MikeInABox

Yeah JVX is the one who suggested using the rx330 over on hidplanet. If you haven't already checked out stuff on that site, you should. There's tons and tons of stuff.

I also have the benifit that my buddy just retro'd TSX's in his tC. So he has some experience with mounting them and allowing rotation to be adjusted. That's probably gonna be the hardest part in our housings. Once the projector is in there, there's not alot of room for tools to tighten/loosen something to make adjustments.

PM

**It is important to note that modifying lights is considered illegal (i.e. putting HID's in non-OEM-HID cars) just FYI**

AND

it is also important to note that there really is no information regarding a true HID projector retrofit on a 2008 xB. so this is intended to help out those that want to try; nothing is guaranteed to fit and a lot of modification MAY BE REQUIRED!


so please, read, research, and read more to see what would be the best option to go with!!

So my RX330 non-afs projectors came in today with stock bulbs; didn't get ballasts (yet). So what I did was run a quick comparison of stock halogen xB h11 projectors vs the rx330 projectors (stock form both).

Pls note that the rx330's were not put into my actual headlight housings; it was just the projector by itself, so there'll be some minute light fragments seeping out of the open (non-afs) projectors. This REALLY is just to explain why going with a retrofit is more legit.

I had already gotten MobileHID's 5000k Conversion Kit, and yes, the lighting did improve and it looked really really nice and ballerish-ish, but upon asking my friends to sit in their cars as I pass them (front and back), they found the lights to be slightly annoying. I sat in one of their cars as they drove mine and found that yes, they are annoying but not terrible. I ended up lowering the lights significantly and really felt that the lights weren't sufficient enough in output, cutoff, widness, etc, and plus, I have to mention that I am getting EMI/RFI interference from the ballasts/wiring--try turning on your FM radio and listen for static whenever your HID's are on--It disappears when lights are off. After looking at amazing photos/results from hidplanet.com, I figured I really just wanted to do things RIGHT.

After reading A LOT on hidplanet.com, I learned why conversion kits are kinda bad--using HID's in projectors not intended for HID use will result in bad output, cutoff, etc.. Just see the photos.
===================================

rx330 projector stock lenses




mobileHID conv kit 5000K on stock halogen h11 projectors




rx330 projector w/ mobile HID conv kit 5000k (only 1 side)





the color band is a result of refraction through the lenses; this is what people see in a legit HID-OEM car that have that blueish/purpleish sparkle whenever they hit a bump; it's the lenses of the projector that causes this

===================================

So, i also ordered a set of clear e30 lenses (cheaper than tsx clears); I've read that these are a direct swap against the OE fresnel rx330 lenses. Clearn lenses with the rx330's with a nice shield mod will produce some really amazing results; this is what I intend to do. I do realize that space will definitely be tight, and I will try my best to make this project work along with an angel eyes around the projector shrouds (might as well right--along with spray painting the chrome in the headlight).

This will be my first time working specifically with just lights, so Im tryin to get my hands on an extra headlight just to 'mock up' the project. should be fun though. Im quite excited w00t!

xseveredveganx

PM, so you got non-afs RX330 projectors? What's the difference? I found these, but I'm not sure if they're correct. They appear to be a little fat...

I've also found some FX projector lenses, that may fit in the RX330 housings. I'm not sure. As soon as I get home, I'm making an HIDplanet account.

PM

non-afs, has an open space between the shroud covering and the bowl. afs version is enclosed better like the link you just showed. afs, from what i've read on hidplanet, means adaptive front lighting system, it's for those high luxury cars that have the projectors that turn with the steering wheel; it has mountable surfaces on the bottom to attach servo motors. I got the non-afs because it was cheaper and i've read they are easier to mod and have higher output. im not sure how they differ dimensionally; most of the stuff i've seen on HIDplanet is for non-afs, there are few afs ones.

this is what i've learned from the thread i started at hidplanet:
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/view...412f37dcbee2d6

here are the projectors i got:

xseveredveganx

Hmmmm... Those look like they will more than likely do the trick.

I'm still curious if the ones I posted up will work. They're fairly inexpensive as well.

MikeInABox

PM you rock! Those are the best pics of the non-AFS rx330's I've seen. Given the dimensions of that projector, and seeing these pics, I'm pretty sure it will fit. You'll have to cut off most of that mounting plate/bracket (everything around the bowl) cause there's no way all of that will fit in the housing. But with that cut away, I think it will be a fairly easy swap. I'm gonna have to get a pair ASAP.

