KilaWombat

iTrader: (1)

I have a 93 LS400 and I'm thinking about getting some HID's for my car since I can barely see anything, especially when it's raining and dark. I don't know anything about the HID install, here's a few questions:

what type of kit to get and where can i get it? (links would be nice)
how easy is the install, what will I need?
will the HID conversion work well with the oem headlights?

Thanks in advance.

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

1) You'll need a 9003 HID conversion kit.
2) Some kits are VERY easy to install due to a complete wiring harness with fuse and relay wired inline. You'll want to get a wiring kit like this:



3) All you should need is a 8mm or a 10mm to loosen the nut from your positive battery terminal for power and to loosen a bolt for a good ground connection.

4) Some HID conversion kits work well with OEM headlights, some don't. I'll pm my experience with various kits. Don't want to offend anyone on here.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

keep in mind that an HID kit on a 93s diffused glass lenses will scatter light everywhere creating MASSIVE glare.

Brandicus

iTrader: (6)

cliff thanks alot for the info~!

thanks for heading to cali for eos as well! great having you there

KilaWombat

iTrader: (1)

would it be worth it to do the conversion, since there will be so much glare?

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

What's up Brandicus!

About the bulbs and glare- if you can get your hands on a kit where the bulbs are VERY similar to the traditional halogen measurements - you might be ok.

of course - if you get the upgraded headlight - it will look a lot cleaner and upgrade the look of the car overall. if the budget allows - upgrade the headlight housing. if it puts you out of too much cash for a name brand HID kit, PM me - I may be able to help you out.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

well the only way to get rid of the glare would be a reflector housing with a clear lens and the only company doing that is HillTop Japan and the conversion takes ~2 months and costs ~$1100.

most id do is maybe a JDM headlight swap for the H4 housing but since u have a 93 thats not an issue.

overall, id go for it but dont go for any kit >6000k. 4300k pref since thats whats going to give u the most actual light output.

Kansas

Another possibility would be to obtain used headlight units from a breaker (salvage) company in Europe.

The early LS400's sold in Europe had a very nice beam pattern -- completely different and vastly better than U.S. models. You can see examples in photos in this recent thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=246448

Where the U.S. gen 1's had foglights next to the headlights, the European ones had driving lights which worked in conjuction with the high beams of the H4 headlights.

But beware. Many of the early Euro LS400s headlights had adjustable beams with a dial control switch on the dashboard similar to the U.S. Sienna XLE Limited van with HID lights. It would be difficult or impossible to retrofit the beam adjustment on a U.S. model.

Perhaps a European partipant of this forum could help you or give you ideas since a Euro salvage company might not have an export license that would allow it to send parts to the U.S.

I considered putting Euro code headlights on my first LS400 in 1990 but decided not to when I found that it would cost thousands of $$$. I have to agree that the gen 1 headlights are awful.

I agree with Puredrifter -- adding HID or superhigh halogen bulbs to the U.S. gen 1 headlights mainly gets you a lot of glare -- and dangerous to oncoming drivers.

JdmLs400

i have the jdm headlight housing, would that make any difference? better or the same glare?

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

the glare will only occur if the bulb is not designed to the same specs as the halogen bulb.

i have low-glare hid kits in my GS and the light source on the HID bulb is VERY close in spec to the traditional halogen bulbs.

Here's a pic:

pito

I agree with previous statement of buying bulb specific HID's. Earlier on people were just taking HID kits out of cars and throwing them in their car, causing the tremendous amounts of glare. You can install them and adjust them accordingly now.

Kansas

The beam pattern on the gen 1 LS400 is controlled entirely by the glass lens. It doesn't matter what kind of bulb you use -- if you have the U.S. specification lens, higher intensity bulbs, including HID, will only lead to increased glare.

The 98-00 LS400, like I currently have, have a clear headlight lens and the beam pattern is controlled entirely by the reflector.

There are only two ways to get rid of the glare on a Gen 1 LS400
1) Follow Puredrifter's advice and convert to Hilltop's projectors and clear lens.
2) Buy Euro code headlight housings - (you will likely need other parts including backing plates and side lights.)

The only other ways I know about to deal with the poor output of the gen 1 LS400 headlights is to:

1) Add auxilary lights that work in conjunction with the low beams
2) Remove the amber in the fog lights and always drive with them on.

I wish there was a silver bullet to this problem. The ONLY reason I finally gave up on my gen 1 LS400 after 13 1/2 years of ownership was the poor headlights. I'm closing in on 60 and I couldn't deal with them anymore.

The first really decent LS400 headlights were on the 95 LS400. Look at the headlight lens on a 95-97 LS400 and you can see the difference -- sharp beam cutoff with the beam rising on the right.

I am probably a complete "headlight nut" because of my poor vision since childhood. I converted every car I have owned since the 1960's (except my 90 LS) to Euro code headlights. My most spectacular conversion was when I shoehorned 200 mm rectangular Cibe halogens into my 85 Honda CRX Si that I used only for very quick trips runs to Colorado ski areas -- turned night into day!

If only there was a really great and inexpensive solution to this problem. But I searched for 13 1/2 years and never found one.

Brandicus

iTrader: (6)

I have a gen 1 also with the japanese headlights so switching isnt really an option for me. cliff or anyone if you have a tutorial or any tips on how to install the hid kit please let me know asap. im going to convert anyway. i have aftermarket bulbs that work much better than the stocks but the tradeoff is i cant see diddly in the rain. with the season coming ill take the hit and run with hids

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

Brandicus- so you already have a kit? If so - make sure you have a wiring harness that is similar to the one I posted earlier. Wiring up ballasts to your factory wiring is not a good thing since these bulbs require a lot to fire up initially.

If you're just going to use aftermarket bulbs that are designed to operate at a higher wattage - don't. As tempting as it is to do it, you inevitably will have issues with the heat and melting the socket that plugs into the bulb.

I did that to my 1993 Infiniti G20. Threw in some 80 watt bulbs and a month later - nice crispy headlight plugs. haha.

Does the car have fog lights at all? Might be better to use those.

Good luck man!


Clifford

rsg

Hmm...my 94 LS with absolutely no headlight modifications has the brightest lights of any car I have driven--so much better than even the HIDs on the 01 Acura CL-S I had before.
I was just looking into getting an HID conversion for it, mainly for the look/color. But after reading this post, I think I should pass. I will at least remove the yellow from the fog lights...I don't like that 1970s Mercedes look :-)