yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Hellow everyone, just thought I'd have some fun and share some cool photos I took lastnight of our new MDX (traded in the 07) and the awesome colorband/flicker these things can dish out! I know there's probably not many lighting "enthusiast" in this forum (or world) but for those who can appreciate the optics of a finely tuned lighting projector with a helluva colorband and razor sharp.....just look at the pictures and they'll speak for themselves

The first shot is taken with original Philips brand 4300k bulbs. This is considered out of the "colorband"...



Next shot is the same original Philips bulbs but this time in the colorband which is obvious by the deep blue color. The colors in a typical colorband can range from blue, purple, orange and yellow most of the time depending on what height in the colorband one is looking at.



The next pic is just a comparison of the original Philips bulb (4300k color temp) on the left and the GE bulb (8000k color temp) on the right. As you can see in the highlighted areas, Ive encircled what most refer to as the "globe" or "arc". This is the point in an HID bulb at where the light is actuallycreated and emitted from. If you look closely, you can see the salts that create distinct colors (also made byu the gas combinations). The one on the left has a white salt and makes the 4300k temp and then the GE with the reddish colored salt that make the 8000k. I must say that firstly I have never liked the cheesy look of blue colored HID lights but there's a BIG difference between name brandand off brand (aftermarket). Take a look for yourself....



First shot is outside the colorband. You can see the obvious difference in color and puts out a muchbeautiful haze. Again, the blue color in a quality projector as opposed to an aftermarket HID kit in a reflector housing is a NIGHT AND DAY difference.



And finally, the money shot. The colorband speaks for itself on this one...



Thanks for looking....

Vividsi

looks really good, was it hard to change out the D2S bulbs? I have some new 6K ones Id like to try in my RDX but the manual discourages that the owner change them due to electrical discharges.

Acura_Dude

Nice!!!

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

On the MDX, aside from the unusual angle in which your hand has to bend to replace the bulbs, its a fairly easy task. The "hardest" part is ensuring the bulb capsule (quartz portion) is not touched by your fingers or anything with an oily surface. As for danger of being shocked, just make sure that the headlamp switch is turned to the "OFF" position and not "AUTO" or "ON". If you're still unsure, disconnect the negative battery cable as well. And just to clarify the whole thing on HID ballast and people's fear in being seriously hurt or killed, I've been hit about 3 times by a live ballast and it feels exactly the same as being popped by a spark plug wire. It excites/surprises you more than it hurts. ;-)

arpz

I hope the 8k was just for the sake of taking pictures. I wouldn't go any lower than 6k for comfortable night driving, although 5k is probably the best if you don't like the yellow from a 4300k bulb.

Also I'd recommend looking at the new Osram CBI's. Puts out just as many lumens as the Philips bulb but temperature is around 5K so it looks bright white, not yellow.

http://blog.mercedes-benz-passion.co...-im-vergleich/

But still, looks good and nice to know somebody on the MDX corner likes HID's.

F23A4

That looks terrific.

MI6

Couldn't have said it better myself. I own a set of the CBI's and I have been extremely impressed. They are the perfect "white" combination...not too blue and not too yellow. Just perfect. And I never get high-beamed. I got my Osram's from Matt at The Retrofit Source. They are not cheap but you get what you pay for. His prices are very good compared to the dealership.

Insofar as installing them yourself I go a little further and take the whole headlight assembly off so that it is dangling by the heavy duty wire cable (what's that for anyway??). Having the entire headlight out makes for a very quick change of the bulb, but more importantly, you have unlimited room to work with what you are doing to ensure you have the bulb seated properly and that the spring-loaded tensioner that hold the bulb in place is in tight and snug. Even the moisture and element barriers (the round gray plastic covers) are much easier to put on. Those things can be a pain in and of themselves with the headlights on the vehicle.

All said, I can remove the front bumper/grill, pull out the headlights, change the bulbs, and put everything back together in less than an hour. That's not bragging, it's just an objective analysis to give you an idea of the time requirement. YMMV with experience.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

There's two ways of looking at a car. Customizing and performance. Both can be optimized but underneath them all, it all comes down to preference and opinion. I am aware that a lower kelvin color temperature will increase visibility. That's a fact that cannot be proven innacurate. HOWEVER, one's perception of being able to see adequately while decreasing luminosity (in sacrifice for color) is entirely dependent on the person. I can see perfectly with 8k bulbs in projectors and have no issues whatsoever. But put the same bulbs in a reflector housing and that last statement would become a lie.

This thread was intended for educational purposes but moreover, entertainment. I have been an HID enthusiast as well as a headlight retrofitter for going on 7 years now and my shop (Auto Electric Systems) is on TheRetrofitSource.com (TRS) website as a recommended installer. My point being is simple: "different strokes for different folks".

