Toyota Matrix and HID.

[DJ Trance AZ]

If I want to have HID light on my new Matrix, do I just get the HID light bulbs or do I have the get the entire light set? I am totally new to this!

Thanks.

.Eric

[shabby]

Heres some reading material you might want to check out

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164646
http://www.intellexual.net/hid.html#quickover

Basically those cheap ebay kits are just that, cheap kits. If you want a proper hid setup you need the hid projector from a car with hid's from the factory and need to get it retrofitted to your headlight housing. Pricey yes, but you get what you pay for.

[DJ Trance AZ]

Thank you for those links and info. My budget is within $500CDN, do you think I can still find some nice ones? If you want, you can PM me the stuff.

.ERiC

[AzNCrAzYcOoLeR]

You need the entire set.

I personally bought a set for my 06 civic, dad's 03 camry, friend's 06 + 95 civic, 96 1.6EL



Looks nice, works well.

I paid roughly 200 each set for mine.

[DJ Trance AZ]

Well are there stores in Toronto that I can start asking?

Thanks.

.Eric

[profguy]

You need the entire set.

I personally bought a set for my 06 civic, dad's 03 camry, friend's 06 + 95 civic, 96 1.6EL



Looks nice, works well.

I paid roughly 200 each set for mine.

Info please ... where did you get them, contact info and do they have or know of an installation service?

Thanks.

[frogger]

This is a good example why HID kits in non-retrofit plain halogen housing is awful. Not cool at all. Watch the glare from the last car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcX63e7peV0

and another..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwXfEGaoWmg&mode=related&search=

Nice blinding machines they are...

[baboo]

please people, if you are going to HID, please don't just slap a HID kit on ur eixsitng housing. you will be blinding everyone else on the road. And besides, it looks seriously uncool.......

Do it right, get a retro.

If you don't know how to do it or don't want to spend the $$ to do it, then don't do it. Get a Silverstar Ultra or something like that.

Personally, I don't want to invest the $$ and time to do it, so I stick with my stock light...:cheesygri

[Taiphun]

please people, if you are going to HID, please don't just slap a HID kit on ur eixsitng housing. you will be blinding everyone else on the road. And besides, it looks seriously uncool.......

but... bling > *!!!

[BartBandy]

Exactly. These $200 kits are going to cause an accident. Not all halogen projectors can take the conversion either. You're best with HID-specific projectors.

[lumlum1013]

if you do plan on HID on halogen-reflectors, please at least aim the lights lower to road......

[rfdrfd]

Since no one mentioned it so far, it is illegal in Ontario (even Canada?) to have HIDs on a car, unless it came with it (BMW, Benz, Acura TSX, TL, etc.)

To me, it ain't worth a ticket and possible points deduction? Then your insurance will be royally screwed.

I have yet to see a 3rd party install of HIDs on Civics, Accords, etc. that looks good on the streets. You can tell right away they are aftermarket and look a$$ ugly.

To each its own, but just realize you can be ticketed and it will show up in your records for insurance companies to rip you off later.

[Andro]

Since no one mentioned it so far, it is illegal in Ontario (even Canada?) to have HIDs on a car, unless it came with it (BMW, Benz, Acura TSX, TL, etc.)

To me, it ain't worth a ticket and possible points deduction? Then your insurance will be royally screwed.

I have yet to see a 3rd party install of HIDs on Civics, Accords, etc. that looks good on the streets. You can tell right away they are aftermarket and look a$$ ugly.

To each its own, but just realize you can be ticketed and it will show up in your records for insurance companies to rip you off later.

i'am pretty sure if you get a ticket for this there are no points, just fine.....sort of like parking ticket, and i don't think insurance will know or care for that matter.

[lumlum1013]

Since no one mentioned it so far, it is illegal in Ontario (even Canada?) to have HIDs on a car, unless it came with it (BMW, Benz, Acura TSX, TL, etc.)

To me, it ain't worth a ticket and possible points deduction? Then your insurance will be royally screwed.

I have yet to see a 3rd party install of HIDs on Civics, Accords, etc. that looks good on the streets. You can tell right away they are aftermarket and look a$$ ugly.

