Gen1 MS3 HID Conversion Kit

HwyStar

HwyStar

Greenie N00B Member
Greenie Member
Soo I have a 2008.5 MS3 Gen1 Sport which came with the halogen headlights which are awful and only provide limited visibility at night, especially on roads that are not well lit. What are some recommended HID conversion kits these days? I have done some research on hid bulbs in the halogen headlamp assembly but the kits (i.e DDMTuning) that I read reviews on from MSF were about 12 years old. I'm thinking 35w would work; 6000k, H7 bulbs. Any suggestions or thoughts?
 
I ran a DDM kit on my juan for a couple of years, purchased in March 2016. Had no issues with it. My new car I'm just running a cheap kit off Amazon, Aukee brand, and they've also worked well. One of the ballasts was bad out of the box but they quickly replaced it hassle-free. Basically just check Amazon in the price range you're willing to spend, and look for the most/best reviews. Or go to Retrofit Source and spend an obnoxious amount of money on something that probably won't even work that much better.

For consideration, I just helped a coworker replace his halogen bulbs with LED and he's loving them. Little bit easier to install because no ballasts to fuck with; comparable price. He grabbed Hikari brand, which was recommended to me by @alexwlwsn
 
I have a gen2.... But I bought a TRS Morimoto HID conversion kit. IIRC it was about $300 when they had a sale. Been running it for 3 years now.

The kit has a full projector, relay, ballast, bulbs and all. The hardest part was cutting the plastic sheet to make your adapter flange/plate.

I have the 35w kit because the 55w runs hotter and shortens the life of some of the components. The 35w is bright as fuck though!

The only downside is that it adds complexity with all the extra components. In the last 3 years I've had to replace an igniter that was finicky since day 1, and last year I had a ballast go out. Its easy to buy individual parts from TRS.

If you dont mind diagnosing parts whenever something acts up, it's worth it. If you want no stress and dont want to deal with complexity, keep your halogen set up and just get better bulbs.
 
If it matters, here is the a shot of the low beam set up with the fog lights off.

TRS 35w kit (4500k bulbs)
20170828_210224.jpg

OEM halogen set up
20170720_210337.jpg

The sharp cut off is nice and rice, but the width you get with the HID's is the best part. The halogen lamps fade out and dont give you a lot of width. It makes a big difference when driving through a parking lot at night.
 
SharksInSpace said:
I ran a DDM kit on my juan for a couple of years, purchased in March 2016. Had no issues with it. My new car I'm just running a cheap kit off Amazon, Aukee brand, and they've also worked well. One of the ballasts was bad out of the box but they quickly replaced it hassle-free. Basically just check Amazon in the price range you're willing to spend, and look for the most/best reviews. Or go to Retrofit Source and spend an obnoxious amount of money on something that probably won't even work that much better.

For consideration, I just helped a coworker replace his halogen bulbs with LED and he's loving them. Little bit easier to install because no ballasts to fuck with; comparable price. He grabbed Hikari brand, which was recommended to me by @alexwlwsn
Click to expand...
A nice set of LEDs would be great. However, I hear things about the light being reflected all over the place from the halogen housing, which can blind oncoming drivers. I'm assuming the HID light is a bit more controlled in halogen housing?
 
HwyStar said:
A nice set of LEDs would be great. However, I hear things about the light being reflected all over the place from the halogen housing, which can blind oncoming drivers. I'm assuming the HID light is a bit more controlled in halogen housing?
Click to expand...
I've only had highs flashed at me once since tossing in the HIDs, for whatever that's worth. IDK, maybe I'm an asshole but I don't stress the "improper housing" thing TOO much anymore since new cars have such obnoxious and blindingly bright low beams from the factory these days, anyway. I'm looking at you, VW/Audi/Acura/Mercedes.
 
