HID Curious?

[mikesz]

I have a 99 base Boxster. I live in USA and considering HID lighting and trying to understand how this works and do a quality install. I have seen Fred's kits and they are beautiful but now willing to spend that kind of money.

My understanding is the retrofit kits basically replace the existing halogen bulbs with HID bulbs along with the necessary ballasts and wiring. Problem with this is the kit uses the existing reflector in the headlight to disperse the light and can be blinding to on-coming drivers. If the headlight assembly is disassembled and a projector lens is added to the headlight assembly the HID beam will be more defined and more like true OEM HID projectors or Litronics but without the self leveling feature.

So if the above statements are correct, I can buy a set of projector lenses, screw them onto the headlight assembly where the low beam used to be, buy a retrofit kit and install it and I will have a decent HID light system?

Based on what I have read wiring directly to the battery with a relay is the best way to go to avoid power fluctuations?
Does the 99 Boxster have a CAN-BUS? Is this the method of wiring I should use?
Will any retrofit work in my 99 if I use a projector lens?
To get a hi-lo beam Hid I will need a bi-xenon projector? This type of projector will give me a HID Hi-Lo beam the light bulb remains the same?
The mini-projectors just bolt into the existing housing with some modification?

I am just trying to understand how HID conversions work and want to do a quality job.

[jb92563]

1st thing to be aware of is that last I heard, adding aftermarket projectors is NOT permitted in the US unless it is equivalent to factory OEM equipment, however, I have never heard of any enforcement of that rule.

Just replacing your regular bulb with any kind of hotter bulb will cause the inside of you light to yellow and then grow brown from being burnt by the heat.

The custom projectors have not been doing that, probably because they are lower wattage 35W I think, and there is the aluminum body which absorbs and moderates the heat.

If you want to do a cheaper version of the customs then google "Mini Morimotto" Projectors which is basically what the customs are without the fancy
custom projector body.

Be aware that some of the faces for the projectors and perhaps other projectors could be too long and any rubbing of them on the headlight lens will mess up your headlights. Dimensions are important for them to fit and align properly.

Not sure if you need the Can-bus ballasts but even the non can-bus model years use them. I think it was a connector compatibility reason for that.

Let us know how it goes. We can all learn from what does or does not work.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by jb92563

1st thing to be aware of is that last I heard, adding aftermarket projectors is NOT permitted in the US unless it is equivalent to factory OEM equipment, however, I have never heard of any enforcement of that rule.

That normally happens at one of two points: Annual inspection cycles, were state licensed facilities are supposed to look for correct DOT markings on all exterior lights and fail cars with non compliant fixtures, or when a hard nosed gendarme pulls you over and decides to enforce the DOT mandate by having your car towed because the aftermarket lights are "unsafe".