To each its own, but just realize you can be ticketed and it will show up in your records for insurance companies to rip you off later.

i'am pretty sure if you get a ticket for this there are no points, just fine.....sort of like parking ticket, and i don't think insurance will know or care for that matter.


so wat's the offense? improper headlights? is there an Ontario HTA on this?

[kyo_death]

dj, have you seen another matrix with hid bulbs int he stock headlamp housing? its really bad, it just glares all over the place and there isn't a beam. All the chrome in ur headlamp just reflects light all over the place which really just blinds oncoming motorists.

Sure its bright, but it doesn't loook nice or "bling"

Save your money, or look into getting a retro fit for ur headlamp housing.
Not only do you not blind other motorists, the retrofit gives your car a nicer look

[xtasyx]

2 Points

* Failing to lower headlight beam
?

http://www.golishlaw.com/special/demerit.htm

If this is true..then wouldn't there be less cars with hids in them since im sure those drivers in civics can't afford the higher insurance and tickets..

[weedb0y]

Thats why I love the integras (94+) with their orig projector headlights..

[lumlum1013]

Thats why I love the integras (94+) with their orig projector headlights..

i may be wrong, but even though they are OEM projectors,
it will still make great amount of glare (if not aim lower).....since they were
still made for halogen, not HID....
cuz i've seen Mazda3 and Mazda6 w/ aftermarket HID,
still produce immense amounts of glare...

plz correct me if i'm wrong..

[chickenbones]

i may be wrong, but even though they are OEM projectors,
it will still make great amount of glare (if not aim lower).....since they were
still made for halogen, not HID....
cuz i've seen Mazda3 and Mazda6 w/ aftermarket HID,
still produce immense amounts of glare...

plz correct me if i'm wrong..



You are right, this is because they weren't designed for HIDs and do not have the cut off shield.

Notice the comparison picture below, OEM HID Projectors have a nice cut off razor sharp line. HID kit = no cut off = glare. (The top pic is a HID kit inside a reflective housing, not projectors, but non HID projectors are basically the same)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/haknslash2003/hid%20pics/thetruth.jpg

[D.NGUYEN]

would a 4300k kit not be as bad if aimed properly? No blue tint, just bright and white.

[chickenbones]

would a 4300k kit not be as bad if aimed properly? No blue tint, just bright and white.

Well the difference would be light colour (not as blue) but the glare is still the same. HID projectors distribute light evenly as opposed to non HID housings have hot spots.

I guess it's a cheap alternative, but not as effective in terms of lighting improvements.

[2k4accord]

also the quality of MOST hid KIT are fubar and they will not last long.
Either the bulbs or the ballasts will fried within a short amount of time.
Which could lead to a waste of money, while OEM bulbs and ballasts can last the entire life time of a car or even longer.

Also, most hid KIT bulbs and ballasts are made in china where they are known to have not the best quality.
While OEM HID bulbs and ballasts are made in germany or japan.

[ronny1980]

You are right, this is because they weren't designed for HIDs and do not have the cut off shield.

Notice the comparison picture below, OEM HID Projectors have a nice cut off razor sharp line. HID kit = no cut off = glare. (The top pic is a HID kit inside a reflective housing, not projectors, but non HID projectors are basically the same)

Not true with regards to the Mazda 6 projectors, they have cut-off shields on oem projectors.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/2083000-2083999/2083818_14_full.jpg

[lumlum1013]

Not true with regards to the Mazda 6 projectors, they have cut-off shields on oem projectors.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/2083000-2083999/2083818_14_full.jpg

Mazda 6's projectors will still produce glare, but not as significant as the old Integra's, however, there is a method where you can reduse or even eliminate the glare on the 6's by removing a piece inside the headlight assembly. but u gotta remove the bumper in order to remove the headlight assembly....a lot of work is involve...

attached image w/o the mod....and you can still see a bit of glare...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/mazda2386/Picture013.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/mazda2386/Picture017.jpg

[enko]

A cutoff designed for a Halogen bulb won't work properly for an Xenon bulb. It will help, but not eliminate the glare.

[chickenbones]

Not true with regards to the Mazda 6 projectors, they have cut-off shields on oem projectors.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/2083000-2083999/2083818_14_full.jpg


Fine one car has cut off shields, but most don't.

