I just bought a 2010 Taurus, it has projector beam headlamps. These things are just sad compared to my 2005 Grand Prix. I put some Phillips Extreme power bulbs in hoping that would do the trick. Marginal improvement at best. Maybe I was just really spoiled with the light output of my last car....maybe I'm just getting old and my eyes are tired....or do they suck as bad as I think they do?
Why do people like projector beams so much?
- Thread starter rat
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Projector beam halogen are supposed to project the light output better. I didn't really notice much of a difference. My current and a couple of past cars had HID's which are definitely better. The only downside to HID's are the light output just stops like a line ahead of you, rather than a gradual decrease of light as the beam projects.
I still would take Bi-Xeon HID's over Halogen any day that is for sure. Maybe you can get a HID kit for your car? They are reasonable in price these days.
Jeff
I still would take Bi-Xeon HID's over Halogen any day that is for sure. Maybe you can get a HID kit for your car? They are reasonable in price these days.
Jeff
There is a lot of variance in projector assemblies. Some are just not engineered with good cutoffs or the right fresnel rings. It's why there are people who actually swap projectors from other vehicles.
The other factor that I've noticed is how low the headlamps are mounted to the ground. Sportier cars that have a low stance seem to light the road up better. My S2000 was awesome in that regard.
The other factor that I've noticed is how low the headlamps are mounted to the ground. Sportier cars that have a low stance seem to light the road up better. My S2000 was awesome in that regard.
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Projector beam halogen are supposed to project the light output better. I didn't really notice much of a difference. My current and a couple of past cars had HID's which are definitely better. The only downside to HID's are the light output just stops like a line ahead of you, rather than a gradual decrease of light as the beam projects.
I still would take Bi-Xeon HID's over Halogen any day that is for sure. Maybe you can get a HID kit for your car? They are reasonable in price these days.
Jeff
+1 i retrofit my dads lincoln with parts from the retrofitsource.com and he now has a true H.I.D. system and loves it.
Projector beam halogen are supposed to project the light output better. I didn't really notice much of a difference. My current and a couple of past cars had HID's which are definitely better. The only downside to HID's are the light output just stops like a line ahead of you, rather than a gradual decrease of light as the beam projects.
I still would take Bi-Xeon HID's over Halogen any day that is for sure. Maybe you can get a HID kit for your car? They are reasonable in price these days.
Jeff
+1 i retrofit my dads lincoln with parts from the retrofitsource.com and he now has a true H.I.D. system and loves it.
JHZR2
Staff member
Quality and engineering of the projector and the housing.
I actually DON'T like them. I know they are supposed to work better, but I hate the way they look.
I've driven a few cars with projectors and hated them. The low beam cut off prevents you from seeing things ahead of the vehicle or animals in the woods to the side. I've also noticed a lot of cars with HID projectors will blind the [censored] out of on coming cars when they go over a hill.
My Cherokee has H4 Euro beam housings. When on low beam there is a cut off in front to prevent blinding oncoming traffic, but the sides of the road still light up so I can see animals.
Aiming is everything though, and most headlights are aimed terribly from the factory.
My Cherokee has H4 Euro beam housings. When on low beam there is a cut off in front to prevent blinding oncoming traffic, but the sides of the road still light up so I can see animals.
Aiming is everything though, and most headlights are aimed terribly from the factory.
I couldn't stand the projector headlights in my Mazda6 when I purchased it.
Dim, bad light projection....terrible. Early '60s design H1 bulb.
I tried Silverstars. Still terrible and lasted less than 6 months.
Then I noticed embossed on the headlight assembly, D2S or H1.
Put in an aftermarket 4300k HID kit....LET THERE BE LIGHT! Suddenly I could see at least as well as the reflector beams in my PT.
Compared the cutoff line with an Acura TSX. Exactly the same as the Acura's. Exactly. The cutoff line is a little sharper on the TSX but you really have to stare hard to notice. The cutoff line is actually lower than a BMW X5 and the light is more white/less blue. (BMW may be closer to a 5000K or my advertised 4300K is less than 4300K.)
