# HID's in stock projectors?



## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

I had a DDM 6000k 9005 HID kit sitting in my room that I took off of my race truck so I decided to put them in my 2017 Cruze LT's headlights. I know the Cruze has the canbus system and all but I was just checking the beam cutoff and color of the bulbs to see if I wanted to go with a different color temp when I purchase a new 55w kit. 

I was curious what others have done with the dust cover since there isn't enough clearance to run the aftermarket HID bulbs whilst being able to reinstall the dust cover. 

I am going to cut holes in them to run the bulb wires through rubber grommets if there isn't a better idea out there. 

What have some of you done with your stock projector headlights?


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

5banger said:


> I had a DDM 6000k 9005 HID kit sitting in my room that I took off of my race truck so I decided to put them in my 2017 Cruze LT's headlights. I know the Cruze has the canbus system and all but I was just checking the beam cutoff and color of the bulbs to see if I wanted to go with a different color temp when I purchase a new 55w kit.
> 
> I was curious what others have done with the dust cover since there isn't enough clearance to run the aftermarket HID bulbs whilst being able to reinstall the dust cover.
> 
> ...


You have pics of them projecting against a wall or something? When I had similar issues in my Mazda 6 projectors, I did drill holes as the kit had grommets to make that hole waterproof.


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

Merc6 said:


> You have pics of them projecting against a wall or something? When I had similar issues in my Mazda 6 projectors, I did drill holes as the kit had grommets to make that hole waterproof.


No it was same as stock but a lot brighter. I just put the stock bulbs back in since the canbus system didn't like the hid's. I believe the 55w kit I'm getting wouldn't need load resistors due to the higher wattage.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

5banger said:


> No it was same as stock but a lot brighter. I just put the stock bulbs back in since the canbus system didn't like the hid's. I believe the 55w kit I'm getting wouldn't need load resistors due to the higher wattage.


You may be the 1st online to try HID's in a gen 2


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

Merc6 said:


> You may be the 1st online to try HID's in a gen 2


Figures.... I figured some of the 2016.5 owners would've tried something by now. I don't have any experience with projector housings to know if I can unbolt the projector from the headlight housing and swap out projectors for a proper HID bulb and projector combo.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

A cutoff line is NOT an indicator that the beam pattern is the same as stock. It must retain a hot spot, minimize glare above the cutoff and avoid excessive foreground light (which usually fools the human eye in thinking the lights are brighter/better).


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

evo77 said:


> A cutoff line is NOT an indicator that the beam pattern is the same as stock. It must retain a hot spot, minimize glare above the cutoff and avoid excessive foreground light (which usually fools the human eye in thinking the lights are brighter/better).


When leaving the stock halogen in the left headlight and the HID bulb in the other headlight, I noticed I can actually see the light projecting onto my white garage door from the DDM HID bulb where I could not see anything at all during the middle of a sunny day from the stock halogen. Lumens is light output and is the value that you use to determine the percentage of light output improvement over the stock bulbs. DDM actually matches the point of origin of light with the bulbs they replace so you will actually retain the same light cutoff as stock but with 3-4x the light output which in itself is what requires you to lower the headlight beam angle as to not blind oncoming drivers. Think of it as the bulbs ability to fill up the empty (dark) areas of the beam compared to the stock bulbs. This is why I prefer the DDM kits.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

5banger said:


> When leaving the stock halogen in the left headlight and the HID bulb in the other headlight, I noticed I can actually see the light projecting onto my white garage door from the DDM HID bulb where I could not see anything at all during the middle of a sunny day from the stock halogen. Lumens is light output and is the value that you use to determine the percentage of light output improvement over the stock bulbs. DDM actually matches the point of origin of light with the bulbs they replace so you will actually retain the same light cutoff as stock but with 3-4x the light output which in itself is what requires you to lower the headlight beam angle as to not blind oncoming drivers. Think of it as the bulbs ability to fill up the empty (dark) areas of the beam compared to the stock bulbs. This is why I prefer the DDM kits.


Just because the light source _claims _to have higher lumens does NOT mean it is an improvement. You have to understand something -- your OE halogen projectors were engineered around a halogen filament. Not a HID rebased bulb. The reflector bowl inside the projector shapes the light and distributes that light into a beam pattern that meets or exceeds DOT requirements. Cutoff doesn't mean jack and it doesn't mean your headlights are still "ok".

Your own admission of having to "lower the headlight beam angle as to not blind oncoming drivers" is a clear indication that these DDM HID bulbs are not a suitable replacement. Because if they were, you wouldn't have to do that. The HID bulbs sound like they are flooding the projector with too much light causing the focus of the beam to get out of shape. Not only that, too much foreground is BAD. This causes your pupils to close down which affects your distance vision and gives the *illusion *that your lights are better than stock. But their not.

