Current Headlight Options (Aftermarket/Retrofit Ellipsoids)??

[M3forJTB]

I took the M Coupe out for a nighttime romp and realized just how poor the light output has gotten, even after polishing the lenses

I know it's been covered nearly ad nauseum and I've searched, but it looks like the same old threads (newest is still over 2 years old)...
Does anyone have any info on Z3 Ellipsoids that are currently available, either aftermarket or retrofitted OEM lights?

I know the ProjectorZ II lights are still available (at least they appear to be), but I'd much rather have something that closely resembles the OEM unit.

Is there anyone up for doing an ellipsoid retrofit on some new OEM headlights? (I could get a new set at cost) I'd prefer it to be someone who's confident and experienced with the retrofit. ??

TIA!

[Itsablurr]

The ebay/PZII lights are ricebucket junkers. JCK and another are the go-to guys for retrofitting oe headlights with some decent projectors for a clean, oe quality look. There have been a couple headlight threads recently, and iirc JCK his time is being owned by the USMC for a bit.

I know I was thinking of venturing down the DIY source/design/retrofit path at some point pretty soon.

[M3forJTB]

The ebay/PZII lights are ricebucket junkers. JCK and another are the go-to guys for retrofitting oe headlights with some decent projectors for a clean, oe quality look. There have been a couple headlight threads recently, and iirc JCK his time is being owned by the USMC for a bit.

I know I was thinking of venturing down the DIY source/design/retrofit path at some point pretty soon.

I remember reading that he was the man as far as the retrofits, but I haven't seen him post anything about doing the retrofits lately...

Looks like I may have to DIY... though it scares me to 'learn' on new lights

[CaliAgents]

Toss in a set of HIR (Halogen Infrared Reflecting) bulbs in your low's and high's and you should have more than sufficient lighting for the darkest of nights. If you don't mind spending some scratch, get a proper projector setup not the Ebay/Chinese garbage.

[pipiyangtw]

I like the OEM looks. Just done the retrofits few months ago. Its not so hard to do it. Its D2S bults fish eye projector.

[M3forJTB]

Toss in a set of HIR (Halogen Infrared Reflecting) bulbs in your low's and high's and you should have more than sufficient lighting for the darkest of nights. If you don't mind spending some scratch, get a proper projector setup not the Ebay/Chinese garbage.

I don't mind spending the $$ for quality, which is why I was SO hesitant about the projectorZ...

I may try some of those HIR's in new stock lights... and if it's not up to par I'll begin collecting all of the parts to do the retrofit.

I had a set of e70 bixenon lights the other day, but I sold them to one of my techs for a project he's working on.

[TC2]

I don't know if I'd feel confident retrofitting a new set of headlights for you, but you may want to check out my projector retrofit write-up soon.
I've been getting all of the photos I took and information together, and it should be up in the next week or so.
Spring semester has started back, and I'm back to doing nothing but schoolwork, so it's taking longer than I had anticipated to get the write-up done.
The retrofit I did was the same that JCK did a little while ago with bi-xenon projectors from TheRetrofitSource.
That's where I got my retrofit supplies from, and for anyone looking to DIY, you should check there too.

[BMWBergy]

Toss in a set of HIR (Halogen Infrared Reflecting) bulbs in your low's and high's and you should have more than sufficient lighting for the darkest of nights. If you don't mind spending some scratch, get a proper projector setup not the Ebay/Chinese garbage.

Are the HIRs available again? About six months ago, the Toshibas were discontinued/NLA.

[CaliAgents]

Are the HIRs available again? About six months ago, the Toshibas were discontinued/NLA.

I bought mine several years ago from hirheadlights.com but they don't appear to be discontinued.

Looks like he sells them on Ebay as well:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=180454342097

[jotti]

I bought mine several years ago from hirheadlights.com but they don't appear to be discontinued.

Looks like he sells them on Ebay as well:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=180454342097

Here's the correct link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOSHI...ht_3810wt_1167



I've never heard of "HIR". Would you recommend Toshiba or Phillips? I'm going to give them a try.

[CaliAgents]

^
Thanks for editing the link!

I'm not sure which brand is better, might need to dig around a bit on the lighting forums for that comparison.

On Ebay alone he's sold several thousand (factoring in those who don't leave feedback) and he's never had a negative review to date or within the last 12 months at least! That should be testament to the effectiveness of these bulbs.

[jotti]

These "HIR" headlights almost warrant a new thread IMHO. They look to be a legitimate alternative to more expensive options.

The fellows name is Bill Fox. His website is: http://www.hirheadlights.com/

I'm curious to know why these can't just be purchased direct from a supplier of Toshiba/Phillips products.

Anyways, here's some research on them:

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthrea...res-7814.html?

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...772221&fpart=4

[Robstah]

I've been rocking HIRs for a while now. Great bulbs.

[kobayashi]

I've got HIRs in my highs and lows. Don't waste your money on the Toshibas sinc the new Philips HIR2s are much better bulbs. All of the links in this thread are to the old version which you don't want.

[Robstah]

I've got HIRs in my highs and lows. Don't waste your money on the Toshibas sinc the new Philips HIR2s are much better bulbs. All of the links in this thread are to the old version which you don't want.

I am running Toshibas and have no problems with them...

[kobayashi]

I am running Toshibas and have no problems with them...

And? Your Toshibas are quite inferior to the Philips HIR2s. Enjoy.

[Robstah]

And? Your Toshibas are quite inferior to the Philips HIR2s. Enjoy.

Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.

At least my opinions are either based through experience, has maths behind it, or is simple fact and common sense.

