My Bixenon retrofit (E30)

straight6pwr · June 6, 2011

Hey guys thought I'd share this build with you all. I am putting some FX-R bixenon projectors into my e30. It will give the most possible light without going to some $2k military grade LED kit or some such thing. The light output is quite simply amazing. I went from standard halogen in my e30 to HID, and it was a huge jump, this will be a jump similar in scale from the HIDs.

Parts:

Depo smoked Euro Headlights (ordered from DTM Fiberwerkz)

Bi-xenon Retrofit Kit Stage III (ordered from The Retrofit Source)

-upgraded to Philips 85122+ DS2 bulbs with 50w ballasts

Depo Smoked Euro Headlights (started dissasembly before I remembered to take photos)

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The reason I got the Depos vs. real euro lights are 1)Gauranteed new condition 2)The glass in front of the projector is perfectly clear, no fresnel to botch up the perfect cutoff!

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The FX-R projectors, harness, ballasts, etc

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I will be converting these H1 HID bulbs to a marker type light for the high beams

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I took some time and modeled the parts in 3D so I could see how they would fit before I just started randomly hacking away. It gave me a better idea of what larger portions I could leave intact to add some support

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Cutting away at the housing to make the projectors fit:

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4047/fit1e.jpg

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8004/fit2.jpg

http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/2113/fit3.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5601/fit4a.jpg

Also did a quick attachment of the harness to car, and it worked like a charm! It comes with a relay which enables you to plug it into any main body power source, then plug one of the normal low beam plugs into the harness to act only as the switch instead of the power source. It was definately needed as the power getting to the low beam plug was not enough juice to fire the 50W ballast. Also plugged the high beam into the actuator on the bi-xenon and it flipped the cutoff up and down no prob.

Next step is to seal up the projector then repeat on the other side. More to come as I get to it!

straight6pwr · June 6, 2011

reserved for more pictures.

June 7, 2011

looks good man!

Now go and clear out your inbox. I can't reply to your PM because your inbox is full...

alexw · June 7, 2011

Nice! I may have to get you to hook me up with a set

straight6pwr · June 7, 2011

looks good man!
Now go and clear out your inbox. I can't reply to your PM because your inbox is full...

all clear, sorry about that.

alex- this is a long procedure. it was about 5 hours to do that one projector.

tsweers89 · June 10, 2011

Did this retrofit to my e34. I first had tsx porjectors, 35W Ballasts and wiring from TRS then got Philips 85122 D2S bulbs off ebay. But after having that for 3 years, I wanted a little whiter output so I went with 55w 5000K. Which is as bright as the 35W and the Philips, just a tad whiter. Now went to s2000 ap2 projectors with the color mod. Def can see the diffrence between the 2 projectors outputs. You should of went with s2000 projectors for best output but fx-r is still night and day difference compared to just an aftermarket hid set-up.

Edited June 10, 2011 by tsweers89

straight6pwr · June 10, 2011

yeah i know there are a couple of options out there which are slightly brighter or a bit smoother, but thats why i went with the 50w 4300k setup to compensate. value and the bi-xenon were important.

tsweers89 · June 10, 2011

yeah i know there are a couple of options out there which are slightly brighter or a bit smoother, but thats why i went with the 50w 4300k setup to compensate. value and the bi-xenon were important.

35w to 55w set up is hardly noticeable as far as better output goes. But to each there own. Good work none the less.

straight6pwr · June 13, 2011

thanks. got the other projector done today:

copy the first projector cuts with tape:

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done:

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splice plugs for solenoids to plug straight into high beam plugs:

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here is the wiring harness the kit comes with. works great, but the main power and ground wires are too short.

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here the power and ground wires have been lengthened to run up the passenger fender and connect directly to the chassis power/ground.

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going out to test fire them in a few minutes.

straight6pwr · June 13, 2011

lights fired up great except one ballast is flickering (will call to get it replaced) but they are going to level out just fine, so next step is permanently sealing them. i love the color, it is a true 4300k it is white but more toward yellow than blue from up close so its not a big attention getter. cut off is super sharp, the solenoids fired up the high beam function really well.

lows: (note these have not been aimed yet)

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highs:

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Edited June 13, 2011 by straight6pwr

straight6pwr · June 13, 2011

decided how i was going to seal it up today. i wanted to use a fiberglass kit and glass it in, but the two negatives of that are 1)fiberglass resin doesnt stick to plastic very well and 2)its a fairly permanent cover so if I ever needed to take them apart, i would be heavily cursing. also, after researching aluminum foil tape, i'm quite impressed with the stuff. i'd call it 'duct tape on crack'.

depending on which version you get, it has a heat range from -25deg to 325deg, is 100% waterproof, has 'aggressive' adhesive, and can even be applied under water. good enough for me.

so i bought the tape ($18/roll) and the silicone sealant (good to 400deg or something) and applied the sealant today. it will have to dry 24hrs before i apply the tape.

Posted Image

Edited June 13, 2011 by straight6pwr

June 14, 2011

35w to 55w set up is hardly noticeable as far as better output goes. But to each there own. Good work none the less.

