[Track Addict]

Okay everybody, it has been suggested many times that we have an official thread dedicated to High Intensity Discharge/Xenon related issues. This thread will serve as the focal point of all your non-halogen questions, comments, and so on. Lately, there have been a few members here that have done retrofitting to their existing headlamp assembly's in order to incorporate H.I.D. projectors, complete with ballasts, bulbs, harness, etc...The lenses in the low beam projectors that the MKIV Supra has, for example, are very dense and do not function all that well for H.I.D. bulbs. Many plug-and-play kits on the market make claims that the output through the stock lenses will be just as good as OEM equipped H.I.D. lenses. That is quite false, actually.
Some of our forum members with great insight on retrofitting MKIV headlights are the likes of:

cwtt - H.I.D. Retrofit in Euro Headlamps.
TheMook - H.I.D. Retrofit in several MKIV Headlamps.
Ascari 2 - H.I.D. Retrofit in several vehicles, including an MKIV.

These are just a couple of the early pioneers in this area, and also were kind enough to provide the Supra community with some insight into their projects. They would be great to ask questions. Hopefully this thread serves a great purpose for those that want to go the extra mile to have a true OEM H.I.D. setup on their Supras.

I actually have a question I'd like to ask here to get this thread started:

I purchased a set of BMX X5 H.I.D.'s, complete with everything needed for the swap, and wanted to know if anyone has been able to completely retrofit their headlamps and keep the stock adjusters intact. They will be going on a set of '97 headlamps.

 

[Jaxx]

http://www.supraforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=238601

 

[domoMKIV]

http://www.supraforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=238601

good thread for pics but hopefully this thread gets more technical info, especially in regards to retrofits.

 

[Track Addict]

I have spent some time today trying to retrofit an old headlamp assembly I had laying around with the H.I.D. projectors. So far, it seems to be working okay. The only issue I have had to deal with is the second mounting point. Using TheMooks write up, I was able to do everything else up to that point, but now it seems like I have hit a snag. The longer aiming screw coming from the rear between the low beam and the fog light seems to be in the way of the positioning of the H.I.D. projector. Should I remove the aiming screw, or just bend it out of the way? Also, from what I'm noticing, zip ties won't last too long in the housing for the aiming process, and I think there might be a better way to mount them all together. If not, using different H.I.D. projectors, rather than the X5's I am using, might be a better idea. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chucky Doll]

I've been running the Phillip HID kit from MVP for almost 4 years now. Not one single issue. IMO people are having problems w/ the cheap kits or this retro fitting stuff. :stickpoke Sure you save money, but at the expense of a headache and the time it takes to make it work properly. I rather have my free time.

also this is HID thread 1,390,765,4944,300....

 

[Track Addict]

Well, in your case, since you've never put on OEM H.I.D.'s on your car, or seen them on another Supra, you are merely being biased as to what you have. Trust me, you will see the difference when you run into a Supra with real H.I.D.'s. This thread is intended to be useful and resourceful, not for people to add useless comments.

 

[Chucky Doll]

Well, in your case, since you've never put on OEM H.I.D.'s on your car, or seen them on another Supra, you are merely being biased as to what you have. Trust me, you will see the difference when you run into a Supra with real H.I.D.'s. This thread is intended to be useful and resourceful, not for people to add useless comments.

Funny I was thinking the same thing about useless comments. Go back and re-READ the name of this thread. All I see here is you talking about rigging up your headlights. “Zip ties” My god, that’s about all I have to say.

Now back to the topic of THIS THREAD. I shared my experience with said H.I.D kit. I’ve seen numerous other brands that I have also helped install. I’ve experience the differences with ’94, EURO’s and ‘97’98s. Again, I merely stated my opinion(public forum, imagine that) as to why people are having issues. No need to get all worked up over it.