Feel free to show me where the Toshibas are inferior to the Philips and then show me how inferior they are compared to stock bulbs. All I know is that the Toshibas are fantastic.

[kobayashi]

^^^^ You might try reading next time. You just make yourself sound like a fool by not doing so.

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=5028

Waiting for your "maths"

Here's a little something else to try and argue against. http://store.candlepower.com/ph3rdge90h.html

"This new Philips bulb has the highest luminance of any HIR2 (9012) ever made: 30 Mcd/m2. That's 25% better than the previous best-in-class Toshiba bulb. The improvement can be clearly seen in the thermal image comparison, and it gives the driver a significant increase in beam punch, boosting the ability to see what must be seen at night and in bad weather in time to avoid a collision. Light quality is bright white, with an excellent color temperature of 3450K."

[Robstah]

^^^^ You might try reading next time. You just make yourself sound like a fool by not doing so.

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=5028

Waiting for your "maths"

That's the only site on the net that claims the 40% life and 25% light output.

My only guess with the light output is the fact that they don't have black tips, which will lead to glare in our cars.

"Like all previous HIR2 bulbs, it does not have a blacked-out tip, which means it should not be used in road going headlamp or fog lamp designs that don't have a bulb shield completely covering at least the top half of the front of the bulb — a ring-style bulb shield that leaves the front of the bulb exposed to the lens is usually not sufficient."

Source: http://store.candlepower.com/ph3rdge90h.html

All I know is that if this bulb is inferior, why still sell it? The Philips one MIGHT give you 1% more light, but that shouldn't be used as the comparison on here. It should be against stock bulbs. The Toshibas are fantastic and can be had for great pricing right now.

As for the blacked out ends, my Toshibas have it.

[kobayashi]

Ugh. Try walking into the garage and actually looking at your headlights. There is a 360 degree shield over the bulbs in the stock headlights. Please don't ask me to find a picture of them for you.

You're running and hiding. Stop trying to change the subject as you just sound foolish doing so. You're the only one talking about stock bulbs here.

Still waiting for the "maths" that prove the Toshibas are superior to the Philips. Not holding my breath though. ROTFLMAO

BTW, I have both the Toshibas and the Philips. I'm sure that I'm the only one here that does.

[lokijibber]

I don't know if I'd feel confident retrofitting a new set of headlights for you, but you may want to check out my projector retrofit write-up soon.
I've been getting all of the photos I took and information together, and it should be up in the next week or so.
Spring semester has started back, and I'm back to doing nothing but schoolwork, so it's taking longer than I had anticipated to get the write-up done.
The retrofit I did was the same that JCK did a little while ago with bi-xenon projectors from TheRetrofitSource.
That's where I got my retrofit supplies from, and for anyone looking to DIY, you should check there too.

What can I do to expedite this? I've found one "not-so-thorough" DIY write-up, and I'm still confused as to the use of brackets and how to fit the projector. I've had PZIIs in for two years, but I really want the stock reflector back (my retrofit will have AEs though -- I like the look). I just don't have the confidence to undertake pulling the stock lights apart in a purely exploratory manner at this point. I prefer to go into projects knowing what I'm doing..... call it a lack of creativity if you will.

[M3forJTB]

PMs are great for pissing matches, but thanks for the bumps (and info)

I've been rocking HIRs for a while now. Great bulbs.

In stock headlights? How is the output/cutoff?

I don't know if I'd feel confident retrofitting a new set of headlights for you, but you may want to check out my projector retrofit write-up soon.
I've been getting all of the photos I took and information together, and it should be up in the next week or so.
Spring semester has started back, and I'm back to doing nothing but schoolwork, so it's taking longer than I had anticipated to get the write-up done.
The retrofit I did was the same that JCK did a little while ago with bi-xenon projectors from TheRetrofitSource.
That's where I got my retrofit supplies from, and for anyone looking to DIY, you should check there too.

Awesome! I'll keep an eye out for it, because it looks like I'll be doing the retrofit before too long

[jajou318]

Yeah I'd love to pay for someone to retrofit some projectors for me. I'd be too scared baking a set of new headlights

[The ZED]

Did the retrofit once. Pretty simple, nothing to be afraid of, just getting them in there straight.

[TC2]

What can I do to expedite this? I've found one "not-so-thorough" DIY write-up, and I'm still confused as to the use of brackets and how to fit the projector. I've had PZIIs in for two years, but I really want the stock reflector back (my retrofit will have AEs though -- I like the look). I just don't have the confidence to undertake pulling the stock lights apart in a purely exploratory manner at this point. I prefer to go into projects knowing what I'm doing..... call it a lack of creativity if you will.

I really want to help you as I've seen your prior posts.
Juggling school with leisure is always difficult for me the first couple of weeks.
I'm trying my best to get the write-up finished.
I think I understand that you are curious as to how you get a projector fitted to the reflector housing.
Depending on the projector, they can be mounted differently.
With the projectors I used, they were intended to bolt into the stock housings of most automobiles.
The hole in the housing of the Z3 for the halogen bulb was still too small to fit the projector through, so I had to dremel it out and then screw the projector down.
JCK used the same projectors but just cut away a large amount of the reflector housing and had the projector secured with bolts and a type of sealant.
I would say JCK's method is cleaner as mine are not perfect.
I just did it the way I mentioned for alignment purposes. I didn't want to get them secured permanently to find out that the projector is off a degree or two.
There are ways of getting them lined up prior, but I just didn't have the time or resources.
Here's what the finished product of my retrofit looks like.

Yeah I'd love to pay for someone to retrofit some projectors for me. I'd be too scared baking a set of new headlights

Baking them is the part you should be least worried about. Hahaha.
It's securing the projector that's the fun part.