So I went on over to www.hidplanet.com forums, and then to the store at www.theretrofitsource.com

I was looking at their selection of HID projectors, ballasts, bulbs, etc. Basically, the best HID output you are going to get is with OEM hardware like Philips, and TSX projector retrofits, etc.

I found that if you do not want to do any sort of projector retrofit (yes, I too think the stock halogen projector is perfectly fine) then the best HID kit out there is the Morimoto kit.

I've tried MENG Motorsports, and DDM Tuning. Between the 2 of them, I got the wrong set of bulbs, a defective ballast, and a defective pair of bulbs.

I decided to pay a bit extra ~$155 total, and get a better HID kit. So I called The Retrofit Source, and talked to the owner. He set me up with a custom Morimoto Stage II Amp kit with 50w ballasts, 4300k bulbs, and an H11 dual fuse relay with LED power indicators.

Hooked those bad boys up, and night turned into day. It took around 8 seconds for the bulbs to fully warm up. The low beams are actually 2-3x brighter than my high beams! Highly suggest this kit. Would not buy any other HID kit. You get what you pay for, and these guys are serious about QUALITY lighting. Just go over to the www.hidplanet.com forums and see for yourself.

Here is the 35w kit if you are interested:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...roducts_id=170

A 50w kit like I have will be a bit brighter, but not by a whole lot. It will also lower the kelvin rating of your bulb. (ie. 6000k bulb will look like 5000k)

The 50w ballasts powering the 4300k bulbs are the same color as my Philips CrystalVision Ultra halogen high beams, which are kind of white/yellowish. If you want pure white, I'd go with 5000k color temp, but you will see more lumens with the 4300k which is what OEM HIDs use anyway. The 4300k will be whiter, and less yellow with a 35w ballast, however. OEM also uses 35w ballasts.

Here are the pictures of my result:

Low Beam: (the tree line is ~400 feet away)



High Beam: (notice lows are still brighter than halogen highs)


There is just nothing like following behind a vehicle, and seeing the shadow of their own vehicle cast over their own headlights. As I pass other drivers in the next lane, it always puts a smile on my face when my lights drown out their own lights.

Even when passing by someone who is walking on the sidewalk in pitch blackness. All the sudden, their sidewalk turns to day, and they have to turn around to see what's causing such bright light, lol. Makes me laugh every time.

And no. I have not been flashed. Please be responsible when aiming your headlights, and you won't have that problem. (except when coming over the top of a hill with the other car at the bottom )

 

I ordered my Morimoto stage II kit with the 35 watt 4300k but its on back order..

I bought everything you did minus the 55 watt ballast however living in los angeles there's a lot of street light available so I personally dont think its needed.

My question is what are you doing about fog lamps and high beams? that where I am stuck right now. Also how would the kit match up with some LED switchback turn signals? Id like it all to be contrast balanced on the front end.


I do agree on the Morimoto kits being one of the better ended kits however, I find the guys over at HIDplanet to be a bit snobby over there. Like worst than audiophile guys. Its a freakin head light, jesus christ!! I know our projectors weren't designed for HID and the cutoff isnt razor sharp but it looks good enough on your car so I think its safe to say it looks good on mine...


any front shots?

 

More pics please!

 

You can give them a call Monday, and ask them why it says it's on backorder. They are very helpful on the phone I've noticed.

The difference between the 50w kit and the 35w kit is not dramatic. It is slight at best, so don't worry about losing much performance by only getting the 35w.

For my fogs, I was thinking of doing a retrofit with their projector fog light kit, but that involves cutting, drilling, and trying to mount the new projector. I might just get another set of 50w HIDs, but in 5000k, and put the 4300k in my fogs since the 4300k look like SilverStar Ultras in yellowness. (the 50w ballast lowers the kelvin rating, 35w 4300k should look whiter)

"Also how would the kit match up with some LED switchback turn signals? Id like it all to be contrast balanced on the front end." Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean with this question. I still havent converted any lights to LED, but I've taken the base off of one of my Halogen head light bulbs, and stuck it in for my reverse light

The people on HID planet will chew you out if you meantion putting HID 'kits' in housings meant for halogen bulbs. They only support putting HID bulbs in HID projectors. The 2011 tC has great projectors, IMO.

I'll post more pics in a little while. So far, my setup just looks just like I have SilverStar Ultras, just 3-4x brighter.

 

I guess you answered my question. I wanted to know how it looked having the HID and halogens in the front headlamp assembly... and yeah I have noticed how touchy they get about cut off and glare I just never seen someone be some compulsive about it, and I work with engineers in television and they are the WORST and they dont obsess that bad

 

Great write up!!

