Illusion Lighting Hid Retrofits

[wylin]

http://www.illusion-lighting.com

http://www.illusion-lighting.com/title.jpg

Company:
illusion lighting

Company Overview:
Ilusion lighting of Alhambra, CA is custom fabricated lighting housings to fit HID projectors on a custom per customer basis. The only do lighting and have done some amazing work.

Service: 1 customer at a time, get it right on time service

Products:
True custom and non blinding HID systems based on E-code (european) or DOT spec HID projectors from european or japanese cars. These products are for off road/ showuse only use only BTW!

Overall:
10/10 - they make everything work and take pride in and back their products. installations.

righting now their lookin for an RSX project car
http://www.illusion-lighting.com/gallery/headlamp_stage_6/1998_Accord/small/06.jpg
http://www.illusion-lighting.com/gallery/headlamp_stage_4/1998_SC400/small/02.jpg



<!--EDIT|wylin|Aug 27 2002, 09:45 AM-->

[wylin]

http://www.illusion-lighting.com/gallery/headlamp_meet/meets/small/02.jpg

So whats your thoughts on HID conversions and the blinding light of XEnon/ HID headlights?



<!--EDIT|wylin|Aug 27 2002, 09:43 AM-->

[Arex]

Originally posted by wylin@Aug 27 2002, 09:41 AM
So whats your thoughts on HID conversions and the blinding light of XEnon/ HID headlights?
I love HIDs. If you've got the money to do the conversion, more power to you. I know Philips made an H1 retrofit kit. Unfortunately, the bulbs were too long thereby requiring modifications to (read: cutting holes in) the reflectors in Prelude headlights. Otherwise I might have considered it. I hate improperly aimed headlights of any kind (each time I'm blinded by a car with one misaligned headlight, I wanna get violent), but mis-aimed HIDs are bad news. I've seen a lot of cars with problem HIDs that shine a grip of light too high in the next lane over. Very annoying. I wonder if that's a design thing or those drivers were involved in mild accidents thereby fucking up the aiming.

Alex



<!--EDIT|Arex|Aug 28 2002, 01:42 AM-->

[wylin]

Originally posted by Arex@Aug 28 2002, 01:41 AM
Originally posted by wylin@Aug 27 2002, 09:41 AM
So whats your thoughts on HID conversions and the blinding light of XEnon/ HID headlights?
I love HIDs. If you've got the money to do the conversion, more power to you. I know Philips made an H1 retrofit kit. Unfortunately, the bulbs were too long thereby requiring modifications to (read: cutting holes in) the reflectors in Prelude headlights. Otherwise I might have considered it. I hate improperly aimed headlights of any kind (each time I'm blinded by a car with one misaligned headlight, I wanna get violent), but mis-aimed HIDs are bad news. I've seen a lot of cars with problem HIDs that shine a grip of light too high in the next lane over. Very annoying. I wonder if that's a design thing or those drivers were involved in mild accidents thereby fucking up the aiming.

Alex
the illusion conversion is a total modifcation they remove the use of the reflectors by adding a HID projector type lens housing (see lexus SC300 headlight in above pix), seal it and it uses a buld deisgned for the projector.

HID the reason they point up a lil is by design, and US law. In europe and japan E-code/ JDM laws require all HIS bulbs to have a metal cap on the top so not to fire the light upwards and have a clean cut off. In america this requirement isnt mandatory and the reason is our signs arent electircally powered and illuminated, instead our signs are illuminated by the beam of the headlight. The 2nd thing Euro and japanese laws require for HID is an auto balancer, a device that keeps the HID beam always aimed level no matter the road or grade condition. Instead in america we get half assed HID like the S2000's which flashes up and down and scatters its beams because no cap or autobalancer (it has both in other markets) or we get basically european grade HID systems like on the BMW 3-series and 5-series w/ the projector lens, autobalancer, and Ds-9 bulb w/ cap.

[ren28]

I've done an E-code H4 conversion with Hella reflectors and an SPW H4 HID kit w/high beam. The low beam is excellent right now with a great cut off so it does not blind oncoming traffic. I believe the E-code H4 reflectors are far superior to DOT reflectors. It is flat till about the mid point and then rises to the right at approximately 35 degrees to light up signs on the right. The SPW HID kit I have seems to have a bug with the high beam because it does not disengage high beams sometimes. I am getting a replacement although I know I could easily fix the problem myself. I would probably have opted for the Bellof HID kit at double the price but with a more functional high beam had I known about these little things. I don't think there are many HID equipped cars that also have HID high beams.