BTW, it looks like this car's lights are aim way too high, at close distance the cut off seems to be way too high.

[seftonm]

When you put an HID bulb behind a halogen projector, you change the location of where the light is produced. Halogen projectors aren't designed for that, so that contributes to a poor beam pattern.

[shabby]

Here's your answer to the cutoff on halogen housings, it'll work 100%!

http://www.lewrockwell.com/thornton/duct-tape.jpg

[DJ Trance AZ]

OK, the car's salesman referred me to his friend. His friend said that it's $500CDN for a set of HID (labor installed) and the HID stuff is from Taiwan.

Then he said if you wanted higher grade like Made in Germany lights, then it's gonna be $1200CDN for a set.

So guys what do you think of the Taiwan stuff?

.Eric

[DaLurker]

Here's the thing with installing HID's, do you drive only in the city? yes? So why do you need HIDs?

Secondly, if you are going to install HID's for bling (assuming you drive only/mostly in the city), then please at least do it right!! Get the projector.

[DJ Trance AZ]

Majority of the driving will be in the city and yes, I wanna get the entire HID set (with the projector).

Someone recommended this place: LockDown in Scarborough (http://www.lockdownsecurity.ca/). What do you think?

.E

[shabby]

Hella xenon foglights are cost around 800 bucks, a headlight projector will probably be 1.5x to twice as expensive. A custom retro fit into a halogen housing is around 300 usd. You're looking probably at around 2000 bucks for a proper xenon projector setup installed.

[ElvaSoShexai]

i got mine done @ www.customlightz.com... they are recommended by a lot of people @ hidplanet.
they hv a picture of it on their site.
it was about $750USD for labour + parts (tsx projectors/upgraded wiring harness/ballasts/bulbs/cutoff mod and not sure if that's it).

depending on the projectors u get could possibly move price +/-

[silva95teg]

Check out hidplanet.com for some great info. As far as glare is concerned i would say 99 percent of the time hid in a halogen designed housing is pretty bad. However ..... there are a few halogen projectors that do well with hid. Valeo h7's are one as well as the h11's in the acura mdx. Acura integra projectors stock can be alright too but only if used with a really good rebase.

I personally have retrofitted lexus rx330 projectors in my integra, i bought projectors bulbs and ballasts for 250 bucks from a wrecked car. I admit thats a really good deal but you can find decent deals if you look around.

hidplanet sells new as well as used in the forums, also there is one retailer on ebay selling genuine phillips ballasts with aftermarket bulbs for an ok deal.

[1DarkChaos]

500? r u kidding me.

if u wanna go the HID way
you can get the decent package for like 3 bills n install for urself
there are planty of diy on forums, its really ez its basically plug n play
go to forums.clubrsx.com

if u wanna retro fit
u can get TSX projectors for 6-7 bills and they look way better so damn nice and u can find diy on forums

doesn't even take that long unless u wanna spend 150+ on labour depend which kind u r getting

[silva95teg]

if u wanna retro fit
u can get TSX projectors for 6-7 bills and they look way better so damn nice and u can find diy on forums



are you kidding me ? 6-700 for tsx projectors ? ouch i hope no one pays that much for them. I see them consistently sell for about 160 to 200 us.

You can get a whole package brand new for 599 us ... which is oem projectors, bulbs and ballasts .

[weedb0y]

You are right, this is because they weren't designed for HIDs and do not have the cut off shield.

Notice the comparison picture below, OEM HID Projectors have a nice cut off razor sharp line. HID kit = no cut off = glare. (The top pic is a HID kit inside a reflective housing, not projectors, but non HID projectors are basically the same)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/haknslash2003/hid%20pics/thetruth.jpg

Integras have a cut off. Projector works as a projector and only projects the light with a proper cut off. I can take pics to show it if you want. ;)

[chunky]

Don't install HID's in stock halogen housings. Light just sprays everywhere and irritates everyone oncoming. It looks ghetoo too.

From my understanding it's not even a matter of installing cut-off shields. You need to have self-levelling motors too. These motors adjust the aim of the HID's whenever the car pitches (nose dives/squats).