EDIT: Looked at the pics again. It looks like there is enough of that plate that you could actually mount the lense part from our projector on it. Then it would bolt directly to the shroud/bracket in ours with pretty much no modification. Only two things with that are finding a clear lense that will fit (shouldn't be too hard) and the spacing of the lense from the bowl. Even with the spacing issue, you could still put spacers between the mounting screws of the lense holder to make it the same. Man, the pics really are worth a thousand words lol.

Just keep your eyes peeled on ebay for used headlights. Like I said earlier, I was lucky and got one for $50. There were two last week but they went for way more than that.

Vegan, I haven't seen dimensions for the AFS version but I doubt it's much different size wise. The hardest part with those is that there isn't much there to make holes or some other way to have mounting brackets etc. The non-afs versions have that hole plate. Even though most of it will be removed, there is still plenty to use for mounting holes.

xseveredveganx

I just signed up on hidplanet... We're quick becoming HID nerds...

MikeInABox

LOL yeah. I was an HID nerd sort of already. I read a ton a loooong time ago when I had my VW. But the projectors were decent and I didn't have the money to do a retro. So I just had a drop in kit. I was gonna just modify the shield in our projector and get a clear lense and go with a drop in kit. But after seeing my buddy's tC, I decided to go for the real deal. Even with the best results in a halogen projector, they still don't give the crazy wide beam pattern with the intensity spread across the whole thing.

xseveredveganx

I pretty much went through this entire thread a month or so ago.

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1108424&page=1

PM

sup folks,

well i finally got my hands on a few more things:

-e30 lens
-used xB headlight (100$ ouch!) for trial and error mock-up
-DIY materials for making custom halos;
-LED's

=====================================

some pix:

fresnel lenses (comparing the two types fresnel vs clear)

clear lenses no fresnel:




rx330 stock fresnel lenses


e30 clear lenses (bad cut could be due to bad reinstall of shroud)




dunno why i have weird cutoff it's not straight, prolly cus of my newb replacement of the lenses prolly didn't re-install shroud as aligned as before gonna post on HIDplanet to get some feed back


these colors represent what you see as purple/blue flicker

MikeInABox

Nice man.

I think it has that weird cutoff cause the lense may not be fully seated right in the lense holder. I read over on the planet that if the a top,side,bottom of the lense is closer to the shield (like it's angled in there) it makes the cutoff warped or bowed looking.

I was able to find some non-afs rx330 projectors w00t!

PM

Yea, I'll have to double check that... it was a direct drop in for the e30 lenses... just snapped right in same diameter and whatnot. I think it might be my actual mobileHID bulbs... the h11's aren't keyed for the bulbs that go in the projectors... i just stuck it in there as snuggly as I could, so maybe they aren't seated exactly flush.

================================

so here are some more findings

after taking my 'guinea pig' headlight; i baked it and disassembled most of it to find some issues.

check it:







so with the reflector housing, i took it outside and put the rx330 projectors in that housing to see if not having the lenses protrude had any effects on the lighting quality. It appeared to have no effect, so there is no issue with lighting; however, there maybe issue with fitting - that slight protrusion could mess with the overall dimensional envelope of where the headlights sit with respect to its location in the car.

i'm done for the night, i'm probably gonna figure out how to mount this tomorrow hopefully. I'll post some more stuff in a bit.

oh yea, and any input would be great!

xseveredveganx

I'd imagine you're getting the odd shape due to the bulb not seating correctly. I remember reading on hidplanet that someone was having problems lining everything up. Everyone suggest it was the bulb not seated properly. I think it was a guy with an A4 that got in an accident. The guy played with the bulb, and that was the problem. So that could be it. I'd say find a d2s bulb and holder and go from there.

I'm still not sure which swap I want to do. I think I need to pick myself up a used headlight (but like you said, $100 OUCH) and start playing around. I'm hoping there's enough room for an AFS RX330 projector or maybe even an FX35 projector. Then I'll just swap out for TSX lenses.

Sooooo much info. I've stayed up until 3am the past couple nights researching...


And I don't suppose you could snap some pics of the back of the stock xB2 projector mounting point? With and without the OEM projector inplace. I'm really curious what I can fit in there. I'd looooove to get Evo8 projectors.