Please post some wall shots of before/after so we can compare the beam patterns. Comparing side by side photos can often demonstrate that what you see in person might not be so good after all.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

5banger said:


> Figures.... I figured some of the 2016.5 owners would've tried something by now. I don't have any experience with projector housings to know if I can unbolt the projector from the headlight housing and swap out projectors for a proper HID bulb and projector combo.


There is a few folks her and on the Fb group that could answer that. Trying to remember the one guy that was at Lordstown who found all the projector parts for cheap on his build.


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

evo77 said:


> Just because the light source _claims _to have higher lumens does NOT mean it is an improvement. You have to understand something -- your OE halogen projectors were engineered around a halogen filament. Not a HID rebased bulb. The reflector bowl inside the projector shapes the light and distributes that light into a beam pattern that meets or exceeds DOT requirements. Cutoff doesn't mean jack and it doesn't mean your headlights are still "ok".
> 
> Your own admission of having to "lower the headlight beam angle as to not blind oncoming drivers" is a clear indication that these DDM HID bulbs are not a suitable replacement. Because if they were, you wouldn't have to do that. The HID bulbs sound like they are flooding the projector with too much light causing the focus of the beam to get out of shape. Not only that, too much foreground is BAD. This causes your pupils to close down which affects your distance vision and gives the *illusion *that your lights are better than stock. But their not.
> 
> Please post some wall shots of before/after so we can compare the beam patterns. Comparing side by side photos can often demonstrate that what you see in person might not be so good after all.


Its obvious you're not listening to what I'm saying so you're argument is invalid no matter how well you word it. I said nothing about the cutoff having anything to do with light output. That is just nonsense. LOL Like I said before, the DDM bulb's light output point of origin is the exact same as the halogen bulb it replaces so the beam pattern and cutoff is unchanged. I have been using DDM bulbs for years. Putting these HID bulbs in a standard halogen refractor style housing is a different story. In doing that, the light output is tripled in most cases with the DDM bulbs and with the stock halogen bulbs do not blind people mostly because of color temperature and light output. I'm a welder by trade so I know a bit about light output and usually when I'm using higher amperage welding current, I need to go up (darker) in my welding hood shade. I can take a picture behind the welding shade lense to prove to you the difference in light output between the HID bulb and the standard halogen. The HID bulb is much brighter than the halogen. Now I think you need to restructure your argument to make valid points.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Shape and size of light source also change the calibration.

Also, the above-cutoff glare is calibrated from the factory to be just enough to light up road signs but not enough to blind people. You're amplifying that by 2.5-3.5 times. How are you compensating for that?

I'll bet you aren't. 

Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Shape and size of light source also change the calibration.
> 
> Also, the above-cutoff glare is calibrated from the factory to be just enough to light up road signs but not enough to blind people. You're amplifying that by 2.5-3.5 times. How are you compensating for that?
> 
> ...


This thread isn't about standard refractor style housings so let's not hijack this thread and get it closed like the other thread....


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

I am very well aware of this. Are you prepared to claim that the projectors on the gen2 cruze produce absolutely zero glare above the cut-off?

Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

5banger said:


> Its obvious you're not listening to what I'm saying so you're argument is invalid no matter how well you word it. I said nothing about the cutoff having anything to do with light output. That is just nonsense. LOL Like I said before, the DDM bulb's light output point of origin is the exact same as the halogen bulb it replaces so the beam pattern and cutoff is unchanged. I have been using DDM bulbs for years. Putting these HID bulbs in a standard halogen refractor style housing is a different story. In doing that, the light output is tripled in most cases with the DDM bulbs and with the stock halogen bulbs do not blind people mostly because of color temperature and light output. I'm a welder by trade so I know a bit about light output and usually when I'm using higher amperage welding current, I need to go up (darker) in my welding hood shade. I can take a picture behind the welding shade lense to prove to you the difference in light output between the HID bulb and the standard halogen. The HID bulb is much brighter than the halogen. Now I think you need to restructure your argument to make valid points.



You my friend are the one who is not listening.

You say that my argument is invalid? I bring up points that are *indisputable*. 

1. Putting a HID rebased bulb in a halogen projector will NOT achieve the same beam pattern (maybe close but not exact). Despite you believing that simply keeping the HID bulb capsule in the same spot as a filament. This is a common belief among those uninformed and for those who believe in "marketing hype" by the retailers who take your money. Again I say, the optics are designed around a halogen filament light source. Once you change it, it distorts and changes focus.