I beg to differ the 55w over power the bulb making a crisper white and leaving out some of the blue. Much better in my opinion.

tsweers89 · June 15, 2011

I beg to differ the 55w over power the bulb making a crisper white and leaving out some of the blue. Much better in my opinion.

Very true, i do not diasagree. Im saying output differences are slim to none.

straight6pwr · June 15, 2011

headlights are installed! heres what all was finished:

Finished sealing up the projectors with aluminum foil tape:

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The headlight bucket had to be slightly trimmed to fit one of the brackets I added to secure the projector.

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Install into the bucket:

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Installing the lights into the car

Take out your headlights and the plastic sheilds on the back:

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Get your harness and your beer ready:

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Installed the ballasts behind the headlights. There are big ass ballasts, but they fit along side just fine

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Heres where I attached the harness for the main power (13V constant as shown with voltmeter):

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And the ground:

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Neatly run the harness down the engine bay:

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Seal up the relay to keep water out of it as it ends up by the ballasts/headlights:

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7735/relay1.jpg

Run the plug for the drivers side across the body with the other factory wires which cross behind the front valance right under the grill:

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/7692/harness1b.jpg

Heres all the plugs youll end up with for the lights. This is everything except the city light (if you have euro-spec lights)

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/5628/wiring1.jpg

Headlights installed:

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6475/installed1.jpg

Aiming the headlights:

Draw your diagram (or use tape if you dont want to deface someones property) according to http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

The cross is the exact location of the lights on the car, the bottom line is 2.1 inches below and is where the cuttoff should land.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/7734/aiming1.jpg

Back the car up 25ft

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3596/aiming2.jpg

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/5274/aiming3.jpg

Where the lights landed before aiming

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/6023/aiming4.jpg

Headlights aimed properly.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4184/aiming5.jpg

Very happy with how bright they are. Whatever flickering that was happening when first tested is gone. Will post some output pictures when I get the chance.

DrLeadFoot · November 23, 2011

Clean install and nice write up! This is on the to do list for sure. I just need to do some more research.

straight6pwr · November 23, 2011

Thanks. this is the #1 mod to do to old cars with old headlights. the beam pattern is wide enough to span across all 3 lanes on the freeway plus onto the shoulders

tsweers89 · November 24, 2011

Just finished my new retrofit. Hella euro ellipsoids w/ s2000 projectors. Have yet to put them in but fired one up in the house yesterday just to see the output.

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mystere30 · November 24, 2011

winnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

DrLeadFoot · November 25, 2011

Which projectors are better? s2000 or fx-r's?

/this is me not doing research...

tsweers89 · November 26, 2011

Which projectors are better? s2000 or fx-r's?
/this is me not doing research...

Moliter you need to bring your car over by Scott sometime so i can check it out. Hopefully it is better than your m3 was.

s2000 are better but are harder to fit due to their size. Here is a link to all you need to know:

http://theeshadow.com/carmod/JVXdriver/beam_comparison.htm

Edited November 26, 2011 by tsweers89

straight6pwr · November 26, 2011

Moliter you need to bring your car over by Scott sometime so i can check it out. Hopefully it is better than your m3 was.
s2000 are better but are harder to fit due to their size. Here is a link to all you need to know:
http://theeshadow.com/carmod/JVXdriver/beam_comparison.htm

was going to say, most OEM HID projectors are going to be better, but that comes with a little more $ and more trouble installing versus the fx-r

keep in mind also, the fx-r is a bixenon light, which means it has the low beam function plus a high beam in one unit. that is not the case with s2000

tsweers89 · November 26, 2011

was going to say, most OEM HID projectors are going to be better, but that comes with a little more $ and more trouble installing versus the fx-r
keep in mind also, the fx-r is a bixenon light, which means it has the low beam function plus a high beam in one unit. that is not the case with s2000

This is true, but i have yet to say i wish i had bi-xenon when my low beam output is so good. Even with my tsx projectors i didn't have a problem.

DrLeadFoot · November 26, 2011

Moliter you need to bring your car over by Scott sometime so i can check it out. Hopefully it is better than your m3 was.
s2000 are better but are harder to fit due to their size. Here is a link to all you need to know:
http://theeshadow.com/carmod/JVXdriver/beam_comparison.htm

Good link Timmy. I think I'd go with the FX-R's just because of the $$ and bixenon feature. And I've read a couple of build threads with them being used. With my lack of research I'm following the crowd not blazing a new trail.

Better than the M3 was!?! Always hatin'. The paint on this one isn't anything to write home about but it's what's on the inside that counts! I just need to clean it up and clean up the engine bay a bit and bam!

straight6pwr · November 26, 2011

putting a true HID retrofit on the e30 is pretty uncommon, and is pretty new ground as it is, no matter which kit you use.

DrLeadFoot · November 26, 2011

putting a true HID retrofit on the e30 is pretty uncommon, and is pretty new ground as it is, no matter which kit you use.

It does look pretty invasive but I'm pretty handy. Is there enough room to retain the plastic covers in the engine bay behind the lights?

straight6pwr · November 26, 2011

yes plenty. the fx-rs are actually smaller than the stock projectors.

My Bixenon retrofit (E30)

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