Hi guys. I know I am new here and it is early for me to be making requests but i have used the search feature and am still no clearer to making a decision on how to go about converting them.

I have an 04 Roadster and it has just halogens. I want to get the HID look but a still unsure what to buy, cost, etc. I have a few websites to go to but I would rather hear from members who have done it than ask the sites that are trying to sell them too me. Not saying they won't give good advice but I want to hear option form my fellow members.

Should I just replace the bulbs with Phillips HID's? Do they need ballasts/starters or just bulb? How does that work?

What do you think guys? Is a sticky a good idea?

Thanks.

 

Any chance of a Sticky on the pros and cons of just replacing bulbs for us Halogen owners and also the options with HID conversions? Like what bulbs fit, what brands work best etc...

 

Not sure what the regulation is like in Sydney, I can't imagine it being much different. Kits are illegal here in the states. also installing kits on your car will cost a significant amount of glare to other drivers on the road because your headlight housing is not meant for HID.

The best real upgrade is to get 06+ headlights with HID projector equipped.

If that's not an option, I know a few people in Sydney area could help you out with a retrofit on your existing headlight, adding HID projectors to your current setup for real performance.

 

06+ headlights are quite expensive though aren't they?

Do you have friends in Sydney with 350Z's?

 

The sticky should just say DON'T DO IT

 

They dont own 350z I dont think, they do retrofits often though. They can easily point you in the right direction.

 

Why is that? I heard the headlight housing is the same on all models under 05 anyway?

 

Tav,

If you really want to seee the differences first hand, hook up a time to come see mine! And you can see my rims at the same time also! :thumbsup:

 

I think I will have to! My only problem is I bloody work all the time!!!

 

Even the non-hid 350Z's have projectors. An HID conversion kit works fine in the Z. On the other hand... cars that don't have projectors will blind other drivers if they have a conversion kit.

I have a kit and it looks just fine... and it doesn't blind anybody. Technically it's illegal I guess... but I would think that's only a problem if you're blinding other drivers.

 

unless you are very picky you can get a kit and install it and be satisfied.

The cut-off won't be perfect but you probably won't notice or care.

I have purchased stuff from xenithxenons.com in the past with good results.

 

Yeah my cutoff isn't perfect, but it's not bad either. I could post a picture later if anyone is interested to see (I'm sure there are other pictures in the forum too). I've been told the non-hid projectors aren't exactly the same as the OEM HID projectors... so I would assume that's the reason.

 

Exactly. pre 06 lights also aren't true projectors so they can still cause glare issues. Do it right, and purchase HID versions of the headlights if you want to upgrade

 

The difference is minuscule. The only difference I've seen between mine and "true" projectors is hot spots. My lights aren't shining higher than normal, it's just that there are hot spots in which true projectors don't have.

When I installed the conversion kit... I did one light at a time obviously... when viewing the differences... the HID did not shine any higher than the stock halogen. Glare was not an issue... as shown by this example:

http://www.*********.com/w/images/2/...ersion_015.jpg

******* = 3 5 0 z - t e c h

 

I don't see a comparison to stock HID though. Looking a picture taken that close to the wall is not a good indicator if glare is present or not. Conversion kits also usually lack the ceramic shielding that is needed on the bulb which is present on a d2r bulb. This in itself will cause glare even if the projectors were the same