Please post pics of HID lights (low beams and/or fogs) in the OEM light reflectors

[SilverGs]

Please post pics of your HID lights (low beams and/or fogs) in the OEM light reflectors.

I'm interested in seeing how the 4th gen looks with the HID upgrade (cheap route for now, i.e., not replaced the headlight itself to use projectors or reflectors specifically designed for HID's).

I really want to do the HID upgrade on my 05 the right way (installing an HID projector etc), however there is too much DIY work involved (such as baking the headlights) and and I'm not that mechanically inclined, so I have no recourse but to simply do an HID upgrade using the OEM reflectors. It's better than the standard incandescent OEM setup, albeit not so good for other drivers facing you or cars in front of you that have to deal with the glare.

 

[thegreatdivorce]

I have 3000K on the way for the foglights. I'll post up pics when they get here. Should be fine in the fogs, but the headlights are a different story. I haven't seen them in person, but I can't imagine it's very pleasant for oncoming traffic.

Have you looked into HIR bulbs?

 

[SilverGs]

I have 3000K on the way for the foglights. I'll post up pics when they get here. Should be fine in the fogs, but the headlights are a different story. I haven't seen them in person, but I can't imagine it's very pleasant for oncoming traffic.

Have you looked into HIR bulbs?

Thanks, looking forward to your pics!

I just looked into the HIR bulbs and they do look very promising, but I'd rather have HID's.....

 

[Doozi]

From everything that I've read and have seen in person... I would take the time to upgrade to at least the '06+ projector style headlights. Now that I know what I'm looking at, I've seen several vehicles running HID's in reflector housings and it's always been unpleasant. Even a couple of guys on this forum that have said that their HID's in reflector housings weren't a problem have now started looking to change their set-ups.

Ordinarily, I would tell you just to go with what you like, but my last experience with oncoming HID's in reflector housings forces me to urge you not to do it. I was coming home from work, turned left at a traffic light onto a two-way street and was met with GLARING HID's in my face. It was so bad that I couldn't even tell you what kind of car it was and as I made it past the front of that on-coming car I was able to see that traffic in front of me was stopped and had to slam on the brakes. I know that they were HID's in a reflector housing... probably around 6000k in color and definitely not coming from a projector housing. The entire front of the vehicle was washed out in a blinding glare and I couldn't even see my edge of the road looking forward. And they were definitely not any type of additional off-road lights mounted on the bumper... just two headlights with the turn signals on the outside.

Taking the time and spending the money now to upgrade to, at least, the '06+ style headlamps will pay off in the end. It'll be much safer and I'd guarantee that you'll be happier with the results.

By the way, I do have HID's in my reflector housing fogs... I actually don't even use them on the road anymore unless conditions warrant. I used to run them all the time with the factory halogen set-up, but don't really need to use them anymore with the HID bulbs in the low beams. That's one of the reasons that I went with the 3000k color... so they would actually be more functional in fog/snow.

 

[krupnation]

I have the DDM 5k 35w kit in my '05 with reflectors and love them. I've had them for about 2 months and have not been flashed once by oncoming traffic. That being said, I've adjusted my headlights down a bit to compensate for my lift (about 2.5" in front). I think a lot of people forget to do that. My buddy who has a lifted Taco only runs Sylvania Silverstars and hasn't adjusted his headlights down and they are BLINDING. I keep telling him to adjust his friggin lights and he keeps fogetting.

That being said, I'm still getting projectors, either '06 housing or retrofit in the near future. 1) it does cut down on any glare from a reflector and 2) it just looks better. I'm just waiting on my tax return to get them. If you do decide to get HID's with your current setup, don't get 55w as they will blind other drivers. They are really bright.

1st pic is of standard Silverstar Ultra's...2nd pic is DDM HID 5k 35w kit

 

[alex56]

H.I.D's are must, heres a pic from a few years back when i had 8k lows and 6k fogs. Now im running 8k/8k

 

[SilverGs]

From everything that I've read and have seen in person... I would take the time to upgrade to at least the '06+ projector style headlights. Now that I know what I'm looking at, I've seen several vehicles running HID's in reflector housings and it's always been unpleasant. Even a couple of guys on this forum that have said that their HID's in reflector housings weren't a problem have now started looking to change their set-ups.

