poohlikeshunny

I'm looking to swap out projectors on my SC300 and am looking around for projectors. I know s2k and TSX projectors are FTW, however, I do remember that for a limited time there were celicas with factory HIDs...anyone know about the quality with these or seen them on the roads? I have seen a few celica headlights for cheap at a local yard and wasn't sure if they used the same projectors for xenons as they do with halogens...if so, then 80 bucks for a pair!

poohlikeshunny

bump

mrdeeno

i dont think celicas were ever available with HIDs.
I know i've seen some celicas with HIDs but they were most likely aftermarket kits or aftermarket bulb kits in the stock projectors.

poohlikeshunny

i have an older car and driver with an ad for the celica GTS with factory xenons...so I now they exist out there. Although most of the ones I see on the road do not have the full package...I have seen one at school owned by an older woman and she did not mod anything at all. I asked her after class to be sure...so they are definitely out there, I just wish I took better notice of the light quality..

mrdeeno

why not just go with a full aftermarket HID projector kit rather than try to retrofit existing stuff?

If the celica was available with HIDs, it's probably very rare and probably much more difficult to find one at a junkyard...unless you want to use non-HID celica projectors with an aftermarket HID setup...but in that case you might as well get a full kit.

poohlikeshunny

well...i have an SC300 with some old yellow headlights and have been hearing that since they were meant for halogens, the OEM projectors would not have optimum clarity...which is why I am looking around for better options. I have an aftermarket kit already, just need projectors. I figured I'd ask around as a local junkyard has some projectors from a celica for sale for 80 bucks. So if the celica uses the same projector for the xenon setup as it does for halogen, and the clarity is good, then this price is too good to pass up!

daemonicus

not quite sure why's there's no reserve, but you might try bidding on these since they're lexus/toyota headlights.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-9...QQcmdZViewItem

once you get them you could remove the projectors and retro them into your headlights. everything JDM i've bought has been good quality so i wouldn't worry about that.

poohlikeshunny

they look real clean actually...are they the same as the SC? I already have projectors, but if i am not mistaken, that gen ES300 did not have xenons, right? When ppl talk about clarity of the projectors, what is the diff? Would I get that much more light output with a tsx projector over a stock sc projector?

daemonicus

i've driven an SC like yours with projectors and i've gotta say that any projector would be better than those. they're not horrible but they're not great either so a TSX projector would definitely be an improvement over stock. my dad's '06 lexus ES has halogen projectors and their light output/distribution looks pretty much the same as my mom's HID projectors. people always make a fuss about using HID with halogen projectors but IMO, even though it's not exactly proper, for the average driver at night, it's perfect.

that being said, i honestly wouldn't spend time looking for HID projectors if you could find a TSX's halogen projectors, unless you're a real nitpick about those things.

poohlikeshunny

DONE!!! You answered my questions pretty well there..lol...I guess I'm gonna keep hunting for some TSX ones. And yes you're right, the SC projectors are not impressive at all.

daemonicus

well just remember, the projectors in your SC are 8 years old, that's a long time for technology to advance and to create better projectors. hope you find what you're looking for and glad i could help

poohlikeshunny

hahaha..yeah...i keep forgetting how old they are...99 seems like not too long ago...reps for you!!

JnC

iTrader: (12)

The lens found in the halogen celica projectors is the same as the ones in S2000 projectors, its clear. In the case of HID equipped ceilca the projector is almost the same as the S2000 projector but it has a foggy lens, its more comparable to the SC430 projector. What most people do is that they swap the foggy lens for a clear one to get almost S2k identical output.

Here is a post by a fellow member at HIDplanet comparing the different projectors available.


And here is another post comparing the HID celica projector to the TSX. Your best bet is to go with TSX or S2ks, celicas and SC430 projectors are hard to find and on top of that even if you do you would have to look for a pair of clear lenses such as from an E30, a nissan 300ZX, valeo low beam or TSX.

poohlikeshunny

Wow...the TSX really does seem to have the best intensity and color...awesome find jnc!!! Didn't know about foggy vs. clear lens...rep points for you!