Augster

Understood. And no, after researching, there are no aftermarket HID project headlight assemblies, which is why I would contemplate swapping out the non-HID projectors for "true" HID projectors.

But if the differences between the two is not sufficiently noticeable, I'm wondering if it's worth the cost. I would definitely not do another HID bulb swap into an OEM reflector housing, that's for sure.

Longarms

I don't know enough about the difference to tell you, but I have gathered from people around the internet (Proably biased, because they did it the "right" way) that the only way to do it right is to do a retrofit.

They're different, yes. How different? I don't know. If HID in reflector is 0, and HID in HID projector is 10, is HID in Halogen projector a 7? 8? 2? 0? I couldn't say.

BodyDropInc

i checked the ground its good and tight and the connection look good too

iRub1Out

Here, I'll try to explain it so everyone understands - without bias.

There are no complete replacement headlights for the 2004-2011 F150 set up with quality HID projectors.
Retrofitting projector HID's is the hardest but best solution, perhaps something like Moromini H1's, H13 adapter plates, 35W ballasts. With the newer MH1 kits, retrofitting HID's is much easier, but still requires heating/opening the butyl seal on the headlights. Putting an HID bulb in a reflector housing is, in fact, an upgrade. There are pros and cons to every upgrade we do, and this is just one that a lot of people are touchy about. The benefits do outweigh the risks - especially if you don't live in a vastly populated area. Do they distract other drivers? Yes, but be realistic, so do loud exhausts, fog lights (nearly just as blinding), sound systems, horns, etc... Don't bash me for saying this - you know as well as I do that it's bothersome for some, but acting like a child and getting mad is just foolish. Understand that of the total number of HID upgrade users only MAYBE 10% of them have them in any form of projector anyway, so accept the fact that their choices don't agree with yours and move on.

I'll start off with normal conditions, halogen bulbs in reflector housings - OEM. The output is not bad at all, you get a respectful distance, and comfortable width out of original equipment.

Halogens in reflector housing:


Halogens in projector housings (designed for halogen):


Side-by-side comparison of HID and halogen in stock housings:



HID bulbs in reflector housings:

Pros:
More light output - You can see further during low visibility conditions (nighttime being key - stormy/adverse weather can be made worse). Both in town and in the country, it's nice to have the extra light.
Lower current draw - Though fairly small, this is commonly exaggerated. Yes, they draw less current once they warm up. HID bulbs require more amps to arc once turned on, hence the need for a ballast, and this is also why your stock wiring is insufficient for these bulbs.
Appearance - Yes, they look good - it's a bragging right that you can see better.

Cons:
Output - You will have to aim your headlights down once installed otherwise you're beam is aimed directly at oncoming traffic. The reason this happens is because the HID bulb's origin of light is "off", meaning the focal point of the reflector and the position of the light source are not the same. Effectively reducing the total distance you can see.
Glare - The reflector isn't designed to effectively bounce the light in a controlled pattern. The light spreads outward from the bulb scattered - no effective use of the reflector.
Bi-Xenon is sub-par - If you have a dual beam HID bulb the high beam is far less controlled and organized then even the low beam. The Hi Beam is somewhat just a super bright throw of light that isn't pointed any particular direction.

Example:


Now lets take a look at the ground. While this kit provides acceptable results, the beam is still similar to stock. There is a lot of foreground missing, and the beam does not go very far or wide.


HID bulb in halogen projector:

Now, using a HID bulb in a projector designed for a halogen bulb; also a great upgrade and is merely the next step up in the controlled light pattern of an HID bulb. Even though the projector and cutoff are designed for a halogen bulb it will still greatly reduce the glare and more so spread the light in a uniform, effectively usable pattern.

Pros:
Reduced Glare - Although there is still a little bit of glare, it is significantly reduced because the light is organized and projected onto the road rather than scattered aimlessly.
Appearance - Neat cutoff, no color, an easily noticeable upgrade by both the user and other drivers.

Cons:
Usually no dual-beam option - Most halogen projectors don't utilize the use of a dual beam so you would only have low or high beam per set of projectors - this means allowing the high beam bulbs warm up before using them, and switching back and forth is more of a nuisance than a convenience. In this type of situation I always say keep the halogen High beam. Reason for this is that in a single beam set up the low beams usually stay on when the high beams are on also, so the halogen will be readily usable. Besides, most of us use the low beam only 80% of the time anyway. It's bad for an HID bulb to experience on-off cycles in short intervals.
No colorful cut-off - The cutoff will be the color of the bulb's Kelvin temp - not a big deal if you don't mind it, some like to see this color flare.
Odd shaped cut-off - Halogen projectors use a slightly different shape to cut the light off. Usually a wide sideways V shape.

Examples:




HID bulb in HID projector:

Now we're to the top pier of the HID performance upgrade. HID bulbs were designed to be used in a projector, to evenly and effectively spread the light. This is the best way to maximize performance of HID lighting, and is also the most complicated way to improve lighting. It's more important to some to do it this way, personally I believe that simply upgrading to HID bulbs in itself is a great improvement. Regardless of the extent you go to, all of these are GREAT and acceptable solutions. Retrofitting will cause first-time installers a lot of headaches, and trust me, you'll never get it right the first time - or the second time.

