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Performance Upgrades - Maintenance - Modifications - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street Trucks. Covering the Explorer, ST, Sport, Lincoln Aviator, Sport Trac, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Aerostar. Featuring H.I. - Human Intelligence.
Has anyone done tge conversion kits for their explorers on here? I'm interested in converting my 05 explorer. But I want to do it correctly. I'm not trying to hurt oncoming traffics sight. Do I need to change the whole housing unit or can I just use the ballasts? Your input is very welcoming. I want to do it correctly. Thanks
John
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Most people just get the bulb and ballast and put them in the stock housing. This is not the right way to do it because the light will be spread out right into oncoming traffics eyes. The proper way would be to do a hid housing retrofit. You can get one for around $150. You will use the same housing but you actually put the new lens in your current housing. I have done this to mine and started a thread with a detailed how to. This is much better for everyone else along with putting more light in the right places.
Where do you get a housing for $150? There are no headlights available for a third gen aside from OE style.
HID projector retrofit kits cost a bit more. You may be able to piece one together for that price if you take your time and look around for the parts, but, to buy an HID projector retrofit kit is around $300-400.
OP, Check out www.hidplanet.com/forums/ and The Retrofit Source for more information. The Retrofit Source sells projector kits, HID Planet will give you more information and examples of retrofits than you will ever need.
The housing is not that price, the projectors were. I used the Morimoto Mini which is $120 and put it in my stock housing. Dead Link Removed
Granted, I had a hid setup before hand, so I had bulbs and ballasts already.
Update so far. I haven't been able to find any place that will truthfully answer me on putting anything inside the lens to make he light beam save. But I'm still searching.
I don't think I want to retrofit my headlights. I'm actually thinking of trying to like projector headlights that are factory. I've read some customer reviews that say the factory projectors are better made than the retrofit. No offense to you by any means. I respect what you have done and your help. The problem I am having is that I can not find any. I look it up on google for my 2005, but I can only find 95-01. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all the helpful tips and opinions to all.
In most cases throwing a set of HID's in non projector housings is a terrible idea... But I have a set of DDM tuning HID's in my wife's 3rd gen and the beam cutoff is great. Anyone who tells you that you shouldn't do it in a 3rd gen obviously hasn't done it and is basing their opinion on the Honda Civics they see driving down the street.
Buying a quality kit and then re-aiming your headlights will give you great results.
I don't think I want to retrofit my headlights. I'm actually thinking of trying to like projector headlights that are factory. I've read some customer reviews that say the factory projectors are better made than the retrofit. No offense to you by any means. I respect what you have done and your help. The problem I am having is that I can not find any. I look it up on google for my 2005, but I can only find 95-01. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all the helpful tips and opinions to all.
Exactly. And as was said, if you put HID's in a non-factory projector (which most aftermarket ones are) you will accomplish the same thing as putting HID's in your stock housing. The only real options for HID's on our type of Explorer is to put them in the stock housing or do a retrofit.
I'm sure one of you have already answered/said this before, but if I put hid's in my stock headlights won't that blind oncoming traffic? One place told me I should go with CanBus system. What are your thoughts about that? I know that businesses will tell you anything to sell stuff to you. Lol. I just want to have bright visible lights that are safe for other vehicles on the road. Thanks so very, very much for all this useful information. Greatly appreciated!!
Update on my hid's. ok so I went with the CanBus hid. I got both low and high beams for my 2005 explorer. I decided to go with the 8000 iceberg blue. All I had to do was plug in my ballasts to my factory headlight plugs and exchange the oem bulbs with the hid bulbs. It was such an easy process. Only took 20 mins. They are super bright. And no one has brighter me as of yet. And as you know, our headlights sit up higher than cars. I couldn't be more happier. No retrofitting what so ever. And best of all the work with my auto lighting. No errors!! I would definitely recommend these to anyone suv or not. I only paid $183 for both together. If anyone is interested you can get them from ebay. Just go to your search and type in (seller:theglowguru). Hope this helps.
so I got a quote to have xenon either 8000 or 1000k in my 05 explorer. he told me 199 for either one. is that a fair price? I am not sure if that lo and high or what he didn't say. it was a xenon kit. And he said 400 for fogs and headlights. also just wondering if the cheap ones on ebay are any good or just ****? thanks I just got an 05 explorer the other day. upgraded from a 98 mountaineer
If you got the quote from the light guru on ebay like I did, that should be the price for both high and low. And if you are like me, I don't like paying full price. Lol. Email him back and tell him you have like $183. I'm sure he will do it. As for the foglights, you are going to want to get them too. If not, you will have blueish headlights and yellowish foglights. Trust me, I did for a minute tilli seen my reflection on the trucks tailgate ahead of me. But I just went with the hid foglights on ebay that were 36 plus 6 shipping. And I haven't had a bit of an issue. So I'm just speaking of my opinion. I don't know if the headlights will work like the foglights. If you want you can go the cheaper way with the headlights too. I just can't speak from experience on them. I just know the canbus hasn't given me any issue as of yet. It goes on with my auto switch everytime. I can tell you that it hasn't blinded anyone to my knowledge. However, it is brighter that stock my far. I really hope this will help you. Feel free to ask any other questions.
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You guys are spending waaaaay too much and you do not need anything canbus or at least shouldnt for the Expo. I grabbed mine off Amazon and have loved them I spent 160 for the Heads and Fogs and yes I am retrofitting my housings I am just waiting for parts to come in. My lights are downwright obnoxious at night hence the retrofit. Now onto the canbus lesson
Can bus is a network setup that operates through voltage my boat has it and newer cars have it. This is where the car and its peripherals such as bulbs and other electrical components communicate to tell if a bulb is out or if there is another issue with the car. If you had lets say a newer car that had a headlamp out warning and put a HID kit in sometimes you get an error where the car thinks the light or lights are out because they are not drawing their normal voltage. A message would pop up or a warning light would come on of which I have neither on my 04 explorer so I doubt you have one.
Soooo long and the short save yourself some money and send those ballasts back and get some that arent canbus.
