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Headlight retrofit questions

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by Ronn, Dec 10, 2012.

  1. Dec 10, 2012 at 7:00 AM
    #1
    Ronn

    Ronn [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2010
    Member:
    #44253
    Messages:
    207
    Gender:
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    First Name:
    Ron
    Northern Ontario
    Vehicle:
    2007 DCLB 4x4 SR5
    Westin bullbar, KC slimlites, Mini D2S headlight retrofit, 5100 front @ 1.75 and 5100 rear, Wheelers HD leaf pack
    Looking into retrofitting headlights for my truck. One of the OEM headlights has a crack in the lens so I will be buying new lights. I have pretty much settled on the Bi-xenon Morimoto Mini Stage 3 D2S, kit from TRS as it seems plug and play. Just have a few questions for people who have been down this road before.

    EDIT: Called TRS and got some info from Zack, figured I'd post some answers here in case anyone else was wondering.

    My goals for the retro are in order of importance: reliability, ease of install, performance and looks

    1) Would it be better to buy genuine OEM lights rather than aftermarket? I found headlight assemblies on http://www.trdparts.com for 198.14 a piece.
    Recommended to perform the upgrade on your OEM lights but if you have to get new lights, at the minimum get OEM aftermarket. No ebay specials. The lights I listed above are genuine OEM, so the site says.

    2) I haven't decided on a choice of shroud yet, they all appeal to me. Do all shrouds need to be trimmed to follow the contour of the reflector? Which is the most plug and play?
    Each shroud fits into the headlight housing differently obviously. He didn't know offhand how it fits into the tacoma housing. Maybe someone here can chime in. He did say that all shrouds do come with a centric ring and he recommended using silicone for added long term reliability.

    3) When checking the horizontal alignment of the projectors can this just be done inside on a level bench or do the housings need to be in the truck? Also is there a recommended distance they should be checked at?
    Can be done on the bench at a distance of 25 feet.

    4) I see the kit comes with ballast brackets, does anyone have pictures of this? I can't tell from the TRS site. When you look at the pictures for this kit there is something with a bracket on it, but it doesn't look like a ballast. I'm not a fan of mounting using velcro.
    Ballasts come with a solid steel mounting bracket so you can use a bolt somewhere or mount them using a self tapper.

    5) Are there any advantages/disadvantages in choosing the D2S over the H1?
    Taken from the HID FAQ on TRS site
    Beam uniformity: The Mini D2S is a bit better in this category, with slightly more even-ness in its output.
    Beam Width: The Mini H1 is slightly wider here (just barely)
    High beam performance: The Mini D2S has a brighter, more defined high beam (bi-xenon) output
    Cutoff color/sharpness: Both projectors have clear lenses, which gives them a sharp and colorful cutoff line. The curved cutoff shield inside the Mini H1 projector results in slightly more color, however.
    Bulb type used: Obviously the H1 takes H1 and D2S takes D2S, and we feel that D2S bulbs offer a bit more precision, though no more light since they use the same light producing capsule.
    Size: The D2S version is about 1/2" shorter in overall depth, but is also slightly wider and a little bit taller than the H1 version.
    Modification to your OEM housing: the diameter of the mounting shaft on the H1 is 22mm, whereas it's 32mm on the D2S model, so unless you have an H4 headlight, you will likely have to widen up the bulb hole by a bit to use the Mini D2S projector. (The Mini D2S was designed for reflectors using H4/9003 bulbs but is still definitely usable in other applications).

    He also wasn't sure when the next group buy would be for Tacoma World. Hope this helps someone with their retro.
     
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    #1

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