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HID cutoff not as good as I thought?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by F8L, Apr 24, 2012.

  1. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    When my new one gets here from HK, I'll get some pictures of the inside. I'm guessing that'll be 2 more weeks, as I doubt they used air shipping since it was free.
     
  2. leeb18c

    leeb18c Active Member

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    F8L, here are the pics from the projector. Sorry, I couldn't get back earlier with all the crazy things going on.

    The overall length of the projector is 150mm, height 90mm, top 2 mount holes on the projector are 47mm apart, bottom 2 mount holes are 76mm apart. Let me know if anyone need any other info and i'll try to get back as soon as i can.

    From the picture, you can see the cutoff shield is kind of curved and that's probably causing the bow in the output.

    I hope someone can match up with good bi-xenon projector and do a swap. :)
     

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  3. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    I bet we could finagle something to replace that from TRS, probably better if we can provide them with the OEM projector so they have the unit on hand to compare. As long as it fits through the opening, I'm sure it'd be pretty easy using a small drill bit to mount the projector.
     
  4. sfv41901

    sfv41901 Masta S

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    Thx for the pics. Looks like a FX-R would fit with very little effort.

    Guess this means I've got a new retro under way :D
     
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  5. leeb18c

    leeb18c Active Member

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    I'm just looking at FX-R and it's pretty neat. Let me make more measurements later tonight on width etc. I wonder if the prius shroud would interfere with fx-r. You can see I don't have the prius shroud as it was destroyed from accident.
     
  6. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Lee, thank you so much for taking the time to take these photos and measurements! It is a great help to us. :)

    From the pictures it looks like the FX-R would be a tight fit but it's been a few months since I have held one and my memory may be a bit hazy. I'm secretly hoping one of you guys goes all nutty and decides to retro an FX-R or something in there. LOL
     
  7. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Never mind. I forgot the FX-R 3.0 is smaller than my old 2.0. It should fit! They would be a huge upgrade over the OE projectors. If not then I'm sure you could get a Mini H1 4.1 in there. Those are still light years ahead of the OE stuff.

    FX-R 3.0 dimensions

    Max Depth:
    140mm (5.50" inches)
    Max Height
    95mm (3.75 inches)
    Max Width
    112mm (4.35 inches)
    Lens Diameter
    2.5 inches
     
  8. danielizzle

    danielizzle Eco Swag

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    So confused, but hopefully I can mimic the final product.
     
  9. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    If you are handy with tools and adventurous I'm sure you could. If not and you have lots of money you can send them to a retrofitter and have them do it for it. Guaranteed results that way.
     
  10. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    Well, apparently my headlight was out of stock (I seriously want to reach out and punch sellers sometimes), so I'm not in the retro game anytime soon for this lol. I wonder if any local junk yards have any that aren't totally jacked up or that they want a ridiculous price for.
     
  11. EdyJun

    EdyJun Junior Member

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    Would you guys recommend 55w HID's in the stock headlight housing in the first place?

    I have heard that it will generate too much heat or it will cause the light to deflect improperly. (did some research but still not sure)

    Right now I have 35w HID kit from Retrofit Source thinking to upgrading to the 55w HID and bulb.

    TIA
     
  12. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I'd stay with 35w. The extra heat could cause a problem and the extra current draw could cause igniting issues unless you have the TRS relay harness. In my experience the difference between 35w and 55w was not noticeable. If you had a high end projector I would consider using a 55w but you don't. Better to save the money and do a full retrofit.
     
  13. sfv41901

    sfv41901 Masta S

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    Personally, I would stay away from 55w bulbs. They've been known to burn OEM HID projectors.
     
  14. LulzChicken

    LulzChicken Prius Enthusiast

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    As others have said, stick with 35W. 55W kits have too much power draw (without a harness), more heat, and negligible difference unless you actually have a bulb housing designed for HID's. Good luck! They look 100x better than the halogens.
     
  15. rrg

    rrg Active Member

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    Leeb18c,

    Those are some great pics of the parts in the light.

    I hope you find some Retrofit Source versions to fit, based on the measurements.

    That would be a great find.

    I would even consider a new clear lens and new bulbs retrofit to minimize cutting or removing OEM parts. The shield shape is still in need of a little mod to clear up the curved ends.

    rrg
     
  16. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    There are so many things bad about the OE projector that simply retrofitting a new projector would probably be the best way to go for the amount of effort and time involved with trying to make the OE unit work properly. :)

    As a side note, I noticed my 5000K DDM bulbs are pretty blue compared to the Morimoto 5000K bulbs I have had in the past. God these things are a joke. lol
     
  17. wotcher

    wotcher Member

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    F8L - so are you going to bulb some morimoto? then you can tell us that it was "just" a bulb problem.
     
  18. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Nope. I will buy the Morimoto bulbs sometime this summer but the problem is not with the bulbs. It is the way the projector shield is designed. A new bulb will not fix the problem. A new bulb, however, will be brighter and be the Kelvin rating I asked for. The DDM bulbs are all over the place. I doesn't matter if you buy a 4300K, a 5000K or a 6000K, they all seem to look the same. :rolleyes:
     
  19. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    I do agree on the DDM being very close in color. I haven't had the 4300K yet, but the other two were indeed almost identical.

    I found aftermarket headlights for the Prius through carpartswholesale.com that I just ordered, in hopes they'll be here soon. They had the factory look and a black look vs chrome, based on their pictures. Hopefully I can do a retrofit on them in the next month with a TRS kit.

    On a separate note, I got my Hidden Hitch in the mail yesterday. If the weather cooperates (which the forecast claims it probably won't) then maybe I'll get that done this weekened, too.
     
  20. sfv41901

    sfv41901 Masta S

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    Yeah, DDM has always been a joke. Their bulbs are crap & I've heard so many bad reviews about their ballasts failing. I've never tried them so I don't have 1st hand experience.