2013 OEM hid question
01-24-2014, 09:10 AM
#11
Hi OP;
IF I read you correctly, you do not want to wait for a vendor to supply a pre-built set of heads. Nor do you do not want to install a retrofit yourself. So how then do you propose to cross this particular river?
You need to make a decision, or live with what you have - there are no non-invasive alternatives other than a retrofit vendor purchase to achieve what you seek. " Some assembly required" lol.
Additionally - be advised that looking at an assortment of random pics is only a rough guideline - there is a vast difference in exposure settings, white balance and overall camera quality. Exception include those folks doing comparisons - same camera/settings ( and not using any 'auto settings, or crap cellphone cameras, lol), same ambient conditions. That's as close as it gets.
You need to rely on either yer own Mark-1 eyeball, or put some faith in what others are describing ( for me, 4300 is slightly yellow, 5000K is pure white, 6000K white with blue - which, incidentally jives with most color charts you see ). HID capsules also trend towards a higher K colour shift with use/age. So a 4300K will become slightly 'whiter' with time.
And yes bulbs can vary - this is mitigated by using high-quality capsules ( read: expensive). These tend to colorshift less as well.
In case you haven't found these yet I'll throw out fer reference:
( retrofit projector / bulb performance is irrespective of vehicle type - so restricting oneself to 'F150-specific' is not optimum )
www.hidplanet.com
www.theretrofitsource.com
A wealth of info yonder.
Also - 5K below (good camera - attention paid to camera settings):
http://www.f150online.com/forums/mem...146816-32.html
http://www.f150online.com/forums/mem...-img-0989.html
http://www.f150online.com/forums/mem...-img-0999.html
Good luck
MGD
IF I read you correctly, you do not want to wait for a vendor to supply a pre-built set of heads. Nor do you do not want to install a retrofit yourself. So how then do you propose to cross this particular river?
You need to make a decision, or live with what you have - there are no non-invasive alternatives other than a retrofit vendor purchase to achieve what you seek. " Some assembly required" lol.
Additionally - be advised that looking at an assortment of random pics is only a rough guideline - there is a vast difference in exposure settings, white balance and overall camera quality. Exception include those folks doing comparisons - same camera/settings ( and not using any 'auto settings, or crap cellphone cameras, lol), same ambient conditions. That's as close as it gets.
You need to rely on either yer own Mark-1 eyeball, or put some faith in what others are describing ( for me, 4300 is slightly yellow, 5000K is pure white, 6000K white with blue - which, incidentally jives with most color charts you see ). HID capsules also trend towards a higher K colour shift with use/age. So a 4300K will become slightly 'whiter' with time.
And yes bulbs can vary - this is mitigated by using high-quality capsules ( read: expensive). These tend to colorshift less as well.
In case you haven't found these yet I'll throw out fer reference:
( retrofit projector / bulb performance is irrespective of vehicle type - so restricting oneself to 'F150-specific' is not optimum )
www.hidplanet.com
www.theretrofitsource.com
A wealth of info yonder.
Also - 5K below (good camera - attention paid to camera settings):
http://www.f150online.com/forums/mem...146816-32.html
http://www.f150online.com/forums/mem...-img-0989.html
http://www.f150online.com/forums/mem...-img-0999.html
Good luck
MGD
01-24-2014, 09:21 AM
#12
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I do thank you for the information, it is indeed helpful. And thanks for the pics.
01-24-2014, 10:59 AM
#13
Thanks - I reckon I inferred that there were some deficiencies regarding the OEM HID's that were of concern to you ( Fresnel lenses, total output, color, etc).
Good starting point though. And I do applaud your honesty w.r.t. opening a piar of expensive OEM housings. My pucker-factor was significant at any rate, lol.
Good luck!
MGD
01-25-2014, 10:31 PM
#14
Good camera's battery was dead, so you'll have to forgive the iPhone pictures.
The low beam - on wall shot looks like a hot spot on drivers side, but it's the camera (high beam shot validates that).
These are 13 OEM HID's retro'd with EvoX-R and 3Five ballasts with 4300k morimoto d2s bulbs.
