Thinking bout these Projectors

[GalaxyBlackEsky]

I am sorry but the halo/projectors are crap. The light out put are horrible even if you put HIDs in. The just dont look right with the truck. IMO stocks are the best looking ones for the tahoe.

 

[soulsea]

I am sorry but the halo/projectors are crap. The light out put are horrible even if you put HIDs in. The just dont look right with the truck. IMO stocks are the best looking ones for the tahoe.

Ok, outside of esthetics which are a personal preference thing, perhaps we can try to pinpoint what could be going on with the design that would make these lights outfitted with hids project less light than the factory housing/bulb combination.

Presumably these kinds of things can be measured in lumens and how focused the beam is? Is there a way to uncover this information?

I'm not disputing or dismissing the 'crappiness' or 'suckiness' for both might well be true (and I guess I'll find out for myself soon enough) ... I'm just trying to get some actual tangible, as opposed to anecdotal, evidence.

Cheers!

 

[nytahoe]

my 03 i had the ebay halo projectors. they used and h3 bulb i put 100 watt bulbs and still could not see a dam thing at night. they i got the depo lights that used the same size bulb they had great out put. so haveing them i say most halo projectors are junk could be somegood ones . i would like the see them with some out put light shoots. they are the best looking aftermarket light out for the nnbs tahoe just my .02cents

 

[sumo]

I pulled the trigger. Im getting them. I know some of you say dont, I need to see for myself. Maybe the design has been changed. If they are bad for me it gives me a project to Open the stock Headlights and modify them, or switch in a different Projector Into these headlights

 

[InTruckDesign]

The problem lies with the projector shape and size of the reflector housing, it is way too small, but space is very limitted due to the radiator support running directly behind the position of the low beam. Myself and another member "paradise" were able to improve the beam by fabricating a spacer to place between the light mounting surface and the bulb itself essentially moving the bulb back in the housing. In order to determine how much of a spacer you will have to slide the bulb back and forth to see what works best for your combo...mine was damn near a 3/4" spacer. A couple of things to note right off the bat...these housings will come with a sticker on them that states "not for HID use" and if you choose to disregard this then be prepared to mill the housings mounting hole as HID's physically will not insert into the housings as they are too thick in diameter...and then good luck returning them once you do this.




@soulsea...butthurt...

 

[GalaxyBlackEsky]

Like every one is saying it is the projector it self. Basically you are using the size of a fog light to use as your driving light.. To get it right you will need to pull it apart and retro fit a real projector from like a TSX which I see a lot of people use or something in those lines to make it work well.

 

[felixgun]

I pulled the trigger. Im getting them. I know some of you say dont, I need to see for myself. Maybe the design has been changed. If they are bad for me it gives me a project to Open the stock Headlights and modify them, or switch in a different Projector Into these headlights

I love em Sumo! If you just fit some depo/TSX-esque projectors (Like BlackedOutLT3 said) with some HID's in that housing it will not only LOOK good but you can see at night too... that's pretty much the only way to do them if you want decent light output

 

[sumo]

The problem lies with the projector shape and size of the reflector housing, it is way too small, but space is very limitted due to the radiator support running directly behind the position of the low beam. Myself and another member "paradise" were able to improve the beam by fabricating a spacer to place between the light mounting surface and the bulb itself essentially moving the bulb back in the housing. In order to determine how much of a spacer you will have to slide the bulb back and forth to see what works best for your combo...mine was damn near a 3/4" spacer. A couple of things to note right off the bat...these housings will come with a sticker on them that states "not for HID use" and if you choose to disregard this then be prepared to mill the housings mounting hole as HID's physically will not insert into the housings as they are too thick in diameter...and then good luck returning them once you do this.




@soulsea...butthurt...

Thanks for the tip. I am already looking in tsx projectors. This is going to be a expensive project. When I get them, I'm gonna bench test them to see the cutoff line and see what I'm up against.

 

[soulsea]

Brent, ITD, cheers for the info ...

Ugh, unlike sumo, I really don't feel like undertaking such an extensive headlight mod, plus I wouldn't know how to do it.

Install has been pushed to next Tuesday ... I'll take before and after pics with the lights projecting on a wall and see what the difference is. Personally, as I like the look of them, I'm hoping it won't be a disaster and/or a safety hazard. If they aren't bright enough they'll come off asap.

I'm hoping that they'll work properly ... as they aren't tinted like the one's sumo got perhaps there's hope. We shall see.

Thanks again.

 

[nytahoe]

just do this to the stock lights
http://www.futurevisionhid.com/products/projector-conversion-kits.html

 

[InTruckDesign]

sumo, check out the for sale section...

http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27056

 

[felixgun]

Sumo have you thought about retro-fitting projectors into the stock housing? I guess that's out the picture since you pulled the trigger on those headlights already... I can't wait to see what it looks like after!!!

 

[soulsea]

Given all that has already been discussed in regards to potential weak lighting issues with these halos, and without the benefit of a tsx retrofit, would the following package be helpful: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/pts/2422863229.html instead of using the Silverstars I have on now in the new halo housings?

I'm not familiar with HID kits so I'm not sure if the one on CL is a good one, if it is priced correctly at $75, and if it will strengthen the beam relative to the SStars.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[sumo]

you can get hid kits for like 50 on ebay. Xentech i believe they are called. I bought a set for my Brother in laws Mdx and hes happy with them. Soulsea, you can be entitiled to my H1 Hid bulbs after im done with my conversion. Youll need to get some Ballast though, also cheap on ebay

 

[soulsea]

Ok so I took the new lights out of storage and took them to the shop today to have a look and decide a way forward. The ones I ordered did come with high/low beam bulbs, 'angel eye' leds, but no drl and blinker bulbs. What we decided to do for now (install tomorrow) is replace their bulbs with the Silverstars I have on now, the oem blinker/drl bulbs, and see how that works at night. I'll give them a try over the next few nights ... if the beam is too weak then I'll have to decide if I go back to my stockers or if I want to undertake HIDs with or without retrofit.

We shell see ...

 

[InTruckDesign]

soulsea, curious to hear about your findings as I tried them with the halogen H1's it came with and with H1 6k hids and while the hids were by far brighter, the beam is just too messed up to do any good...parked and aimed at a wall/garage door they certainly looked great, but as soon as you go for a drive you'll see what I mean about poor beam quality and pattern...my wife has an Audi suv with stock projector hids and there is no comparison.

 

[soulsea]

soulsea, curious to hear about your findings as I tried them with the halogen H1's it came with and with H1 6k hids and while the hids were by far brighter, the beam is just too messed up to do any good...

Out of curiosity, cause as you can tell I don't know much about lights ... are H1 6k hids brighter than Silverstars? Meaning should I expect even less light quality than you achieved?

Btw, I couldn't be happier with the light from the Silverstars in the stock housings ... just wondering how much I'm going to lose by migrating them to the halos.

 

[sumo]

Can't wait. I'll post pics when I get mine but I won't be installing them any time soon

 

[soulsea]

Okay, I had a longish talk with the manager of the install shop and decided on a revision of the original plan.

I'm not going to use the existing H11 Silverstars at all. Low beam is going to be Xenon hid 6000, high beam is going to either be what's in the new housing or H1 Silverstar, DRL/Blinkers = new leds. New install date is Friday ...

... we'll see how all that goes.

 

[KMeloney]

Still looking for opinions on the looks of these housings? 'Cause I have an opinion.

But I'll hold it in the event you're no longer looking for them...