Ordinarily, I would tell you just to go with what you like, but my last experience with oncoming HID's in reflector housings forces me to urge you not to do it. I was coming home from work, turned left at a traffic light onto a two-way street and was met with GLARING HID's in my face. It was so bad that I couldn't even tell you what kind of car it was and as I made it past the front of that on-coming car I was able to see that traffic in front of me was stopped and had to slam on the brakes. I know that they were HID's in a reflector housing... probably around 6000k in color and definitely not coming from a projector housing. The entire front of the vehicle was washed out in a blinding glare and I couldn't even see my edge of the road looking forward. And they were definitely not any type of additional off-road lights mounted on the bumper... just two headlights with the turn signals on the outside.

Taking the time and spending the money now to upgrade to, at least, the '06+ style headlamps will pay off in the end. It'll be much safer and I'd guarantee that you'll be happier with the results.

By the way, I do have HID's in my reflector housing fogs... I actually don't even use them on the road anymore unless conditions warrant. I used to run them all the time with the factory halogen set-up, but don't really need to use them anymore with the HID bulbs in the low beams. That's one of the reasons that I went with the 3000k color... so they would actually be more functional in fog/snow.

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely will upgrade to HID's, but not with the OEM reflectors. Regarding the O6 projector lights, what is involved to get to that? Is it a complete headlight replacement or something less expensive? I can't imagine it is a complete headlight replacement as they headlights are shaped differently on the bottom. So that means a retrofit = baking the headlights = I can't go that route...........

I would gladly pay someone to do this for me so that I can get projectors in my headlights that are HID.

Regarding the fogs, I would rather just upgrade them for cosmetic reasons and not functional reasons. I've seen this LED light to replace the fogs, but haven't seen any pics with them on a car, so have no idea what their output is like 5K WHITE 28 LED 13W DRL/FOG LIGHT BULBS HB4 9006 | 1 PAIR .

 

[SilverGs]

Thanks krupnation and alex56 for posting those pics. Your trucks look great!

 

[bobdod04]

H.I.D's are must, heres a pic from a few years back when i had 8k lows and 6k fogs. Now im running 8k/8k

Are you f**king for real? I am blinded just by your picture. No one with any common sense would recommend HIDs in a reflector. The illusion of more light is just that, an illusion. Instead you get scattered light in all directions...works great if you are looking to see the birds and squirrles up up in the trees. Every time I see someone with your setup I get the urge to follow them untill they park their car, and then put a wrench through those lights. I strongly encourage you to do the right thing and stop trying to kill people with blinding lights on the road! :gun4:

 

[rockwall]

Many disagree here, but I have Philips 4300 HID's in MY STOCK REFLECTORS and love them. They are very bright and white. This set up was recommended by Xenon Depot and I have never regretted it. Along with my PIAA 540 fogs they create a lot of light. They are aimed down and I have never been flashed once and drive in a congested area. I absolutely agree that projectors are the definite best way to go, but my lights are not blinding other drivers unless they are driving go carts 10" off the ground. I have a projector upgrade on my long term wish list, but for now like my set up. As for following cars to parking lots and breaking out lights...make sure that the owner is not waiting for you with a .44. Don't come down so hard on others who are enjoying their trucks to the best of their ability without getting into serious cash. A quality HID kit installed properly in reflectors is not a cardinal sin!

 

[Doozi]

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely will upgrade to HID's, but not with the OEM reflectors. Regarding the O6 projector lights, what is involved to get to that? Is it a complete headlight replacement or something less expensive? I can't imagine it is a complete headlight replacement as they headlights are shaped differently on the bottom. So that means a retrofit = baking the headlights = I can't go that route...........

There are a few guys that have upgraded to '06+ housings... "gaterose", for sure and I think that "TheJosh" did also.

 

[berettashot117]

I have 4300k hids in my low beam reflectors, and I just kept aiming my lights down until I stopped getting flashed. I think you will be fine as long as you point them low enough

 

[rockwall]

Thanks Beretta. That is my point too. Projectors do look better, but don't come on so strongly against people upgrading their reflectors because some people do it wrong.

 

[Jyn]

So if you have 2006+ projector headlights, a DDM HID kit doesn't have too bad of a refraction??

 

[riceandpho]

you guys still dont get how much glare there is, see the glare in the pics? thats dangerous, even with halogen projectors glare is reduce, but not by much, still lower down the lights and you will lose distance. save up some money and pay lightwerkz or some other retrofiters to do a complete true hid projector retrofit. i myelf was a pnp guy, really annoyed people, after the retrofit i did myself, i feel better that i accomplish something new, performance was better and safer to use.