Also, I wasn't thinking on the on road high beam shot, but the street I was on curved and behind it is a large canyon, therefore it looks like there's no difference. I'll try to snap some pics of being on a tree-lined road if I can. The 4300k, to me at least, is perfect.
25ft. Wall - Low Beam
25ft. Wall - High Beam
On Road - Low Beam
On Road - High Beam (see the wall on right)
The low beam - on wall shot looks like a hot spot on drivers side, but it's the camera (high beam shot validates that).
These are 13 OEM HID's retro'd with EvoX-R and 3Five ballasts with 4300k morimoto d2s bulbs.
Also, I wasn't thinking on the on road high beam shot, but the street I was on curved and behind it is a large canyon, therefore it looks like there's no difference. I'll try to snap some pics of being on a tree-lined road if I can. The 4300k, to me at least, is perfect.
25ft. Wall - Low Beam
25ft. Wall - High Beam
On Road - Low Beam
On Road - High Beam (see the wall on right)
The following 2 users liked this post by beedish:
MAH (01-28-2014),
XtraTall_Platinum (03-04-2014)
01-27-2014, 11:24 PM
#17
Yep, Evox-R's are $150, bulbs/ballasts/H13 harness is $160, roll of butyl is $15. All from TRS.
Fairly easy swap if you're somewhat handy AND PATIENT!!!!
Also, add another $50 for misc parts ( rubber boots, tools, ballast block off plates, etc). Good rule for any project.
I found that the boots on the back of the halogen headlights work great with the grommet that TRS supplies on the ballast to bulb connection.
Also, while I'm extremely pleased with the current set up, I think some 50w and xb35's or CBI's might be in the near future...
Of course this is all in addition to what you pay for the OEM HID assemblies.
Fairly easy swap if you're somewhat handy AND PATIENT!!!!
Also, add another $50 for misc parts ( rubber boots, tools, ballast block off plates, etc). Good rule for any project.
I found that the boots on the back of the halogen headlights work great with the grommet that TRS supplies on the ballast to bulb connection.
Also, while I'm extremely pleased with the current set up, I think some 50w and xb35's or CBI's might be in the near future...
Of course this is all in addition to what you pay for the OEM HID assemblies.
01-28-2014, 01:42 AM
#18
Senior Member
As others have said expect several months wait if you want a quality pair of retrofit lights made unless you feel you can or want to tackle it yourself. OEM HIDs I've been told are a huge upgrade to OEM halogens but the retro's are the only way you will get the cleanest, crispest and brightest output.
Here's an indication and hopefully this video I made will show you what you can expect. This is with FX-R 3.0 projectors, 50W ballasts and CBI 5K bulbs. Note that I have aimed the lights considerably higher since making this video since I was still dialing them in and didn't want to burn the retinas out of incoming traffic so wasn't to sure where the sweet spot was yet.
Here's an indication and hopefully this video I made will show you what you can expect. This is with FX-R 3.0 projectors, 50W ballasts and CBI 5K bulbs. Note that I have aimed the lights considerably higher since making this video since I was still dialing them in and didn't want to burn the retinas out of incoming traffic so wasn't to sure where the sweet spot was yet.
Great idea posting the video. It's a great way to show what HIDs are like for someone thinking about taking the plunge. I agree that those look to be aimed a tad low
The following users liked this post:
Azuri (01-28-2014)
03-04-2014, 03:02 AM
#19
Just finished my 13 OEM HID retro with EvoX-R projectors and 3Five 4300k bulbs and 3Five Ballasts.
The headlights I bought were decontented, so I can't personally comment on the change from stock to the EvoX-R. Got an awesome deal on the bay and couldn't resist attempting an EvoX-R upgrade.
I can however, vouch for how incredibly easy it was to switch out the factory projectors to the EvoX-R's. They're as plug-n-play as it gets. The hardest part for me was pulling the headlights apart (first timer!).
I've seen pictures of the light output of the factory low's and high's, and they are definitely an upgrade over stock halogen. Compared to what I'm seeing from the EvoX-R, the width of the light beam is wider than stock projectors and definitely doesn't have the hotspots and poor cut-off that the factory projectors had. The high-beams from the EvoX-R's are also RIDICULOUS! It's like traveling in a tunnel of light. I actually felt bad for the possum that got in my sights last night! Poor bastard had to have been seeing spots for hours!
