HID lights - the retrofit source

[grantw]

Has anyone heard of/installed/or know anyone that's used a company called The Retrofit source (http://www.theretrofitsource.com/store.php) for their very very nice HID upgrade kits. These are proper HID projector based kits ... not those general ebay ones that are putting HID bulbs into normal headlights.

The prices actually seem really good (starting at $200 USD without shipping) for what you are getting. The only big oustanding question I have is how they would perform through the dimpled glass we have. I've had bit of a poke around trying to find out if you can replace it with flat glass but haven't found anything.

Looking at ih8mud they do group buys as well ...

 

[Doodle]

Heard of - I like the design as it should resolve a lot of the scatter/poor control and give a better focused beam. Doesn't work if your lights rely on the front glass for geometry changes though.

 

[grantw]

Yep .. the whole front glass thing is what's stumping me. I've emailed them so will see what they come back with.

The performance is v impressive. Found this album:

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/album.php?albumid=225

 

[Doodle]

Something like this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/91-92-93-94...DEPO-CLEAR-HEADLIGHTS-XENON-HID-/300909179289

 

[grantw]

Have seen those. They do look like they would need to be butchered for an install - but could be worth it. It's quite a small hole where the globe is coming though and I'm guessing a hole the size of the projector lens would need to be cut through them. It could also possibly serve just to buy the glass.

 

[Towpack]

With the older type halogen light housings (as in the 80 series) the beam focus is performed by the glass lens, the rear reflector simply aims the light forward through the glass. The later type housings with clear glass lens, as on many newer cars and motorcycles, have a 'fluted' rear reflector which handles the beam focus. Fitting HID projector units into the old housings on the LC will probably perform better than just fitting HID bulbs but I reckon you're still going to get some unwanted beam scatter due to the front glass. IMO, at the price these units would end up, you're probably better off paying the extra for complete new, HID specific housings.

 

[Doodle]

My understand is that you'd split the glass off, fit the projectors and then reseal it up. There shouldn't be too much butchery involved.

Tempted to get a pair for the 100.

 

[grantw]

Towpack ... do you know a source for the HID specific housings you mention?

 

[Towpack]

Something like these.
http://www.topgearautoparts.com/pro...lights-Chrome-w/-HID-Kit-for-your-autos-.html

http://www.4wdaction.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=100464

Doen't actually say if they're suitable for RHD vehicles so you'd have to enquire. The seller on the Ebay link above does say they won't ship to UK, maybe because they're LHD only?


Edit: Just realized the 80 pictured on the oz forum is RHD so they must work OK!

 

[stumog]

alot of lights (more modern) you can change from lhd to rhd by undoing the screws that hold the back on and turning to the next postion. i am not saying this is 100% on these but if i saw a good picture could tell.

the ones in the states do look good i have to say. group buy may be?
stu

 

[grantw]

The top gear auto part ones do look good. But I doubt (given the shape) the front is glass ... so may very well go yellow in a year or two?

In an ideal world we could buy the HID kits from TRS and replace our existing glass cover with a clear glass replacement.

 

[grantw]

These guys here http://shop.expeditionlighting.org/80-Series-HID-Projector-Retrofit-ELS-Depo-80.htm

Seem to sell the depo headlights in the first ebay link with TRS kits ... and then a decent markup on them.

 

[grantw]

Received the lengthy response below back from TRS. The only difficult part it seems will be the depot headlights. I'll keep an eye out for these and update back here if I never find a source for them. The LHD/RHD shouldn't be an issue for the casings as all of of the aiming is done inside of the projector.

Hello Grant,

Zach here at TRS. Thanks for your email and for your patience waiting on a reply, we're working through our busiest time of year and it takes a while to get through all of our emails while still offering the personal service we're well known for.

We can definitely recommend a setup for your retrofit. To start, since your Toyota uses a separate bulb for the low and high beam, you have the option of either a dedicated low beam projector or a bi-xenon projector. With the dedicated low beam, your high beam function will remain as-is. With the Bi-xenon option, you'll have a xenon high beam from the projector to work alongside the your halogen high beam for added light output there. I would definitely recommend trying to source some clear lens housings as the grooved/dimpled lenses your LC has are going to have a negative impact on the beam pattern. I doubt finding just the clear lenses is going to be possible, but you should be able to find some replacement housings that are clear.
I'll recommend a couple popular setups first and we can go from there to sort out which one will ultimately be best for you.

Bi-Xenon FX-R Stage III Kit: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=141
FX-R 3.0 Bi-xenon projectors (LHD)
Morimoto 3Five Ballasts
Morimoto 3Five Bulbs
9006 Relay Harness
High Beam Splitters (by request)
Bi-Xenon Monograms (by request)
Shrouds/Bezels of your choice (I think the E46-R extended would look good, but its really up to you)
Comes out to $315 shipped free here in the US.

Bi-Xenon Morimoto Mini H1 Stage III Kit: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=227
Mini H1 6.0 Bi-xenon projectors (LHD)
Morimoto 3Five Ballasts
Morimoto 3Five Bulbs
9006 Relay Harness
High Beam Splitters (by request)
Bi-Xenon Monograms (by request)
Mini Gatling shrouds (or you can upgrade to the full size that I recommended above)
Comes out to $270 shipped free here in the US.