I called The Retrofit Source and ordered the same Morimoto 50W Kit w/6K bulbs, picking them up Wednesday after work. Custom work for $155+TAX

re-wired 50W Morimoto ballasts with Amp connectors, actually just new connectors
re-based DS2 bulbs to H11 - Good quality
double relay harness - Might not be needed

Great Deal!

 

I'd purchase this kit but I'd like to see more pics first from the front of the car I've been having nothing but problems from the ddm kit. I'm not saying it's a bad kit I just need something more reliable.

 

35 watt HID bulbs are already, what, twice as bright as typical stock halogens?

From the pictures I'm seeing in the first post, I guess the car is probably inclined a few degrees? Otherwise those projectors are aimed way too high, especially with 50 watt HIDs you'd probably want to reduce the risk of direct eye contact by aiming just a touch lower than you would with 35 watt HIDs.

What is the opinion of those who've faced 50/55 watt HIDs on the receiving end? There are a lot of times I find someone's headlights offensively bright, but I don't flash my highs. I try to reserve that for the most egregious of cases instead of running the possibility of crying wolf too many times, but it sure can be frustrating to have to wait for my eyes recover from an encounter with too-bright or aggressively-aimed headlights, often but not always on hills, precious seconds during which I suffer reduced visibility. Throw in supernova fog lights and it's just another layer of insult. At that point it's either incompetence on their part, or they have the selfish feeling that they own the road and can preen like a peacock at others' expense.

I'm skeptical, but open-minded. I just need to be sure I respect my fellow driver, and that there's a practical point to it all.

Hi backinblacktc2,

Unfortunately, I think DDM Tuning are a victim of their own success. Swamped with demand, they are prioritizing new orders and simply don't give the warranty/support department the personnel required. I can be a pretty patient guy, but it's been almost two months since I ordered my dead-on-arrival DDM Tuning HID kit, and they still haven't managed to fully replace my kit. That should happen this week finally but it shouldn't take this long. My next HID kit will probably be ordered elsewhere.

 

Ok, here you go. This is what I see from my projector above the cutoff line. It's just a white/yellowish glowing orb as long as you stay above the cutoff point. (the camera's color reproduction shows more yellow than there really is)



However, once you go under the cutoff point, that's where the brightness is




(this is a better color reproduction, and is relatively accurate)




As to how my lights are aimed, the pictures in the original post were taken from at the top of a hill overlooking a field below. No, I don't drive with my lights aimed to the top of the tree line.

The cutoff point between 35w and 50w does not change since you are using the same bulbs, so no need to adjust your projectors. Remember, the brightness is only a slight increase when changing to 50w ballasts.

I did compare my 50w 4300k HIDs in my tC side by side to my girlfriends 2008 Dodge Caliber that has SilverStar bulbs with reflectors. Her reflectors had plenty of wasted light (glare) since that's the nature of reflectors. The projector of the tC has none of that from the same angle, just a glowing orb. I'll post a picture up soon, but I can't right now since she is at work. Another thing I noticed, is the brightness would get brighter on a reflector as you got closer to the cutoff point. The tC still had no glare until... bam! ur at the cutoff point. Always make sure your car is outfitted with projectors!

So to sum it all up, as long as your projectors are not aimed at an upward angle, you should have no problems with glare no matter how bright your lights are. Any other car on the road that has reflector headlight housings will always have more glare compared to the tC because... well they are reflectors. My aim allows me to see approx. 500ft in front of me before the cutoff point on the road, so I don't get flashed.

 

I was also surprised that the 50w rewired ballasts are only $5 more! The wire harness getting thrown in also is a good deal on top of already high quality hardware.

Using the harness is optional, if you really don't want the extra wires floating around, and it can be pretty intimidating at first trying to figure out how it all hooks up.

Also, you will be provided with, I think 2 other wire pieces that you will not need to use, so don't be scratching your head wondering what to do with them. One is an adapter that plugs into something, with 2 wires coming out of it, and the other is in the rubber garment of the HID light harness, you can pull those out of the garment.

Glad you went with 6k bulbs. You probably won't see any blue in them with the 50w kit, they should be pure white. However, if you would have went with the 4300k bulbs, you definitely would see yellow, which most people are probably trying to avoid when upgrading to HIDs, so I'm going to get another kit at 50w with 5k bulbs, and see how that looks. I'll then throw the 4300k kit in my fogs.

Let me know how the 6k bulbs look when you get them! Hopefully you will get them this week! Tell me if you see any blue in them!

 

My guess is you'd see a touch of blue, if powering a 6000k bulb at 50 watts.

Still trying to make my mind up here. If I could do that, I'd order today, either the 35 watt or 50 watt kit and get it over with. Even though my resolution with DDM Tuning is right around the corner, my experience with them has left me with such a soured taste that I don't want their product in my car.

