HID retrofit w/TSX projectors: walkthrough w/pictures

[vatahoelt]

I have now seen the Mini Morimoto in a retro, and they look amazing. I was blown away, especially considering their size. They are tiny, bi-xenon, and could fit into almost any application.

If I had to do it over again, I would use these instead of the TSX's. They are small enough I might even run quad projectors, since they are bi-xenon. That would be badass. You might even be able to squeeze them into the DRL's with a little modification.....

Check 'em out:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=221

i finally took one of those bmw headlights apart and i don't think i'm going to be able to retro them into my depos. they are the bi-xenon projectors and look to be a little too long to fit.

these are the ones.

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=92

 

[DenaliAK]

Depth-wise they all seem a bit big. Part of that is made up for when you seat them in the housings, but I definitely don't have any wiggle room on the driver's side at all.

Those Mini's with the D2S bulbs are something like 3/4" shorter, so they might be worth a shot.

 

[chip]

I have now seen the Mini Morimoto in a retro, and they look amazing. I was blown away, especially considering their size. They are tiny, bi-xenon, and could fit into almost any application.

If I had to do it over again, I would use these instead of the TSX's. They are small enough I might even run quad projectors, since they are bi-xenon. That would be badass. You might even be able to squeeze them into the DRL's with a little modification.....

Check 'em out:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=221

This is an Awesome find!

Thanks so much!

 

[DenaliAK]

No prob. Makes me want to redo mine...lol.

 

[DenaliAK]

Did some comparison shots last night with some friends. Everyone had different HID/projector combos, so we thought it'd be interesting. All the pics are taken with the exact same camera settings and location, and we tried to get the cars in the same spot.

Brand-new Mini-Morimoto lows:

Mini-Morimoto highs, which is where these really shine (these are 35w, btw):

PNP kit, same kind of car:

My TSX retros with 55w 4300k HID's:

FXR projectors, low-beam:

FXR highs:

It was interesting to see the differences. The TSX is by far the widest spread of the bunch...it wouldn't even all fit in the frame. The downside is that they are not bi-xenon, so there is no "high" option.

The Mini-Morimotos, for their size are pretty amazing lights. Good, sharp cutoff. Not nearly as wide a beam, which may be their only downside. High-beams with them are amazing.

The FXR's are a more even light on lows all the way across, with not quite as dramatic a cutoff. They are also incredibly bright on high-beams, but have a bizarre bright spot in the middle that is apparently normal for them.

The effort here isn't to say one is better than another, but to give an idea of the differences so you will be more informed about what you might want to get. I love my TSX lows, but man I wish they were bi-xenon....

 

[1fatho]

Ran into the same thing with my HIDs and projectors that I got, didnt realize if was going to be different. For mine I'm going to use the HIDguy 35w 6k's which I have in my stock right now. I think Im going to remove the electrical from the projector, throw a rubber gasket inbetween, drill out the middle to fit the bulb and grind down that 50% "blocking" piece that goes on the bottom. If my HIDs fit in my running lights, I'm just going to throw them down there and run LED heads, if of course, I can find an LED to fit in there. I will end up putting HIDs in my projector, but if they fit the bumper, I think the stock that they came with will suffice until the semester is over. F'ing homowork....I'll post pics this weekend...if of course TYF is working for me...



EDIT* nice pics from the fish factory.......er um, the cult parking lot.....im mean uh, changepoint ^^^^^

You wouldnt be interested in some festoon bulbs would you? I got some of the cool blues for my puddle lights and I want to go green like my interior, they cost me like 15 each plus shipping, id give them both to you for $15 after I get my greens in. theyre like a month old.

 

[DenaliAK]

I'll pass on the festoons for now. Money is tight and I'm trying not to spend more than necessary on vehicle stuff. And I have an HID backup light and fog HID projector projects to finish up once PFD's get here. We'll see how much that ends up costing me. I need some new bulbs in my lows, too.

 

[01Konvict]

Is it easier to retro a stock cleared Yukon headlight or the Denali headlight? I think I will end up getting Morimoto Minis, just need to know which headlight is easier to complete the retrofit.

 

[DenaliAK]

Good question, and unfortunately it probably all depends on what projector you are putting in what housing. The TSX fit right in where the DEPO projector was on mine, so there was minimal trimming or cutting to be done. I would think that would hold true for most retros, but honestly haven't had any experience with the standard Yukon housings.

