[shashank.nk]

Your thread couldn't have come at a better time! I've been researching for over a year and trying to find someone to bring me a HID kit from US without much success, looks like I might just get one sometime soon. Your setup looks neat, though i'd have liked it if they used a dremel to cut the reflector. The flexible DRL's are superb, and I think they double-up as indicators too.

I was also planning a DIY like how member Topspeeder had done on his Vento but may be Satya is a safer bet. Do post your impressions after a few highway drives. I've read elsewhere that the high beam reach isn't as good as one expects. Hope they've fixed it now.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by Sommos

Firstly please don't embarrass me by calling "Sir", we all are on the same platform.

Not really! For a student like me who is still learning, respect to gurus like you is obvious. Honestly, no pun intended. But if you insist, let me not refer you as sir

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Your thread couldn't have come at a better time! I've been researching for over a year and trying to find someone to bring me a HID kit from US without much success, looks like I might just get one sometime soon. Your setup looks neat, though i'd have liked it if they used a dremel to cut the reflector. The flexible DRL's are superb, and I think they double-up as indicators too.

I was also planning a DIY like how member Topspeeder had done on his Vento but may be Satya is a safer bet. Do post your impressions after a few highway drives. I've read elsewhere that the high beam reach isn't as good as one expects. Hope they've fixed it now.

Thank you. You can still get the kit imported and have it fitted by someone with semi DIY type if you may. But since the eyes are such a delicate part, anything that goes wrong while popping open the cover or cutting the reflectors or any of such things, chances are high that something can go wrong. As a matter of fact, when we do one off DIY like this, we are either unaware of all delicate setups or are less informed about what to do in case things go wrong. I am in particular scared of wiring being done wrong as it may lead to catastrophe. And hence always recommend to have someone like Satya help you to have that peace of mind.

Look at this pic below - one one of the eye while removing the top cover, a piece came out. Had to be fixed immediately back with feviquick. This is very rare with professional setup but they also know how to ensure these things won't affect the quality and longevity of the mod.



Definitely, the accessories like dremel cutter would have helped for reflectors but let me tell you, it wasn't really the issue for our surgeon. I was literally watching him for every minute details and as far as i can understand, he hasn't done anything that makes me raise my eyebrows.

About highway drive, I did one on sunday. Went on hosur road upto Krishnagiri for dinner and had observed the beam pattern, high beam and spread. It was awesome. Maybe because I have used projector lens on any of my cars first time and the jump from regular lights to these is big to notice those differences. As far as I feel, the lights are superb on highways as well as city if used leveling device appropriately.

Unfortunately I forgot to capture the photos of that light spread and should do this soon over the coming weekend

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Not really! For a student like me who is still learning, respect to gurus like you is obvious. Honestly, no pun intended. But if you insist, let me not refer you as sir

I'm not a guru by any means.
To tell the truth I'm also learning from this forum just like you.

[rbp]

Originally Posted by Sommos

Avinash, I beg to disagree with this opinion (in bold). The Mini does its job perfectly and I hope you are not talking about the cheap Chinese ones. However, the FXR being larger gives a wider spread, no doubt.

I had the Mini D2S installed in my i20 by Satya, later on got rid of it and went for FXR 3.0, beam quality, intensity wise, there is absolutely no comparision, the FXR is way way better. The same morrimotto bulbs that felt useless previously in Mini D2S, performed way better in the FXR. The FXR projector is almost 90% sealed, where as the mini isn't.

I have heard that the Mini D2S 6.0 perform better than the Mini D2s 5.0 [I had in my car previously].

@Abirnale :- There is no stage 3 or stage 4 FXR projectors, they both are the same, there are two different types of kits, stage 3 kit and stage 4 kit, the stage 3 kit uses FXR projector and Morrimotto bulbs and ballast, where as the Stage 4 kit uses the same FXR projector and OEM bulbs [Philips bulb] and Ballast [Denso or Matshuita].

Any one who wants to go for the projectors, I would personally advice to go for the Stage 4 KIT.

Stage 3 Kit link http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...e-iii-kit.html

Stage 4 Kit link
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...l#.Uz07bfk9h8E

[abirnale]

Yes @rbp. What we did use is stage 4kit. But i am not sure of bulbs in them. Got to find out. As a habit, sadly, I continue to say stage 4 projectors. My bad :(

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Thank you. You can still get the kit imported and have it fitted by someone with semi DIY type if you may. But since the eyes are such a delicate part, anything that goes wrong while popping open the cover or cutting the reflectors or any of such things, chances are high that something can go wrong. As a matter of fact, when we do one off DIY like this, we are either unaware of all delicate setups or are less informed about what to do in case things go wrong. I am in particular scared of wiring being done wrong as it may lead to catastrophe. And hence always recommend to have someone like Satya help you to have that peace of mind.

You are very right. Since we lack the experience with such DIY's the chances of screwing up are quite high. I'm on the lookout for a Swift HL assembly from the scrap market. If I can get my hands on it then it will be a proper DIY. If not I'll get in touch with Satya.

Look at this pic below - one one of the eye while removing the top cover, a piece came out.

I always thought prying open the cover was the easiest part! Didn't know things could go wrong there too.

About highway drive, I did one on sunday. Went on hosur road upto Krishnagiri for dinner and had observed the beam pattern, high beam and spread. It was awesome. Maybe because I have used projector lens on any of my cars first time and the jump from regular lights to these is big to notice those differences. As far as I feel, the lights are superb on highways as well as city if used leveling device appropriately.

Unfortunately I forgot to capture the photos of that light spread and should do this soon over the coming weekend

It would be very helpful if you can post impressions after driving through single lane roads too. The Xtreme vision/NB+ etc do well on 4 laned roads. Where they suffer is on these single lane highways. I'm not sure what improvement I can expect with HID's in these scenarios.

Originally Posted by rbp

I had the Mini D2S installed in my i20 by Satya, later on got rid of it and went for FXR 3.0, beam quality, intensity wise, there is absolutely no comparision, the FXR is way way better. The same morrimotto bulbs that felt useless previously in Mini D2S, performed way better in the FXR. The FXR projector is almost 90% sealed, where as the mini isn't.

I have heard that the Mini D2S 6.0 perform better than the Mini D2s 5.0 [I had in my car previously].

@Abirnale :- There is no stage 3 or stage 4 FXR projectors, they both are the same, there are two different types of kits, stage 3 kit and stage 4 kit, the stage 3 kit uses FXR projector and Morrimotto bulbs and ballast, where as the Stage 4 kit uses the same FXR projector and OEM bulbs [Philips bulb] and Ballast [Denso or Matshuita].

Any one who wants to go for the projectors, I would personally advice to go for the Stage 4 KIT.

Did you buy the kit from US and get it installed locally ? If so,could you please PM me the installation cost.

Also, with stage 4 kit, aren't the Denso and Matshuita ballasts OEM one's which aren't waterproof and hence not suitable for retrofits ? This is why I decided on the Morimoto ballast.

[rbp]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

You are very right. Since we lack the experience with such DIY's the chances of screwing up are quite high. I'm on the lookout for a Swift HL assembly from the scrap market. If I can get my hands on it then it will be a proper DIY. If not I'll get in touch with Satya.



I always thought prying open the cover was the easiest part! Didn't know things could go wrong there too.



It would be very helpful if you can post impressions after driving through single lane roads too. The Xtreme vision/NB+ etc do well on 4 laned roads. Where they suffer is on these single lane highways. I'm not sure what improvement I can expect with HID's in these scenarios.



Did you buy the kit from US and get it installed locally ? If so,could you please PM me the installation cost.

Also, with stage 4 kit, aren't the Denso and Matshuita ballasts OEM one's which aren't waterproof and hence not suitable for retrofits ? This is why I decided on the Morimoto ballast.

I bought it directly from theretrofitsource.com, they shipped it directly to my address in BLR. Yes the Denso and Marshuita are not waterproof, but checkout some youtube videos of Morrimotto ballast vs Denso or Matushita ballast. The OEM's gain full intensity almost instantaneously whereas the morrimotto takes a good close to 10 secs. I believe the intensity of the bulb light will also be better with the OEM ballast, we just have to make sure that, it is mounted at such a place where water will not reach it.

If you are planning for projectors, please please get an OEM bulb only, the local, chinese, including morrimotto's are no match to the OEM ones.

Get this if money is a constraint.

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...ulb-48708.html

If money is not a contraint, these are the ones to get, these are the ones that go into the premium GERMAN cars.
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...htbreaker.html
or
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...l#.Uz2Wq_mSyJo

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by rbp

I bought it directly from theretrofitsource.com, they shipped it directly to my address in BLR. Yes the Denso and Marshuita are not waterproof, but checkout some Youtube videos of Morrimotto ballast vs Denso or Matushita ballast. The OEM's gain full intensity almost instantaneously whereas the morrimotto takes a good close to 10 secs. I believe the intensity of the bulb light will also be better with the OEM ballast, we just have to make sure that, it is mounted at such a place where water will not reach it.

If you are planning for projectors, please please get an OEM bulb only, the local, chinese, including morrimotto's are no match to the OEM ones.

I saw a few videos on OEM ballasts and wanted to get them,but later happened to read that unless the ballast is potted its quite risky as its susceptible to water damage which is when I decided to compromise with Morimoto.

OEM one's though are best in terms of reliability and performance,let me see if I can convince TRS to waterproof my ballasts.

Are you running Stage iv kit on your car ? How do they perform under various conditions on our roads ?

[rbp]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

I saw a few videos on OEM ballasts and wanted to get them,but later happened to read that unless the ballast is potted its quite risky as its susceptible to water damage which is when I decided to compromise with Morimoto.

OEM one's though are best in terms of reliability and performance,let me see if I can convince TRS to waterproof my ballasts.

Are you running Stage iv kit on your car ? How do they perform under various conditions on our roads ?

No I use stage 3 kit, morrimotto ballast and bulbs.
In rains nothing beats an halogen

[abirnale]

So over the weekend we went to Kolar CCD for a quick drive and hang in with Diesel_Convert and KiloAlpha who brought their Rapid with stock lights and Figo with LightForce setup respectively. Just before leaving from coffee junction, we did a quick line up of the cars on road side and compared the light throw, spread as well as general feel.

So here are the pics -

All Parking lights (& DRLs on mine) on -



Then we checked the light throw from front - one by one for all three cars.

Rapid with its stock lights -


SX4 with its FXR setup -


And Figo with LightForce setup -


And I must tell you that, lightforce and FXRs are pretty much comparable! Although they are kind of glaring to eye for oncoming vehicle, the light is amazing for driver. You can see the pic from front below of the Figo's LightForce setup here -



I must mention that all these pictures were captured by phone camera so dont really match my narration about the feeling of light. But what we observed was that, FXRs are great and LightForce is comparable, too. Surprisingly, the Rapid stock setup is great compared to what I had as stock setup on my SX4

I also noticed that the cleanliness of windshield and headlights have very important role on the light we see on road. My windshield was dusty and i had trouble appreciating the FXR light until I cleaned it well. Also the headlights more cleaner they are, better the light spread and sharper on the road. That is actually not as much a problem for lightforce as for projectors.

So I imagine, during rain it will be almost ineffective to use my FXR than something like lightforce Now I actually understand how important is to have washers along with projectors!

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by abirnale

I must mention that all these pictures were captured by phone camera so dont really match my narration about the feeling of light. But what we observed was that, FXRs are great and LightForce is comparable, too. Surprisingly, the Rapid stock setup is great compared to what I had as stock setup on my SX4

I also noticed that the cleanliness of windshield and headlights have very important role on the light we see on road. My windshield was dusty and i had trouble appreciating the FXR light until I cleaned it well. Also the headlights more cleaner they are, better the light spread and sharper on the road. That is actually not as much a problem for lightforce as for projectors.

Is it the camera playing tricks or does the beam have a bluish tinge when on-road ? I'm surprised at how good the lightforce is. The intensity seems to be better than with HID's and will probably be the better one in rains. Never knew aux lights are this good.

Did dirty headlights make such a huge difference to the light on road ?

[abirnale]

Shashank, yes, I think thats camera thingie. There is no blue tint in the light. Its pure white.

Me too was surprised with LightForce setup especially when the cost is about 28K INR.

The dirty windshield and headlight covers makes noticeable difference. The dust is ok but muck/ thick layer of rain dirt is big deal on any light. The projectors throw a sharp light beam and if anything comes in a way to deflect that beam, you see the impact immediately.

With the dusty and dirty windshield, its not the light that actually is bad. But due to oncoming vehicle lights getting refracted on the screen, you feel blinded and your own car lights won't do much. So in order to get the best output, I must have perfectly clear windshield and near clear headlights.

My take on this topic is actually neutral. Both the lights are comparable. The only advantage I see with projectors is ergonomics and DRLs I fitted with it. my main intention was to put projectors and DRLs are last minute thing. But it looks like I am loving the DRLs more than actual lights. They sure draw attention, especially when there isn't too bright head-on sunlight

When I think more about it, I feel with aux lights, its just that projectors protrude out on the front grill and have risk of getting damaged in case the driver misses the safe distance from car ahead

[the13thtee]

I'm sourcing the FX-R stage III kit from the US for my Ford Ecosport. Which lens should I go for? 2.5' or 3'? Is there a difference in performance? Bulbs and ballasts 35W. Help

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by the13thtee

I'm sourcing the FX-R stage III kit from the US for my Ford Ecosport. Which lens should I go for? 2.5' or 3'? Is there a difference in performance? Bulbs and ballasts 35W. Help

If you're getting the Stage III kit i'd suggest the following:

Projectors- FX-R 2.5" or 3" doesn't make any difference in terms of light output at all. 3' 'fills' your headlight more so its better suited to cars with huge headlights like Scorpio etc For ecosport i'd settle for 2.5' personally

Bulbs- Increase your budget and get OEM like Philips or Osram. I've read that they make a lot of difference. You can read posts on this thread too.

Ballasts- OEM is very fast and durable but needs to be waterproofed so for absolute peace of mind I suggest Morimoto. I think 35w would suffice.

Wiring kit-Get the H4 non-canbus one

Resealing glue/Halos/Angel eyes/Shrouds are all a personal choice,so get what you like best.

[the13thtee]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Resealing glue/Halos/Angel eyes/Shrouds are all a personal choice,so get what you like best.

Thanks mate for the information with a quick reply. I was suggested motocontrol harness H4 by the TRS official I believe you're talking of the same harness, right? I'm confused about the shrouds on TRS website. I'm afraid if the ones I chose will fit or not. I know they'll be trimmed but I don't know which ones to buy. Any suggestions?

Cheers !