TRS look like they're pretty easy to deal with and wouldn't mind swapping ballasts if you found the 50 watt kit too rich for your blood.

Anyway, I point back to my previous post. Could we get some more feedback from folks as to what it looks like approaching 50/55-watt HIDs on hilly roads & whatnot? Videos maybe?

 

Just off the phone with TRS, Matt (Owner) is very helpful and can answer/recommend anything you might need.
The difference is only $5 between the 35W & 50W Morimoto kit. Also the dual relay is included in the price, 1 relay for each headlight, I tried to buy the kit w/o but it's recommended because of the ballast draw during startup is 8amp per ballast. I'm picking up my Morimoto 50W kit w/6K bulbs tomorrow, so I will have them installed for tomorrow nights test drive.

 

A real class act, DP. My problem isn't . . . . staring at bright lights, nor is it aim per se.

Back to the adults in the room, here's my question in a nut shell:

I live in a rather hilly & curved road-area, and somewhat populated too, so I do encounter other cars frequently. Will this be a problem with the Scion tC and a 50-watt kit? It's my experience that hills are prime staging ground for the momentary blinding of oncoming traffic. I'm a respectful sort, so I don't like to blind other people, or mock, smile, or laugh at them condescendingly with my Hyperion headlights on lend from Zeus. I like to avoid being an ___ if at all possible.

At the same time, illumination is great. One of the first words of wisdom my father imparted to me when I got my new car, is don't script on headlights, a nugget of knowledge that seems intuitive enough but often doesn't get emblazoned into your mind till you've been in a major accident which proper illumination would have prevented, the precise situation my father found himself in some years ago. So, I care about this subject very much.

 

LOL, I sorry was I talking/quoting you? johnmk
Get it straight before you sh_t on someone's thread.. or maybe you should be posting over on HID Planet with the real serious people.

 

Hello again DP,

As always, I appreciate your advice, but I'd prefer this conversation here, since we're dealing with the Scion tC projector and we're more familiar with its properties.

 

Guys, lets stay on topic here.

 

You guys have some fancy HIDs...

I was going to buy a set of 6000k DDM's but my cousin bought some 6000k Xentec ones for my birthday. They seem to be pretty cheap E-bay ones, but can't complain about free stuff. So far nothing has gone wrong, using them for a few weeks already, just hope they last awhile.

And I can confirm on OP's cutoff line info. Up close (above cutoff line) there is absolutely no glare and the projector looks like a blue glass ball. When I walk a little further away from the car I can start to see some glare, looks like two little bright stars instead of orbs.

I have not changed the aim on the projectors. Am I supposed to change it or is the stock aim okay?

 

I don't think there is a way to avoid glare if the incoming car is down a hill as you are coming up over it.

If you are in the path of illumination, you are going to see glare. You can reduce glare by reducing the brightness of your lights, or by using a projector that will take advantage of the extra light by spreading it out in a wider area. This will lower the intensity of the light overall instead of focusing it in a smaller area. This is the difference between HID projectors, and halogen projectors.

You can also lower the aim of your lights to give you more leeway as you go over hills, but if you are concerned about glare, I'd just get 35w if I were you to start. But again, I have not been flashed using 50w, and my aim is higher than it was stock.

Also, there is a thread somewhere with a diagram on how to eliminate the "Squirrel finders" that appear on the top side of the cutoff point.

 

Those two bright little "stars" you see are those "Squirrel Finders" I was referring to. If you pull up next to a wall, you will see 2 faint boxes above the cutoff line. These are there to help illuminate road signs, when using halogens.

HID projectors do not have these because when you are putting extra light through, it can cause glare. There is a thread somewhere that describes how to bend down the piece of metal in the projector that creates the squirrel finders. This will fix the little bit of glare that you are describing. Cosmetically, however, the squirrel finders also give your headlights more of a twinkle, and better color flicker.

As to adjusting your aim from stock. There is no need for that. The stock aim is a bit low, so you do have room to adjust it up a bit, but be careful. If may not look like they are being raised much, but as soon as you hit the open road going over small hills, you will definitely see that a small adjustment goes a long way.

 

Thanks for the info.

If stock aim is okay then that's just dandy. I'm not planning to get HID projectors and if problems arise I'll just put my halogen bulbs back in.

Just curious about one more thing.

My rear-view mirror gets blindingly bright when somebody with reflector HIDs is behind me, but when people see my squirrel finders in their rear view, will it be blinding if their car is low enough? Or will they just see two little stars in their rear view mirror while their interior is brightly lit? Or is this unlikely since stock aim is low enough?

Basically, when I look at the squirrel finders head on from far away I get a little bit of glare, but I'm wondering how big the effect will be when people see it in their rear view mirror.