olddog

iTrader: (2)

Okay people, my next mod is to upgrade to hids. But here are my setbacks.

1. I have a 98 gs300 which has reflector headlights which a lot of people claim is no good for a plug and play kit cos it produces glare.
i have searched and searched to no avail.
Can gs300 owners with hid kits in their non-hid headlights chime in on their experience and if possible please show me some pics of a hid kit in a non-hid headlight housing.( i hear its not so bad when aimed towards the ground)

2. i keep reading that D2R hid bulbs are made for reflector headlight housings while D2S were made for projector housings.
if so, would it not make more sense to get a plug and play kit with the D2R bulbs since they were built for reflectors? Or is the D2R claim all wrong?

please educate me people. i am thinking of getting a set of hid headligths but i really would like to avoid it if i can(don't want to tamper with anything that is not neccessary)
thanks alot
olddog

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i had hid kits on my gs before, lights were definitely everywhere, glaring was there, but i pointed the headlights down so it helped. now i have the real hid headlights on my gs and the light cutoff is so much better (better than hid kits shooting downwards)

it's very hard to find hid kits using the d2r bulbs as basis, most of the it's d2s. that's due to the base design, you have to "twist" the bulb on and it's hard to control where that metal plate ends up on

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

If you get an HID kit you can replace the bulb with D2R. It's the same bulb as D2S, except the D2R has the ceramic shield and the notch on the base of the bulb is on the opposite side of the D2S.

But I still find it blinding in non-HID reflector. Been there done that, if you want to get it done right, go with a proper projector setup. Do it right the first time otherwise you're going to spend more down the road just to get where you should have started.

Olu

iTrader: (1)

I just put a 5000K Muccolloch HID kit and very happy with it.

A few things, I tried the 6000K 1st and they were too blue for my tastes and actually bothered my eyes

There is a LOT of glare if the lights are aimed the same as the standard halogens. You will light up street signs like you've got your brights on. However,I drove with them like this for one week and never got flashed by another driver.

The solution is to point them down. This takes an 8mm wrench and 1-2 minutes. Even pointing very low gives you a ton more light then the standared halogen's did.

I've been surprised to note that you get that 'projector' look at some angles. I'm not sure why, but it looks much cooler then I anticipated. I will have to take pictures after the snow storm.

Since installing the kit I've driven both my parents cars (2004 LS 430, 2007 ES) and a loaner RX 330. They all have that sharp cut off you get with projector headlights, but the only one that I felt I could see better with was the LS.

smuv gs3

iTrader: (1)

If you dont want to do a retro go ebay and get a set of oem hid headlamps for your gs some denso ballast and a set of d2r bulbs and you car will look oem but you wont have the auto leveling feature but your light will be where it is suppose to be

Olu

iTrader: (1)

Sorry it took so long to post pictures.

I've decided to try the kit in a projector light set up, but here are pics of what I've got now.






(lenses were dirty sorry)

olddog

iTrader: (2)

hey Olu,
are those the headlights you got on ebay or just regular oem hid headights with a kit in them?
i currently have a kit in my halogen headlight but should be getting a set of hid housing soon.

Olu

iTrader: (1)

These are just OEM halogen headlights with the McCulloch 5000K kit in them. I'm still waiting for my projector headlights from ebay.

olddog

iTrader: (2)

does anyone know whether the output from an oem hid housing is better than just a kit in a oem non-hid housing. Am not saying brighter cause i already have a kit in my oem non-hid housing and it is way brighter and the output is better than halogen bulbs. I want to know whether people just switch their housings to the hid housings just because of the infamous "glare" or if the oem hid housing actually gives more output.

Olu

iTrader: (1)

From what I've seen most definitely. However I don't know if it's the housing or the bulb that makes the biggest difference. The GS HIDs use a D2R bulb. These come with a shield around the bulb that cause that crescent appearance of the lights and the sharper cut off. Due to the sharper cut off you can aim your headlights much higher and further then our set up. The distribution is also much more even then the Halogen housing produces.

emoshun

iTrader: (11)

Olddog, a LS430 retro would simply blow you away in the amount of light output, and the sharpness of the cutoff line. Those projectors mated with Phillips new D4S bulbs which have a 3800lm output, your car coming up behind me on the freeway would be a sight to see!

Here is what it would look like...




And here is the output!


Gotta love that cutoff!

GSoup

thanks emoshun, I think i just found my next project.

DriftNsc3

Its doesn't really put out more light on the road then the NON hid lights but the Projector controls the light more and puts it where it needs to go. So it looks like more light but actully its just controlled light.