 

[01Konvict]

I know the Morimoto Minis are smaller then the TSX, so I wonder how they would work with the Depo headlights. Maybe a complete install into a base headlight would be fun but you would lose the easy cut-off rotation adjustment. I would like to get some new headlight but dont want to sink a fortune into them.

 

[DenaliAK]

How much is too much for you? All told mine were about $500 for all the parts, but you could knock that down to about $300 by getting DDM HID kits instead of the expensive OEM ones that I got.

The headlights I just saw recently for about $130/pair.
DDM Tuning HID kit: $45
Mini Morimotos: $110

Then it's mostly time to do the retro.

 

[01Konvict]

Well I was thinking about the chrome depos and not the black so they run around $300 and OEM cost around $300 also. Then the Mini and PnP kit cost another $300. So I was trying to stay under $500 with all parts. I think it can be done and you will get a high beam with the minis! What is a better headlight to start with, Depo or OEM denali?

 

[DenaliAK]

Well I was thinking about the chrome depos and not the black so they run around $300 and OEM cost around $300 also. Then the Mini and PnP kit cost another $300. So I was trying to stay under $500 with all parts. I think it can be done and you will get a high beam with the minis! What is a better headlight to start with, Depo or OEM denali?

As far as which light is better to retro, that's a good question. It's been discussed before with no clear winner. Typically the DEPO's are cheaper to start with than the OEM ones. I don't know where you are getting a pair of OEM Denali lights for $300, but that's a great deal. Usually each one is that much. Anyway, given that they are usually cheaper, I recommend the DEPO's for that reason, plus if you totally screw something up it is then cheaper to replace again...lol.

Bottom line is I think they would both work about the same, so go with what fits your budget/style the best.

 

[01Konvict]

I have the Morimoto Minis in my 04 Denali, with the high beam solenoid tapped into my high beams for quad high beams. It was a tight fit and i had to cut the aftermarket reflectors i purchased to make projectors sit further back. After a few night road trips from San Jose to Las Vegas, I must say that the bright light in the foreground worsens your night vision because your eyes tend to focus in front of the truck where the brightest spot is.

Can you post pics of the Mini retrofit? I was thinking about going with this setup. I would like to see how it was fitted and installed.

 

[TmadeEdition]

Nice retro lights. Come check mines out. Not done yet have some pics up in my album. Fx-r projectors custom retrofit in 07 Denali

 

[DenaliAK]

Nice retro lights. Come check mines out. Not done yet have some pics up in my album. Fx-r projectors custom retrofit in 07 Denali

Looks good.

Get some output shots when you're done installing them.

Very clean work.

 

[soulsea]

Hey Scott ... there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while ...

It seems that everyone these days recommends oem ballasts. The reason to a certain degree still escapes me as most oem ballasts wont fit the applications folks' are using them for as they usually mount them outside their retroed housings as opposed to inside where most oem ballast belong, thus exposing them to elements they are not designed to handle.

That said, I'm wondering what the oem ballast was that GM used for their original nbs denali projectors?

Cheers.

 

[DenaliAK]

OEM ballasts aren't necessarily internally mounted. They tend to be built like tanks, able to take all manner of weather. They also are built to last. I've yet to hear of an OEM ballast failure. I'm sure they happen, but it must be pretty rare.

To the best of my knowledge, Denali's have never had HID's. They've had halogen projectors, which may be what you're thinking of, but no need for ballasts with those.

 

[soulsea]

Ah okay, I thought they were HIDS.

I looked for GM oem ballasts and the only ones I could find are headlight mounted round things for caddys and this thing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-25806714...HTS-BALLAST-MODULE-/150397596017#ht_500wt_925

I have no idea what that is, but I'm wondering what ballasts GM uses for their Camaro projectors and the like ... or are all those halogens too?

 

[DenaliAK]

Good question. I have no idea what ballasts the GM family uses. There are some HID's in there, too. Not a lot, but more and more. I'll do some research and see if I can't find out.

Not sure what that thing in the link is, either. It could be a ballast, kinda hard to tell. Cracks me up that the seller doesn't even know what it is, but they know how much they want for whatever it is....lol.

There's 3 or 4 brands of ballasts that you really can't go wrong with. If you're looking for recommendations, just stick with what TRS has....Matt knows the quality stuff. His client base confirms that, too. Pretty much all of HIDplanet uses him as their source.