Legality of a Projector Retrofit

[GottaBeTRD]

you keep saying they blind people, now ive seen a few that are just stupidly bright. some of them even had the projectors but ive seen quite a bit more cars, and trucks with the pnp kits that wern't blinding at all and they look good. some of the lifted trucks have them and ride behind me and its not glareing all over the place. I think it really just has to do with aming them right and getting some good quality bulbs. I do agree the projectors will put out a better focused light. but not all PnP kits will be blinding. sorry to be hater but IMO the prjojectors look funky on an older gen 4runner. but again if we liked the same thing this forum wouldnt exsist right? sorry for hijacking

 

[Rock Slide]

you keep saying they blind people, now ive seen a few that are just stupidly bright. some of them even had the projectors but ive seen quite a bit more cars, and trucks with the pnp kits that wern't blinding at all and they look good. some of the lifted trucks have them and ride behind me and its not glareing all over the place. I think it really just has to do with aming them right and getting some good quality bulbs. I do agree the projectors will put out a better focused light. but not all PnP kits will be blinding. sorry to be hater but IMO the prjojectors look funky on an older gen 4runner. but again if we liked the same thing this forum wouldnt exsist right? sorry for hijacking

Read the quote in red above ^. I agree, aiming does help, but it's not so much the bulb that's creating the glare, as it is the headlight housing itself not being able to control the additional light. A HID bulb throws out more light b/c it's brighter. Install a HID bulb in a factory 3rd Gen headlight housing and the light goes all over the place.

Again, I personally have never been blinded by someone else's PnP Kit, therefore, I have no beef with that. I just feel, if you want HIDs, you should do it right and install projectors. IMO, the stock headlights on 3rd Gen 4Runners, just can't handle the additional output.

I will say that different vehicles have differently designed headlight housings. Maybe that's why you've never been blinded by someone else's before. Just a thought.

Hey and no biggie if you don't like projectors in 3rd Gens. Not everyone does. Who wants to be like everyone else :bigok:.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

lol ya for sure! so your basicly saying the the 4runner just has a bad shape housing for hid's? i could understand that. the reason im so into this is cause its something i want down the road, but im all about safety of other drivers too.

 

[Rock Slide]

Correct. 4Runner headlight housings are just a poor design for HIDs. Every vehicle has a different headlight design...so while I don't recommend any type PnP kit, not all are as blinding in some vehicle headlights, as they are in others.

Glad to hear you're concerned for the safety of others too in respect to this mod. So many people out there are strictly in it for themselves that they don't care how the outcome of their decisions effect others.

 

[808TRDRunner]

Read the quote in red above ^. I agree, aiming does help, but it's not so much the bulb that's creating the glare, as it is the headlight housing itself not being able to control the additional light. A HID bulb throws out more light b/c it's brighter. Install a HID bulb in a factory 3rd Gen headlight housing and the light goes all over the place.

Again, I personally have never been blinded by someone else's PnP Kit, therefore, I have no beef with that. I just feel, if you want HIDs, you should do it right and install projectors. IMO, the stock headlights on 3rd Gen 4Runners, just can't handle the additional output.

I will say that different vehicles have differently designed headlight housings. Maybe that's why you've never been blinded by someone else's before. Just a thought.

Hey and no biggie if you don't like projectors in 3rd Gens. Not everyone does. Who wants to be like everyone else :bigok:.

I've been blinded by HIDs installed in non-projector housings. One night I was blinded twice: one was a 3rd gen T4R and the other was a lowered Tacoma. The non-projector housings allow the HID beam to scatter in all directions, whereas projectors focus the beam. Aiming is integral to not blinding people, but the light will still scatter.

 

[808TRDRunner]

here is the difference between blinding people and not blinding them.

retrofit output

That's the way it's supposed to be done!

 

[broncosi]

The non-projector housings allow the HID beam to scatter in all directions

Yep me too! An HID in an open housing like ours is basically like someone riding around with their brights on constantly, only brighter.

 

[Rock Slide]

The non-projector housings allow the HID beam to scatter in all directions, whereas projectors focus the beam. Aiming is integral to not blinding people, but the light will still scatter.

I'm not arguing that point, I totally agree. I'm just saying that I've personally never had an oncoming vehicle with non-projector HIDs be so that bright that they literally blinded me. (I'm sure it's just a matter of time before it happens though.)

However, I have plenty of friends who've complained of being blinded by other people's non-projector HID headlights before.

 

[00Spork]

If anyone ends up doing an angel eye conversion, make a write up as i really wanna do it but dont wanna be the guinea pig :nono:

 

[mike1305]

If anyone ends up doing an angel eye conversion, make a write up as i really wanna do it but dont wanna be the guinea pig :nono:

I am. I'll make sure to take good notes. Won't be anytime particularly soon, though.

 

[808TRDRunner]

If anyone ends up doing an angel eye conversion, make a write up as i really wanna do it but dont wanna be the guinea pig :nono:

Oh man, that is gonna look weird and ricey. I just leave the angel eyes to the BMWs where they belong.

 

[00Spork]

I am. I'll make sure to take good notes. Won't be anytime particularly soon, though.

Yeah, its not like i can afford them anyway, ill probably do it around mid summer

Oh man, that is gonna look weird and ricey. I just leave the angel eyes to the BMWs where they belong.

...Until you see em

 

[broncosi]

as if this horse isn't dead already . . .

i thought I'd post a courtesy option to those with HIDs in their open housings. A casper shield or "Anti-glare shield" is a shield made for HIDs in open housings to allow them to house an HID without blinding other drivers. The shield blocks most light from shining down in the housing and in turn bouncing up and out blinding other drivers. This is what the cars have in theirs like the older acuras and infiniti's that allows them to have HIDs in and open housing and still have a decent cut off with no blinding powers.

This is what the shield looks like and what they look like installed. The 2 pictures with the lights on are showing without and with the casper shield installed. You can tell the shield is installed on the headlight that has no light in the bottom of the housing.

without:

with:

I got this set for $50 off casperelectronics i believe, and i will be embarrassed if someone else finds quality ones for less