 

[whobob]

Well, in your case, since you've never put on OEM H.I.D.'s on your car, or seen them on another Supra, you are merely being biased as to what you have. Trust me, you will see the difference when you run into a Supra with real H.I.D.'s. This thread is intended to be useful and resourceful, not for people to add useless comments.

So true when you compare OEM HID projectors vs. Hallogen projectors. You will notice OEM HID projectors have a sharper cut-off line.

 

[Track Addict]

The 'Zip Tie' method comes from an actual write-up done by TheMook. It's not a rig, but it isn't in my opinion the best idea in the long run. Zip ties get old and brittle, and may crack over time. The best solution would be custom brackets, but that is not easy. I'm not worked up about anything, yet you still wanna talk about it. I'm staying on topic, and I hope you don't feel the need to start talking sideways to everyone that comes to post on this thread...Here is the write-up I was referring to:

http://www.supraforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=182630&highlight=x5+retrofit

This was his official write up:

HID Retrofit In A Supra

Funny I was thinking the same thing about useless comments. Go back and re-READ the name of this thread. All I see here is you talking about rigging up your headlights. “Zip ties” My god, that’s about all I have to say.

Now back to the topic of THIS THREAD. I shared my experience with said H.I.D kit. I’ve seen numerous other brands that I have also helped install. I’ve experience the differences with ’94, EURO’s and ‘97’98s. Again, I merely stated my opinion(public forum, imagine that) as to why people are having issues. No need to get all worked up over it.

 

[Chucky Doll]

The 'Zip Tie' method comes from an actual write-up done by TheMook. It's not a rig, but it isn't in my opinion the best idea in the long run. Zip ties get old and brittle, and may crack over time. The best solution would be custom brackets, but that is not easy. I'm not worked up about anything, yet you still wanna talk about it. I'm staying on topic, and I hope you don't feel the need to start talking sideways to everyone that comes to post on this thread...Here is the write-up I was referring to:

http://www.supraforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=182630&highlight=x5+retrofit

This was his official write up:

HID Retrofit In A Supra

I’m well aware of what TheMook did when installing his H.I.D. kit. I quoted you about the zip ties holding it in place and yes, IMO it’s rigged.

As for what I’m talking about it has to do with THIS THREAD. You seem to forget the title of it. :dunno: Maybe you have a hard understanding what it implies? Finally the only one I’ve addressed in this thread is YOU, due to your lack of comprehension. Done.

 

[Ascari_2]

So true when you compare OEM HID projectors vs. Hallogen projectors. You will notice OEM HID projectors have a sharper cut-off line.

To all the non believers here is a pic of stock vs OEM HIDs. The aftermarket HIDs are NOT doing to change the beam pattern as that is decided based on the reflector bowl and the glass lens, they will only make the stock lights more intense and probably brighert.

As far as my brackets, I have a very large projector and had one large bracket between the new projector and the hi beam reflector connected to the front side of the projector, and one small piece which connected to the back of the projector and the l/r adjustment screw. I will try to find some pics and post them a little later on what exactly I am talking about.

By the way the pics were taken with the same camera settings and have had no editing except for size reduction. The difference is as real as you see.

 

[Chucky Doll]

To all the non believers here is a pic of stock vs OEM HIDs. The aftermarket HIDs are NOT doing to change the beam pattern as that is decided based on the reflector bowl and the glass lens, they will only make the stock lights more intense and probably brighert.

As far as my brackets, I have a very large projector and had one large bracket between the new projector and the hi beam reflector connected to the front side of the projector, and one small piece which connected to the back of the projector and the l/r adjustment screw. I will try to find some pics and post them a little later on what exactly I am talking about.

By the way the pics were taken with the same camera settings and have had no editing except for size reduction. The difference is as real as you see.

Excellent work. I’d love to see those pictures of the brackets and not zip ties :lol: I’m quite surprised to see the first picture. Do you mind sharing the brand and what Kevlar the bulbs were/are?

