Lucky7w

hey all. i want to put some HIDs in my 06 tr.
i was looking at plasmagarage.com and have a good idea of what i need. but can someone please just lay out for me what i need for sure and where a good place to get everything i need?
thanks. =]

Lucky7w

anyone??

Mulder

Fortunately you have an option that others don't have because your lights are H7 based.
Since it is possible to use standard OEM type D2S HID bulbs in an H7 housing, you do not need to buy an aftermarket HID retrofit "kit" of unknown quality. You can install HIDs using all OEM grade components- Phillips or Osram 4300K D2S bulbs, and Hella or Phillips ballasts. The only other thing you'd need is a set of centering adapters which go on the bulbs so they will align properly in the H7 mounts. The adapters are readily available on Ebay and elsewhere and are cheap, $20 or less for a pair. The ballasts and bulbs can also be sourced on Ebay.
There is also another alternative, that is to buy a set of STI lights from Subaru and install them in place of your OEM halogens. This is a more expensive option but will give the best results because the STI lights are OEM HIDs and are designed for optimum lighting performance with HID bulbs. Although the results of a retrofit in your existing halogen projectors may be quite good, the STI lights are still better.

Lucky7w

thanks!!

Lucky7w

and actually is this something that would work good:
http://www.plasmagarage.com/HIDkits.html
i was thinking with the 8000k.

Mulder

That is exactly the kind of "kit" I'm telling you that you DON'T need.
First, 8000K is way too blue/purple, 4300K is the color temp of OEM HIDs and that's what you want for best light output.
Second, kits such as these use ballasts and bulbs that are not OEM grade and are frequently of inferior quality. The bulbs are "remanufactured" or "rebased", in other words modified so they will fit into the halogen base of your lights.
By using OEM components you source yourself, as I explained in my first post, you can avoid the potential issues with such kits. Also, should you need replacement parts in the future it's a lot easier to get them (bulbs or ballasts) since they are industry-standard items as opposed to the custom-manufactured parts in the kits. Should the company that made the kit go out of business (yes this has happened) you may be SOL. The main issue is the electrical connectors, each kit maker uses their own type of connectors and they aren't directly compatible with those used by other mfrs. so you can't plug aftermarket bulb brand A into ballast brand B. Modification is tricky because you are dealing with high voltage wiring between the ballasts and bulbs.
So, my advice is to take advantage of the fact that you have H7's and DIY.
I've been using the setup I described on my H7 Morettes for several years now, no problems and when I needed replacement bulbs or ballasts I was able to get them easily.

Lucky7w

oh ok. sounds good. thanks for takin the time to explain everything! =]

FORMAT1

iTrader: (3)

Do you guys know if the STi headlights HID (04/05) are a direct swap for a WRX (04/05)? Thanks.