ok well i have 97 m3 bimmer ligts with out the projectors and i wanted to make them to HIDs. i got bimmer headlights from a 99 528 with projectors and HIDs. how can i move it to my headligts? what do i have to do? can i move the projector from te 528 to the m3? do i have to have projectors to have HIDs? if notthing works....how would a 90 max look like with 99 528lights? can anyone photoshop on their car?

 

duud...

think... get creative! dont have everyone always tell you how to do something...

 

I probably couldn't answer the part about the projectors (Brandon might - if you ask him nicer... ), but ask yourself if the HID bulbs are the same size as the ones in the E36 lights (9005/9006), then go from there...

But the short-term answer would be NO. Just looking at the 5 series lights, I'd say the lines aren't right. But then again, WTF do I know...

 

well thanks guys. i guess i will have to figure it out myslef. i just wanted to ask u guys to see if they would and not mess up my lights and the HIDs since i wouldbe able to sell them if they dont fit.

 

do i need the projectors for HIDs?

 

yo, just get the assembly...go to a custom body shop - tell them what you want done...and do it. it'll cost you some...but nothing in life is free..or cheap.

bijan

SHIFT _newbie

 

Well you DON'T need to go to a custom body shop to get the HID kit installed. Just get the proper HID kit for the proper size bulb. No clue if the projectors will work but I'm leaning more towards saying they should work. I would imagine they would...

 

you dont need projectors for the HID to work, but the beam pattern will suck without them.. the projectors focus the beam and make it even, id use em if you got em

 

projectors do have superior beam pattern, BUT the light output is decreased over reflector designs. my euro ellipsoids (projectors) with halogens sucked. well, i should actually say that the beam pattern was a nice even spread, but the road was just as dim as stock maxima headlights!!! no one ever mentions that projectors decrease light output a bit, but they do--this in spite of a 55w, 1350 lumen rating on H1 bulbs!

 

Hmmm... that's good info to know. Especially since I was thinking of substituting projectors in my BMW headlights.

 

yea output doesnt matter when you have HID though

 

you shouldn't be replying when you don't know what you're talking about. projectors have less light loss over reflection type lighting. have you considred that, because you retrofitted your bmw lights, you have them installed improperly. projector lights combined with high output h1 bulbs light up the road much better than the stock set up.

 

Not trying to start a flame war or anything, but are you implying that EVERYONE that has the BMW mod has them installed incorrectly? Just curious...

 

White93SE: well if you use 100W (high output) H1 bulbs then i have no doubt they'll be pretty bright. tell me, what could i have done to install my lights incorrectly? install them backwards? who do you think i am? some 15 y.o kid? please. my setup is virtually plug and play. my headlamp unit came as a complete set with projectors. i've been over to the BMW forums, and they say the same, at least for the E36 ellipsoid design. do you have pics of your H1 output on the ground? i'd like to see it (as i'm sure everyone here does).

 

projectors do in fact reduce the stray light that would otherwise be released as glare on reflectors; the light is just concentrated in more predictable areas. so, yes, in this sense, there is less light loss. HOWEVER, projectors also have a built in glare/horizontal cut-off shield which prevents a good portion of light from even coming out!! additionally, some light energy is lost (as heat) through absorbtion as it penetrates and passes through the glass lense. my point is the light improvement, if at all, isn't as big as you say/imply. there are pros and cons to the projector design. the only thing NOTICEABLY better over stock is the beam pattern (excellent). you make it sound like projectors are God's gift to the lighting world. All i can say is, they are perfectly made for HID's. i am not so sure about usage in a halogen setup.

BTW, my position is only relevant as applied to the E36 projectors.

i am sure progress has been made regarding ellipsoid reflector/ glass lense/etc.. design.

for everyone who wants a good read, head over to http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/
there are lots of good and useful information.

lot's of people try to justify the performace of their new toy(s) just because they look good. just like blue-coated bulbs. the people who like them (the color) tell other people that they are brighter than halogens, afterall, they ARE 80W-->100W (sarcasm)!! (is this what YOU believe, White93SE?). they don't like people telling them that the new product takes a performance hit over stock, even though it does. in a similar fashion, projectors look very cool and some people will believe what they want to, especially when they paid upwards of $100 on modifications.

 

nubiannupe: nope, I am implying that animator has his lights aimed improperly.

animator: standard reflector lighting is ~27% efficient, projector type lighting is ~52% efficient. hmm..almost twice as effective. projectors are not gods gift to lighting, but they are a signifigant improvement.


that is my h1 output, not that a picture would be able to justify anything anyways.

as for your comment on e36 projectors...it's not like the e36 projectosr are any different than any other type of projector set up.

 

i knew you'd use the high end % number for efficiency to argue your point. using http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/general-faq.htm as reference, the efficiency is 36% for the e36. from ~27%-->52%, significant improvement; ~27%-->~36%, not significant improvement. and yes, the e36 projector setup is different than other projector setups. have you even taken various projectors out? they have slightly different designs, with some being longer from the lense to reflector, some with larger/smaller glass lenses, some with additions to the glass lense itself, etc... at any rate, there's no real need to get into this much more.

about your pic...i know it doesn't prove anything (at least for brightness), but it does show aiming. and that is the only complaint i have on your car...it's that they are aimed to far down, especially the right one. i suppose if i had aimed mine like yours, i'd think the output is great too. i'll try and get some of my pics out later...next week or something.

but, using the proper aiming, your horizontal cutoff should be 3-feet high at a distance of 25 feet, i believe. i'll have to check on the numbers though...

at any rate, if anyone is considering upgrading to a projector for use in halogens, give it serious re-consideration (considering the high cost involved). stock E36 US specs are definitely a good improvement over maxima stocks. if you are planning to use HID's, then get the projectors. if you are using HID's with e36 us specs, beam pattern will suck and the light will be all over the place--up, down, left, right...

that is all, that is all...

 

no, you were implying that i INSTALLED them incorrectly. quite different, my friend. if you disagree with a point i have, you should try and do so in a more less offending manner. especially considering all your points, and assumptions, against me were false. it just makes you look more and more silly. alright. i'm out...

 

of course im going to argue my point using high numbers for efficiency. but the light output of a projector vs reflector is far greater (9004 output vs h1 is less anyhow). i'm not going to argue over a minimal gain by using projectors vs stock lighting. i've worked with ALL types of projector; variosu bmw, audi, hyudai, lincoln etc. when i said projectors aren't different, the concept is the same, the sizing varies from projector housing to projector housing to accomodate for different goals manufactuers had in mind. audi housings are slightly shorter and built different than bmw housings. audi housings, as you will notice have that color shift effect at different angles, while bmw housings are slightly longer.

my pic. my lights are aimed within a few inches of where they should be. what you cannot see is the light the camera cannot pick up. i would like to see your pics, maybe you recieved defective projectors/****ty qual parts? non-oem proejctors have awful quality control.

here's my final thought: don't get hid's unless you can retrofit an OEM kit preferbaly projector housings fitted in to your car. it is near impossible to do well with a D2R set up. if you're not getting HIDs, don't bother with projectors. yes, the light output is good, and the cutoff is defined, but it's not worth it.