Retrofit projector comparison thread
02-17-2012, 09:24 PM
#1
Retrofit projector comparison thread
Ok well I've got an hour to kill, and I feel like sharing some information I've learned over the years. I've been seeing a few people complaining that they didn't feel like their retrofits don't perform as well as OEM projectors do, and that's because so many people are using mini H1s. They are certainly better than stock no doubt, but there are far better performing projectors out there. Most people don't know what makes some projectors better than others. Believe it or not, you do not want all of the hotspot to be below the cutoff, as this leaves very little light for the high beam, and also puts too much light in the foreground. The farther away the light is, the farther in the distance you will be able to see. With the main hotspot, you get the most light in the distance as possible, while still saving plenty of light for the high beam. I'll explain how this works by comparing some of the projectors out there, I'll use a few aftermarket ones, and some of the OEM ones out there
All pictures in this comparison are taken with the same camera settings. Credit goes to JVX over on hid planet, and all pictures are used with his permission. All projectors are at a distance of 35 ft from the wall. In this comparison, the mini h1 and FX-R are shown with an older version of the projector, but they are largely unchanged, and are still a valid comparison. The only ones that aren't shown are the EvoX-R, and the RX-350.
I'll start out with pictures of the mini h1, which are what pretty much everyone here has as retrofit projectors. These projectors are great because they are cheap, and are very easy to install. They're a great "beginner" projector. They're very easy to install, and are cheap. They appear to be very bright, and have a nice, wide beam. Cutoff is fairly sharp, and are easy to mod to make even sharper/more colorful. The problem with these is where the light is. Looking at this pic, you can see how the hot spot on the projector is below the cutoff line, and theres a very bright streak just to the left of the step. The light remains bright all the way to the bottom of the beam. This is not necessarily a good thing. The problem is, when you have light close to the car (bottom of the beam) it makes it harder to see in the distance. The same principle applies when you turn on the map light inside the car, it makes it harder to see when driving. With most of the light being below the cutoff, very little is reserved for the high beam, making less light throw in the distance. This is one of the biggest complaints I had when I had minis, the high beam wasn't bright enough.
low
high
All the rest of the projectors require a more traditional mounting method, either through use of bolts, or some JB weld them in place, or both.
I'll start out with the good old FX-R projectors. The beam is very wide. Cutoff is sharp and colorful. The main hotspot is mostly focused on the cutoff, right where it should be. The FX-R has a "foreground limiter" which prevents light from getting too close to the car. This helps improve distance viewing dramatically. The thing that turns off many people from these projectors are the streaks in the beam, which really aren't as bad in person. Overall these are a pretty good projector for just slightly more cost than minis.
lows
highs
Up next is the OEM version of the FX-R, the FX-35. The hotspot in these projectors is very wide, and very well positioned. Almost all of the hotspot is either directly on the cutoff or just above it. Due to the placement of the hotspot, they have very good distance viewing. The beam is not quite as wide as the replica version, nor does it have a foreground limiter, mostly because they are built for an SUV and they don't need a one.
lows
highs
The E55 is a very commonly used projector. It can be found on many vehicles such as Escalades, many Mercedes, and some Nissans. The beam by no means is wide. In fact it's one of the narrowest hid projectors out there. However what this projector is really good at is distance viewing. It's got a very large, bright hotspot directly on the step. Most of the beam isn't very bright, the light is exactly where you need it to be for a fast car. This projectors are what you need if you spend a lot of time driving on highways at night, as they are made for high speeds. They also have one of the best high beams out there.
lows
highs
The projectors from the Nissan Murano are one of my favorites, mostly due to the cool shape of the cutoff step. They're a very nice, bright projector through the beam, and have a lot of light all along the cutoff. The beam is not particularly wide, but it's got all it's light right where it needs to be. These are a great projector.
low
high
Last but certainly not least, are the projectors from the Acura TL. These are the best projectors on the market without any real modification. They have a VERY bright beam all the way throughout the beam. The hotspot is very wide, and exactly where it needs to be. They have a nice foreground limiter to keep the light away from the car. They leave plenty of light for use by the high beam. These are overall the brightest bixenon projectors on the market, but are expensive compared the rest. Expect a good set of these to run $170+. They are a very large, heavy projector. They can be fit in Cobalt housings, but will require a lot of work
low
high
I highly encourage you guys who are willing to put the work into doing retrofits yourself to stray away from the traditional minis. For a little extra cost and effort, you will get far better results, plus you will get a set of retros that are truly unique, and excellent performers. I would also encourage you all to use OEM ballast and bulbs when using D2S projectors.
