HID project write up detail (pics)

[lawwailok]

HID project write up detail, updated with 4300k(pics)

i have a pair of 6000k hid kit installed in my 4Runner with stock halogen projectors. at the first 2 weeks, i am very pleased with the output, but when times gone, i realized that the light output/performance still have big gap compare to real OEM HID. so i was doing research at hidplanet.com and keep testing my OEM projectors.

first of all, anyone has 06+ 4R will realize there's two squirrel finders right above the cut-off line as picture below:

it is not too annoying but definitely somehow it blinds the car in front of me once awhile if they car is too low.

after research, figure out MDX, 07 Camry, and 4R are using very similar, possibly same projectors with H11 socket. a member at hidplanet.com had already done this mod on his 07 camry and beam output is excellent, so i did it and just want to share with everyone here, keep in mind it is still the OEM halogen projectors, not a retrofit.

this is the stock projector shield and squirrel finder picture:

behind the little metal tab, there's a slit that allow small amount of light to escape and that cause squirrel finders.

first time, i pushed the tab all the way forward and touching the shield:

it didn't work, in fact, it caused a slim line above the cut-off, like a UFO, see the passenger side:

so what i did, is to pull the tab back out a little bit, maybe about half way out, and also did it to the driver side also. a lot of minor adjustments were done in the process. finally had this type of light beam output and performance:

this is about 110+ feet away from the wall, see how sharp is the cut-off and no more squirrel finder, no glare:

this is about 45 feet away from the wall, anything above the cut-off is pure dark, just like OEM HID, also spread wide now:

so far, i just need to adjust the height on passenger side down a little bit and that's all to go! hope this can help anyone wants to put HID or mod their current projectors.

 

[Uneek]

Yup, it's those darn squirrel finders that causes oncoming traffic to think the highs are on and the excessive glare.

 

[Jacobzky]

i dont know why do i still think spending money for an hid system is not worth it, someone help me counteract this notion. your pictures almost convinced me to get one, but not enough. lol.


nice cut-off lines. ill leave the passenger side a bit higher since all your on-coming cars are on the driver side.

 

[blindside]

I might try this, i have to look onto the headlights myself to see what you did, i can't seem to figure out how you did it....

Jacobzky you have to try having HID's, at first i thought it was just a "cool factor" thing but then i drove a non HID vehicle and it was day and night for me...

I usually don't buy something that i know wouldn't benefit me in anyway (not that i knew HID's would benefit me in anyway) but i still convinced myself in buying a kit just for the heck of it plus i wanted to know the reason why a lot of people get hooked onto it so much that they spend so much money buying a kit,retro etc

Cliffs? I guess
Better visibility at night
Cool looking lights
Should last a lot longer than regular halogens
Draws less current once fired up (35 watts) compared to 55 watts

 

[AlphaQup]

thanks for sharing man. I'll be doing this as soon as I save up enuff cash for a HID kit. :biggrin2:

 

[Jacobzky]

thanks for sharing man. I'll be doing this as soon as I save up enuff cash for a HID kit. :biggrin2:

Ms. Amex is your friend.

i hate hid on reflectors, too much glare, i mean aLL of its output is glare. too many wannabe HIDs.

 

[rook]

damn, i had pretty much abandoned the idea of hid's for my 05 priamrily due to having reflector lenses.. time to hit ebay for a set of 06+ housings.. lawwailok, how is the adjustment of the projector shield done? does it slide easily and will it hold in place?

great info!

 

[gizmopt2002]

Wow your cutoff is pretty low at 45 feet for some reason. I've never gotten flashed, except where there is a cop ahead, and no complaints from my friends/family driving in front of me in low cars. I also got compliments on how much my lights light up the road and I can see alot farther than one would normally expect. Just an observation. BTW, I would love HID's but I have reflectors so thats a no go .

 

[lawwailok]

reply to blindside and rook:

all you need is a finger and some force to push the tab, see the first projector picture, there's a tab/metal flap hanging in an angle of about 45 degree, just need to push it down for another 15 - 20 degree. that's the job done! the second projector picture shows the tab is all the way to the shield, and that is not a good idea, it will produce the "UFO" light. that is the metal flap we need to play with in order to get rid of the squirrel finders!! easy?

reply to gizmopt2002:

actually my front was in a dip that's why it seems very low, but in level position, the cut off hit right below regular car's trunk lid. so it's fine

i am planning on switch to 4300k bulbs, i heard that will produce better visibility and also the colorband at the cut-off should be more easy to tell from blue to pure white.

 

[lawwailok]

well, i got quote from a retrofit company, a spare pair of 06+ headlight cost $500, TSX projectors, retroit labor, shield mod, D2S bulbs and ballasts, ~$550, so if i go retrofit, that will cost me more than a grand!!! i think it is not worth at all thats why i started doing research at hidplanet.com and see what a OEM halogen projector can do. and "da da", it really works!!! it didn't cost me nothing, except buying a set of HID kit and hours of time to play with the metal flaps and do adjustments. i'll try to get a decent camera, (instead of taking pictures from my phone) and take more night shot pictures. hopefully can find a really dark and flat wall at some warehouse or something. pictures can say a thousand words.