SharksInSpace said:
I've only had highs flashed at me once since tossing in the HIDs, for whatever that's worth. IDK, maybe I'm an asshole but I don't stress the "improper housing" thing TOO much anymore since new cars have such obnoxious and blindingly bright low beams from the factory these days, anyway. I'm looking at you, VW/Audi/Acura/Mercedes.
Click to expand...
I can agree with that. However, when a lifted pickup truck pulls behind you with super bright LED headlights and fogs, and it lights up the interior of your car..then it's really obnoxious lol.
 
Mauro_Penguin said:
If it matters, here is the a shot of the low beam set up with the fog lights off.

TRS 35w kit (4500k bulbs)
View attachment 12966

OEM halogen set up
View attachment 12967

The sharp cut off is nice and rice, but the width you get with the HID's is the best part. The halogen lamps fade out and dont give you a lot of width. It makes a big difference when driving through a parking lot at night.
Click to expand...
Looks good! I'm considering TRS. Appreciate you posting the photo comparison.
 
Projectors are actually a key part in any good headlight set up.

HID/LED bulbs in a reflector set up, like an old mustang headlight or those old school KC lights on truck bars, will aimlessly scatter light and blind everyone.

Projectors are made to converge light so much, that it passes the focal point just in front of the lens, and then immediately diverges. (I work in optics, so nerd moment.)

Halogen projectors have a frosted/opagued lens with a more open focus shield. Halogen light fades faster so the shield optimizes the bulbs ability.

HID projectors are longer to accommodate a longer bulb, have a clear lens, and use a wider focus shield opening to better scatter light. The shield aims light outward because HID bulbs have such a ridiculous output of light, reduce hot spots, and dont fade like halogen does.

LED bulbs have really bad hot spots and fade spots. LED projectors are made to scatter light and minimize those spots so they are not visible. Some LED set ups even have multiple small lenses in order to smooth out the output. Another thing too is that LED bulbs themselves get hotter than HID's. LED's have huge heat sinks to them, so make sure you have heat clearance if you attempt to retrofit them.

Ultimately it's your car, do whatever you want. But at least you have a bit of info to make a better decision when you purchase.
 
HwyStar said:
A nice set of LEDs would be great. However, I hear things about the light being reflected all over the place from the halogen housing, which can blind oncoming drivers. I'm assuming the HID light is a bit more controlled in halogen housing?
Click to expand...

This experience is coming from a different vehicle so take it with a grain of salt...

In my FiST (halogen reflector housings) using the Hikari bulbs there is a decently distinct cutoff line and I have never gotten a high beam flash from oncoming traffic. Also, I am using them in my CBR600F4i and they've got a decently nice cutoff line as well in that older headlight housing. I think more modern LED headlights are specifically designed to mimic a halogen bulb in terms of light output and therefore work decently well in our non-HID housings.
 
alexwlwsn said:
This experience is coming from a different vehicle so take it with a grain of salt...

In my FiST (halogen reflector housings) using the Hikari bulbs there is a decently distinct cutoff line and I have never gotten a high beam flash from oncoming traffic. Also, I am using them in my CBR600F4i and they've got a decently nice cutoff line as well in that older headlight housing. I think more modern LED headlights are specifically designed to mimic a halogen bulb in terms of light output and therefore work decently well in our non-HID housings.
Click to expand...

After some research, I think it makes sense to go for LED as there are much better bulbs out there as technology keeps on advancing. HID will likely be phased out in the future. HID is not as reliable, requires more hardware, and has a much shorter lifespan, and double or triple the price of LEDs. LED bulbs are typically in the 6000K to 6500K (cool white-hint of blue) range which exactly what I am looking for, and the beam pattern on a quality set of bulbs will be adequate (not blinding others), and produce way more light than the stock halogens, but not necessarily as much as HID. Luckily projector housings are way better at controlling light than reflector housings.

Trying a set from amazon ($60) that had majority positive reviews: Engniek H7 LEDs.
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Also, I've read that most LED bulbs will need an adapter/spacer to fit in snug:
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Prime delivery is awesome - free overnight AM shipping. Can't beat that!
 
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