In the nearly 6 years (6 years this December from this kit!) I have been highbeamed once by an oncoming car. He was turning left. I was turning right. I followed him. He was an angry curmudgeon who also highbeamed an oncoming TrailBlazer with very stock looking headlights.
Dim, bad light projection....terrible. Early '60s design H1 bulb.
I tried Silverstars. Still terrible and lasted less than 6 months.
Then I noticed embossed on the headlight assembly, D2S or H1.
Put in an aftermarket 4300k HID kit....LET THERE BE LIGHT! Suddenly I could see at least as well as the reflector beams in my PT.
Compared the cutoff line with an Acura TSX. Exactly the same as the Acura's. Exactly. The cutoff line is a little sharper on the TSX but you really have to stare hard to notice. The cutoff line is actually lower than a BMW X5 and the light is more white/less blue. (BMW may be closer to a 5000K or my advertised 4300K is less than 4300K.)
In the nearly 6 years (6 years this December from this kit!) I have been highbeamed once by an oncoming car. He was turning left. I was turning right. I followed him. He was an angry curmudgeon who also highbeamed an oncoming TrailBlazer with very stock looking headlights.
My 2011 Toyota Avalon has projector HID headlights and I love them! I even installed 3k HIDs into the fog lights to put out EVEN MORE light then the halogen bulbs did.
Now I think I'm lighting up the road too much, hahaha, that's how bright it is.
Now I think I'm lighting up the road too much, hahaha, that's how bright it is.
I haven't hated the projector beams on my current car, but around here unlit streets are very rare now. On my 89 Accord I had H4 conversion housings that had decent glass lenses and polished metal reflectors. Still, not much better than the sealed beams they replaced. The biggest difference I ever noticed in headlamps was the replacement of tungsten sealed beams on my 72 Pontiac with H4 Marchal 55/60 conversions in the outer positions. MASSIVE improvement. Since I live in total suburbia I rarely even use high beams. Everything around here is pretty well lighted without car headlights.
MolaKule
Staff member
Quote:
I've driven a few cars with projectors and hated them. The low beam cut off prevents you from seeing things ahead of the vehicle or animals in the woods to the side. I've also noticed a lot of cars with HID projectors will blind the [censored] out of on coming cars when they go over a hill.
For sure!
And then there is that guy with the PB's who follows me home from the University then turns of to go to his house.
He and I are going to have a conversation some evening about the poor aiming and blinding effects of his cr**y PB's.
I've driven a few cars with projectors and hated them. The low beam cut off prevents you from seeing things ahead of the vehicle or animals in the woods to the side. I've also noticed a lot of cars with HID projectors will blind the [censored] out of on coming cars when they go over a hill.
For sure!
And then there is that guy with the PB's who follows me home from the University then turns of to go to his house.
He and I are going to have a conversation some evening about the poor aiming and blinding effects of his cr**y PB's.
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projector designs vary a lot.
Some (namely Japanese cars) have squirrel finders get it to meet DOT standards for overhead lighting.
Some have a patterned projector lens (fresnel, dotted, even a "protrusion" on e46 bixenons) to soften the cutoff.
The LS430 HID projectors (and now the Outlander Sport HID projectors) have a special reflector below to give it an ultra wide beam pattern....
Some (namely Japanese cars) have squirrel finders get it to meet DOT standards for overhead lighting.
Some have a patterned projector lens (fresnel, dotted, even a "protrusion" on e46 bixenons) to soften the cutoff.
The LS430 HID projectors (and now the Outlander Sport HID projectors) have a special reflector below to give it an ultra wide beam pattern....
Originally Posted By: dparm
There is a lot of variance in projector assemblies. Some are just not engineered with good cutoffs or the right fresnel rings. It's why there are people who actually swap projectors from other vehicles.
The other factor that I've noticed is how low the headlamps are mounted to the ground. Sportier cars that have a low stance seem to light the road up better. My S2000 was awesome in that regard.
I agree. S2000 HID projector was 1 of the best 10-12 years ago. The light output isn't as bright as some newer BMW.
