HID Kit recommendations

[bootymac]

What are those for?

[murcod]

Looks like the vanity mirror "fuse" bulbs?

[~tc~]

Yep

[honsonwong]

found this in youtube, any ideas?

[bootymac]

found this in youtube, any ideas?

Skimmed through the video briefly so I'm assuming he's talking about HIDs in reflector housings. Our Kizashis have projector housings

[KuroNekko]

found this in youtube, any ideas?

I did not watch the whole thing entirely, but skimmed it twice to get his argument.
I agree with what he is saying, but from what I saw, he completely missed the option as it applies to our Kizashis: HID bulbs in halogen projector lens headlights.

The kind of HID lights the guy is complaining about are HID kits in halogen multi-reflectors headlights. As his video shows, he demonstrates with Honda Preludes. Well, Preludes and many other Hondas use multi-reflectors, not projector lenses. This is why they suck with HIDs in both light throw and glare.

However, our Kizashis and many other cars have factory projector lenses. If you look at the headlight, the low beam is emitted through what looks like a glass globe in the headlight. That's the projector lens. These create a cut-off regardless of the bulb inside. This cut-off is clearly seen in my on-the-road photos here:

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See how the light in the woods is cut off at the top and you can't see anything? There are trees there, but the cut-off is rather good and effective so you can't see them. When I used my fog lights or high beams, they are more visible:

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The whole area was almost pitch black if my car's headlights were not on. The projectors did a good job of leaving that area free from light exposure.
This cut-off is what is needed to help keep the lights from blinding oncoming traffic. This cut-off is created by our Kizashi's low beam projectors.

Now, this guys has a motorcycle and he has HIDs. He got HID-specific projectors which is something called "retrofitting". That's the best option, but it's not always a cost-effective way of getting good HID lighting, especially in cars. You'd have to buy a HID-specific projector that fits, bake and open up the headlights, install that HID-specific projector, reseal everything and then re-install the headlight.
It's simply not worth the time and money if you've got halogen projectors and they work well enough. This is especially the case with the Kizashi since it's not known if any retrofit projectors will even fit the car's headlights.

Just to make it all clear, let me show you a list of how nearly all headlights out there are configured:

A) Halogen bulbs in halogen multi-reflector headlights. *Nearly all cars until the late 90's. Many new cars still use these.

B) Halogen bulbs in halogen projector headlights. Most Kizashis and many other newer cars.

C) HID kit in halogen multi-reflector headlights. *This is what the guy is complaining about. They create annoying and blinding glare for oncoming traffic.

D) HID kit in halogen projector headlights. *What I'm doing with my Morimoto kit.

E) HID kit in Retrofit HID projector headlights. *Best performance for HID kit use.

F) OEM HIDs from factory. *Many luxury cars have this.

G) OEM LEDs from factory. *Recent technology. Namely seen in newest Audis and Acuras.

H) Laser headlights. *Experimental technology that German luxury brands are toying with.

As you can see, the guy is complaining about Option C. What we are doing is Option D. While it may not seem like much of difference, there's a huge difference in glare reduction for oncoming traffic. You pretty much get light where you need it and not anywhere else. Light throw is also significantly better with projectors vs. multi-reflectors when using HID kits.

[honsonwong]

Thanks KuroNekko, I got a clear picture now.

[KuroNekko]

Thanks KuroNekko, I got a clear picture now.

No problem.
I edited my comment after I realized my photos were not in this thread, but in my DIY tutorial. Now, my photos are in the comment for convenience.

[krell]

Took the plunge and got a kit from the Retrofit Source also thanks to Lord KuroNekko for his brilliant step by step instructions.

[KuroNekko]

Took the plunge and got a kit from the Retrofit Source also thanks to Lord KuroNekko for his brilliant step by step instructions.

Hahaha. Nope, I'm just a car nut with not much of a life otherwise.
Let me know if you have issues or questions, but I wrote the tutorial to be as encompassing as possible.

Oh, TRS also liked it and gave me my $50 store credit.