When comparing my ’04 Maxima Low beam HID’s its very comparable to the Phillips on my MKIV. The high beams are where the HIDS really shine. I’d like to hear from members that have upgraded those as well.

p.s. Thanks for staying on topic. We would all accomplish more if everyone did that

 

[Ascari_2]

Back on topic here, Ascari_2, since your projectors were larger than the stock projectors, how did you do the alignment of the projectors with the stock aimers? I was thinking the actual projector of the X5 might be too wide to keep the L/R aimer intact. I was also trying to imagine if a seperate screw could be placed a little lower to help with the aiming. What do you think?

Essentially you can put a screw where ever you want. When I was retroing my friend's centra headlights we had to drill a few holes and put some screws in there to keep the projector stable. You can get these lockes from home depot that go onto a screw only one way and stay on unless you pry them off with some plyers. This would allow the screw to stay on without comming back out but the screw could move around too much if the thickness of the housing is not thick enough.

 

[Track Addict]

Oh brother, speaking of lack of comprehension here, I mentioned the zip-tie thing only for aiming, not mounting. Anyways...
TheMook used 2" screws to place in the mounting points, and it looks like maybe you can get away with only 2. Please post up some pics of your brackets so I can get a feel for what it will look like after it has been completed.

 

[Ascari_2]

Excellent work. I’d love to see those pictures of the brackets and not zip ties :lol: I’m quite surprised to see the first picture. Do you mind sharing the brand and what Kevlar the bulbs were/are?

When comparing my ’04 Maxima Low beam HID’s its very comparable to the Phillips on my MKIV. The high beams are where the HIDS really shine. I’d like to hear from members that have upgraded those as well.

p.s. Thanks for staying on topic. We would all accomplish more if everyone did that

The top pic is a stock MKIV headlight with silverstars, yes those supposedly bright halogen bulbs. The bottom are Acura TL projectors with Osram Xenarc 4300k bulbs (what you will find in half the HID cars out there, the other half are the Phillips). I will find some pics of the inside a little later.

 

[Chucky Doll]

Oh brother, speaking of lack of comprehension here, I mentioned the zip-tie thing only for aiming, not mounting. Anyways...
TheMook used 2" screws to place in the mounting points, and it looks like maybe you can get away with only 2. Please post up some pics of your brackets so I can get a feel for what it will look like after it has been completed.

You're finally getting it. Also, what happend to that post you wrote directed towards me? I was in the process of responding to it, but I guess you felt that you looked dumb enough without pushing things further. Do yourself a favor and leave it alone. As you can see, I did, but you had to keep things going. :sadwavey:

 

[Chucky Doll]

The top pic is a stock MKIV headlight with silverstars, yes those supposedly bright halogen bulbs. The bottom are Acura TL projectors with Osram Xenarc 4300k bulbs (what you will find in half the HID cars out there, the other half are the Phillips). I will find some pics of the inside a little later.

Great. Again, thanks for sharing. The first pic did look really dim; in fact almost factory bulb like. The picture of the Acura is what my phillips look like in the MKIV and is very similar to my daily driver. The MKIV has 4200 kevlar bulbs so that may be where the lighting similarity comes from. Also if you don't mind, I'd like to see how you mounted your ballast

 

[Ascari_2]

Great. Again, thanks for sharing. The first pic did look really dim; in fact almost factory bulb like. The picture of the Acura is what my phillips look like in the MKIV and is very similar to my daily driver. The MKIV has 4200 kevlar bulbs so that may be where the lighting similarity comes from. Also if you don't mind, I'd like to see how you mounted your ballast

Actually that has yet to be done since my car has been in pieces due to single conversion along with a built trans and all the other good stuff, so I've only taken it out this year for a spin around the block, literally.

 

[6ick6]

Kelvin, not Kevlar

 

[Ascari_2]

My projectors are bi-xenon and I do have a separate harness for the lights but use the original harness to trigger the bi-xenon solenoid.