There is a lot of variance in projector assemblies. Some are just not engineered with good cutoffs or the right fresnel rings. It's why there are people who actually swap projectors from other vehicles.
The other factor that I've noticed is how low the headlamps are mounted to the ground. Sportier cars that have a low stance seem to light the road up better. My S2000 was awesome in that regard.
I agree. S2000 HID projector was 1 of the best 10-12 years ago. The light output isn't as bright as some newer BMW.
Originally Posted By: rat
I just bought a 2010 Taurus, it has projector beam headlamps. These things are just sad compared to my 2005 Grand Prix. I put some Phillips Extreme power bulbs in hoping that would do the trick. Marginal improvement at best. Maybe I was just really spoiled with the light output of my last car....maybe I'm just getting old and my eyes are tired....or do they suck as bad as I think they do?
I think it's just the projectors on your particular car. I've driven the 2011 Fusions we have at work at night as well, and I think they are pretty poor in terms of efficiency. Better bulbs usually help, but they can't turn a miracle with a poor projector.
Our Acura has pretty good halogen projectors. They take H11 bulbs and output is marginal with standard bulbs. They're better with Sylvania Xtra Visions. They're pretty dadgum good with the GE Nighthawk Platinum I have in them now. I don't care for HIDs, so improving the halogen system was my only option. They have a great cutoff and great light distribution under the cutoff.
This isn't my picture, but it's a halogen projector from a 2004-2006 Acura MDX. Good distribution below the cutoff, well-controlled reflected light above the cutoff for road signs, etc.
I just bought a 2010 Taurus, it has projector beam headlamps. These things are just sad compared to my 2005 Grand Prix. I put some Phillips Extreme power bulbs in hoping that would do the trick. Marginal improvement at best. Maybe I was just really spoiled with the light output of my last car....maybe I'm just getting old and my eyes are tired....or do they suck as bad as I think they do?
I think it's just the projectors on your particular car. I've driven the 2011 Fusions we have at work at night as well, and I think they are pretty poor in terms of efficiency. Better bulbs usually help, but they can't turn a miracle with a poor projector.
Our Acura has pretty good halogen projectors. They take H11 bulbs and output is marginal with standard bulbs. They're better with Sylvania Xtra Visions. They're pretty dadgum good with the GE Nighthawk Platinum I have in them now. I don't care for HIDs, so improving the halogen system was my only option. They have a great cutoff and great light distribution under the cutoff.
This isn't my picture, but it's a halogen projector from a 2004-2006 Acura MDX. Good distribution below the cutoff, well-controlled reflected light above the cutoff for road signs, etc.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
The light above the cutoff, people refer to them as "squirrel finders"
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I thought every Acura came with HID standard from factory since first generation of TL. Yes, they did use reflector way back then but the burners were DS1.
the 1st gen TL did not have HID's as standard equipment and it came out in 1995 (3.2L shown. There was also a 2.5L version with the 5-cyl engine that came from the Vigor)
On the MDX, the 2nd generation had the HID's as standard equipment. The MDX halogen projectors are from the refreshed 1st gen
The light above the cutoff, people refer to them as "squirrel finders"
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I thought every Acura came with HID standard from factory since first generation of TL. Yes, they did use reflector way back then but the burners were DS1.
the 1st gen TL did not have HID's as standard equipment and it came out in 1995 (3.2L shown. There was also a 2.5L version with the 5-cyl engine that came from the Vigor)
On the MDX, the 2nd generation had the HID's as standard equipment. The MDX halogen projectors are from the refreshed 1st gen
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Originally Posted By: Vikas
I thought every Acura came with HID standard from factory since first generation of TL. Yes, they did use reflector way back then but the burners were DS1.
About a decade ago, Acura had the TL, the TSX, the RSX, and the MDX (discounting the very limited production NSX), and different cars had different forward lighting systems.
TL: The 3rd generation TL came out in 2004 and it came standard with projectors with HIDs. These were a single bulb system, save for the fog lamps. When the driver selected the high beam, a shutter in the projector would pivot down and expose the bottom half of the projector lens to the reflector behind it and the area above the cutoff would be lit. In 2007, the 3rd generation TL got a slight facelift and HB3 high beams were added (and the shutter removed from the projector) and the fog lamps were moved to the lower fascia area.
