Hi Guys,
I had purchased an Ecosport Titanium Diesel in March 2017. I was initially aware of the sub-par illumination of the Ecosport headlight. I got the car assuming it would be somewhat lesser than my i20 Active (which I had owned for 1.5 years before selling off for personal reasons). And I never got a chance to check out the light output on an empty highway at night before the purchase.
Boy, was I wrong on so many levels. So, after purchasing the car; during my first night drive I was literally trying to check if the headlights were ON or not; especially in high beam.
This led me to making a lot of plans for modifications (including looking at expensive projector headlight assemblies from various websites).
As a first; within a few months of buying the car – I tried to use Hella Rallye 3003 with 100w Philips Rallye Bulbs. The light output was phenomenal and I really liked it. But my service advisor at Ford warned me that taking a massive 17-18A load straight from the battery would possibly cause issues in the car's BCM and if some electrical issue were to crop up; they would outright deny my car's electrical warranty. So, I had it removed within 2 weeks of install. But the highway drive with those lights at night was awesome during the 2 back to back trips and I was hoping to see some proper upgrade to my car’s light output without creating a major fuss with the extremely supportive Ford Dealer.
See the photo of the car fitted with Hella Rallye 3003 below.
Sadly I do not have a photo of the light output running this setup as it was a very short 2 weeks and there was a lot of travel in that time.
Then I resorted to CSP chip LEDs (this was towards Oct 2017) for both main headlamps and fog lamps. While light output seemed nice on a dark road; I was not satisfied with the high beams and due to kicker from the laws of Physics related to light colour wavelength spectrum; any oncoming vehicle’s normal halogen headlights would “wash-out” my white 6000K lights.
Pitch Dark Alley I used for checking light output after the LED upgrade in my car.
Fog Lamp Output (before I adjusted the alignment which was all over the place at the time of taking this photo)
Fog Lamp + Low Beam Output (again, before final alignment)
Fog Lamp + High Beam
Now, I managed for a few months with this light setup. Then in mid of 2018; I decided to take Philips Racing Vision for Main Headlamps (H4) & Philips Xtreme Vision Plus for Fog Lamps (H11).
It was a good choice and was better than stock but still not anywhere good enough as my i20 Active (which was a real stunner with GE Megalight HB3 bulbs from Powerbulbs).
I then decided to look at the next possible opportunities. That is when I came across Morimoto retrofitment thread on Creta in Team-BHP. Through that thread; I got the contact details of a reliable installer (Sathish of Motofocusz) in Chennai.
I was in discussion with him for almost 3 months – planning for the option of a simple D2S 4.0 swap to quad pod projector + reflector combination (photo shown below from Philippines modification site – credits to original uploader)
I decided against the simple swap as I use my passing flasher extensively in daytime (to avoid horn usage). Going for a single pod bi-xenon HID is not suitable for passing flasher either as it will lead to a reduction of the life of the HID bulb and cause issues in the ballast as well. The quad projector setup would be costing me well past 40k (new pair of headlamps + Morimoto D2S 5.0 kit + 3” LED projector for daytime passing flasher inside the quad pod headlamps + switchback Halos + wiring + labour costs).
Since I was not ready (yet) to put down that kind of money; I took the next best option – 3” bi-xenon fog lamp projectors with HID kit. This was also an electrically simpler method and the warranty for my car’s electrical system can be kept intact (thanks to the support from the aforementioned support from the friendly SA at my regular Ford dealership).
So, I went ahead with the parts listed below for final fitment on my car:
1. 3” IPHCAR bi-xenon projector assembly with mounting clamps (2 year warranty)
2. 35w 4300k HID kit with ballasts and canbus adapters (1 year warranty)
3. Separate switch with dedicated wiring for controlling high beam solenoid of the projector (fitted on the OBD port cover facing driver’s right knee)
I started the work on Friday evening at the installer’s location around 7pm. Work was completed around 11pm. The colour temperature was not matching between the two bulbs after installation. I was looking at an outstation trip the next day; so went ahead with the light setup. Sathish assured me that he will procure another set of bulbs from his supplier and test it to colour match before refitment in my car.
This is where disaster struck – On the evening of the travel; I started from my home and went to my trusted fuel pump for tanking up before the drive. After the tank up, I started the car and turned on the headlamps and fog lamps. The HID started to warm up. At that instant; I turned on the AC and the AC clutch kicked in drawing a big load from the battery. At the same time; the ballast tried to draw more current to continue powering up the HIDs to full temperature. This caused the fog lamp fuse to blow up (a sole 15A fuse for 2 x 55w stock halogens by Ford India). Sadly; the fuse puller provided in the car was useless (it was nowhere near as strong as the Hyundai / MSIL fuse pullers).
So, I went on a night drive with just my main headlamps running the 55/60W Philips H4 Racing Vision bulbs (it was damn difficult after having experienced the HID Fog Projectors). In the meanwhile; I called up Sathish and asked him to get 35w ballasts and bulbs in 4300k colour temperature to try and see if this situation can be assuaged with lower current consumption.
He promptly came to my home after I returned to Chennai. He swapped out the bulbs and also checked the entire wiring once just in case. He even brought one set of spare projector assemblies in case I were to ask for the same (I’m sort of a stickler for attention to detail; going on borderline OCD; but that’s for another day). Thankfully no such fuse blowing issues faced with the 35w HID kit (did multiple trials to be sure).
We went for a trial run and got the alignment and focus checked out at the various locations (lit up road, dark road, narrow & wide streets) in my locality.
The results speak for themselves in the photos taken below:
IN A NARROW POORLY LIT STREET
Fog Lamp Low Beam
Fog Lamp High Beam
Fog Lamp Low Beam + Headlamp Low Beam – This is the most widely used light mode for my driving (100% in city and when there is oncoming traffic on the highway)
Fog Lamp High Beam + Headlamp Low Beam – This is what I use on highways and expressways when no one is coming in the opposite direction
Fog Lamp High Beam + Headlamp High Beam – This is used purely for intimidating the high beam abusers on the highway and in the city
IN A WIDE WELL LIT STREET
Fog Lamp Low Beam
Fog Lamp Low Beam + Headlamp Low Beam
Fog Lamp High Beam + Headlamp Low Beam
Fog Lamp High Beam + Headlamp High Beam
OUT ON THE OPEN HIGHWAY
Finally, a pic of the car in daytime. This is how it looks with this modification. Nothing is visible to the naked untrained eye. Only those who observe closely can see the difference. This makes it extremely convenient when using at other state locations (KA/KL/AP/TS).
Update - In the last week; one of the Philips Racing Vision bulbs in the main headlamp conked off. The low beam was fused. So, promptly ordered a pair of updated Philips Xtreme Vision+ G-Force H4 bulbs and swapped them out. The light output is mildly warmer (3500k-ish) compared to the 3800k-ish of the Philips Racing Vision). Also, Philips themselves claim a 450 hrs life span for this bulb compared to the 200 hrs life span claimed on the Philips Racign Vision (although to be fair, I would have easily extracted 250+ hours with the multiple night drives + serious amount of passing flasher use in daytime). All-in-all, its a small amount spent which gives a massive increase in confidence; especially while driving at night.
For those suffering from poor lighting on the pre-facelift Ecosport; this is a pretty good option for the perfect lighting upgrade without burning a big hole in your pocket and without risking electrical safety by using big relays and higher wattage bulbs.
Cheers & Safe Driving