Most of the stuff you find on ebay and cheapo installs at local riceroni shops are just retrofitting HID ballasts and bulbs into your stock housings. If you're lucky, they'll do the cut-off, but that's just a ghetto shield slightly better than the duct-tape shown above. But if you want it done right, you need to have the self-levelling motors too.

Be prepared for a ticket or Vehicle Inspection (at least in BC) if you don't comply with provincial rules.


If you want to read more, look here:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/HID.html

[radeonboy]

OK, the car's salesman referred me to his friend. His friend said that it's $500CDN for a set of HID (labor installed) and the HID stuff is from Taiwan.

Then he said if you wanted higher grade like Made in Germany lights, then it's gonna be $1200CDN for a set.

So guys what do you think of the Taiwan stuff?

.Eric

beats made in china. taiwan makes good stuff. but then again who are the manufactures? Need specific name + model.

[leung_jai]

hey DJ i think i kinda read ur thread over at hofo, and i realise ure selling ur kit already.

just wondering, if uve shopping in pmall, they must have intriduced u to a brand call O-Nex. It's assembled in Japan. Any opnion on that ? I need an H4 set up and it provides the longest glare sheild i could find anywhere.

[DJ Trance AZ]

Actually, I got my HID installed last Friday from a friend of mine. He snapped on a Taiwan HID kit and the light looks good to me. However, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't ProLumen. So this weekend I went to PMall and bought another kit. I paid for $300 and wanted to try if it's any better than my existing one....however, I have no idea even how to take out existing light bulbs...so I am selling the kit now, heh.

I came across the kit, Onex; not sure if it's really assembled in Japan...they usually say that but it's mostly from Taiwan or China.

.ERiC

[ElvaSoShexai]

Actually, I got my HID installed last Friday from a friend of mine. He snapped on a Taiwan HID kit and the light looks good to me. However, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't ProLumen. So this weekend I went to PMall and bought another kit. I paid for $300 and wanted to try if it's any better than my existing one....however, I have no idea even how to take out existing light bulbs...so I am selling the kit now, heh.

I came across the kit, Onex; not sure if it's really assembled in Japan...they usually say that but it's mostly from Taiwan or China.

.ERiC

could you take some pics facing the car head on as well as some pics of the beam pattern on a wall? kinda interested in how it turned out

[DJ Trance AZ]

OK, pictures will be posted by tomorrow evening.

.E

[DJ Trance AZ]

OK, I hope I took the picture right...took it w/o. camera flash.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/bx70jp

.Eric

[weedb0y]

OK, I hope I took the picture right...took it w/o. camera flash.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/bx70jp

.Eric

that still doesn't have the cut off..is this with projectors?

[seftonm]

I can't seem to download the picture. It says "The download link has been updated (error: #2).
You may now download the file."

[SoNgMaN]

I can't seem to download the picture. It says "The download link has been updated (error: #2).
You may now download the file."

right click save as..

and yeah there is no defined cut off

[seftonm]

Strange, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I got a lot of 0-byte jpg files before it finally worked.

Regarding the headlights, they aren't ultra-glarey but they are nowhere near optimal. Certainly doesn't look like HID projectors.

[DJ Trance AZ]

I didn't know where to buy the projector, so I just asked my friend to install the HID bulbs into my existing halogen projector.

.E

[SoNgMaN]

I didn't know where to buy the projector, so I just asked my friend to install the HID bulbs into my existing halogen projector.

.E

WHY DOES EVERY ONE IN TORONTO THINK THEY ARE THE ONLY PERSON ON THE ****ING ROAD? LAST NIGHT I HAD A JACKASS TAILGATING ME IN A POS NISSAN WITH HIDS IN THE STOCK LIGHT COULDN'T SEE LEFT OR RIGHT BECAUSE OF THE ****ING GLARE. JACK ASS FINALLY CHANGED LANES I HAD TO FIGHT THE URGE TO FOLLOW HIM AND SMASH HIS LIGHTS OUT.