Pros:
Impressive output - Since this is the ideal way to use the light of an HID bulb, the spread and distance are unmatched by any of the aforementioned alternatives.
Colorful cut-off - This is more of an appearance thing - you can see the distinctive line where there is absolute light and absolutely NO light, not offending other drivers.

Cons:
Cost - This is the most common factor that deters others from doing this. The initial cost is quite high and in times like this where we're lucky to even HAVE jobs, this is expected to be one of the first things to be let go.
Difficulty - You can save 40-50% of the total cost by doing the work yourself. This too is not an easy undertaking for the average Joe. Even simple installation can become a complicated headache if you're unsure of the process.
Consequences - This applies to two cases; first being the "F-up", if you mess something minor up it can compromise the entire project, frustrate you, or leave you without a vehicle until you're done - This is where I preach the "test-proceed-test-proceed" mindset. Put it together without glue/adhesives/anything permanent - so you can move or adjust anything you need to before final touches. Secondly is selling the car, after you've done all that work do you really want to get rid of them with the vehicle? I know I didn't (I'm Dutch so I'm also stingy with $) - I just advise to buy a second set of AFTERMARKET HL's that appear to be OEM and MOD THOSE, that way when you go to sell it take out the modded set and put the OEM back in. Then you can keep/sell the modded set.

Examples:


Low Beam MH1 Projectors:


High Beam MH1 Projectors:

--------------------------------------------
Safety - (personal note) I used to have HID's in the reflector housings, and dont get me wrong they are great, I will not bash anyone with this setup. However there were times when I would be in a rain storm or heavy snow and was simply blind, there was too much scattered light making the snow/rain appear brighter making visibility even worse. Simply put, there just wasn't enough light on the road to cut through the adverse weather (fogs were useless). Since using projectors it has gotten somewhat better of course, but the intense white light doesn't quite cut through rain or snow the way halogens do, but the lines on the road are much brighter.

I hope this helps clear the air, and educates some of you who are having a hard time deciding on what to do. The choice is entirely up to you, and regardless of the path you take with HID's there are pros and cons. I tried to finally put to rest the bickering about the "importance" of doing it "right", hopefully I have. If you can think of anything I missed or got wrong, please let me know.

Augster

This will be used as my "bible." Fantastic information!

Since I am adamant with sticking with a chromed dual projector headlight, I was torn between putting in an HID bulb in an aftermarket halogen dual projector housing, or trying to figure out a way of getting a "true" HID reflector kit into it but realizing that the projector housings are actually molded integrally into the body so there was no easy way to do this without it looking like some "hack" job or spending thousands of dollars on it (cut out the molded projectors, fiberglas a smooth surface area for the HID projector housings, then send it out to have it all re-chromed at a plastic chroming shop).

EMTMassey

Ok, I know I'm new here but I have searched about 20 pages on this thread and multiple other websites and nothing has given me a clear answer to the problem I am having. I installed a 10000k bi-xenon hid kit today from Kensun. It has the 2 ballasts and control module that wires direct to the battery for power and one connector into the stock headlight wiring harness. They work fin and look great... but only on low beam. When i switch on my high beams nothing happens. I know they are supposed to shift to aim higher, but it doesn't happen. I have checked all wiring but it is all plug and play besides the power and 2 grounds which I made sure are good. Also my high beam indicator in the cab stays halfway illuminated. I really want to figure out whats wrong so I didn't end up spending the extra for a hi/low kit that only the lows work on! Thanks in advance!

mustangGT90210

Stuck Zipper, that post needs a sticky or something to bring it to the forefront of HID usage. Top notch, and very informative, great job!

One thing you might want to do just to be 100% complete no questions ever asked, show what "normal" halogen headlights light up like, so people can compare head to head on the same screen.

If those are anything like mine, you should have like 4 pegs to connect the bulb and the harness. On my truck my kit came with the pegs in wrong. It was as simple as re-arranging the pegs to make it work right. Here's a video that will show you what I did. You should be able to get a basic idea of what you might have to do

iRub1Out

That is a good idea, I added it to the top of the post.

mSaLL150

The problem is that most people attempt to reduce glare by adjusting the headlights lower, so you are essentially reducing the distance you can see and intensifying the foreground light. This is not good, intense foreground light dilates your pupils and causes you not to focus down the road where you should....not to mention you just reduced distance by adjusting them lower. So in fact you don't actually see better...you just think you can (a common misconception, easy to see how with intenser light). And as mentioned, fowl weather use is abysmal for both yourself and oncoming traffic.

Definitely lower current draw. But another problem is that most plug/play HID kits have poor quality ballasts that interfere with radio reception and can cause problems with a vehicles electrical since they are not properly wrapped and some don't use digital circuitry. Reliability should be a concern with these kits.

I think this point really needs to be emphasized more for the F150. The aftermarket H13 HID bulbs completely miss the focal point of the F150 reflector and it sits between the high and low beam positions. So even if in low beam, you are launching light to the stratosphere with the high beam portion of the reflector. The single beam H13 aftermarket HID bulbs (non bi-xenon) sit in the focal point of the high beam position, so you are essentially driving around with high beams on all the time with twice the intensity of factory lighting...

But besides that, this post is quite accurate and people should research this stuff before making any decision on lighting/illumination upgrades.

iRub1Out

Thank you for putting it better than I did, I knew what I was trying to say but was unable to come up with the words to say it. I changed the wording a bit to better help explain it appropriately, it's almost one of those things you don't understand till you see it first-hand.