 

[SilverGs]

you guys still dont get how much glare there is, see the glare in the pics? thats dangerous, even with halogen projectors glare is reduce, but not by much, still lower down the lights and you will lose distance. save up some money and pay lightwerkz or some other retrofiters to do a complete true hid projector retrofit. i myelf was a pnp guy, really annoyed people, after the retrofit i did myself, i feel better that i accomplish something new, performance was better and safer to use.

Hey riceandpho, what exactly does this mean "save up some money and pay lightwerkz or some other retrofiters to do a complete true hid projector retrofit." ?

Does it mean taking out the headlights and sending them off to lightwerkz? I would gladly pay someone to do the retrofit, but I haven't the faintest clue regarding how that is accomplished. I spent so much time on the lightwerkz website and could not find an answer to this question anywhere.

What exactly is the process involved? If it means me baking my headlights, that's out of the question as I will end up screwing it up.

Please enlighten me. How did you do yours?

 

[CookieRoe]

Hey riceandpho, what exactly does this mean "save up some money and pay lightwerkz or some other retrofiters to do a complete true hid projector retrofit." ?

Does it mean taking out the headlights and sending them off to lightwerkz? I would gladly pay someone to do the retrofit, but I haven't the faintest clue regarding how that is accomplished. I spent so much time on the lightwerkz website and could not find an answer to this question anywhere.

What exactly is the process involved? If it means me baking my headlights, that's out of the question as I will end up screwing it up.

Please enlighten me. How did you do yours?

Hey silver: They, or MANY, will not advertise how much they are. It all depends on what you want. You (or they) choose the components (lens/ballast/bulb/shrouds/harness/etc). They typically charge about $600 for a retro job (for both headlights). So, when you throw in, let's say, Denso Ballast, TSX lens, Apollo shrouds, 4300K Bulbs, high performance wire harness, then the cost is ROUGHLY $1000. Expensive isn't it? Of course it is. I consider myself mechanically inclined, but this can easily be screwed up. This is why I picked my stuff out, emailed the guys at Lightwerkz and set it up. I sent my lights to them, bought a pair of "fleabay" headlight for downtime and waited about 15 days. If you want to DIY, then you have to be conscience of many factors when doing it yourself. For example, if you screw down the projector onto the headlight and be off 1/2 an inch, the light will be totally off. Someone like RiceandPho (and others) has 15X more expertise in this department than me, but it is intensive for the 1st timer. From talking to Rice, it's not that bad, but I don't have a workbench or the time (I have a 4 month old daughter and commute 110 miles/day) which is why I contacted Lightwerkz.

I'm happy to see you are aware of the fact that projectors are the way to go. I totally understand that retro (having someone else do it) are prohibitively expensive for many. But, this is a safety issue and not a "bling" issue. I started with PnPs (but that was in a 3rd world country AND retros were not popular back then, circa 2003).

Sorry I couldn't help you on a step by step tutorial on how to start, but I hope the info I gave gives you an idea.

If you have ANY questions, shoot me a PM, I'll be more than happy to help out!

Good luck!

 

[Mytoy4]

I have DDM Tuning 6000K in low beams

 

[riceandpho]

That pic shows glare, even though its slightly reduce, its still dangerous, on a true hid projector you will get the flicker effect instead of glare. Email the retrofiters. U got lightwerkz, blackflamecustoms, customzlights i think . Google it. I bought me a used light on ebay to practice, its all about paitence and alot of thinking plus problem solving. U have options, u can do a bixenon or just low beam setup, i do miss having a bixenon setup, having 4 highs (bixenon and halogen high) was bright as hell, if u did low beam projectors its still wider and better. Me and cookieroe have vids on here that shows how a good retro can make a difference, both for you and others safety. By all means if u must have the pnp, only do 6000k max and lower the lights. Only stick with 35w. 55w will be brighter, but also more glare, its like having highs on all the time. The only thing u can do is take the lights out and send it to retrofiters, like cookieroe said, get some cheap replacement if its the only car u drive.

 

[SilverGs]

Thanks Cookieroe and riceandpho. The bottom line is simple, take out the headlights and ship them out to one of the retrofitters.

I've tried locating some company here in Canada to do this, but have not had much luck.

In the meantime, I need to find some cheap temporary headlights to put on the truck.

What projectors did you guys go with? Morimoto? What about the shroud?

Did either of you get the retrofitters to do install LED's for DRL's in your retrofits? I've seen some guys on here with LED's installed on the headlight (on the outside) and after seeing something like that in person, I don't want to go that route. No offense to anyone but that looks kinda cheesy.