HID conversion
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I just bought an HS couple of days ago,, any regular hid kits work fine with the car,, you do not need to buy the led option.. I have hid top and bottom on my HS and they work fine.. I will post picts up soon once we have good weather here in Philly
#4
The problem is that when the stock light fixtures are fitted with aftermarket HID lamps, the headlights are no longer DOT compliant, and the car is no longer street legal. So, the do-it-yourself HID upgrade can easily to getting a ticket from a trooper unless the beam pattern is really close to what you'd get with the stock halogen bulbs.
On the other hand, considering that the HS has projector headlight lenses that enforce a sharp horizontal beam cutoff similar to lenses typically used by OEM HID headlights, it's possible that HID lamps can be fitted with no adverse effects. The question is whether HID beams are required to be aimed differently from halogen ones (e.g., pointed lower) to be street legal.
On the other hand, considering that the HS has projector headlight lenses that enforce a sharp horizontal beam cutoff similar to lenses typically used by OEM HID headlights, it's possible that HID lamps can be fitted with no adverse effects. The question is whether HID beams are required to be aimed differently from halogen ones (e.g., pointed lower) to be street legal.
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The problem is that when the stock light fixtures are fitted with aftermarket HID lamps, the headlights are no longer DOT compliant, and the car is no longer street legal. So, the do-it-yourself HID upgrade can easily to getting a ticket from a trooper unless the beam pattern is really close to what you'd get with the stock halogen bulbs.
On the other hand, considering that the HS has projector headlight lenses that enforce a sharp horizontal beam cutoff similar to lenses typically used by OEM HID headlights, it's possible that HID lamps can be fitted with no adverse effects. The question is whether HID beams are required to be aimed differently from halogen ones (e.g., pointed lower) to be street legal.
On the other hand, considering that the HS has projector headlight lenses that enforce a sharp horizontal beam cutoff similar to lenses typically used by OEM HID headlights, it's possible that HID lamps can be fitted with no adverse effects. The question is whether HID beams are required to be aimed differently from halogen ones (e.g., pointed lower) to be street legal.
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i am new here. didn't know the lights are different from my is300 until the first night i drove it.
so, it's illegal to install hid lights?
if that's not ture, could anyone please tell me which hid lights i should get? thank U!
so, it's illegal to install hid lights?
if that's not ture, could anyone please tell me which hid lights i should get? thank U!
#7
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html
The best thing you can do w/o violating the rules is to replace the factory bulbs with brighter halogen ones that are DOT approved. I am using Osram's "Xtravision" lamps, and they seem to be a major improvement over the factory bulbs. I've read, however, that these and other brighter halogen bulbs burn out much faster than the OEM ones. If I get 6 mo to a year out of them, I'll be happy, as I can get replacements for $20/pair on Amazon -- $3/mo for usable headlights is cheap considering the improved safety during nighttime driving.
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#8
HID Conversion
I installed an after market HID kit (< $100) in my previous Toyota Camry which didn't even have projector lens and used it for almost a year before I traded the car in for HS. Never got any attention from cops or even flashes from other drivers.
Here're couple of things that I paid attention to -
I've not tried HID in my HS yet - but I intend to. There's this cover in the engine bay which makes the back of the headlights hard to get to - don't know how to get around this!
EDIT: Another thought which can be important too.
CAUTION: In my case, the construction of the HIDs were such that the arc was exactly at the same place in the headlight casing as the filament of a regular halogen would be. This is why the beam pattern stayed the same. I'm not sure if all after market HID are built the same.
[I got mine from HIDExtra - little google would get you a $15 coupon too]
Here're couple of things that I paid attention to -
I've not tried HID in my HS yet - but I intend to. There's this cover in the engine bay which makes the back of the headlights hard to get to - don't know how to get around this!
EDIT: Another thought which can be important too.
CAUTION: In my case, the construction of the HIDs were such that the arc was exactly at the same place in the headlight casing as the filament of a regular halogen would be. This is why the beam pattern stayed the same. I'm not sure if all after market HID are built the same.
[I got mine from HIDExtra - little google would get you a $15 coupon too]
Last edited by rajeev6; 11-05-10 at 06:20 AM. Reason: More information
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http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6638439_n.jpg
I put 6k on top and 3k on bottom,, the rules and regulations varies from state to state, but for the most part,, cops are not gonna bother you if you drive a Lexus.. Its one thing if you have a slammed civic with hid and a big exhaust with tinted windows... lol
I put 6k on top and 3k on bottom,, the rules and regulations varies from state to state, but for the most part,, cops are not gonna bother you if you drive a Lexus.. Its one thing if you have a slammed civic with hid and a big exhaust with tinted windows... lol
Last edited by IS-Fly168; 10-29-10 at 03:20 PM.
#10
executive matchup
imho, if someone wants to add HID to their car, you should go with a HID projector conversion. do it right the first time around to avoid the hassle of bad beam pattern or cheap HID kits failing prematurely. see below link for more info and details...
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/index.php?cPath=25
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/index.php?cPath=25
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imho, if someone wants to add HID to their car, you should go with a HID projector conversion. do it right the first time around to avoid the hassle of bad beam pattern or cheap HID kits failing prematurely. see below link for more info and details...
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/index.php?cPath=25
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/index.php?cPath=25
#12
executive matchup
#13
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6638439_n.jpg
I put 6k on top and 3k on bottom,, the rules and regulations varies from state to state, but for the most part,, cops are not gonna bother you if you drive a Lexus.. Its one thing if you have a slammed civic with hid and a big exhaust with tinted windows... lol
I put 6k on top and 3k on bottom,, the rules and regulations varies from state to state, but for the most part,, cops are not gonna bother you if you drive a Lexus.. Its one thing if you have a slammed civic with hid and a big exhaust with tinted windows... lol
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Hey,, sorry that I didnt reply to you PM,, its been raining here alot lately and I havent had a chance to look underneath the hood of my HS.. I wanted to be detail on how to do it,, cause its so natural for me to do it but cant say the same for you.. but its relatively easy, I believe the engine bay has plastic clips that you have to pry up with a flat head and then you take off the plastic panels... from there its basically plug and play for the hid kit.. the ballast can either be zip tied to a wire harness or double sided tape to any clean surface.. theres plenty of space underneath those plastic panels..
#15
I looked over the kits on the vendor link you posted, as well as at one of the installation guides they linked to. They don't sell projector housings specific to any model of car, and extensive cutting of and gluing to the factory headlight assembly is required in most cases as a result. The closest application they sell is a RX330 projector. Is installing it in the HS250h plug-and-play? That is, does one merely unscrew the factory halogen projectors and screw the new retrofit RX330 projectors in the car using existing mounting holes and fasteners, etc? Or, is it necessary to get creative with angle cutters and dremel tools and epoxy to do the job?