2. Higher lumens does NOT always equal better in a projector body (or reflector). Its all about the focus of that light.

3. Color temperature and light output have NOTHING to do with blinding people. That would be due to excessive glare caused by a improperly aimed low beams or out of focus beam pattern.


Can you please post those comparison photos? Like I said, this argument can be laid to rest once we examine them side by side.

Just to demonstrate some examples, here is a halogen projector with a 9006 rebased HID bulb inside. Wow there is a cutoff so it must be just fine right? Wrong. The beam is horrible. Notice the hot spot? It should be tight up against that cutoff edge and its bottom half should be shaped like on oval. But instead this hot spot extends well below that which now becomes excessive foreground light (which is not good on the eyes). The width is crap. And there are various dark spots underneath the beam.










And here we have a genuine HID projector with what a proper beam pattern should look like.












And this is another halogen projector with a HID rebased bulb inside. We see a cutoff again but there is a problem. See the glare above that line? Craptastic.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

That glare is exactly what I was talking about. It is there intentionally from the factory but has to be calibrated. 

BTW, color temp does make a difference. The NHTSA notes that in aftermarket hid kits, the "bluer" light actually produces a "dazzling" effect that is more fatiguing and uncomfortable than warm white. 

Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

It totally looks like "lets gang initiate the n00b" but that's not the goal. The intent is to help you get what you want in the purest form that isn't a danger to you and others. That is all. You are gonna be the 1st 2nd gen to do this mod "online" but no pressure. That's kinda why we were asking for wall shots up front to compare how close or off the oem projectors are. By the way, the the price of this car to include fully loaded Premiere should have been a stock option but we are past that argument and this thread exists.


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

Merc6 said:


> It totally looks like "lets gang initiate the n00b" but that's not the goal. The intent is to help you get what you want in the purest form that isn't a danger to you and others. That is all. You are gonna be the 1st 2nd gen to do this mod "online" but no pressure. That's kinda why we were asking for wall shots up front to compare how close or off the oem projectors are. By the way, the the price of this car to include fully loaded Premiere should have been a stock option but we are past that argument and this thread exists.


All they had to do was ask for a pic comparing the halogen vs HID bulb. I'll take a comparison pic tonight.


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

Finally got a chance to put the DDM bulb in the right headlight to compare to the stock halogen in the left headlight.


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

So I'd say that the DDM hid's are a good fit in the stock projectors. I want to get the 55w kit though so the canbus system won't freak out.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Thanks for posting the shots. And while I would have liked for the shots to be taken on a large flat wall I guess this will just have to do.

The first photo appears to be a little over exposed so I'm glad you took a much better second photo because if you had only provided the first photo then I would have just picked your HIDs to shreds.

From what I can tell the hot spot is on point. There isn't any obvious excessive foreground light. There is however glare above the cutoff which appears to be slightly more than the glare on the halogen side. If it were me I would take a lux meter and measure both sides to see how much more glare there is on the hid side. When I invert the photo I could tell that there is some loss in width to the hid beam. Again this is all just from what I can tell of this photo. 

Overall your setup isn't that bad when compared to others I've seen. I do not recommend jumping to a 55w. You will only accentuate the current problems in your setup.


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

Yeah this was the darkest wall I could find. The first pic is from 20 feet and the second was 50.


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## 5banger (Dec 9, 2016)

evo77 said:


> Overall your setup isn't that bad when compared to others I've seen. I do not recommend jumping to a 55w. You will only accentuate the current problems in your setup.


Electrical canbus problems?


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

No not electrical load. Although that may or may not affect your 2nd gen.

I was mainly referring to the added light intensity.


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## Pit_69 (Oct 11, 2016)

Hi all, 
Installed my HID's some weeks ago, and faced some problems...
I bought a TRS Morimoto XB35 kit, with 9005 4500K bulbs, 9005 relay harness and capacitor...
1st Step:
Tried ballasts and bulbs only, flickering problems, and dash errors...
2nd Step:
Installed ballasts, bulbs, with the Relay harness and capacitor. When using a relay harness, the bulb plug for the passenger side remains unused, so error on dash still appears. What was weird, is that using the capacitor, I had an error on the driver side too! No other problem though, no flickering, so they were "useful", but was tired of the errors messages...
3rd Step:
Like on BMW's, MB's, Dodge's, the solution was taking out the relay harness and single capacitor, and connecting a 25v 4700uf capacitor on each power ballast cable...like this:









Well...output pics...halogen projectors are really crappy...and must says I think Chevy didn't care at all when aiming them, as one of them is rotated... 
Low Beams - Can anyone see that drivers side just cuts off vertical, and doesn't continue beam pattern???


High beams - Well...i can't understand what happens here...:idiot:


Hope this helps...


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