Retrofit Projector Headlights to Your Car

Adding projector headlights to your car will drastically improve your visibility while reducing glare for other drivers. They also give your ride a sleek look.

You can either go with a universal kit or a vehicle-specific one. The latter will be much easier to install as it will be designed specifically for your vehicle.

Universal

Unlike reflector-based headlights, projectors have a component called a cut-off shield that will block off part of the light emitted from the bulb and help direct it into the road. This helps prevent your headlights from blinding oncoming traffic. Because of this feature, projectors are able to provide a crisp and clear cut-off line that is ideal for your visibility on the highway.

Within the lens is a projector, which focuses intense lighting into an organized beam pattern. It uses a series of thick concave mirrors and magnifying lenses to do so, much like a flashlight. The projector will also contain a bulb, which can be halogen, HID, or LED. Usually, these bulbs will be a halogen bulb as they are the most common and inexpensive.

A few years ago, it was nearly impossible to retrofit a projector into your car’s headlight housing. However, suppliers like Morimoto and GTR Lighting started making universal and vehicle-specific HID projector headlight kits that are easy to install.

The process of installing these kits isn’t as complicated retrofit projector headlights as you might think, and they are backed by a 2 year warranty. Depending on the level of skill you have, you can easily install one of these kits in under half a day. They offer unrivaled light output, a crisp and clean cut-off line, and will give your car a luxurious look that’s sure to turn heads on the street.

Vehicle-Specific

There are a few different ways you can go about retrofitting projector headlights. You can use a universal kit that comes with all the components you’ll need, or you can opt for one made specifically for your vehicle. These kits are often easier to install because they’re tailored to the specific vehicle. They’ll include modified reflector internals, shutters, and lenses that fit inside your existing headlight assembly.

The bulbs used in a projector headlight are usually halogen or HID Xenon, but they can also be LED. They’re much brighter than the bulbs in reflector headlights and provide more illumination on the road. They also have a narrower focus than reflector headlights, making them less likely to blind oncoming drivers or other motorists.

While the elliptical reflector and shutter of a projector headlight help shape and aim the light, the final element is the lens. This is designed to evenly distribute the light that has already been shaped and aimed by the elliptical reflector and the shutter.

There are a few different companies that make retrofit projector headlights. Some, like Morimoto, even make vehicle-specific projector headlight kits that are a breeze to install in your own garage. They’ll come with everything you need, including the projectors, bulbs, and shrouds needed to complete the installation. These are the best options for those looking to get the most out of their lighting upgrades.

Halogen Swap

Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast or just looking to save some money, you can convert your headlights to projectors without the need to buy a complete HID kit. Simply swap out your halogen bulbs with projector bulbs and you’ll get much brighter lights. While this is not as simple as a drop-in bulb, you won’t have to worry about the legalities of using LED lights on the road (LEDs are banned in some jurisdictions).

You’ll need to open your headlights and may even need to do some cutting or trimming to make the projectors fit. This is the most involved type of retrofit because you’ll have to remove the reflector internals and potentially rewire some electrical components. Thankfully, there are plenty of companies that produce complete kits to make the job easier. These kits usually include everything you’ll need for a clean installation, including projectors, bulbs and shrouds.

If your headlights are large enough, you can even go for a bi-xenon projector retrofit. These projectors have a light cutoff shield that folds down when powered by a bi-xenon solenoid, exposing more of the lens to create a high beam pattern. They can also be wired up to use a halogen high beam when activated by the halogen high beam solenoid. You’ll need high-beam splitters to connect the two, though.

DIY

Until recently, people wanting to install projector fog lights on their cars had to find kits that were designed specifically for their car’s make and model. This was a difficult task, since there weren’t many options to choose from. Luckily, there are now some companies that offer DIY retrofit projector headlight kits that can be installed on almost any vehicle. These kits typically include a projector, an H4 harness adapter, and your choice of Apollo flat shrouds or halo. The kit also comes with a small keyed washer that needs to be placed between the PVC and the big washer on the projector nut.

This step is crucial, as it ensures that the projector fits and is properly secured to the housing. After the preheat is done, bake the housings for about 8-10 minutes @ 285F. Afterwards, remove them from the retrofit projector headlights oven and let them cool down. While the housings are cooling down, you can paint the shrouds what ever color you like.

To make the shrouds fit properly, you will need to cut them down a little bit. This is where the centric rings come into play. The ring helps to center the projector inside of the shroud, which in turn will give you the best lighting possible. If you have trouble lining up the ring with the holes on the shroud, you can tape it down and then use the dremel to cut off the excess material.