If anybody else has any comments to make or their own opinions of certainly projectors to share I'd be glad to hear them.
All pictures in this comparison are taken with the same camera settings. Credit goes to JVX over on hid planet, and all pictures are used with his permission. All projectors are at a distance of 35 ft from the wall. In this comparison, the mini h1 and FX-R are shown with an older version of the projector, but they are largely unchanged, and are still a valid comparison. The only ones that aren't shown are the EvoX-R, and the RX-350.
I'll start out with pictures of the mini h1, which are what pretty much everyone here has as retrofit projectors. These projectors are great because they are cheap, and are very easy to install. They're a great "beginner" projector. They're very easy to install, and are cheap. They appear to be very bright, and have a nice, wide beam. Cutoff is fairly sharp, and are easy to mod to make even sharper/more colorful. The problem with these is where the light is. Looking at this pic, you can see how the hot spot on the projector is below the cutoff line, and theres a very bright streak just to the left of the step. The light remains bright all the way to the bottom of the beam. This is not necessarily a good thing. The problem is, when you have light close to the car (bottom of the beam) it makes it harder to see in the distance. The same principle applies when you turn on the map light inside the car, it makes it harder to see when driving. With most of the light being below the cutoff, very little is reserved for the high beam, making less light throw in the distance. This is one of the biggest complaints I had when I had minis, the high beam wasn't bright enough.
low
high
All the rest of the projectors require a more traditional mounting method, either through use of bolts, or some JB weld them in place, or both.
I'll start out with the good old FX-R projectors. The beam is very wide. Cutoff is sharp and colorful. The main hotspot is mostly focused on the cutoff, right where it should be. The FX-R has a "foreground limiter" which prevents light from getting too close to the car. This helps improve distance viewing dramatically. The thing that turns off many people from these projectors are the streaks in the beam, which really aren't as bad in person. Overall these are a pretty good projector for just slightly more cost than minis.
lows
highs
Up next is the OEM version of the FX-R, the FX-35. The hotspot in these projectors is very wide, and very well positioned. Almost all of the hotspot is either directly on the cutoff or just above it. Due to the placement of the hotspot, they have very good distance viewing. The beam is not quite as wide as the replica version, nor does it have a foreground limiter, mostly because they are built for an SUV and they don't need a one.
lows
highs
The E55 is a very commonly used projector. It can be found on many vehicles such as Escalades, many Mercedes, and some Nissans. The beam by no means is wide. In fact it's one of the narrowest hid projectors out there. However what this projector is really good at is distance viewing. It's got a very large, bright hotspot directly on the step. Most of the beam isn't very bright, the light is exactly where you need it to be for a fast car. This projectors are what you need if you spend a lot of time driving on highways at night, as they are made for high speeds. They also have one of the best high beams out there.
lows
highs
The projectors from the Nissan Murano are one of my favorites, mostly due to the cool shape of the cutoff step. They're a very nice, bright projector through the beam, and have a lot of light all along the cutoff. The beam is not particularly wide, but it's got all it's light right where it needs to be. These are a great projector.
low
high
Last but certainly not least, are the projectors from the Acura TL. These are the best projectors on the market without any real modification. They have a VERY bright beam all the way throughout the beam. The hotspot is very wide, and exactly where it needs to be. They have a nice foreground limiter to keep the light away from the car. They leave plenty of light for use by the high beam. These are overall the brightest bixenon projectors on the market, but are expensive compared the rest. Expect a good set of these to run $170+. They are a very large, heavy projector. They can be fit in Cobalt housings, but will require a lot of work
low
high
I highly encourage you guys who are willing to put the work into doing retrofits yourself to stray away from the traditional minis. For a little extra cost and effort, you will get far better results, plus you will get a set of retros that are truly unique, and excellent performers. I would also encourage you all to use OEM ballast and bulbs when using D2S projectors.
If anybody else has any comments to make or their own opinions of certainly projectors to share I'd be glad to hear them.
Last edited by TommyP; 02-17-2012 at 10:02 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post