 

[4RunnerRon]

Definitely a gread addition to an already great upgrade. I've had my 4300k HIDs for over a year now and I still like them a lot. If you could take some more pics (maybe not so close up) to give us an idea of where the tab is and which direction you're moving it, it would clear things up. I installed the kit myself (you've seen my write-up), but I never looked into the headlight housing to recognize where these metal tabs are. I'll check it out in the daylight, though. I'm really curious and think I want to do this too. Thanks for the testing and writeup!

 

[lawwailok]

ok, here is my best hand drawing illustration of the side view of the projector, hope this can have a better idea of what has been done.

here is what i pointed out, this is stock position:
A -- metal tab
B -- shield

IF the tab is fully pushed to the shield like i did the first time:

the UFO light most likely will appear above the cut off

you have to push the tab a little by little and find out which is the best position to cover the light reflection towards the squirrel finder. my guess is about half way or slightly bit less than half.

 

[lawwailok]

and here is a few more pictures i took with a digital camera rather than a phone. and the height adjustments are done, i guess i'll call it completion of my little project. please let me know if anyone is running into trouble with this mod, i'll be more than happy to help.

 

[AlphaQup]

Ms. Amex is your friend.

i hate hid on reflectors, too much glare, i mean aLL of its output is glare. too many wannabe HIDs.

Who said I had reflectors? I cut up all my CC's a long time ago. I'm already in too much debt as it is. So are we all "wannabe's", for wanting better light emmitance for improving night vision?

lawwailok,

Thanks for sharing your details. It's near perfect, and for being an OEM halogen projector, you can't complain.

 

[lawwailok]

It's near perfect, and for being an OEM halogen projector, you can't complain.

100% positive, unless if i need to compare with the new LS 460 projectors, TSX, S2000.... then ours sure are not as wide spread as theirs, but i guess it is somewhat comparable.

 

[4RunnerRon]

Thanks for the diagrams... that was exactly what I needed to picture it! Again, nice work. It looks like I have a weekend project now. I needed to get out there and re-align the lights anyway... I never quite got them right the first time.

 

[lawwailok]

Thanks for the diagrams... that was exactly what I needed to picture it! Again, nice work. It looks like I have a weekend project now. I needed to get out there and re-align the lights anyway... I never quite got them right the first time.

hope you enjoy taking out and putting in the bulbs XXX times
just a reminder, DON'T put too much force to the metal tab, i heard it is somewhat easy to snap. the member did the write-up at hidplanet.com broke his. end up he needed to use aluminum tape to cover the squirrel finders.
if you are planning not to take out the housing (like me), then the driver side is VERY tight fit, it may take awhile to feel the tab and stuff your finger or a tiny stick inside the projector.
good luck and hope to see the before/after pictures of the magic.

 

[lawwailok]

i snapped off the metal piece completely. here you can see how big the hole (squirrel finder) is behind the metal flap. this is the cause of the light box above the cut-off line. what i simply did, use aluminum tape and tape over it. once the metal flap completely snapped, more fun can be performed from this projector. as you can see there's a hair thin metal line between the squirrel finder and the cut-off , bend it more in toward the bulb can create a sharper cut-off line and will also perform the "color mod". color mod is a common mod most people with OEM HID will do, it create a more colorful cut-off line, some people call it a rainbow color. a very deep blue/purple at the step of the cut-off, then turn to pure white to the rest of the light area.

 

[Uneek]

I thought more colors are acheived by the "washer mod" by increasing the distance betwen the projector and reflector/burner?

I haven't been reading up, so I could be wrong.

But good stuff to know on how to eliminate the glare and that there isn't that many tries before a permanent fix is needed.

 

[lawwailok]

I thought more colors are acheived by the "washer mod" by increasing the distance betwen the projector and reflector/burner?

I haven't been reading up, so I could be wrong.

But good stuff to know on how to eliminate the glare and that there isn't that many tries before a permanent fix is needed.

yes, washer mod is very common to change the color. i've read posts from hidplanet.com and those members saying that bending the shield can do the same. but washer mod is easier to go because the thickness of the washer is fixed and you won't go wrong by how many washers are added. bending the shield may require more tries and more precises bend because it is very hard to measure how deep you've already bent. to my case, without take the housing apart and get the actual projectors out, i think shield mod is the way to go. i am just plain too lazy to bake the housing apart, and main thing is because i don't have extra pair of housing to play with.
currently those pictures i posted are with 6000k bulbs, my 4300k bulbs will be here tomorrow, and hopefully i have time to take some pictures of 4300k and hope the light output is better and nicer. folks at hidplanet.com saying 4300k should bring overall performance closer to a real OEM HID rather than a 6000k. i'll see tomorrow night.