ok so i have spent the morning looking at diy's for doing my headlights. i found a few good ones. but i cant find one that goes into detail on how to do the zkw-r swap. i got mine in the mail a couple days ago from that retrofit website for 40 bucks. i plan on doing those and blacking out my headlights, and either putting niteshades on the amber lens or removing it. so can anyone give me advice on the lens swap? and also if i dont want to do switchbacks what bulbs would someone recommend for turn signals? i think i'd rather just stick with a bulb that doesnt need a bigger hole and all that extra. i think i would want it to light up amber. sorry if this has been answered but like i said ive been searching for an hour or so. thanks guys

 

well i guess i was looking at older post for the switchbacks, i saw some new ones saying the version 2 are a direct fit. so i just ordered a pair from vleds with resistors for 49 bucks with shipping including a 15% code (nolimit) but i still need to know some info on installing zkw-r

 

What exactly do you need to know about the ZKW-r's?
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?36049-How-to-Install-ZKW-R-Clear-Lens-on-TL-Bi-xenon-Projector
If you have any questions after that thread, post up and we can help

 

That link is great. Thx a lot

 

Sorry to bump this thread but I have a question about this ZKW-r lenses.

In the HID Planet link they don't mention anything about having to make a spacer for the lens. Is this because they are ZKW-r so it's no necessary? Because I read a thread where someone was using ZKW original ones from a BMW and they had to make a spacer for it.

 

From what Matt has told me, these should not require spacers because they are made with a larger lip on them. The authentic ZKW's do require them because the lip is thinner. You should only really need to do a very slight shield adjustment to get good results.

 

Thanks. I will try and see what happens

 

These pics may help as well.

OEM vs ZKW-r vs ZKW




ZKW-r vs ZKW


OEM vs ZKW-r

 

oh I see now. Yea I have had those ZKW-r lenses for over a year now and it's time I do something with them.

 

when i was putting back my zkw-r lens, it was very tough getting the holder to lock back in place because of the thickness of the zkw-r. just something to keep in mind when you do your lens.

and definitely push the cutoff shield for the best cutoff, it makes a BIG difference.

 

i love my zkw-r the cutoff is sharp but i wish i had more color...

 

You could always adjust your shield to have as much color as you want. You don't necessarily need to have a razor sharp cut off. Some people like color over sharpness or Sharpness over color. Just make sure you do all your testing from a good long distance. If you do close testing, you will probably loose the color in the distance. Bending the shield to much may also lead to an arc in the cut off shield, so watch for that in the testing process.

 

Correct. The ZKW-r's are a relatively simple drop in. The lens is plano-convex and it has the same focal point as the OEM fresnel lens. The genuine ZKW is also plano-convex but there is a disparity in the depth of the lens, as shown above. Spacing is required to sharply produce an image (real, not virtual ). The following shows a series of photos with spacing. The first photo is a genuine ZKW lens without any spacing (drop in); the second photo is with one spacer and the last photo is with two. Keep in mind I decided to have the cut off sharpest at a distance greater than the traditional 25ft since it would only seem sharp at buildings/vehicles that close. This was at approximately 50 ft.

As you can see I did not need to do any work to the cut-off shield as the color and clarity was on point.

This is WITHOUT the color mod.

I can't WAIT to drop in the 5000K CBI 3400 lumen Phillips.

 

^Hey look like my lens.

 

^ you mean soon to be mine lol

 

so it's just a straight drop in for the ZKW-r and then I would have to play with the shield to get the best cutoff and a distance I want. Have never seen the shield or how this looks or how to bend it to I am gonna be taking my time with this, don't wanna mess anything up.

And B you said that the traditional way is 25ft? Is that because of what it says in the manual when you are adjusting the headlights? Or is that just something you guys who do this often use as a reference?

 

Cut Off shield






foreground limiter


When testing your lenses make sure it's from a good distance out 50 ft plus is usually good. When I test these, I usually hold the lens over the projector and push on the soleniod on the bottom of the projector, that will move the cut off forewar. Move that little by little till you get your desired cut off and that should tell you how far you need to bend your shield foreward.

The manual says to have your vehicle 25' from a wall so I'm assuming we all just use it also as a reference, but generally the further away for clear lens testing the better.

 

well ill finally be doing all this tomorrow, wish me luck

 

do NOT do your projector aiming at 25 feet. thats what i did and its not good for a good cutoff. do it with AT LEAST 50 feet. trust me, i know from experience

 

let us/me know how it goes and what to look out for. I am gonna do this on Saturday I am 99% sure. I am kind of pumped to do it

 

sorry i took so long to post back but it took quite a while to do this wednesday, 5-6 hours with a lunch break. it was quite a job, and had a couple snags, but they turned out pretty good. I had to epoxy the chrome trim back on when i took the amber out and should have cut off the tabs completely instead of just leaving the nubs on there because you can see it a little bit. and i had a hell of a time getting the headlights back together right even when i heated them back up in the oven. overall i like how they turned out, i havent put the resistors on yet, didnt really understand how to do it since there are three wires coming into the turn signal harness? red white and black i believe. anyways heres some pics, i cleared them, flat black with coat of clear on bezels, yellow fog bulbs, and switchback version 2's .

 

oh and i did the zkw-r swap, and they look amazing. and wont be doin anymore mods anytime soon. had my back surgery yesterday and was in surgery for 5.5 hours. had a disc removed and rods and pins put in. so im down for a while

 

That looks great. And you had back surgery yesterday and today you are on forums? You're a trooper haha

 

ya im layiin in my hospital bed, my dad bought me a laptop bed thingy. it props it over your lap and has a light and fan and stuff. and im on all kinds of good meds so im aite lol

 

Haha yeah

 

Instead of using load resistors why not do the resistor relay mod? It looks so much cleaner, easier, and less likely of failure. Many people have done it, the thread is here in the 3g tl section

 

Well done! Nice job, man...


2011 National AcuraZine Meet-Kansas City-June 12, 2011-Details Here!


.

 

i think i am going to try doing that. im not too worried about it since i wont be driving my car for at least a month or so.

 

Do you have to pull the entire projector out of the headlight housing to access the cutoff shield?

 

No i didn't

 

^+1 projector cutoff shield is right there in front after you remove the lens