Projector questions; TSX lenses? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Projector questions; TSX lenses?

I looked around for the retrofit how-tos but came up short after like 20 minutes I decided to post here.

I bought the $80 Bi-Xenon set from vvme.com, was really happy with it, except they sent me 10k HIDs not 8K like I asked, but I didn't complain to 'em my mom wanted them in her Expedition...

ANYWAYS, I'm going to get another set, BUT before I do, I am looking into projectors
I've got a few questions though;

If I were to buy a pair of projectors, would the HID kit type matter, Like would I have to buy something other than the 9007 bulb kit?
Where can I find such projectors, should I just head up to the junkyard and try to rip an entire system out of a BMW or something?
would there be any rewiring necissary?
And also, best case scenario, if I were to do all this, I want to put the TSX lenses on the projectors... possible to switch lenses?

Will anyone with knowledge retrofitting projectors please get at me? I want to research this mess but have yet come across a definite answer...

I've got a 2nd gen brush guard and tail guards in black, that look brand new, somebody can have if you have any hid/clear headlights/projectors your looking to get rid of :)
 



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hidplanet.com has all your answers and then some.
 






I've successfully completed a retrofit in my 2005 Ex. Ltd. Ed. using TSX Projectors. Your idea is a good one, but the problem is not just in the lens but in the projector housing itself. The internal structure of an HD projector and that of a halogen prjector are very different from one another. What I would STRONGLY suggest is purchasing a set of TSX projectors from eBay due to price, or if you happen to stumble onto them in a junkyard you can that route as well. A true HID projectors requires HID bulbs, most commonly D2S or D2R. There are other/newer variants of HID bulbs available but the cornerstone to your HID setup should be your projector which will determine your bulb type, and in some cases, whether or not a seperate ballast is needed (IE: D1S vs. D2S). Many factors come into play when selecting your setup and the parts required, but for me personally, it was as simple as the light output provided by the TSX projector. I've attached some pics below of my completed retrofit and output on my Explorer(this is my 3rd retrofit on my personally owned vehicles all with TSX projectors)

The nice thing is, the headlight housing on the explorers are large enough to accommodate almost any HID projector, if not all of them. Problems only arise when the projector sticks out of the rear of the headlamp and fitment becomes an issue.

Hopefully this has helped you out a little bit and if you have any other questions feel free to PM me or post them here.

closeup-1.jpg

closeup-2.jpg

cutoff.jpg

http://www.sportriders.ca/retrofit/output-****pit.jpg
output-outside.jpg
 






Thankyou, that did help a lot and cleared some things up for me. I'm going to begin price checking just to see if it's a reasonable job. I'm going to look first for a pair of TSX projectors, then try and locate a set of D1S or D2S HID kits?

A couple of questions; will the HID kit work with the 9007 sockets in the 2nd gen explorers? I've seen some ballasts have adapters to plug into most of the stock size sockets.. or will I have to do any cutting or work to make them fit?

Also, How would the High/low beams work? Would the HID kit have to have the bulb that tilts, or does the TSX projector have that little thing that flips up and down for high/low beam, forgive me I don't know what it's called, but I beleive thats what they use.

OR, is there just a kit that comes with it all? that would probably make the most since.

EDIT: did you need to buy and other things like high beam controllers, relays, fuses? or is it pretty much straight forward
 






Thankyou, that did help a lot and cleared some things up for me. I'm going to begin price checking just to see if it's a reasonable job. I'm going to look first for a pair of TSX projectors, then try and locate a set of D1S or D2S HID kits?

Ok, well if you do want to go with the TSX projectors you will require D2S bulbs. No need to worry, D2S/D2R HID setups are the most common and easy to come by.

A couple of questions; will the HID kit work with the 9007 sockets in the 2nd gen explorers? I've seen some ballasts have adapters to plug into most of the stock size sockets.. or will I have to do any cutting or work to make them fit?

The kits you see with the adapters that plug right in are simply just 9007 female plugs which are terminated on the proper wires feeding the ballast. Sounds confusing, but it's actually very straight forward. From the ballast, there will be a plug or wires for the igniter, and then two additional wires which are the positive/ground.

Also, How would the High/low beams work? Would the HID kit have to have the bulb that tilts, or does the TSX projector have that little thing that flips up and down for high/low beam, forgive me I don't know what it's called, but I beleive thats what they use.

OR, is there just a kit that comes with it all? that would probably make the most since.

The TSX projectors are NOT bi-xenon so that means the only offer one type of output. I just realized that you have a 2nd gen, so if you do require high beams(which I would recommend having whether or not you use them often) you would require a Bi-Xenon projector. For this, be careful.... Do not purchase one of those Bi-Xenon "kits" that move the bulb in and out of the headlamp housing based on the high/low beam application. Instead, if you use a true Bi-Xenon projector, a solenoid will control the cutoff and light output without moving the bulb and still offering the same great low beam output with the addition of high beam output.

There are so many variables and 'what-ifs' so it might be easier for me to help you out if you had a particular type of projector(from a certain car) and ballast, etc all picked out and then we'll go from there.
 






Alright, well, I think the best way to do this is to go to the yard and just look around for some cars with projectors and see what I can get my hands on, I'll post back with my findings.

Thanks SoBe!
 






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