I don't know about that website with the possible "used parts." I did my conversion with new parts for ~$550 and it costs even less for low beams only. The beam pattern on my setup is excellent. I will probably try Cibie E-code reflectors later down the road as I hear that those are better than the Hella E-code reflectors that I currently have.

[wylin]

those hella E code H4's rock we did the same to an S13 w/ a mccolloch kit and it turned out pretty good cept the cut off was kinda high and it might piss off oncoming traffic.

Well junkyard HID's tend to actually be better then cheap korean/ taiwan made kits such as vision or HID w/ chinese writting, mainly in how the wiring harness is made and also the looms the looms on the orginal phillips kits were very short and that limited where u could mount the balasts.

Plus ur getting the actual DOT/ e-code projector from the crashed car and most of the times illusion gets new stuff (i chatted w/ the owner recently) and mostly he uses A4 previous gen brand new HID projecotrs, balasts, etc... So technically its not a junkyard part, also he will only retrofit cars that have either an existing projector system or those w/ a freeform reflector w/ a poly carbonate lens.



<!--EDIT|wylin|Sep 11 2002, 08:31 AM-->

[ren28]

Originally posted by wylin@Sep 11 2002, 04:16 PM
those hella E code H4's rock we did the same to an S13 w/ a mccolloch kit and it turned out pretty good cept the cut off was kinda high and it might piss off oncoming traffic.

Well junkyard HID's tend to actually be better then cheap korean/ taiwan made kits such as vision or HID w/ chinese writting, mainly in how the wiring harness is made and also the looms the looms on the orginal phillips kits were very short and that limited where u could mount the balasts.

Plus ur getting the actual DOT/ e-code projector from the crashed car and most of the times illusion gets new stuff (i chatted w/ the owner recently) and mostly he uses A4 previous gen brand new HID projecotrs, balasts, etc... So technically its not a junkyard part, also he will only retrofit cars that have either an existing projector system or those w/ a freeform reflector w/ a poly carbonate lens.
One of my lights were too high too. I used the adjustment screw and the beams are perfect now.

Junkyard would be better than crappy HID kits for sure. If they are good enough to be used for OEM, they should be at least good quality. I have Hella ballasts and Osram bulbs on a custom base. The wires are long too. (SPW kit)

[ren28]

Ok, the SPW kit does not have any bug. I found out that I needed to remove the shield inside the E-code H4 because the high beam mechanism bangs into it. Now that I have removed the shield, everything works perfectly. I have yet to test it on the road where it really counts but I suspect that it will work very well.

[wylin]

i drove the illusion owners car monday it has sum braking problems so we were working on it. wow those S4 e-code lights are dam bright lit up my whole neighborhood.

[ren28]

E-code is so much better than DOT. DOT reflectors scatter the light all over while the E-code reflectors puts the light where you need it. E-code has a flat and distinct cut-off and sweeps up to the right at a (guessing) 30 degree angle for road signs.

[wylin]

guyz making alota money hez getting brembo granturismo's for his accord.

[ren28]

Originally posted by wylin@Oct 10 2002, 10:11 PM
guyz making alota money hez getting brembo granturismo's for his accord.
Talk about overkill. I wonder if those Brembos are going to realize even 1/2 their designed limits on an Accord.

[wylin]

lol that accord tips 3700lb curbweight they put so much sound off equipment and dynamat it weights bout 3900lb loaded w/ the owner in it.

its also a LX base 5-speed so its a lil down for power.

[ren28]

Originally posted by wylin@Oct 10 2002, 10:19 PM
lol that accord tips 3700lb curbweight they put so much sound off equipment and dynamat it weights bout 3900lb loaded w/ the owner in it.

its also a LX base 5-speed so its a lil down for power.
Holy crap. I did not know an Accord could get that heavy. I wonder what he will do about brake bias unless he's getting Brembos in the front and rear.

[wylin]

rear drums baby and no ABS

[ren28]

Originally posted by wylin@Oct 10 2002, 10:25 PM
rear drums baby and no ABS
Nice Brembos in front and stock drums in the rear. :D Might need a brake bias adjuster like the one Wilwood makes. This is getting way off topic. :go:

[wylin]

yah lol, its ok hez reading this lurking so its helpful.