What is Retrofitting and what parts do I need to do it?

So you want projector headlights for your car, but aftermarket companies such as TYC or Depo don’t make them? Since the introduction of the HID retrofitting scene, that’s hardly a problem.

With HID retrofitting, you have the ability to create your own headlights. Anything you can envision can be done. The limit of customization extends to the limit of your imagination. HID retrofits can be performed on virtually any vehicle with headlights. Cars, Trucks, Sport bikes, Semis, Snowmobiles, 4-wheelers…its all possible. We are encouraging you to take on the job yourself, we can provide all the parts.

We took headlights from a car like this:	And modified them to look like this:
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Imagine being able to design and build your own headlights. To give you an idea of what can be done, see some of these examples.

• The interior color of the headlights: Black them out JDM style, or color match them to your car to mimic the exotic looks of Ferrari’s, Maserati’s and Corvettes.
• Remove the orange side reflectors for a clean-cut look.
• Utilize a wide variety of materials such as real carbon fiber, stainless steel, and aluminum to customize the shape and textures on the inside of the housing.
• Select from a wide variety of original equipment projector shrouds to cover the projector body. These come in all different colors, shapes and styles.
• Install custom turn signals inside the lights.
• Do a standard low beam projector in each headlight, or go wild with dual Bi-xenon projectors for maximum output.
• Install fog light projectors into the main headlights.
• Use original equipment Hella Angel Eyes in your lights, select from different lighting colors.
• Select from a wide range of bulb kelvin temperatures.Increase the color flicker, cutoff sharpness of your beam pattern by doing cutoff shield modifications or clear lens swaps.
• Use modded ballasts for higher wattage and unbelievable output.

  And that’s just to name a few things that can be changed. If you have an idea for your headlights, chances are it can be brought to life.

  Highly trained optical engineers working for companies such as Hella, Automotive Lighting, Stanley, Koito, and Valeo engineer the OEM/O.E (original equipment) HID components that we bring you. These parts are designed for the best light output. No other alternative surpasses original equipment HID projector headlights in width, light distribution, uniformity, sharpness, color, reliability, looks, and efficiency.

  The key components for a HID projector headlight retrofit: Projectors, Ballasts, Bulbs, Shrouds, and a wire harness

  Projectors: This is the heart of the HID projector retrofit. There is many different makes and models for projectors, but generally all of the ones made by OEM manufactures such as Hella, AL, Valeo, Stanley and Koito are all good performers. Some projectors are more expensive than others, and this can be attributed to some of the following characteristics; Bi-xenon or Low beam only, cutoff clarity/sharpness, cutoff color flicker, light beam width, light beam uniformity, the rarity of the unit, the look of the unit, the size, the quality of the lenses.

  *Note - Low beam projectors project only the main beam of the headlights out onto the road. Bi-xenon projectors have both a main low beam, and a high beam that is activated by an electric solenoid.

Acura TSX low beam projectors:	Acura TL Bi-xenon projectors:
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Ballasts: Ballasts are necessary to turn on and run the HID bulbs. They send an initial startup ignition of 27,000 volts, and then a computer regulates them back down to use less power than a typical halogen bulb. Ballasts also come in different varieties, most notably ones that have integrated igniters, and ones that have external igniters. Assuming you select an unmodified ballast, your choice will have no effect on the output of the lights. The most expensive and sought after Hella Gen 3 ballasts will not make your lights any brighter than a less desired ballast such as an older Bosch Litronic unit. It is possible to modify some kinds of ballasts for higher wattage and increased output though. Prices for ballasts mainly vary due to their size, and whether or not they have external or integrated igniters.

Hella Gen 3 ballasts with integrated igniters:	Hella Gen 4 ballasts with external igniters:
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Bulbs: HID bulbs come in 4 main variations. D2S bulbs are used for HID projector use. D2R bulbs are used for HID reflector use. D1S bulbs are basically D2S bulbs with built in igniters, and are made for HID projector use. D1R bulbs are similar to D2R bulbs with built in igniters, and are used for HID reflectors. HID bulbs have a capsule filled with a mixture of noble gasses and metal halide salts. The ballasts send a startup current through the bulb, which arcs across two contacts on each side of the capsule, creating light. HID bulbs have a very long life span around 2500+ hours. Bulbs come available in many sub-variations too. You can select from higher lumen output versions, to ones with more or less of a kelvin (color) temperature. They are better than standard halogen bulbs in every way.

Philips D2S bulb:	Philips D1S bulb:
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Shrouds: Shrouds are covers for the projectors. Shrouds, also sometimes referred to as bezels are not mandatory in making a HID retrofit work. They do however help out a lot with the finished look of the retrofit. Without shrouds, the bare projector body as well as all of the work it took to get it installed, would be visible without a shroud installed. Not only that, but shrouds help to block stray light from leaking out of the projector and reflecting off of other parts inside the headlight housing. They come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, textures and styles. Selecting a good shroud is key to completing the look of your HID retrofit conversion. Here prices vary with the style and rarity of the shroud.

Chrysler Crossfire shrouds shown:	BMW E46 “xenon” bezels shown:
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Wire harness: A wire harness is necessary to power the new light setup. Generally speaking you can’t just plug the ballasts into where the halogen bulbs went before and expect them to work. A harness works this way. The plug that used to connect to the halogen bulb now switches on a relay. The relay draws power from the car battery, and sends it out to the ballasts. Its pretty simple, but this tends to be the part that confuses and deters people from doing a retrofit. In the end, the harness will allow the HID retrofit (Bi-xenon or low beam only) to operate just like stock.

Example of a 9007 to Bi-xenon wire harness:

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