Well I finally decided to upgrade to HID. At first I was like everyone else and considered a cheap HID kit from flebay...then I got educated
with hours of research over at hidplanet.com
I used OEM parts for reliability and longevity, and I decided to retrofit because of the output: pure white color, intensity, but most importantly...CUTOFF!
To be honest, this project was time consuming (50+ hours), expensive, and at times frustrating. But trust me, it was worth the end result. So be prepared to spend some time with it...don't rush it either, I ruined a set of headlight housings because I got in a hurry
To properly upgrade to HID you will need the following:
1) A set of headlight housings (obviously)- I found mine on eBay for ~$60
2) A Set of HID projectors- I used a set of TSX's from an Acura- $168
3) A set of HID xenon bulbs- I bought a pair on eBay for ~$70
4) A set of HID ballasts- Found a set on hidplanet for- $150
5) A wiring harness (optional)- Misc. wiring, connnectors, etc.~$50
Approximate total- $500 (This is a HIGH estimate depending on the good deals you can find)
Headlight housings (halogen or projector)
You need to find a set of housings that you can work with. It doesn't really matter if they are halogen or projector style. If you get a set of projector headlight housings it would probably save some time because it will already have a shroud built in...but you will still be replacing the cheap projector with a real one.
Here are the halogens I used ($60 on eBay)-
Projectors *edit
The projectors are the heart of the HID system. Without the proper optics, the light just scatters everywhere. All that light will do you no good if it's not focused where you need it, not to mention annoying and dangerous to everyone else on the road. Take some time to find a good set that have the look you want, but will also fit into the headlight housing that you are working with.
Try this link, they have several different projectors and some pics of their cutoff's.
This one has all the dimensions you can think of for all the different projectors. It's best to get a rough estimate of how much room you have to work with inside the headlight so that you can get a projector that will fit easier...trust me, take some time to do this. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to fit an oversize projector into a small housing. It will save you time in the end.
From what I have researched and seen, the Honda S2000 projectors are the best out there. They are very hard to find though. There is also a Lexus model that has very good projectors, but again hard to find and expensive. I would probably put the TSX projectors next on the list. The good thing about them is the availability, quality, size, and very good output. That's why I went with them. Any projector from an OE equipped HID car (BMW, Audi, Acura, Mercedes, Honda, etc.) will work though. You can find plenty of variety on eBay.
In pieces-
Assembled-
Cutoff shield inside projector bowl-
*Color mod (optional)
Many projectors can be modified so that the cutoff line has more color to it. The TSX is one of the easiest methods to do so. It simply requires that the projector bowl be spaced away from the lens. For the TSX I just inserted 2 #8 flat washers on the bottom studs and not on the top.
Color mod...bottom of projector-
Closeup of the washers-
Result-
