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HID cutoff not as good as I thought?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by F8L, Apr 24, 2012.

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  1. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    For the hell of it I decided to install an HID kit in the GenIII. From all of the pictures I have seen, the cutoff looked pretty decent. It didnt appear to bow much and the cutoff was adequate given the Prius projectors don't have a clear lens.

    I got the kit installed in a few minutes then waited for night to fall before taking it around the block to check out the pattern. I am not happy. :(

    The projectors throw light all over the place and not in a good way. The cutoff is nice and clean right in front of the car but off to either side the beams bend upwards which could potentially blind oncoming traffic. The beams pattern is less focused and much dimmer off to the sides so it may not be such a bad thing but I cannot be sure. The light output is ok for a plug and play kit in a weak projector and I am happy enough with it. It's the bending beam that bugs me.

    I poured through output pictures posted by other members and I noticed all of them are taken at a short distance from a wall/door. None of them were taken at more than 25' away. I noticed two of the pictures show the beam starting the bend up but then the picture ends so I cannot tell of all Prii do this or if I just have two bad bulbs. For the record I am using cheap Chinese bulbs right now as part of a test but I didn't expect this.

    Would anyone else mind taking a few wall shots from a good distance so I can compare beam/ cutoff patterns?

    Thanks,

    My first pic is of my GenIII with a plug and play kit. Pic was taken with cell phone because my camera hates night shots and the rest came out blurry.

    The second pic is of my FX-R retrofit in my GenII for reference on a decent cutoff.
     

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    #1 F8L, Apr 24, 2012
  2. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    And a pic of the cutoff on my first retro with Morimoto Mini D2S.

    [​IMG]
     
    #2 F8L, Apr 24, 2012
  3. sfv41901

    sfv41901 Masta S

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    The bowing might be due to how the OEM cutoff has a 2nd step towards the outside. Not much can be done without a proper retro. Something I'm already looking into.
     
    #3 sfv41901, Apr 24, 2012
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I have a feeling you are right. This is sortof disappointing if that is the case. Let me know what you figure out for a retro. My Mini H1s were much better than this and you know how they feel about Minis. LOL
     
    #4 F8L, Apr 24, 2012
  5. flareak

    flareak Fleet Captain

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    good 'ol toyota :p pretty disappointing that the projectors would perform that way.
     
    #5 flareak, Apr 24, 2012
  6. wotcher

    wotcher Member

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    were these the results of the h11 morimoto kit? im still deciding to buy the morimoto or the xtreme.
     
    #6 wotcher, Apr 24, 2012
  7. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Nah. I'm testing bottom of the barrel DDM stuff right now then I was going to swap to Morimoto or Xenon Depot bulbs when I can afford it. I want to document the differences to help future buyers. :)
     
    #7 F8L, Apr 24, 2012
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  8. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    I feel like the output is better with the Morimoto bulbs vs DDM, but it might just be what I was hoping to happen when I swapped bulbs and therefore it did happen. I'll see what I can do as far as a further away shot somewhere.
     
    #8 wick1ert, Apr 24, 2012
  9. schorert

    schorert Member

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    The person who invented aftermarket HID kits should be beaten to death after having his eyes burned out with HID bulbs.
    All winter long I drive to and from ice rinks, after dark. And all winter long I am followed up and down the highway by a-holes who have installed aftermarket HID kits. I'd say 1/3rd of the HID lamps on the highway are aftermarket kits, installed in housings that were NOT designed for HID bulbs. I can pick out an aftermarket HID kit from half a mile.
    Some are white, some are blue, some are purple, but all throw excessive light equal to or worse than factory high beams. Since they'll never stop selling them, I wish MA state police would start ticketing for them...
     
    #9 schorert, Apr 24, 2012
  10. sfv41901

    sfv41901 Masta S

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    So this morning as I was leaving I paid extra attention to the cutoff (i still have the halogen bulb) & could see how the cutoff bows so this isn't a bulb issue. It's a design issue.
     
    #10 sfv41901, Apr 24, 2012
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  11. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Did they revise the headlights at all for 2012? I know they did for LED headlights but did they also do the lower trims? Can someone with both 2010/11 and 2012 inspect very closely to make sure the innards are the same?
     
    #11 32kcolors, Apr 24, 2012
  12. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Great, thanks for your opinion now go back to your corner.
     
    #12 F8L, Apr 24, 2012
  13. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Thanks. I was hoping that wasn't the case. :( I'm interested to see what you come up with a retrofit. It would be very nice if something like the FX-R or the RX330/350 dropped right in.

    I'm not really sure what to look for really. I'm deathly afraid of taking anything apart on my new car. LOL
     
    #13 F8L, Apr 24, 2012
  14. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    I looked on ebay for some "junkyard" headlights to see how they were made and if it'd be an easy breakdown, etc. They wanted at least $100 each! It'd be nice to have one sitting there so that you could work with it on your own time and not worry about getting lost or side tracked and the next thing you know, you're trying to re-assemble the car at 2am. I'm just not willing to pay that much for something that has been injured.
     
    #14 wick1ert, Apr 24, 2012
  15. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I hear you, bro. That's just too much cash to play around with.

    I would think that the OE projector could probably be played with to reduce the bowing by bending the shield or cutting a new one. I'm just not interested in baking a brand new headlight, neither is my girlfriend! :eek:
     
    #15 F8L, Apr 24, 2012
  16. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Hopefully goodtimes can chime in on this and get a picture from 25 ft. with his
    Was debating about this too. Already got a quote for it with the mini D2S. Retrofiter told me that he will know if the FX-R series will fit once he opens it up. I'll have to have a week with my pri in the garage from removal to reinstalling back the headlights. :(
     
    #16 ImeanGreen, Apr 24, 2012
  17. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    If you have a choice I would suggest the MH1 over the Mini D2S. I had both and the MH1 was MUCH MUCH better. I ran the MH1 with the Morimoto XB35 bulb and was very happy with it. It was almost as good as the FX-R except not nearly as wide. :)

    Please keep us posted on what you decide to do and post prices if you are allowed to. :)
     
    #17 F8L, Apr 24, 2012
  18. sfv41901

    sfv41901 Masta S

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    I was thinking along the lines of a AP1 S2K projector since there is a separate high beam or the FX-R.......I just won't know until I can get a busted 1 to play with & see what can fit. It should be easier than the gen2 since the gen3 already has a projector.
    As far as tweaking the OEM projector......it's not even worth the trouble since uve already opened the headlight, u might as well do a full retro.
     
    #18 sfv41901, Apr 24, 2012
  19. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I agree it is not worth the trouble unless it was easy to remove and a retro is a PITA. LOL

    The S2K is nice but many they are expensive!
     
    #19 F8L, Apr 24, 2012
  20. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    I found a Left side one, new on ebay for $121. I ordered it, and with my bowling league finishing up this weekend, I should be able to mess with it in a couple weeks. I've just been too busy with other projects lately to keep up with everything else I've wanted to get done.
     
    #20 wick1ert, Apr 24, 2012
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