Would you pay $2K for a projector HID headlight system?

[paultvx]

Originally posted by gruven
Some subjects have been touched on that I have been wondering about...

From what I have been able to observe, low beams look adequate for my needs- but I am confused on the two types of HiLo offered. One type uses moving shield and the other a moving bulb. Of course with a moving bulb 3-4" (if I remember correctly) are what is needed behind the enclosure for the mechanism to move. Doubt we have that luxury.... Is one practice more preferable than the other?

I have the moving bulb type (Catz)... even though I haven't had the chance to install them, I can tell you that there should be enough room behind the headlights to clear the longer bulb assembly. You might have to remove the intake elbow to make room on the driver side. I think with the moving shield type (HID Plus brand) one potential problem is that the bulb hood (the conical cap that covers the tip of the bulb) that comes with the HID kit may not be compatible with the existing hood in the stock housing.

I am not completely sure which is the better method. I just figured that since Bellof uses the moving bulb method, it must be the way to go.
From what I've read on this board and on vmag, low beam alone is sufficient in most cases since our headlight reflectors weren't designed with HID in mind so there's a lot of light flooding beyond the cutoffs. This is why HID can appear to have more glare to other drivers (screw them... better they are made more aware of the road than day dreaming in la-la-land and causing accidents).

The shield placement sure seems to be the key- is there anything to look for that might hint of a kits 'cutoff' or shield's ability- or is this learned through trial and error by trying different brands?

I don't think there is a way to know until you actually try it. There are too many variables involved with retrofit kits. That's why the NHTSA has been looking into the matter in hopes of putting regulations in place. Our tax dollars at work... pay someone to tell us what we can't do with our money.
Anyway, buying HID kits is pretty risky. There are lots of kits out there with vast differences in pricing, and quality. There are even kits out there that claim to have Philips components but are really unauthorized substandard copies. You really have to be careful of who and where you buy it from.

Also ran across something talking about European codes mandating an auto-leveling system. Something to keep you from blinding people when cresting a hill from what I gather. Is this a feature that needs to be looked for?

Not only do they mandate auto-leveling... they also call for headlamp washer jets. Dust and grime on the headlight lens can disperse light and increase glare. The auto-leveling feature is not available with retrofit kits. They are only available if.... say you have an Audi A4 and you swap the US spec headlights for European spec HID headlights (not just bulb and ballast... the real McCoy).

Retrofits are generally brighter than Halogen, but still not like the real deal... just half way there. Which is why I mentioned my idea of designing a new set of headlights based on the factory units... one that would use 4 round Hella projectors (same ones used on the Saleen S7). Development would cost a lot of $ though.