I was wondering that that frosted piece of plastic does in front. In 01+ TLs, the headlight assembly is open, like the Accords. Does it somehow help focus the beam pattern?

 

Yes, that frosted piece is called the diffuser. It helps spread the HID lights out evenly. Some members have taken off the diffuser but the light output was everywhere and there were no beam pattern anywhere so they put it back on. Word of advice, DO NOT take the diffuser out!

BTW, 99-01 TLs have the diffuser. Only the 02+ have the clear lens.

 

Yep!!

That was me...... I was going to take the diffusser out but everyone was like .

 

Out of curiosity, if I were to stick the diffuser into my Accord, do you think that would focus my beam pattern?

 

I don't think so...

 

With an open headlight assembly, instead of the diffuser focusing the beam pattern, the chrome thing in the back that looks like a bunch of rectangles do the focusing.

So my question is, why would you want to put a diffuser in your accord?

 

I did take it out, please don't do it, you will need to put it back.

 

People always trying to do different things on their cars.

 

I have HIDs in my Accord, and I hate the beam pattern. I was looking to do a projector retrofit but that's over > $700. I can get a set of TL headlights pretty cheap, it would be much more economical than a headlight retrofit if the beam diffuser did the same job.

 

I am still confused! Let me get this straight, the regular accord lights have the beam pattern already focused but if you change it and put in HIDs the beam pattern would get out of focus?!!

 

The guys is talking about after he put the HID's on, he didn't like the beam pattern from the reflectors on the back of the headlights, and he wanted to put projector style headlights on. Bottomline superdx, you've already accomplished your headlight upgrade, just leave it alone before you mess it all up.

 

Thanks!

 

Err... putting HIDs into my Accord is accomplishing the headlight upgrade? I'm really picky about some things and the beam pattern just gets on my nerves. There's light spillover and the glare is too much. The diffuser would help solve that - if it worked.

I drive my mom's TL a lot and I just love the way the cutoff is so sharp, and that the light on the ground is even, totally opposite of what's on my Accord.

Anyhow, I wonder if someone can answer my question of whether or not the diffuser will help the beam pattern?

EDIT: I don't have the projector upgrade if that's the impression I gave.

Thanks!

 

Ok, I'm going to try to understand this a little better. You want to put a diffuser on your stock Accord headlights where there are beam pattern reflectors on the back already? If so, I don't know because I've never seen anyone doing something like that.

Something I thought about when you mentioned projectors. Can't you just get a set of those projector headlights and put the HID's on them? That would pretty much solve your beam pattern problem right? Oh, if you get projectors, you will need D2S HID bulbs.

Hope I made some sense in this.

 

Yeah, just buy the projectors for like 300 bucs from acp, like i said in my pm they come in all styles and colors and stuff and they look awesome. It will cost yyou more money, time and trouble to get that difuser to fit than it will be worth. Plus it will probably have to be reshaped a little and it may not work at all. Also you will kill the crystal look of your headlights. I think you should just get the projectors. And since you have the HIds with the 9006 adapter, it will fit perfectly, but for perfection, i reccomend you get a pair of HiDS for projector, i forget the size but the one without the little anti glare thing.

 

That's the problem, projectors would be very expensive to obtain and install. You can't just buy any kind of projector, say ones off an Integra. You have to get ones designed for HIDs, from Audi's, Bimmers, S2000s etc. As a result they aren't cheap. Plus I don't have the technical know-how to dremel out a whole in my headlight housings and somehow jam a projector in there, while all the time ensuring that it's rock solid and water-tight. That's the whole point of this exercise, to save on money

The reason I think the diffuser will work is because the same thing is on the Euro Accord Type-R.



If you look carefully, you can see that it also has a diffuser as well! And it looks identical to the one on the TL! AND it has HIDs!

That's why I think it'll work on my Accord.

 

I've tried that already.

Please keep in mind that Euro Accord HID H/L will not fit on neither TL nor US ACCORD.

 

for the 98+ accords the best thing to do would be to get an ellipsoid headlight upgrade plus the HID's, The diffuser on the headlights focuses the pattern and IMO makes it look alot better. Look at all the Merc's their diffuser is so intricate the headlights look really good. With HID its either Diffuser or Ellipsoid, the free form headlights in the 02+ TL's IMO dont look right...

 

Dude, I think we're trying to explain to you that the diffuser WILL NOT WORK on your current headlights. Your totally misunderstood the entire concept. If you crack open that Accord Euro-R headlights, you will see that the reflector on the back is like a mirror, no cut offs or anything, just like them 1970 sealed beams. Your current headlights are like opposite, meaning you don't need to have a diffuser because the beam patterns are bounced off the back part of the headlights where the diamond pattern reflectors are for. I didn't tell you to get a set of Integra, BMW or Audi headlights to put on your car because I know it won't fit. What I told you to get is this click here

As for the diffusers, cars these days are not going that route anymore because the diamond pattern reflectors are brighter and has a better cut off. If your still convinced that they will work, then go get a set of them from the junkyard or whatever and try it.

BTW, who's Euro-R is that? It has a big fat scratch on the corner bumper.

 

For some reason, 6000k HIDs look bluer and brighter on my 99 TL with the diffuser than the clear lights of the 02 TL-S with 6000k.:p

 

Those projectors are hideous. People have bought them before, hoping that they would work well with HIDs. They do not. The halogen bulbs give minimal output and the HID pattern is just blah.

I did go to a junkyard today and found a set for a pretty cheap price Going to pry them apart tomorrow and take out the diffuser.

 

Ah, got them apart. I left it in the oven a bit too long though, heehee AH well... I got the diffuser...




I went out and put the diffuser right up to my headlights and it really wasn't anything to look at, but I could see the pattern focusing - at least more than it was before. I moved it in and out and saw that yes - indeed it was focusing! Tomorrow I will take out my headlights, and put the diffuser right up to the assembly and see what happens then.

Crossing my fingers! Wish me luck...

 

Yeah, good luck man. Get some before and after pics up if you can.

 

Finally got it done To those that said it wouldn't work... well you were wrong

It's turned out quite nice. My digital camera is not good with these night time shots so these don't look sharp and not representative at ALL of the beam pattern.

The first couple shots are the "before" pics taken by my friend's camera and are much sharper.

Anyhow here are the images!

http://dxpc.com/img/tl_hid_retrofit/

 

They looked really nice, but I can't really tell the differences. Are they sharper than before or pretty much the same?

 

hey he proved everyone wrong.

 

Which part? He wanted to improve the beam pattern, but I really can't tell the difference from the before and after pictures. Maybe I'm just getting old and my eyes are fvckin' up, but I really can't tell.

 

Yeah I know it's not really noticeable. As I said, my digital camera sucks. It's over brightening the beam pattern and it makes it seem more spread and 'unsharp' than it really is. I'll get my friend to take some better pics tonight.

 

The improvement is not drastic, as one might get from a true projector HID retrofit, but a far cry from what it was before. Which is what I was aiming for. The glare is definitely less - I can look into my headlights without seeing spots, and the beam pattern on the ground is more distributed and smooth - whereas before, hotspots galore.

 

i dislike how dim my 2000 HID's are.

the 2003 lights provide a much better beam.

i can outdrive my headlights on a good road and that's a bad thing.

 

does anyone have pictures of the headlight w/o the diffuser

 

Headlights without the diffusers on '99-'01 TLs? I guess they would look like Accords right?