Ive touched on this subject before briefly...and already am set in going to Xenon in the next couple weeks. The big things now is what kit to buy (4000, 6000, etc) and who to buy from....Im hoping you guys can clarify or answer some final questions on this so I can make a decision....
1-Autolamps I believe sells the 6000K kit....which they said is similar to the elipsoid or projector likes of BMW and Audi...both bluish to purplish in color. Do you think the BMW and Audi lamps are PURPOSELY made bluer than say Lexus because they are projector lamps versus the reflector lamps of Lexus? (Im assuming a 6k kit on a reflective car like Lexus would be WAY too bright for oncoming traffic???) Im not sure though if this is why BMW and Audi are diff.
2-Manaray.....saw your thread on the SC install.
A-You said there was a hint of yellow in the light...could this be due to a yellowing of the headlights? Or is the yellow barely noticeable and due to something else?
3-LexSC....your X5 install....didnt see any threads on that, was that hard?
4-I LOVE the color of the stock Xenon Lexus ES300 or SC430 lamps.....would you say they are similar to that of Mercedes in color....but a little bluer than say the Lincoln Mark 8? Manaray...you said you got the 4100K kit....in terms of color, and Im sure youve seen the hid color of the SC430 OR ES300, would you say your kit is pretty similar color-wise to that of those models? Or is there a definite difference?
Im used to projector lamps....Ive driven BMW's for the last 3 years...and really yeah Id love more light output, which is another reason I want HIDS....but I dont have a huge problem seeing....so the color is JUST as important right now. I want that factory Lexus look...not something aftermarket looking....
Appreciate any comments or suggestions you two could give me. I obviously dont want any 7k or 8k kits...so its really between the 4100 and 6000, which I believe are the main 2 kits everyone sells.

To clarify in number 4...I am asking your opinion as to if you think the ES300 and SC430 Xenons are similar to the Mercedes Xenons...but a little more bluish in color versus the Lincoln Mark 8 (which are pretty white with no blue)....

Hmm...just did a little more research on HIDs....I know per Lex400SC's thoughts from a month or two ago I wont be buying from them (more $$)...so Autolamps it is.
Im curious too....lets say for example HIDS4less versus Autolamps...both sell 4100k kit I believe....do you think the color and light output is the same for both kits because they are 4100? Or is this deceiving (THE K number) and that each maker can color theres how they want..?

Goddamn it.....I never saw Manarays lobby thread...which answered most of my questions...sorry guys.
So the 4100K is yellowish...greenish....dont think I want that.
But the 6k is too blue...or purple specifically.
SC...you mentioned or maybe Manaray a 5400K kit would actually be really similar to the actual Lexus 4100k stocks.....does ANYONE make a kit in between the 4 and 6k??!?! Im dying to know that.
I guess thats my only real question right now....along with still wanting to know about the X5 install.
Otherwise...I think I might be going with Autolamps 6k design.....personally if cops are gonna mess with me because the 6k looks aftermarket they are idiots....theres a distinct diff. between a HID kit....6k or not..and HID bulbs in look.
I think most passerbys would not even know either unless you are up to date on your Xenon colors for the diff. cars.
I know if someone pulled up next to me in a Lex and say I had a SC430 with stock Xenon...and this lex next to me had a more purplish Xenon...if I knew it was def. Xenon and not Xenon bulbs...I would think its stock. Im rambling now..g'night.

i also have a a little bit of yellow. i heard its caused by the rebasing of the bulb or something. you can barely notice it. very minor

So many questions! I'll address the 4100K vs 6000K. 4100K looks yellowish/greenish in our optics partly because of the lens, partly because of the distance, and partly because of the shield. Our halogen lens is twice as thick as an HID lens, more convexed than an HID lens, and it's cloudy and translucent as opposed to HID lenses which are clear and transparent. The shield on our projectors is quite odd. I do not know why they did this, but there is a regular shield, then there is this random tab that's sticking out of the top. My guess is it is there to reduce brightness slightly fearing that the projector was too bright by 1990 standards, but who knows for sure.

I've seen the 6000K autolamps kit in Manaray's SC during the daytime and it looked very OEMish. I saw the same Autolamps 6000K kit at night in a friend's MKIV Supra, which has the same projector as us, and it looked very blue. He likes the blue color a lot, but I guess I'm too used to the white and think it's too much color. The 4100K kit will be brighter than the 6000K kit, but judging soley from Manaray's comparo pics and not real-life observation, I would have probably chosen the 6000K kit as well.

My buddy with the Supra TT got his hands on a pair of 2000 BMW 5-series HID lenses (same as mine) for free. The 5-series/X5 lens is roughly the same diameter as our lenses give or take 1mm. It fits snuggly with a gromit strip. So he is going to put them into his stock Supra projector if just to increase light output, but we are hoping that the clear, ringed lenses will generate some color flicker. If so, that may be an excellent alternative to 6000K. After all, my 4100K HIDs are extremely white on the road, yet the color flicker thrown off is more brilliant than a 12,000K HID kit could generate.

Thanks for input Lex....looks like Im going with the 6k Autolamps kit.

Hey Rich.

i e-mailed that guy that did your headlights and he said i couldn't use my current HID's (liar). i was thinking can i just retrofit the projector and use my stock reflector in the back so i CAN use my current HID setup. will that increase my light?? or still no.

liar? if you're telling me you can someone make the bulb fit through your reflector and into the projector and align perfectly in the projector on the x,y,z axis then yea i'm a liar. If you're off by even the width of a strand of hair you'll get funky results. Like i said before, your ballast are probably salvageable if it's using the HV plug, but that's it

Johnny, we tried that setup. The shield on the stock projector creates a very blurry cut off line and the color flicker is yellowish greenish. This could be because there is a slight difference in length of the projector between the two. Anyway, I thought it looked pretty bad, otherwise the retrofit process would have taken us 3 hours instead of 8. Also keep in mind there are two shields on the stock projector, one extra on top, which blocks more light than the BMW shield.

hahha. sorry, you took the liar the wrong way. i was just kidding. where is the shield located?? is it located on the projector piece or is it located on the reflector piece

see, which plug is HV. is that the D2 base or the 2 wire plug.

also how much was it again to do the whole entire retro with projectors and reflectors???

wait what setup is that??

what i wanted to do was use the STOCK reflector so i can plug in my 9006 HID. and use the X5 projector lens. so the back half would be stock. and only the round glass front would be from the X5. so that way it will hopefully provide EVEN BETTER cut off lines like yours and more wide and even light output. THanks

Yes, the shield is part of the reflector, therefore using the reflector means using the shield. This combo is bad because neither the lens, shield, or reflector are exactly aligned for HID bulbs. You can try doing it if you want, but I don't htink you'll be happy with the results.

oh crapo. ok how much for whole setup. i guess i can sell my stock ones on e-bay and say they are from an S2000 LOL

Actually S2000s are a two-piece, hinged-reflector projector. Very wacky design. And the lens is 3/4ths the diameter of ours and much clearer. But hell, if people can sell 8000K Hella bulbs when Hella doesn't even make bulbs, then I don't see why not!