interested in h.i.d.'s, a must read!

[uncle_el]

what's a retrofit?
what's luminosity?
what's up with 12000k bulbs?

find the answers here:
http://intellexual.net/hid.html

this is a great read. both h23accord and myself have read it, and thought it was excellent. it goes into the physics of lighting, differences between halogen and high intensity discharge, retrofits versus plug and play h.i.d. kits, why any bulb above 6000k is unnecessary, complete with pictures and explanations.

http://intellexual.net/hid.html

[JDMcb7]

I've been thinking about retro-fitting the volvo. Good info here

[JTEK24]

maybe some one can answer my question. after reading the info on HID's and not able to afford a projector retrofit at this time...Since I have blackhoused my OEM headlights would it be best to go with the D2S or D2R bulb since we have a shield in front of our headlights anyway? Or is it just a preference?

[maroonaccord2.2]

D2R, but here's the problem. The OE shield is not sufficient for a rebased bulb application, that just covers the tip. You'll also need to fab a shield that is black housed, and blocks the lower half of the light output from the entire length of the bulb to cut glare. I thought the same thing you did at first, and then I discoverd after a lot of reading that it would be better to hold off until I can properly complete a retrofit.....

[JTEK24]

The D2r has a shield on it so I dont see what would be the big problem. Also what would happen to the OE shield? the D2R bulb will fit the housing correct?

[maroonaccord2.2]

A re-based D2R will fit, but the painted shield is very small.... Here is a pic:


This is not my pic, I found it on a GOOGLE search. The YELLOW area depicts the painted shield, the home made shield is what you will proabaly need to fabricate in order to cut glare enough not to piss people off.....

[Clueless]

I wouldn't bother....cops don't care over here, and we got enough red necks with big truck to blind us from behind, people are quite used to it.

[gloryaccordy]

H4 D2R + Autopal H4 165mm clear sealed beams retrofitted= my next project...

[maroonaccord2.2]

Then just pic up a set of RE-BASED D2Rs. 9006 if you have the USDM housings or purchase the H4 adapters if you have the JDM housings..... There is no way the factory base on a D2R/S bulb will fit. Search eBay, they're on there. There was also someone trying to unload a set in the "for sale" forum.....

[gloryaccordy]

Then just pic up a set of RE-BASED D2Rs. 9006 if you have the USDM housings or purchase the H4 adapters if you have the JDM housings..... There is no way the factory base on a D2R/S bulb will fit. Search eBay, they're on there. There was also someone trying to unload a set in the "for sale" forum.....

Nah but our reflectors suck...that's why I'm getting the Autopal sealed beams. Hopefully the beam pattern will be good, and since I'll be taking them apart I can incorporate a shield onto the housing to eliminate glare. OEM projectors have excellent optics but I really hate the way they look...I'm willing to sacrifice a little performance for a more natural looking headlight.

Ideally I'd get reflectors from a car with a D2R setup, i.e. an older Lexus, Infiniti, etc...but it's really hard to justify the cost, unless I can find someone who's retroing projectors into their setup. However with the advances I've seen in halogen lighting I think the Autopals should be fine....

[maroonaccord2.2]

Nah but our reflectors suck...that's why I'm getting the Autopal sealed beams.

Will those fit after disassembly..... Pics...... Sounds like a good project.

[owequitit]

So let's see if I am reading this correctly.

The science part of it makes perfect sense. It is all basically designed to work as a system.

What I am not sure about is this: Do you just basically salvage either the reflectors or projectors from an HID car, and make them fit your headlights?

If so, I imagine the hardest part would be actually tracking down all the stuff.

[Clueless]

So let's see if I am reading this correctly.

The science part of it makes perfect sense. It is all basically designed to work as a system.

What I am not sure about is this: Do you just basically salvage either the reflectors or projectors from an HID car, and make them fit your headlights?

If so, I imagine the hardest part would be actually tracking down all the stuff.

Actually, aligning everything would be the hardest...

[gloryaccordy]

So let's see if I am reading this correctly.

The science part of it makes perfect sense. It is all basically designed to work as a system.

What I am not sure about is this: Do you just basically salvage either the reflectors or projectors from an HID car, and make them fit your headlights?

If so, I imagine the hardest part would be actually tracking down all the stuff.

Yeh...usually they sell whole headlight assemblies with bulbs and ballasts altogether, so it's not hard to get stuff. They also have kits on Ebay...

Will those fit after disassembly..... Pics...... Sounds like a good project.

They should...our low beams are about 5.5" by 4"...the Autopals are about 6.5" by 4"...it won't be hard to fab up some kind of mounting system that allows for adjustibility; plus I can already see in my head the kinds of things I can do to ensure that everything is aimed properly. The hardest part is gonna be sealing everything off...

[JTEK24]

Is the h4 shield supposed to go on top or bottom of the 9006 hid bulb inside the headlamp? Ive seen both ways.