And to MI6, the heavy gauge cable that you see attached to the body of the ballast is for one purpose: short circuit protection. If in the event that the secondary (high-side) voltage becomes in direct contact with the metal casing of the ballast body, it would IMMMEDIATELY short the 12V power being supplied to the unit causing it blow the fuse. The gauge is so large because electricity takes the path of least resistance and if the path was to be chosen between your hand or the cable, the high voltage would be channeled towards the cable and not you. That, by the way, is the importance/significance of always ensuring there's a ground on any high voltage load...wether it be in your house or your car.

MI6

I can definitely respect that. I have a set of 6k Osram's that are pretty nice. I've thought of springing for a set of 8k's as I've always been curious as to what they would look like in person. Pictures are nice but I've never been able to extract much from them.

My 6k's from Matt at TRS are definitely blue, no two ways about it. I guess the 8k's are just a deeper blue, the Osram's that is? At which point do we hit the old-school "Audi effect," or is that entirely just due to their projectors with standard 4300k bulbs? If that is the case I wish I could retrofit some of those old Audi projectors...those things just look awesome. Different folks different strokes.

MI6

And for what it's worth I'm definitely a lighting enthusiast. I've spent a couple thousand dollars on several cars entirely on HID retrofitting and upgrading (not all from TRS but I've found they are by far and wide the best).

Since our bulbs are 35W is it possible to upgrade to a 55W? Or does that require a more robust ballast? If so looks like I'll be talking to Matt soon...

arpz

I too am a retrofitter and a HID enthusiast and I get people once in a while who want 8k bulbs for looks so I understand. To be honest I hate that yellow 4300k look which is why I run 5K at 50w and its bright white, no yellow or blue. But I agree, different strokes for different folks!

As long as HID's aren't used in reflectors its all good!

The audi effect, I'm sure you're talking about color flicker everytime the car hits bumps. That is based on optics, mostly lenses but projectors do play a part in it. The flicker can be achieved by using clear lenses and you can also mod the projector using washers. You can also go with higher kelvin bulbs like OP did which will change the color of the flicker, and make it more noticable.

Acura_Dude

I lol'd at this. The times I've been shocked it definitely surprised me.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

To arpz:

I LOVE the CBI and the Silverstars! As a matter fact, I bought like 10 sets from a guy on eBay when they first came out about what...2 years ago? I got such a great deal for a set that I couldn't help but to over indulge. :-) And to me, those bulbs not only put out the brightest, most intense light, but they also have one helluva colorband with good optics! I ran them on my wife's old 07 MDX (that have horrible optics btw) and had them on a true 70w ballast that were basically modified oem Bosch ballasts and then threw in some 100w Hella halogens for high beam. We live outside of city limits so running equipment like that was a necessity! But at 70w, colorband was almost nonexistent. At 35w in my modded FX35 bi projectors (03 TL retro) I had AMAZING color flicker and you would see the prism assortment from 100 yards back on any street sign or white surface. Loved them.

At Acura_Dude:

What's really funny is the last time I seen this happen to somebody else (my co-worker), he was installing a set of new HID bulbs in a Accord. While he was elbows deep in the fenders, I opened the drivers door to collect the vehicle info for the system and was unaware he had left the switch in the "AUTO" position and ZAP! I've never seen someone jump so high, so fast. Afterwards it was like he was on speed and had tons of energy. :-)

Acura_Dude

If it were me who was shocked, I'd probably take off running down the road.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Added some yellow tinted vinyl to fog lights yesterday...





I also plan on getting another money shot tonight when it's darker. :-)

arpz

Wow.. that's insane! I mean I know people boost ballasts but that plus 100w halogens?? Thats bright!

But yeah, 07 MDX projectors are horrible as you already know. They are so bad @ 35w I had to upgrade to 50W to get proper output from them. I then used the same 35w bulbs on a set of bix RX350's (washer + STI-R) for my other car and I had so much usable light plus amazing flicker. I don't know why I bought the 07 MDX projectors but thats what I currently have on my 06. I wanna redo my retro soon with a set of RX330 with a curved shield or S2K's.

btw, the yellow fogs look really good.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

I have a set of rx300's if you're interested in them. They are completely stock and untouched...I removed them straight out of the headlight assy's and then bubble wrapped them. They are low beam only and have output specs (distance/width) similar to that of an S2K. Throw on some TSX-R lenses and you're good....

And as for the 07 MDX projectors, its mainly their lenses that affect output as they are highly fresnel and shallow. I've never seen BUT have heard that simply swapping the lenses can give output similar to that of a TL Bi-X. Seeing that they had plenty of width and distance...could be true.

And lastly, that pic that I said I'd grab. I'm using an iPhone 4 (not 4s) and they have horrible night capabilities. The 4s is MUCH better at capturing the light better. But, this is what I got:

loveapple

Cool!!! I planning to install led drl and hid fog.
But yellow tinted fog look nice. I wanna install yellow viny on my fog instead of led drl and hid fog...
What part of texas you live?

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

I'm about 200 miles away from where you are. I'm in Plano which is about 10 minutes North of Dallas.

