INSTALL GUIDE: European headlight installation with LED headlight bulbs and LED running light wiring

[pedrito0906]

I got the headlights!! I love the Led strip. Here are a couple of comparison pics.

This is with the halogen bulbs

This one is with HID ones

Aaaanddd this one is the retrofit that I did with the Mini 4.0, I guess I'll do a retrofit to the Euro headlights. But I don't know which projector is a direct swap without mods.

 

[OffTheWall503]

DOT retrofit is money!

 

[brbauer2]

Keep us posted on how easy they are to get open. That retro looks great!

Sent from my OnePlus 3

 

[Roflwafflez]

I got the headlights!! I love the Led strip. Here are a couple of comparison pics.

Retrofit looks good man!

As much as I really like the euro headlights compared to our usdm stock ones, that out put shot of the HIDs in them vs the mini 4.0 retrofit makes them look terrible lol. Not even slightly close quality wise between the two. Damn you Ford for giving us shit headlights from the factory -_-!

-Matt

 

[OffTheWall503]

ECE projectors are the reason behind the crappy output, at least when you compare to the DOT projectors. The output would be better even if they were DOT halogen projectors. But honestly once I aimed mine correctly I don't mind mine at all.

 

[Roflwafflez]

ECE projectors are the reason behind the crappy output, at least when you compare to the DOT projectors. The output would be better even if they were DOT halogen projectors. But honestly once I aimed mine correctly I don't mind mine at all.

I wonder if any of the ece styled projectors have sharper cutoffs (than ours) despite the different styles beam pattern. I actually don't mind the step on the ece projectors, I just wish it was more crisp and well defined like the dot styled ones. Maybe I'm just being too picky though lol.

-Matt

 

[OffTheWall503]

ECE means it will be the pattern above because that's what the ECE standards call for. Same with DOT projectors. Same may have a sharper cutoff but the beam output will be the same.

 

[Roflwafflez]

ECE means it will be the pattern above because that's what the ECE standards call for. Same with DOT projectors. Same may have a sharper cutoff but the beam output will be the same.

True true. The search for perfect headlights continues for me, if such a thing actually exists! lol .

 

[Roflwafflez]

Damn double post... -_-

 

[pedrito0906]

I wonder if any of the ece styled projectors have sharper cutoffs (than ours) despite the different styles beam pattern. I actually don't mind the step on the ece projectors, I just wish it was more crisp and well defined like the dot styled ones. Maybe I'm just being too picky though lol.

-Matt

I think that the projector cutoff would be sharper if they have clear lenses. I like the ECE cutoff as well, is just that I miss my 4.0s

I used the H7 adapter on two H1 bulbs that I have when did my first retro, this morning I put the adapter on two D2S bulbs to see the difference, by looking at the wall I think that the cutoff changed for the better. Still waiting for the night to test it, I'll post some pics after.

 

[OffTheWall503]

Damn double post... -_-

I'll still take those retrofit lights if you want to consider getting rid of them.

 

[Roflwafflez]

I'll still take those retrofit lights if you want to consider getting rid of them.

I actually don't even have access to them right now. I ended up putting them in my brothers' storage unit since I didn't anticipate doing anything with them for awhile lol.

 

[OffTheWall503]

I actually don't even have access to them right now. I ended up putting them in my brothers' storage unit since I didn't anticipate doing anything with them for awhile lol.

If you can pull them out let me know, I'd be curious to see how much you want for them.

 

[brbauer2]

I work nights and drive country roads, the ECE cutoff is amazing for seeing stuff off the road that might try to destroy my car.

Also, I think the high beams are a little different, they seem to be more focused down the center of the road.

Sent from my OnePlus 3

 

[pedrito0906]

So in this pic I used the H7 adapter on the D2S bulb and helped a lot, now the light is better distributed and the cutoff is sharper. Now I do like the headlights

 

[OffTheWall503]

I work nights and drive country roads, the ECE cutoff is amazing for seeing stuff off the road that might try to destroy my car.

Also, I think the high beams are a little different, they seem to be more focused down the center of the road.

Sent from my OnePlus 3

Mine are like that too, but I know why.

ECE projectors, as you mentioned, illuminate the right side of the road more so as a result, the high beams appear to have a "pencil-like" output.

 

[pedrito0906]

A quick follow-up, I haven't got any flash by other drivers, so I guess there is no glare blinding them. I've been playing with the cutoff orientation, and I think that this is best, when the two overlap.

PS: The ECE cutoff is great for curves.

 

[OffTheWall503]

You're sacrificing width when you join them together.

 

[blurred]

Ok, a lot of bad info here.

First, the pics show your bulbs are not seated accurately, the hotspot should be right at the "elbow". Unfortunately when using rebased HIDs you end up with bulbs that are not always perfect and they can need shimming to get them to centre the hotspot correctly. If you don't do this accurately you end up with poor lighting, the hotspot should be aimed straight down the road as that is what gives you the distance illumination.

Second, Don't combine the cutoffs. This means you are cross-eyed and they only meet at that one precise distance. You are thinking 2 dimensionally when you need to think in 3 dimensions. The further away from the car you go the more cross-eyed the cutoffs are. they need to be perfectly parallel at all distances. The only way to ensure this is to keep checking them at 5', 25' 100ft etc... to ensure they don't separate or close up.

Third, ECE cutoffs are set with higher passenger side illumination because road signs are not reflective like in North America so they require the headlights to illuminate them better. Both DOT and ECE illuminate the side of the road, it is only the height that would be different.

 

[pedrito0906]

Well, this is awkward, I think that I got one headlight for the RHD and one for the LHD.As you can see in the following pics.

This is the left headlight:

This the right one:

This is both of combine: