[Dr.Naren]

EDIT: June 2017 terrible experience - link to post

I have S-Cross Alpha and it comes with stock bixenon projectors. But the output is just average and nowhere close to aftermarket bixenon projectors or stock projectors on luxury cars. Stock projectors have Philips D5S bulb and 25W ballast. Bulb and ballast are integrated. I couldn't find any compatible bulb/ballast upgrade for stock projectors. Also, it wouldn't be of much use. Stock projector is the main culprit. There is not much difference in output between low and high beam. I was planning to replace the stock projector. But it would require opening up of headlight and dad had told a strict "No" because stock headlights cost more than 40K. Only options left were LED bars / AUX lamps. But I was not very comfortable with it because of various reasons like theft, hampers OEM looks etc.

Recently, Xenon Planet came up with a new bixenon projector called XP Micro.

Specs :

2.5 Inch Bixenon Projector
Straight Cut off
Waterproof
Comes with mounting
H11 HID bulb
Compatible with 35 W Ballasts
One Year Warranty





This projector can be mounted anywhere and sounded very practical. Fog lamp housing was around 3 inches and this projector is 2.5 inches. So, I knew there would be some gap left between the projector lens and fog lamp housing. I wanted to check how it looks and then decide about the mounting location. As expected, there was some gap left. But it was not prominent. Chrome outline of the projector also looked good and matched with chrome bezel of fog lamp housing.

Installation was done at Bangalore and it took around 2 hours. I have not captured pics during installation. It's a simple process. It took time to get the alignment right and then mount the projectors.

Installation Steps :

1. Open the fog lamp housing
2. Do the wiring and place ballasts at proper location
3. Test mount the projectors and get the alignment right
4. Mount the projector with screws and make sure it's tightened
5. Close the fog lamp housing

Wiring could be done as per our requirements. There was no cutting of stock wires and warranty would be intact.

Working of my setup :

Fog lamp switch on = XP Micro Low Beam

Headlight stalk : Low beam = HL low beam + XP Micro low beam

Headlight stalk : High beam = HL high beam + XP Micro high beam

I was very impressed with the output. XP Micro has very strong high beam and it is even better than my stock headlight high beam. Output is massive when used along with stock headlamp projectors. I have explained the working of my setup in a short video.

Test Mount :


Yes there is some gap, but it is hardly noticeable from distance :



High beam : Wall Shot


Low beam : Zoom in and look for that blue colour


Sharp cut off, good blue colour :


The Massive Output : Ruling the roads at night!!


Last, but not the least

https://youtu.be/cFaKqJ3gomE

https://youtu.be/zAIyXxkzzgs

Pricing :

XP Micro full kit with XP 35 fast start up ballast : 16K

It would be around 2000 Rs less, if you go for normal ballasts like me.

Note : XP Micro is not yet listed on their website. Please get in touch with them for more details. They have a website and very responsive Facebook page.

Cheers!!

[SmartCat]

Naren, how will these projectors perform in actual fog? I wonder if it will reflect back light like normal headlamps. Fog lamps beam shape is supposed to be flat and wide.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Naren, how will these projectors perform in actual fog? I wonder if it will reflect back light like normal headlamps. Fog lamps beam shape is supposed to be flat and wide.

I have used 4300 K HID bulbs and it has performed little better than my stock fog lamps when driving through ghats.

[Rahul Rao]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Sharp cut off, good blue colour :

Your cut off is clean, and there is no glare to on comming traffic on low beam, but the extra bright illumination very close to your car will make your eyes adjust to the brightness, and you miss things far off where your fogs dont have a reach, and only the dim headlamps are illuminating.

Rahul

[Dr.Naren]

I have uploaded one more video. Check the end of video where only XP Micro is on and the output is same like my stock fogs. XP Micro is supplementing my stock headlights really well and that's making a big difference.

https://youtu.be/INYWjLvt8aE

Originally Posted by Rahul Rao

Your cut off is clean, and there is no glare to on comming traffic on low beam, but the extra bright illumination very close to your car will make your eyes adjust to the brightness, and you miss things far off where your fogs dont have a reach, and only the dim headlamps are illuminating.

Rahul

Yes, I understand. It would cause too much foreground and limit the distant vision. You wouldn't believe this, XP Micro high beam( even when placed so low in place of fog lamps) has better reach than stock HL high beam. It has table top type of cut off pattern and well centred hotspot. This helps in distant vision.

