So on my stock headlights, the lenses are getting pretty bad, the seal is cracked so they fog, i like the look of projectors (especially black with clear lens), parts of my stock headlight housings are cracked, and i'd rather just buy new headlights than take them apart, paint, polish, retrofit, etc. Therefore - I am looking to buy a pair of projector headlights and possibly throw hid's in. I'm kind of clueless when it comes to this, and from my searches I feel a little overwhelmed. Can anybody make any recommendations on the projectors, hid kit, where to buy, etc? Appreciate the help in advance!

 

Output:
Retros>Gen4>Gen3>Gen1>Gen2

Retros are going to be more expensive though. Go see mkruly13 on here for HIDs.

 

Generation 4 projectors are what I have, holding up nicely and i've had them for a few years now. They are made by Depot, you should be able to find them on ebay in black and chrome. I like them because there are no LEDs or halos, which I do not like that much.

As for HIDs, there are quite a few good inexpensive kits out there...most have warranty as well. Check out our supporting vendors.

 

From what I've heard, retros are more work than what I'm hoping to do. I like the look of the Gen1-4 projectors better than stock, and don't mind halo's at all. Im not 100% sure if I'll go HID or not (depends on cost really). But I'm pretty sure I need a whole new assembly (cracked housing, crappy lenses, want black, etc)

 

Just about all those projector headlights are meant for halogen bulbs only. It seems like a lot of people are happy with the Depo Gen 4 projector headlights with HIDs. Still, nothing beats a proper retrofit. Projectors that are designed for HIDs produce a much wider light. They utilize the extra intensity much better than projectors that are meant for halogens. If you decide to go with projector headlights off eBay or something and you want a high quality HID kit, I prefer The Retrofit Source online: headlight upgrades for all applications. I haven't had a single problem with their Morimoto HIDs on my car. Their Morimoto ballasts are as OEM quality as an aftermarket ballast can get.

Everyone else is right too. Retrofit is the best way to go.

 

Where would you look for projectors that are designed for HID's? What about the Depot Gen 4's with an HID kit? Also how much do you think that these options would cost?

 

If you want projectors designed for HIDs, you gotta retrofit. You can get the Mini H1 Bi-Xenon projectors from Bi-xenon Morimoto Mini Stage III Kit (H1) - Complete Retrofit Kits from The Retrofit Source Inc for $270. The Mini H1 Bi-Xenon projectors perform really well for their size. I've had mine for a year and 4 months without any issues. They're a good entry-level projector because they just screw right in after you do just a little bit of trimming of the 9007 socket and sand down the 9007 bulb alignment nubs. The Mini H1 is basically a "practice projector." They perform better than your stock halogens and HID kits in your reflector housing, but you're gonna want even better after a year or two. Then you'll probably graduate to FX-Rs or something that performs better than the Mini H1s.

 

270 just for the hid kit? wow... what if i do a projector with sylvania zxe (or whatever other "drop in" bulb(s) you recommend)

 

Um, that's $270 for the HID kit AND the Mini H1 Bi-Xenon projectors. Those expensive halogen bulbs that are supposed to be brighter aren't worth it. They don't last at all.

 

also, seen many higher wattage halogen bulbs melt the lenses on the gen 1/2/3 projectors never on gen 4 though.

 

but i would still have to buy projector headlights and retrofit the mini h1 bi-xenon projectors right?

 

Not necessarily. You can buy a set of used stocked headlights off eBay that are really cheap. That's actually what I plan on doing so I can temporarily go back to halogens while I do my FX-R upgrade. You can also get stock headlights from Depo or TYC that are brand new. Mine get a little moisture in them too. I probably didn't use enough sealant when I resealed them.

 

Do projector headlights with hid kit already installed exist? Just so I don't have to piece it together hoping that everything fits?

 

what about the depo gen 4's on ebay with hid preinstalled??? they dont have halos or leds, so nothing to worry about burning out. Also I think they're basically just drop in - no retrofitting or anything... and they're only like 250... what you think?

 

Don't go with it if it only comes with an 8,000k HID kit. You could always swap the bulbs later for 4,300k. 8,000k may look brighter, but they're actually not. Trying to drive with "blue light," especially in fog and rain, will make driving at night very unpleasant. Based on my research, the Gen 4 Depos are the best aftermarket halogen projectors, but don't expect night and day results. It's doing research on Google and HID Planet, comparing output shots, watching YouTube videos, and asking questions that convinced me to retrofit. It's retrofits that will get you very close, if not better, to the performance of HID systems on luxury cars. You can't get NEAR that by sticking an HID kit in your reflector housing or buying a set of projector headlights that were designed for halogens.

Let me break down the performance.

*HID Kit in Stocks < Halogens in Stocks < **Aftermarket Projector Headlights < Retrofit with Mini H1 Bi-Xenon Projectors < Retrofit with FX-R Bi-Xenon Projectors

*Sticking HIDs in a reflector housing designed for halogens WILL result in excessive glare and improper light distribution. People often aim their headlights "down" reduce the intensity to oncoming drivers. This also results in "too much" light up close and not enough in the distance.

**Some aftermarket projector headlights may perform better than others, depending if they are Gen 1, Gen 2, Gen 3, or Gen 4 models. Sticking HID kits in these projectors, which are obviously meant for halogens, may or may not improve the overall performance and proper light distribution. Excessive foreground light may result in difficulty seeing in the distance where the majority of the light is needed.

 

Well the ones I'm looking at are Gen 4 Depo Projectors. They normally come with 8000k but I think they say if I let them know they can include 4300k or 6000k instead...

 

4300 k will look like OEM hids, and look a factory color. Also gonna be the brightest. Will attract the least attention from cops. 6000k will have a hint of blue in it, will be slightly less bright.

 

Get the Depo Projectors off eBay with the 8000k HIDs already installed for $250. I bought some awhile ago and installed them last week. They aren't even that blue, to me they almost seem more like 6000k.

 

They work well with the projectors? No weird beam pattern or excessive glare? Any custom work at all to install, or just plug in and mount the ballasts?

 

I found this thread. https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/appe...6/index11.html

It has some shots of what the Gen4's beam pattern looks like. It doesn't look too bad. It's just not gonna be as wide as a true HID projector. You will need a wiring harness for your HIDs and you will need to rewire it so your HIDs will keep the projector lit when you use your high beams.

 

Yeah, the cutoff is ok. You can aim the projectors vertically by turning a gear in the back if you need too. The headlights are PITA to get lined up, but they'll fit. Plug and play, I'd recommend getting a wire harness.

 

what wire harness will i need? and how do i rewire it so the projectors stay lit?

 

Don't cheap out. Get a good plug and play harness with a relay setup so your DRL will work right and you don't have to hack up your factory wiring harness. The extra 20 bucks you'll spend on that now will repay itself big time when or if you decide to go back to stock and sell or trade the car. That's not including maintenance you won't have to do while you own the car.

 

so the depo gen 4 projectors with hids dont come with the harness?? if not what will the difference be between just buying those and plugging them in, and using the harness??? where do i get the harness/which one? sorry for all the questions i'm just new to this....

 

I don't know what depo does or doesn't come with, so I can't really answer to that. I bought my relay kits from Relay Harnesses from The Retrofit Source Inc

If you buy a set that doesn't come with a relay harness then your headlights will not work as DRL. There isn't enough power to energize them. A lot of people just yank the DRL fuse. I wanted the DRL to work so I spent the couple of bucks to make sure they work.

Again, no idea what depo sells or what options are available, but that's one more thing for you to think about. Want DRL or no? If so, ask them about it.