I just purchased a 94 Integra and I'd like some HID's, but need to have a focal (projector) lens. When I look at the stock lens it looks like a projector lens to me. I read this post https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...ht=INTEGRA+HID but I'm still confused. If you have a projector light you can put a traditional light in it. It will focus the light, but will fail to have the same output as an HID. You can upgrade a projector light with a HID kit. I know I don't want to put an HID kit in a non focal lens. The lights on the car are stock and have seen 275k miles of stone chips, bugs and sun, so they are shot. I'll be getting new lights so should I go with a stock replacement or is there a better focal lens that will support an HID kit. I'd like to stick with the 94-97 front bug eyes. Thanks in advance for your help HT members.

 

Stock Integra lights are projectors, but they were not meant for HID. If you are going to replace the stockers, and really want HID, you should retro. Basically you cut away the stock projector, use that as a bracket to mount a true HID projector in its place. Its fairly easy on an Integra and great upgrade if you do alot of night driving.

 

Thanks, but couldn't I just get some aftermarket lights as opposed to cutting, such as TYC or some reputable brand? I have TYC projectors on my Civic with HID's and love them, what an improvement over stock. They may not be quite as good as S2000 lights, but close. Let me know.

 

i dont think they ever made lights like that for the dc but i may be wrong.

 

Even if they did, those aftermarket projectors are generally designed for halogen bulbs, and will still not deliver the visibility improvement that a HID projector would.

Its all about how the light is distributed on the road. The extra light from HIDs is wasted in a halogen beam pattern.

 

Can anyone recommend good projectors and hid lights without the retro fit? There are a ton of ebay lights out there and I'm not fond of the halo lights which basically leaves me with stock replacements unless I've overlooked something.

 

No company makes aftermarket headlights with a HID projector for an Integra.

Its retrofit, or simply enjoy that the OEM halogen projectors are some of the better OEM headlamps out there.

You can also consider using a modified 9005 bulb or an HIR 9012 bulb in place of the 9006 bulb.

 

I just don't understand the difference between a 'projector' and a 'projector'. Yes, I know one came with a halogen bulb, but can anyone be more clear? Additionally I put some TYC projector lights in my Civic and had great results with a HID kit. TYC sells it with or without the HID kit. It was a vast improvement over stock and had a nice cut line about the height of your knees. I would say they were about 95% as good as stock S2000 lights. I'm just wondering what I might get with the stock housing and a HID kit. I'd also like an explanation on the projector business if you could. Thanks.

 

A typical 55w halogen bulb produces around ,1000 lumen.
A typical 35W HID capsule produces 3,200 lumen.

More light sounds better, right? Unfortunately, not really.

A halogen projector such as the stock Integra headlamps, produces around a 120 degree beam of light, with a greater concentration of light in the center (with it fading off to the sides). This makes the most of what light is produced.

A nice HID projector, can project up to nearly a 180* beam, with a much more even distribution of the light over the width.

Increasing the light directly in front of the vehicle makes it easier to see the area better lit. It also makes it harder to see anything outside of this "extra bright" area, due to contrast differences. It also makes it harder to see past the end of the headlamp beam.

If you want to see better overall, and not just 15 to 30 feet directly in front of you, a halogen projector shouldn't be modified to produce much more output than it was originally designed for. It just doesn't have the correct optics to take advantage of the additional light, and actually reduces total visibility while driving the car.

So, HID kits are one of those "it seems better" things that are actually worse than it was before.

I completely understand the feeling though. After my 83 Cavalier, my Integra allowed me to drive at night feeling much safer. Then my girlfriend bought an A4, and now I feel like the Integra leaves my driving blind.

Line the cars up side by side, the Integra's headlamps make the road directly in front of the car look much brighter. The Audi's wider and more evenly distributed light pattern (they use the same projector for both H7 halogen bulbs and HIDs), which seems much dimmer at first glance, actually allows much better vision driving in the dark.

Found a great example of just how wide a good HID projector's beam pattern is. LS430 projector retrofit:

 

Wow, what an informative explanation with a great pic! Thanks for all you help....I can see things clearly now. I guess I will have to deal with 'okay' hids or retro my stock headlamps. Thanks for all the help.

 

Since a retrofit was mentioned....I have some HIDs from a TSX (I think). They were in a storage bin for about a year. I'd have to run the part number to be sure. I know they were off a Honda product of some sort. So, I started tinkering.....pulled the myopic lens out....it just cleared the housing from the backside...wow, that was great now for the Integra lights. No such luck, the cover would have to come off the Integra, but I did notice the part of the lens that 'cuts' the beam of light was backwards. Basically the Integra light had a block off plate that would make the light project in a pattern similar to the sun setting. I use a clock as an example. The light would show from 9 to 3. I believe on most newer projectors that nice cut off line comes from the reverse with the light being shown from 3 to 9. Any idea why it was backwards? I know it was using a halogen bulb, but this still doesn't make any sense to me. Can anyone think of a reason for this? Oh, did the 98 and up models come with real projectors?

 

Sorry, just answered my own question. Wiki had the answers here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlamp

It's the way the light is refracted through the focal lens.