electric130

iTrader: (44)

i know for mine, i wasn't happy until i got the vertical adjustment right. at first, i had to take the headlights off to adjust them. after trying 4 times, it still wasn't right. i was either blinding people from the beams too high, or i was blind because the beams were too low and light seemed less than halogens. it wasn't until i drilled some holes in the back of the housings to where i could get a screwdriver in to adjust them that i was happy. for me, the difference between blind, happy, and blinding others was the difference of 1/4th of a screw turn. 1/8th turn either way, and it sucked.

nick82006

iTrader: (2)

I Have the E46 stuffed (and i mean stuffed) into the TYC housing using 50 watt ebay kit and ebay D2S Bulbs, and its bright, just a bitch to aim. Side by Side with a BMW you can tell the difference, Only for my cut off is a lil tilted....but cool with me i guess...(and 6000K) Also i just went outside and noticed that my projectors are pointed in towards one another....but what ever i mean "retrofit" is another way of saying.."pull something out your *** to make it work, cause its not made for that"...so its almost never going to be perfect.
Ill need to take some pics so i can sho

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

^ well i guess this thread is back open lol, since i picked up another set of chrome tycs from triz. but now that ive learned a bunch of stuff from the old retro, the new one will be VERY different. im looking into some promising pnp led solutions that dont require crazy amounts of custom work and wiring my own leds. this retro will be even cleaner, everything is gonna be attached with nuts and bolts, no glues and stuff, and definately no cutting of the housing i hope. i am either using E46 single projector (hopefully) or a valeo projector as last resort. most likely with a 30-50w 5 step adjustable ballast to keep low in the city and crank up when i need to see. prolly keep the stock hi beam too. havent figured out the park light yet. but this will be a much slower retro as i will prolly be keeping this one. i want to make sure everything is perfect and sealed and can still aim the projector easily. stay tuned for updates.. maybe i should change the thread to 2010.

electric130

iTrader: (44)

OMG......here we go again......... i told you you can't stay away from the "bright side"

on a different note, i test drove a 2002 BMW 330i tonight with stock HID's. probably gonna buy the car, but I think my TSX retro was brighter than the stock BMW setup. either way, i'm hooked on HID's,.......and obviously you are too!

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

oh nice! bmws look so good esp the headlights. they put so much detail into em. theyre not the best projectors but you can always add a 50w ballast, or at least new bulbs (i bet they still have the originals in there)

TRIZ

iTrader: (14)

Nice! I'm glad I could spark a new project for you. Did they get to you okay?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

still waiting, prolly tomorrow they might get here.

TemjinX2

iTrader: (11)

what projector are you gonna use?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

e46 or valeo. i know a few ppl have tried e46, some said it was too big so we will see. i love the e46, esp with ballasts running at 50w. it just owns the road but it was too bright at 50w alone, thats why im going with adjustable ballast. valeo i dont care for, the foreground is too bright and hardly any distance light. but its a matter of which one fits better. and i can always turn the brightness up a bit. and i have separate hi beams if the valeos dont go far enough.

210italian

iTrader: (1)

Subscribed!
Definately Looking Forward To The Finished Product

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

tycs came today, i already opened one side up. im waiting for the led pieces to arrive for park/turn so i can test and mount them, i think thats gonna be pretty easy (well, not hard). i tried to test the e46 projectors and there is no possible way to make them work without serious cutting. the problem is the front part of the projector is way too long. it would stick out 2 inches past the chrome trim shroud. so off i go looking for a different projector.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

UPDATE: these turn signals worked out awesome. they are the 1.85 inch 48-led amber dual intensity clusters from radiantz lighting. i recommend these to anyone with tycs who wants a clear signal that flashes bright amber. i havent done a comparo, but i bet these look more intense than the filament bulbs.