DO YOURSELF AND EVERYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD AND TAKE THEM OUT!:mad:

[wolvie11]

WHY DOES EVERY ONE IN TORONTO THINK THEY ARE THE ONLY PERSON ON THE ****ING ROAD? LAST NIGHT I HAD A JACKASS TAILGATING ME IN A POS NISSAN WITH HIDS IN THE STOCK LIGHT COULDN'T SEE LEFT OR RIGHT BECAUSE OF THE ****ING GLARE. JACK ASS FINALLY CHANGED LANES I HAD TO FIGHT THE URGE TO FOLLOW HIM AND SMASH HIS LIGHTS OUT.

DO YOURSELF AND EVERYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD AND TAKE THEM OUT!:mad:

what i would do.. if there some other car beside your lane thats going REALLY slow.. slow down and go the same speed as the car beside u.. that will piss the tailgater off .. as he cant change lanes or cut u off.. he can tailgate u for the next 10mins since he likes to do it so much :lol:

[ElvaSoShexai]

I didn't know where to buy the projector, so I just asked my friend to install the HID bulbs into my existing halogen projector.

.E

Here (kit) (http://www.hidplanet.com/package.html)
or Here (individual parts) (http://www.hidplanet.com/oem.html)
Here is another (http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2 F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=tsx+projectors&category0=&submitSearch=Search)
Here too (click on store tab) (http://www.customlightz.com/)

[1DarkChaos]

are you kidding me ? 6-700 for tsx projectors ? ouch i hope no one pays that much for them. I see them consistently sell for about 160 to 200 us.

You can get a whole package brand new for 599 us ... which is oem projectors, bulbs and ballasts .

that's what i meant
the projectors bulb n ballast

[KnifeEdge]

If I want to have HID light on my new Matrix, do I just get the HID light bulbs or do I have the get the entire light set? I am totally new to this!

Thanks.

.Eric

Hids work completely different from regular halogen lights and thus have different requirements

the "kit" you're talkin about includes the hid bulbs, ballast and all connectors required to make it work. HIDS need a really high voltage to function and it's the ballast's job to convert the 12v of ur battery to this ultra high voltage the bulbs need.

kits usually cost from 150-300 dollars with retrofits costing more depending on the type of housing you have and how difficult it is to modify an existing projector into it.

the problem with kits is that they use the stock reflector housings on ur car which can't disperse all the extra light you're getting from the hids properly. this results in glare which can blind oncoming drivers and a really bad light pattern ahead of you.

if you are going to just use a kit make sure you get one in the proper size and a temp rating between 4300-6000k, the proper size ensures that the setup is as close to stock as possible and the 4300-6000k makes sure the light isnt too blue (you should never go about 8000k newayz since at that color you're not gonna be able to see nethign)

after installing the kit, reaim your headlights and if possible go out with a friend to an empty parking lot and drive towards his car with yours, do a couple runs and ask him if there's excessive glare coming from your headlights, adjust to fit

when you see the modified cars out there with the really really blue lights realize that just because the colour is really intense, the amount of light they are putting out is less than stock specifications and as a result you cant see as much or as far

oem hids operate at the 4300-6000k level, they seem much more blue when they start up because there is a warm up time for these types of bulbs. most oem hids are white when up to operation temperatures.

[pandaharo]

Headlights can be adusted, just make sure you adjust the beam down after install so you dont blind oncoming cars. Just need a small socket rench or hex rench in most cases.

[KnifeEdge]

WHY DOES EVERY ONE IN TORONTO THINK THEY ARE THE ONLY PERSON ON THE ****ING ROAD? LAST NIGHT I HAD A JACKASS TAILGATING ME IN A POS NISSAN WITH HIDS IN THE STOCK LIGHT COULDN'T SEE LEFT OR RIGHT BECAUSE OF THE ****ING GLARE. JACK ASS FINALLY CHANGED LANES I HAD TO FIGHT THE URGE TO FOLLOW HIM AND SMASH HIS LIGHTS OUT.

DO YOURSELF AND EVERYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD AND TAKE THEM OUT!:mad:

dude putting HID bulbs in halogen projectors doesnt cause nearly as much glare as in reflectors

projectors all work the same way and the only reason why the halogen ones may cause a bit more glare than oem projectors is cuz the tollerances for the lens and reflector may be slightly lower than HID projectors, in most if not all cases an hid bulb in halogen projector wont cause a significant amount of glare if not none at all