TSX: I think these all had HID projector low beams, supplemented with what is likely an HB3 reflector high beam, since the car's introduction in North America in 2004.
RSX: Sold here from 2001 through 2006, I don't think it ever had HIDs. It never had factory projectors, at least in North America; the headlamps were halogen reflectors, probably with an HB3/HB4 combo.
MDX: The 1st generation debuted in 2000 and used halogen reflector headlamp housings, with I believe an HB3/HB4 combination. This generation got a slight facelift in 2004, and this included (among other things) new headlamp housings. They are the same dimensions as the older housings, but now include H11 projectors in addition to the HB3 reflector high beam. The 2nd generation MDX was introduced in 2007, and it has as standard HID projector low beams.
I thought every Acura came with HID standard from factory since first generation of TL. Yes, they did use reflector way back then but the burners were DS1.
About a decade ago, Acura had the TL, the TSX, the RSX, and the MDX (discounting the very limited production NSX), and different cars had different forward lighting systems.
TL: The 3rd generation TL came out in 2004 and it came standard with projectors with HIDs. These were a single bulb system, save for the fog lamps. When the driver selected the high beam, a shutter in the projector would pivot down and expose the bottom half of the projector lens to the reflector behind it and the area above the cutoff would be lit. In 2007, the 3rd generation TL got a slight facelift and HB3 high beams were added (and the shutter removed from the projector) and the fog lamps were moved to the lower fascia area.
TSX: I think these all had HID projector low beams, supplemented with what is likely an HB3 reflector high beam, since the car's introduction in North America in 2004.
RSX: Sold here from 2001 through 2006, I don't think it ever had HIDs. It never had factory projectors, at least in North America; the headlamps were halogen reflectors, probably with an HB3/HB4 combo.
MDX: The 1st generation debuted in 2000 and used halogen reflector headlamp housings, with I believe an HB3/HB4 combination. This generation got a slight facelift in 2004, and this included (among other things) new headlamp housings. They are the same dimensions as the older housings, but now include H11 projectors in addition to the HB3 reflector high beam. The 2nd generation MDX was introduced in 2007, and it has as standard HID projector low beams.
My jag has projector halogens. The adjusters failed and I took the headlights apart.
Interestingly, the internal reflector was only a partial reflector. The cutoff was produced by a sheet metal plate blocking half the light. It's no wonder the output was pathetic.
I converted to HID bulbs with good results.
Interestingly, the internal reflector was only a partial reflector. The cutoff was produced by a sheet metal plate blocking half the light. It's no wonder the output was pathetic.
I converted to HID bulbs with good results.
The point is that any car maker can make superb lighting systems with any given light source or technology. Some low cost vehicles come with superb lighting systems and some expensive vehicles come with [censored].
The conversion from halogen to HID is never recommended by any lighting expert for a number of very good reasons.
I get OK lighting from my Audi with HID low beams and superb lighting from my PT Cruiser and Ford Edge with upgraded (no, not blue or over wattage) bulbs such as HIR bulbs. HID, Projection and LED headlights are more about sales than about superior technology, although you can get superb lighting from HID, Projection and LED source lights, but at a very high replacement cost v. improved halogen technology. My sister-in-laws pre-bankruptcy Cadi has some of the worst headlight performance of any car built since 1936. No wonder they went bankrupt.
The conversion from halogen to HID is never recommended by any lighting expert for a number of very good reasons.
I get OK lighting from my Audi with HID low beams and superb lighting from my PT Cruiser and Ford Edge with upgraded (no, not blue or over wattage) bulbs such as HIR bulbs. HID, Projection and LED headlights are more about sales than about superior technology, although you can get superb lighting from HID, Projection and LED source lights, but at a very high replacement cost v. improved halogen technology. My sister-in-laws pre-bankruptcy Cadi has some of the worst headlight performance of any car built since 1936. No wonder they went bankrupt.
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