http://www.radiantz.com/cart/index1.html?c14.html&1

these are huge among the biker crowd for their reliability and intensity. they only use basic 5mm leds, but they are so sharp and usually look brighter than a filament bulb. i will be using them as DRL in bright mode. also as standard park/turn lights. the parking light mode is actually way too bright, and i plan to add some extra resistor so it doesnt make my other park lights look messed and dim. install was a snap, i wanted these completely removable just in case something breaks (doubtful), so i just held them onto the stock tyc bulb reflector and filled butyl (3m windoweld) in the rear to hold it to the trim piece. i also painted the outer ring of the led cluster chrome/silver so it blends in a bit better. the leds also have some orange to the dies in the middle, but when everything is about an inch or two behind the diffuser, it looks crystal clear no problems. its so bright that the light even shines 180 degrees to the side and out the reflector window. so no need to add extra leds facing the side.

here is the cluster mounted to the turn reflector piece and held with some butyl. its not super strong, but it wont fall out either. the array is pretty light and everything is mostly sealed.



installed behind diffuser, this hides any weirdness of the array and looks like normal clear bulb is behind it.



look how bright parking light mode is. even light coming out the side. i could not take head-on pics because the intensity would kill the camera.



now comparing park vs turn brightness on the ground.

parking



turn



stay tuned for more updates!

electric130

iTrader: (44)

wow! those are sweet! those might be brighter than Valeo HID's!

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

haha i have animations turned off at home and that excited smilie has a very depressed sad face right now lmao.

anyway here are comparo pics with 3457 stock amber filament bulbs, the brightest bulb in existance at 500 lumens (27w). for a LED cluster at 5w and maybe 50 lumens, its amazing the leds can even compare. bulb wins in this case obviously, but there are many other different turn signal setups where the reflector isnt as good and bulb is a lower wattage like 21w 350 lumen. so in some cases, leds may win. in this case, they are still very bright and good to use due to lower wattage, clear lens look, and low heat. prolly still brighter than many other cars' oem signals.

here is the filament bulb (hoping that haze comes off the lens lol)



and the led cluster



parking light comparo, leds clearly the winner with more intense light and pure color. i will have to dim these down later to match the other park lights on the car.



turn signal is no contest. bulb just has too many lumens. you can see the light spilling everywhere and the huge lens flare. led is also at a disadvantage because of the clear diffuser in front of the cluster.

Spac

Are the Valeo projectors a direct bolt on for those headlights?

Would these be a direct bolt on?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Audi-...Q5fAccessories

I have a set of 05 Civic projector headlights I just bought and was curious as to the amount of work involved in changing the projectors.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i think the valeos are a very close match for the tycs. you can force them onto the stock two screws, then add a third mount up top. clearance is very tight tho and only minor aiming is allowed. i still have not mounted them yet but will post pics when the projectors get here. the ebay link will not work, those are D1S projectors and the bulb holder is too wide to fit thru the narrow tyc hole. you want the D2S valeos.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

this is the one i got from turkey, cant beat the $75 shipped price, but im betting they will take couple weeks to get to usa. the d2s valeos are really the best choice for putting in aftermarket projector. they have a small size and can fit almost anywhere. ive tried a bunch of different brands and none of them even come close.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/D2S-V...Q5fAccessories

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

well this project is coming along very slowly. i have most of the harder details worked out, its just a matter of waiting on the parts and putting everything together. very time consuming. i havent done this much machining in a long time but i think it will be worth it in the end. i should have some more pics coming along sometime of how i modded the valeos and mounting them. i still need some ballasts if anyone has ideas. i wanted to stick with matsu gen3 but i dont think the ignitor plug will fit the valeos. looks like it needs to be the round kind to go in those metal frills. i wanted the adjustable wattage ones, but i cant justify paying $190 for some chinese garbage. so prolly going with some used oem ones. getting the rotation right on the projectors is gonna be a pain tho.

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

Is it really a good idea to get something from turkey on ebay?