Low Beam Lexus RX-AFS Stage III Kit: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=64
Lexus RX-AFS projectors with TSX-R clear lenses (LHD only)
Morimoto 3Five Ballasts
Morimoto 3Five Bulbs
9006 Relay Harness
Bi-Xenon Monograms (by request)
Shrouds/Bezels of your choice (Again, E46-R extended would be a solid choice)
Comes out to $385 shipped free here in the US.

The first and most important decision is the projectors. Basically, the Morimoto Mini's offer the best mix of performance vs. ease of installation since they require the least amount of modification to be installed. They have a threaded mounting shaft that will fit through the existing hole in the back of your headlight reflector (where the light bulb comes through now) and locks on with the included hardware. A great video on that installation can be seen here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhPCKLsUZ8Y. On the other hand, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty on the retro, the light output from the FX-R or Lexus projectors is pretty much unbeatable. With RX-AFS projectors you'll get one of the best low beams out there. With the FX-R's, you'll have a killer low beam and a bi-xenon high beam to work in unison with your existing halogen high beam. If you think you can pull off the steps summarized in our install demo below, then you should definitely consider one of these second two options. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4ZUZbfC9Ik&list=UUMkyC8AKjL0839coebIH18w&index=5.

All setups comes standard with our most popular Morimoto 3Five ballasts which put out an industry-standard 35w to give you about 3000 lumens per headlight (approx 3x your stock halogens). The 3Five's also help the bulbs operate at a cooler temperature, giving them a rated life of 2000 hours which is comparable to all factory HID systems. If you're an OEM or nothin' kind of guy, you could go for something like the Denso ballasts - which will basically speed up the warm up time of the bulb. (2-3 sec vs 5-6 sec for the Mori's). We could also spec the kit with a 50w system for even more light, but we generally recommend sticking with 35w as the best overall choice for plenty of light output and long term reliability.

Since we focus more on performance than looks, you won't find any bulb options beyond 6000K. As you move up the K range, you're getting more color but less intensity from the bulb. All vehicles with factory installed HID's run the brightest 4300K bulbs, giving you a warm white light. 5K sacrifices a tiny bit of intensity but gives you a pure white light to enhance contrast. 6K is still mostly white, but with a slight tinge of blue to it. 3K bulbs are super yellow, we really just recommend those for use in fog lights. Our buyers guide has a nice visual comparison of the Kelvin ratings here: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/trs_tech_hid_bulbs.php.

I recommended some shrouds for you in the parts listed above - but we basically just recommend picking these based on looks and the geometry of your housings. You can see what all the options look like here: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/index.php?cPath=30 and again check out our buyers guide to get a good feel for how I arrived at that recommendation (if you care, that is!) http://www.theretrofitsource.com/trs_tech_shrouds_and_bezels.php.

Lastly, you can check out some customer provided pics to get a little better visual on all this stuff:
FX-R Output Pictures: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/album.php?albumid=224
Mini H1 Output Pictures: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/album.php?albumid=226
Lexus RX-AFS/TSX-R Hybrid Output Pictures: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/album.php?albumid=248
Toyota Retrofits: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/customer_gallery.php?make=Toyota

 

[Doodle]

Nice...very tempted to get some of these. I miss the bi-xenons from my E-class.

 

[grantw]

These look like the correct part numbers.

http://www.depo.com.tw/asp/pdf/P_TY_LAND CRUISER1.pdf

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Are you trying to improve low beam or high beam? I ask because neither are lacking on my 80 but I am only running standard wattage + whatever % bulbs the Halfords Super jobs are and the wiring is standard. If the low beam were any brighter it'd cause problems for oncoming traffic on bends and crests of hills so I don't really get the fascination with HID upgrades for low beam. High beam is pretty good but easily improved with a set of spotlights. Makes me wonder if you just need some OEM lights that work properly?

 

[grantw]

I am actually pretty happy with the low beam I have, with clean glass & reflectors and decent bulbs the 80 head lights are pretty good. The low beam on projector HIDs is superior though. The only thing I would upgrade them to is what's in this thread.

Having owned a few cars that have OEM HID lights I miss how good they are. You get superior cut off, higher light temperature (eases eye strain with night driving) and generally a much better beam pattern. The cut off and beam pattern from the projector lights won't dazzle if aligned properly.

I wouldn't consider upgrading the general HID way as you said - that would just dazzle on coming traffic (in the majority of cases anyway)

 

[Doodle]

On the 100, the spread on low beam is useless compared to my previous vehicles - unless it's dead ahead there's near zero illumination which makes country roads in the dark a little interesting.

It's already got nightbreakers fitted and the units are OEM in good condition. I need to do more fiddling with the aim still - originally it was so far down and left it was trying to burn a hole in the hedge 6ft in front of the vehicle.

 

[grantw]

I think this picture sums up quite nicely what I'm trying to say.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

the main thing I remember from the A8 is lack of contrast so missing detail and that gave me a bit of eye strain. Pic above is washed out and blurred in places but that may be just the reproduction method.