Cheers!!

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Putting only HID bulbs is a big NO. It blinds everyone. But with a projector, you have controlled output. There are many cheap Chinese fog lamp projectors which would be always on in high beam. I got XP Micro because it has both high and low beam. So I can drive peacefully without blinding others in low beam

The cut off for the fog lights here is placed same or below the Low Beam. I seriously don't think this would cause any glare unless someone is sitting a super low slung car.

Did I miss the color temperature on the HIDs in the fog lights? Is it 4300K or 5000K/6000K. If you can get hold 4300K/4200K, it would work even better in the foggy conditions.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

The cut off for the fog lights here is placed same or below the Low Beam. I seriously don't think this would cause any glare unless someone is sitting a super low slung car.

Did I miss the color temperature on the HIDs in the fog lights? Is it 4300K or 5000K/6000K. If you can get hold 4300K/4200K, it would work even better in the foggy conditions.

Yes the cut off for XP Micro is below the stock HL in low beam. I have placed it that way with the only intention of not blinding others.

Bulbs are 4300K HID and it should be fine for fog/rains.

[Sree73]

Hi Naren. The light output looks good and if it satisfies you, that's fine.
But, personally I did not like the way the fog lamps are fitted. It looks so amateurish with uneven gaps around the lamp. Did not go well with my taste.

Also, there is huge chance of muck / dirt getting inside through the gaps and around the lamps during rainy season.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Sree73

Hi Naren. The light output looks good and if it satisfies you, that's fine.
But, personally I did not like the way the fog lamps are fitted. It looks so amateurish with uneven gaps around the lamp. Did not go well with my taste.

Also, there is huge chance of muck / dirt getting inside through the gaps and around the lamps during rainy season.

Yes, there is some gap left. But it's not very prominent when viewed from distance. Remember, the projector is waterproof and it has a weather seal too. I am planning to install a custom made ring or something to fill that gap.

Projector is 2.5 Inch and fog lamp hole is 3 inch. So there is no way for a clean fit here directly.

It's not prominent, right?

[kpzen]

Naren

The beam output looks nice.

Kindly find a solution to fill those uneven gaps around the projector.
Its not about aesthetics only, those gaps would be creating wind noise and also putting pressure on wheel well claddings which are fitted with press clips.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Naren

The beam output looks nice.

Kindly find a solution to fill those uneven gaps around the projector.
Its not about aesthetics only, those gaps would be creating wind noise and also putting pressure on wheel well claddings which are fitted with press clips.

It has been made tight by putting M-seal around the projector. It's not visible from outside because it would not look neat. Also, have a look at opened fog lamp housing pic with test mount of projector. Projector covers the inner hole completely. It's just about cosmetic part when inspected closely.

[invidious]

I have a question here which might make me sound ignorant. Is there a practical use for powerful headlights on lit roads or is it predominantly useful whilst driving on completely unlit roads? Also - wouldn't these being on at full tilt and if a car on the opposite side has regular headlights also on full tilt - end up creating a blind zone?

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by invidious

I have a question here which might make me sound ignorant. Is there a practical use for powerful headlights on lit roads or is it predominantly useful whilst driving on completely unlit roads? Also - wouldn't these being on at full tilt and if a car on the opposite side has regular headlights also on full tilt - end up creating a blind zone?

This is a very good question. I have noticed that HID bulbs get overpowered by yellow street lights and you couldn't appreciate the white HID light. There is not much practical use of powerful headlights on well lit roads. These are mainly for highway driving and on dark roads.

It's always blinding when both the cars are in high beam, be it any headlight.

[Dodge_Viper]

Do they have normal projectors for headlights? Is there any website? Google search did no t show up anything.

Edit: Found it. Retailing for 19.5k for Mini D2S.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Dodge_Viper

Edit: Found it. Retailing for 19.5k for Mini D2S.

Yes, it is the price for Stage 2 Kit. This price doesn't include installation charges.

XP Micro mini projector has been launched recently and not yet listed on their website.

They have Mini Super V2, Mini D2S 4.0 and FXR 3.0. These projectors are supposed to be used inside headlamps. Only XP Micro is waterproof and could be used as AUX lights/ fog lamp replacement. According to Xenon Planet, even XP Micro could be fitted inside headlights. But it's mainly designed for using outside headlights.

Cheers!!