MikeInABox

I have two ideas for mounting the rx330's.

First I'm gonna try and use the stock lens holder and mount that to the rx330 shield. Then it would mount right to the stock shroud/holder. I can put spacers between the shield and the lens holder mounting points to make the spacing of the lens from the shield the same as the stock rx330. The only thing I see being a possible problem is finding a clear lens that will fit in our stock lens holder easily.

If that doesn't work, it looks like I can cut away some of the stock shroud holder's stepped ring things to allow the rx330 far enough forward to be close to stock positioning. Then I'll just have to make some brackets to go from the stock shroud to the shield plate on the rx330 projector.

The only problem I see with PM's test fit of the rx330 projector in our stock shroud is how far back it sits with no cutting. Our stock projector already sits in a little from the outer shroud/reflector (the part everyone paints). With the rx330 positioned like the pic above, it will be really really far inset from the hole in the headlight. I don't think the beam would have much width at all because the headlight would cover most of the lens.

Vegan, the hardest part of using the AFS version will be mounting it. Dimension wise it looks fine. But there's not much on the projector body to make it easier to mount. The FX projectors look really bulky and I think they would be hard to mount. Not impossible, just more time consuming.

xseveredveganx

If I had an extra set of headlights, I'd have time!

As far as mounting, I'm sure I could fab up some "L" brackets that can screw on to the FX or AFS RX330 where the bowl mounts to the lens holder.

It just looks like the FX with the TSX lens has great output. I'd love to use LS430 headlights, but I'd have to get a JDM Rumion front end to ever have enough room...

MikeInABox

Yeah LS430's would be awesome, but like you said, there's no way they'll fit.

PM

the stock lens holder is made out of a really brittle plastic... trying to remove the stock lens from that shroud is very difficult... on my guinea pig headilght i tried to pry out the lens but i ended up cracking 1 entire side (of the 3 sides) tabs that hold the lens in... the clear e30 lens would be a direct drop in, but once again iono how to remove the stock lens without breaking everything... it's really really brittle unlike the rx330's which are somewhat metal and pliable.

you would have to remove material from this reflector housing... the inner diameter is a lot smaller, it's a lot of material and i don't have the tools to try and do this... with the rx330's in the reflector housing i did test the light output and it really didnt' effect anything, but this may work.

actually, i totally forgot about the chrome cover part on the headlight itself... this added depth in addition to the last few photos of the rx330's may actually cause problems with lighting... i'll check this out tomorrow night


i didn't do anything today cus i kno i need a whole weekend to do this project lol. so im conjuring up ideas when i go to work this week...

xseveredveganx

I even hopped on high-intensity.org. Lol!

http://high-intensity.org/forums/sho...=6206#post6206

There's a few retrofitters on there that don't post up much on hidplanet...

MikeInABox

Yeah I know what you mean. I broke off a few of the tabs when I took the one out of my light too. I'll figure something out, but it won't be easy lol.

I have my trusty dremel to hack up stuff, so removing material won't be a problem. Looks like a lot of the rx330 shield/plate will have to be removed no matter what to fit in our housing.

When you tested it, did you just use it like the pic above? Or did you also put the outer shroud/reflector on it (the part with the orange reflector) on it also? Even as far out as the stock projector sits where it mounts, it's still inset some on that outer part. So I think the rx330 positioned the way it is in your pic, it will be really far inset with the outer part also there. I'm sure it will still project plenty of light, but I think some of the beam width potential will be lost with the lense that far inside. I honestly don't know, but it makes sense in my head.

Thanks for posting these pics though. I can work things out in my head already so when my projectors get here I won't have to do as much pondering LOL.

PM

my bad. i totally forgot about the chrome covering (the part everyone paints) is part of the headlight to... that cover adds more to the projector being recessed further back... this actually might affect the light output... i'll check tomorrow night.

what i did try just 10 min ago was dremmel out the 'squirrel finders' on the stock xB cutoff shield, and it did remove that light above the cutoff... this would be an alternate fix to those who do not want to do a tru retrofit... it's decent, but the intensity and cool colors are just not there... lol im still goin with a true retrofit. so for anyone else out there that's doing HID conversions... you definitely should AT LEAST consider modifying the cutoff shields when baking the headlights to either modify the side marker or paint the housing. :-) this is to at least keep it somewhat legal/safe to not BLIND other people.