TRIZ

iTrader: (14)

Your not adding the "turn your wheel to the right, the beam shifts to the right" thing are you?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

hells no lol. thats way too much work and not enough room for motors. as for turkey, well the guy does have 100% feedback so i took a chance.

electric130

iTrader: (44)

Yes the mat gen3 will fit the valeos. That's what I had before I bought the TSX projectors. Still have the mat gen 3.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

ah okay thats good to know, ordering some now. i got new ballasts for $160 shipped from retrofitsource.com

electric130

iTrader: (44)

somewhere on hidforums i have comparison shots of the valeo to the TSX. those were done on the mat gen 3's.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

okay more updates. im still figuring out what to do about the turn signal led cluster. that stupid tyc clear bulb diffuser is KILLING the led output intensity by at least 50%. without the diffuser, they look crazy bright. with the cover, its barely good enough for signal. bah. but i need it because the leds are mounted a few inches back and they dont exactly look like show quality lol. i think it should be okay and still noticable on the street. i looked around for a replacement piece with less patterning but no luck. anyway heres where i got these clusters from if anyones interested. they are the "street magic" version and custom dynamics sells em. the two clusters i got were exactly the same brightness and more importantly color, so when i have both on as drl it will look normal. during the day, the board is white so it blends in with the housing (except the amber reflection from side piece).

http://www.customdynamics.com/

i polished up one side lens using rubbing compound and polishing compound since the tycs have that stupid UV coating that starts to peel off even tho these lights are almost new. so after alot of rubbing, i got all that crazy haze and peeling stuff out.





ready for polish





i also got the parking lights in today! these are the best looking markers ive ever seen. they are made by maxxima, a major truck light producer. this version is 0.75 inch and comes in many different colors like white, blue, green, red, and amber. i opted for the amber with clear lens. was thinking of amber lens version, but idk if it would look weird. i also considered white, but it will prolly be whiter than the hid and so i passed on that. blue would be tight, but illegal

anyway here are pics. these leds have 3 SMT ambers inside in a horizontal row and are surprisingly bright with a very large viewing angle! and they only draw 50ma! amazing little cluster and completely sealed. includes black grommet, but i opted for the chrome bezels hehe. they were a tad bit too small for the tyc park light hole, but were easily held in place with some butyl tape. they look great in the tycs! highly recommended if you want led park lights.

some pics of the modules with and without rubber grommet. i bet these might fit the oem civic round park light hole too.



installed in the tycs with chrome bezels to cover the grommet. the mounting is like a sandwich, the bezels are held in place by the grommet so everything is a single piece.



closeup shot. oooh ahhh

completely clear. you can see the smt leds in a row if you look hard enough. they are also marked conveniently with "TOP" so you know how to mount them the right way lol.



final night shot showing the cool horizontal bar shape pattern of the park lights. i dimmed the lower parking light led cluster some more with a 100 ohm resistor to have equal brightness. the wide angle of the top park light is amazing, it looks the same from every angle even from the top and extreme sides. it even has some cool reflections off the chrome surfaces

my mom thinks i should run just the top leds as a park light and have the bottom only flash as a turn signal to make it stand out more. i tend to agree, but i feel bad not using the dual intensity feature of the cluster. and the signal is still quite a bit brighter than park light, so i think it should be okay. here is both park light lit up together after brightness matching. i will add the resistor to the pnp bulb socket i make later. so far all the led lights are done. now i have the projectors to fiddle with lol. and the whole other headlight after that. will try and get better day pics tomorrow.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

couple more low light pics of the leds. i am prolly only gonna run the top park light and have the bottom be signal only. still waiting for parts, but i think im staying with fresnel valeo lens. i ordered some clear lens to try, but i dont want a very sharp cutoff making it harder to see in the distance. this is starting to drag on again so i need to get the projectors put together and tested, then throw everything together.

electric130

iTrader: (44)

those are sweet. if i wasn't going to be selling my setup, then i'd be putting those in my TYC's.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

are you just going back to stock? or different retro? i still think those small led modules would fit the honda round park light hole (without the grommet). im gonna try it once the retro is installed and i can play with the old lights.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

blah well i decided the turn signal leds arent gonna work. the cluster is looking too yellowish during the day and giving the lights an old look. the amber bulb is more oem so im going back to that for turn signal only (parking light filament is disabled). the led park light im keeping, that looks really nice. and i got some stock H1 sylvania bulbs for the hi beams. i started working on the second light now and should have most of it done in a few days. when projectors come, ill take some pic of the output before installing.

TRIZ

iTrader: (14)

Looking good!