the left in aus? so the right headlight doesn't shine in the faces of oncoming traffic...


You can see where it drops off on the RHS but it's clearly defined and quite bright compared to the LHS... :(

Re: A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:11 am
by alessandro132
HoFF wrote:Is your globe seated properly?
Are the globe and lenses clean?
Any scratches on the lens?

I haven't got any issues at all with my hids. The output is fantastic.

As for the JDM lights I have no idea :(


Globe is seated properly (was installed by Leo! ;))
Lens is pretty good, no UV damage or any obvious scratches that I can see...

Re: A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:11 am
by tkboi
i know what you mean. your right the hids are perfect nothings ever wrong with them but its the projectors. our audm ones are just s***. the bmws and chryslers have best projector lens. my friend does them for a living he buys projectors and make them perfect to suit certain car light housing. e.g take the projector lens out of a chrysler and make ir compatible for skylines ect.

Re: A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:53 am
by JKeep2.5i
the only thing I notice with mine is the drivers side sit a little lower, but this is due to on coming traffic

If you really think your projector lens are off read this thread below

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.p ... ight+align

It starts off about re-aligning your head lights but he shows down the first page that he put washers behind the projector lens casing which projects the light better, it's abit of a read but might point you in the right direction 8)

Re: A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 8:51 am
by cruisn
JDM projectors have self levellers and to get them to work properly you would have to retrofit all the associated hardware to control them.

You "could" manually set the low beam level like standard ones though and leave them.

I can help out if you go down that path. :air_kiss:

Re: A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 9:17 am
by arrow224

Re: A question for those with aftermarket HIDs...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:00 pm
by alessandro132
tkboi wrote:i know what you mean. your right the hids are perfect nothings ever wrong with them but its the projectors. our audm ones are just s***.


This is my exact point! My dad has a Chrysler with factory HIDs and the beam cut off/light dispersion is pretty much perfect. I'd like to duplicate for mine haha. The reason I'm leaning towards the JDM projectors is that they will be a straight swap as they are already optimised for the Lib...

cruisn wrote:JDM projectors have self levellers and to get them to work properly you would have to retrofit all the associated hardware to control them.

You "could" manually set the low beam level like standard ones though and leave them.

I can help out if you go down that path. :air_kiss:


F*ck that self-leveling rubbish :lol: it's a croc of shit IMO. It's really designed for if you're towing a load and thus the beam needs to dip - but considering I don't even have a towbar I'll be sweet to just set them manually and leave em :P

Reckon you could source me some JDM projectors Mark? :air_kiss:

JKeep2.5i wrote:the only thing I notice with mine is the drivers side sit a little lower, but this is due to on coming traffic

If you really think your projector lens are off read this thread below

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.p ... ight+align

It starts off about re-aligning your head lights but he shows down the first page that he put washers behind the projector lens casing which projects the light better, it's abit of a read but might point you in the right direction 8)


Yeah, I read that article a little while back Jerred, I think my LHS beam may be a little low...gonna schwing past Leo's so he can give me his expert opinion :lol:

arrow224 wrote:Or get new projectors. http://www.theretrofitsource.com/produc ... cts_id=254


Yeah, I saw this a while back too, this would be a last resort; ideally I'd like to do a straight swap and just transfer my bulbs over rather than have to pull my own headlight apart and swap out the projectors.