I went with 4300k 3Five bulbs, and they are definitely white with a beautiful blue/violet/every other color in the world flicker at the cutoff. I wanted as many lumens as possible, which is why I went with the 4300k in lieu of the 5000k. To me, the 4300k are super white with a SLIGHT SLIGHT SLIGHT hint of blue. But everyones eyes are different.
If you don't want to wait months on end for a retro, and you can get a good deal on some 13 HID's, I definitely think it's worth the money to try it yourself. TheRetrofitSource has a ton of videos that can help.
Once our South Texas freeze lets up, I'll grab some pictures of the cutoff's at night and the high beams. I'll also get some looking down a road (without a wall shot like you requested). My headlights are currently covered in ice, so needless to say my attempts tonight failed miserably...
These are the parts I got to retrofit my 13 OEM decontented HID's:
EvoX-R Projectors
Morimoto 3Five 4300k D2S bulbs
Morimoto 3Five Ballasts
H13/9008 Relay (I have a '12 w/o factory HID harnesses)
Butyl Glue
4"x5" Lexan pieces (cover existing factory ballast location - sealed with butyl glue and secured with screws in factory location)
Zip ties to secure relay and ballast harness wires.
In addition to screwing the ballasts down, I used velcro as a fail-safe to keep them from vibrating too badly in case my screwed down locations weren't as sturdy during driving.
Also, the factory projectors have fresnel lenses, as previously mentioned. They appear clear, until you actually see a clear lens like the EvoX-R has.
The headlights I bought were decontented, so I can't personally comment on the change from stock to the EvoX-R. Got an awesome deal on the bay and couldn't resist attempting an EvoX-R upgrade.
I can however, vouch for how incredibly easy it was to switch out the factory projectors to the EvoX-R's. They're as plug-n-play as it gets. The hardest part for me was pulling the headlights apart (first timer!).
I've seen pictures of the light output of the factory low's and high's, and they are definitely an upgrade over stock halogen. Compared to what I'm seeing from the EvoX-R, the width of the light beam is wider than stock projectors and definitely doesn't have the hotspots and poor cut-off that the factory projectors had. The high-beams from the EvoX-R's are also RIDICULOUS! It's like traveling in a tunnel of light. I actually felt bad for the possum that got in my sights last night! Poor bastard had to have been seeing spots for hours!
I went with 4300k 3Five bulbs, and they are definitely white with a beautiful blue/violet/every other color in the world flicker at the cutoff. I wanted as many lumens as possible, which is why I went with the 4300k in lieu of the 5000k. To me, the 4300k are super white with a SLIGHT SLIGHT SLIGHT hint of blue. But everyones eyes are different.
If you don't want to wait months on end for a retro, and you can get a good deal on some 13 HID's, I definitely think it's worth the money to try it yourself. TheRetrofitSource has a ton of videos that can help.
Once our South Texas freeze lets up, I'll grab some pictures of the cutoff's at night and the high beams. I'll also get some looking down a road (without a wall shot like you requested). My headlights are currently covered in ice, so needless to say my attempts tonight failed miserably...
These are the parts I got to retrofit my 13 OEM decontented HID's:
EvoX-R Projectors
Morimoto 3Five 4300k D2S bulbs
Morimoto 3Five Ballasts
H13/9008 Relay (I have a '12 w/o factory HID harnesses)
Butyl Glue
4"x5" Lexan pieces (cover existing factory ballast location - sealed with butyl glue and secured with screws in factory location)
Zip ties to secure relay and ballast harness wires.
In addition to screwing the ballasts down, I used velcro as a fail-safe to keep them from vibrating too badly in case my screwed down locations weren't as sturdy during driving.
Also, the factory projectors have fresnel lenses, as previously mentioned. They appear clear, until you actually see a clear lens like the EvoX-R has.
Regarding the 4"x5" Lexan pieces, did you make these yourself or pick them up at the local Home Depot??
Would you need 1 for each headlight assembly?
Would love to see some pics of the headlights with the lexan pieces installed.
Thanks for the rundown list, that is super helpful!!