As for making the fog lights HID's I'd be cautious of that. This is because if the fog lights are left in the "ON" position and the headlamps in the "AUTO" when starting the vehicle, this can cause the ballast to receive a reduced voltage at bulb ignition. The problem with that is when voltage to the ballast is reduced during this phase of the HID process, the ballast must pull more amperage to complete the ignition. This of course causes more wear and tear on the components themselves and drastically reduces their service life. This generally isn't too much of an issue with OEM style ballast as they are designed with higher thresholds to handle this type of scenario. However we notice that almost all aftermarket headlamp ballast (including Morimoto) are prone to internal damage. This is also another very important reason why ballast need their primary power supplied directly from the battery itself to ensure minimal voltage drop.

We've learned that THE best thing you can do when retrofitting an HID system into any vehicle is to use OEM components when possible. And another thing, if the socket itself won't accept a D2S/R style bulb, please don't put an HID bulb in it! Reflector housing are just not capable of effectively/safely distributing the amount of light created by an HID bulb.

ntwillie1

Hey, I like this. Where did you get the vinyl? Did you make it ( the cutout) yourself or did you buy it form a guy like bat? Thanks. I have been wanting to do this for sometime now.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

instead of taking head on shots; take shots against a wall.

you'll be able to display the beautiful color you speak of.

boosteds2kay

absolutely LOVE hid's done right with retrofits.

Northof49

I like the look of the white light.

Definetly put these on my X when the time comes to replace them.

BlkTxAcuraTypeS

Looks real good yungone! You always do good work. I live in the dfw area as well,we should do a meet soon!

Mezzer

[quote=yungone501;14194985]I'm about 200 miles away from where you are. I'm in Plano which is about 10 minutes North of Dallas.

As for making the fog lights HID's I'd be cautious of that. This is because if the fog lights are left in the "ON" position and the headlamps in the "AUTO" when starting the vehicle, this can cause the ballast to receive a reduced voltage at bulb ignition. The problem with that is when voltage to the ballast is reduced during this phase of the HID process, the ballast must pull more amperage to complete the ignition. This of course causes more wear and tear on the components themselves and drastically reduces their service life. This generally isn't too much of an issue with OEM style ballast as they are designed with higher thresholds to handle this type of scenario. However we notice that almost all aftermarket headlamp ballast (including Morimoto) are prone to internal damage. This is also another very important reason why ballast need their primary power supplied directly from the battery itself to ensure minimal voltage drop.

We've learned that THE best thing you can do when retrofitting an HID system into any vehicle is to use OEM components when possible. And another thing, if the socket itself won't accept a D2S/R style bulb, please don't put an HID bulb in it! Reflector housing are just not capable of effectively/safely distributing the amount of light created by an HID bulb.[/quote]

So what you're saying is... don't install HID's in the fog housing (of a 2013 MDX) at all because a D2S/R bulb will not fit in the H11 socket. Am I understanding you correctly? Or, if you retrofit the fog light housing to fit a D2S/R, would be the way to go. But don't but an H11 HID kit and install.

XZero

Nice! I like white colour over yellowish, cool mod.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Great to see all you lovers of high performance lighting here at Azine!

I appreciate the compliment on the work. I'd love to do a meet someday soon here near Dallas. Not many Acura enthusiast around these parts but use to be quite a few.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Alot of people use h11 hid bulbs in their foglights and quite honestly, doing this will do two things. First, the output would be so intense that it overpowers the focal direction of the foglights reflector. This would obviously be counterproductive. Two, you would be blinding oncomers and piss everyone off. Look into something called Morimoto Matchbox projectors and consider installing these instead. You, and everyone else, will be glad you did.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Alot of people use h11 hid bulbs in their foglights and quite honestly, doing this will do two things. First, the output would be so intense that it overpowers the focal direction of the foglights reflector. This would obviously be counterproductive. Two, you would be blinding oncomers and piss everyone off. Look into something called Morimoto Matchbox projectors and consider installing these instead. You, and everyone else, will be glad you did.

Mezzer

Thanks yungone, that's what I thought you ment.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Need pics against a wall.

the camera cant pick up straight head on shots.

Update the thread with pretty pictures please!

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

I don't have any and if I can remember to do this in the midst of having a newborn, I'll oblige.

mrgold35

I updated my OEM HIDs with Osram Xenarc 66240 D2S CBI Bulbs. I now get a strange after glow above the main light cut off. It was there with the old HIDs (I never notice before); but, seems more pronounced with new HIDs. I can live with the glow as long as I'm not blinding anyone and the light output gets even better over time.

New HIDs a few hours after install. Arc on right side might be from my TSX chrome rims.


Old OEM bulbs, there is dimmer after glow above main light cut off:

csmeance

On the MDX's projector shield, there are 2 holes above the cutoff that let light leak out. One guy used JB weld to fill them in to have a better light output. It's there to help illuminate road signs and such that would fall under the range of the HID cutoff. The CBI's are much brighter and are probably causing the effect to be exaggerated.

The new bulbs look great