This is basically a simple question. I'm planning on doing just the HID bowl swap for right now and I would like to know where a lot of you installed your ballast/ran your power feed for your HID kit. I'm sure you all used some type of relay too. I'm not trying to recreate the wheel, if anyone has a photo of where/how they installed their kit, please post. I'm trying to find the best spot to mount the ballast, that keeps it clear from water, and doesn't cause radio interference (I've read about that before).

I haven't looked let, but I should be able to find a cheap D2R hid kit online/eBay. I'm definitely not paying for the overpriced China made products from TRS (the retrofit source). ***Side note, I haven't logged into HIDplanet in so long, after I did I noticed the new layout and how the site was just pushing nothing but TRS products. After digging a bit, TRS has bought out HIDplanet...now the site is totally bias towards their products.

 

I am running a relay kit from TRS, but im using a cheap Ebay hid kit on both my TL's and my fogs

 

Ok, I remember you did a retro awhile back...where did you mount your ballast. That's what I'm really asking for. Sourcing the parts will be easy. If you can provide a pic, that would be great.

 

I put my ballast in the engine bay area. And yes, do run a relay. Also be sure ur relay wires are long enough to reach the battery especially the drivers side

 

The OEM ballast location is under the Headlight housing it self. If you could use those same points to hold it in place, and your good. The only draw back is that if it ever fails you have to remove the headlight to replace it. The OEM units are quality units which go bad but once in a blue moon and not as often as Aftermarket.

I would get the OEM ballast and mount them where the OEM HID units have them..Under the headlights..

 

Thanks for all replies. ****, I would love to go with OEM ballast, but those are rarely on sale here. I didn't even check with eBay. But even then, I would have to make some type of wiring mod to fire up the ballast since my car came with halogens.

 

Gotcha..

Not much to it the ballast has a POS & NEG....just splice them into your Low beam POS and NEG..simple

You can use an OEM pigtail, Hard wire, or your Own Connectors. Also the OEM ballast goes thru the Housing from the bottom, all you need to do is bend it a little or spacers at the mounting points..Once you see what your working with in front of you, it will come together..not difficult..

But, yes for quick & easy..Inside the engine bay is where you'd want it.

 

I actually just found a old thread explaining what you just stated a bit. Basically what they did in the thread was cut off the OEM female plug pictured above and added male 9006 plug to the wire running from the ballast. They then installed a 9006 female relay harness that plugged into the new 9006 male plug to power up. Said the harness was needed due to the GS coming from factory not set up for HID and protection of wires during start up.

Now another poster in thread, basially all he did was continue to use the male connector running from the ballast and cut off the stock 9006 connector and added a female 9006 connector to plug directly into the ballast. He stated that it works for him but IDK about not adding some type of relay for safety. This way would be easier and cleaner, but everything on our car is 12V HID or non HID equipped cars, 12V is being used for start up for the lights right? So there might not really be a need for the relay...IDK.

 

Yeah, not sure why a relay would be needed..
The only thing i would think, is that with a relay you can run 12V-14V constant from the Batt directly to the Ballast when powered. I donk think you would need to though, given the gauge size of the power plug, all you need is the 12v source from the halogen low beam harness.

When i did this way back when on my GS3, i had no problems..maybe different years did, IDK

 

Thanks for the response!! So basically I should be ok with going with the 2nd option since you did this on your car.

 

PMed...........

 

As for TRS, they offer great service tons of knowledge and they do have pretty good products that they stand behind 100%.

TRS on Hidplanet is nothing knew, as Matt from TRS and another guy there are some of the original major contributors to the information, comparisons, research, and techniques that has helped to grow the forum, retro industry, and available products to what it is today. TRS has went through alot of time and money to get have some key products made and bring them market for making retrofits easier, with better quality and readily accessible. Like the FX-R, Mini-H1, Mini-D2s projectors and TSX-R Lenses, etc..

Not saying you shouldn't buy from other sources at all, but don't be so quick to bash them as they have done alot for the retrofit community as a whole. Go back and a read some of their old hidplanet threads from the early 2000's, there is alot of knowledge and dedication there.

Like ****-adkt mentions I say mount them under the headlight as well, less crap in the engine bay and there is plenty of space to put them, I have 2 ballasts mounted to the bottom of each light on mine. I've had no issues with the stock headlight harness powering the ballasts directly without the use of relays.

 

^ and they're pretty cheap when they have their inventory blowouts in the forums !!

 

My Hid hid kits were plug ins to the factory harness

 

All aftermarket kits are plugin 900x for non-hid cars. He was referring to the use of Lexus oem Denso ballasts, they have special plugs, that only the oem hid fitted gs's had, they are not 9006.