Turn Indicator Mod

[Vijith555]

Well my car's output exactly looks like your first picture..when you said scatter i thought you are talking about a lot scatter like halogens. Well i hardly notice a scatter of that level so its almost like no scatter for me :).

Yup with the 4x4s and bigger vehicles its very easy to get blinded. I think the original HID setups on 4x4s have their lenses pointing way down to avoid this problem.

[Vijith555]

and TBH i like that slight purple/blueish small scatter you get with the lens..its got a nice effect when going against other cars and walls :). Its small scatter that looks good. Unlike the scatter you get from HIDs on non projector setups

[Harlo]

Nope, no Camrys come factory with HID's except in India...they love their Camrys more than us. :(.

Well my car's output exactly looks like your first picture..when you said scatter i thought you are talking about a lot scatter like halogens. Well i hardly notice a scatter of that level so its almost like no scatter for me :).

So the Aurion has a sharp beam pattern which is lower on the left then on the right with no focus in the middle...that's strange, don't know how the original halogens were focused then as there wouldn't be enough light to light up the whole area like a normal HID?

Do you mind taking a picture of your beam cut off against a wall like the ones show in the pictures?

and TBH i like that slight purple/blueish small scatter you get with the lens..its got a nice effect when going against other cars and walls :). Its small scatter that looks good. Unlike the scatter you get from HIDs on non projector setups

That blue/purple tinge at the top is normal for all cars with HID bulbs (factory and retrofitted). It's the second picture I was talking about where the lens is aimed in the middle and light scatters upwards a bit.

Edited August 9, 2011 by Harlo

[Vijith555]

Nope, no Camrys come factory with HID's except in India...they love their Camrys more than us. :(.

Well my car's output exactly looks like your first picture..when you said scatter i thought you are talking about a lot scatter like halogens. Well i hardly notice a scatter of that level so its almost like no scatter for me :).

So the Aurion has a sharp beam pattern which is lower on the left then on the right with no focus in the middle...that's strange, don't know how the original halogens were focused then as there wouldn't be enough light to light up the whole area like a normal HID?

Do you mind taking a picture of your beam cut off against a wall like the ones show in the pictures?

and TBH i like that slight purple/blueish small scatter you get with the lens..its got a nice effect when going against other cars and walls :). Its small scatter that looks good. Unlike the scatter you get from HIDs on non projector setups

That blue/purple tinge at the top is normal for all cars with HID bulbs (factory and retrofitted). It's the second picture I was talking about where the lens is aimed in the middle and light scatters upwards a bit.

Now I know what scatter you are talking about. As far as I remember mine is not aimed at the middle which is causing that kind of scatter like the one on second picture. I will see if I got pics of my beam already somewhere if not I will take one and post it up here mate. So Camrys in India come with factory HIDs i didnt know that. Camrys are loved around the world because its a nice ride :)

[DJKOR]

Vijith555: True HID projectors are miles ahead in beam pattern and quality than a halogen projector. The difference in glare level is quite large too.

Sorry to try and get you off your high horse, but at the end of the day, HID's in halogen projectors are not of a great standard. You are kidding yourself when you say your beam pattern looks like that of the first photo.

[Vijith555]

Viith555: True HID projectors are miles ahead in beam pattern and quality than a halogen projector. The difference in glare level is quite large too.

Sorry to try and get you off your high horse, but at the end of the day, HID's in halogen projectors are not of a great standard. You are kidding yourself when you say your beam pattern looks like that of the first photo.

Well to be honest I am not riding high about this whole HID thing. In fact I have seen real original HID projector lenses that do even better cut off lines than the first pic. What I was trying to tell is my output is just similar to that first one in the sense that I havent noticed that big scatter in middle like projection you see on the second picture below.

[lasertip]

Too much talk and technicality, no action.

I'll put some photos up of my low beams very soon. There's a tiny bit of scatter but in all honesty, I find that it doesn't affect other road users in anyway.

edit: By the way, the scatter in the 2nd picture is horrible. Aurion projectors do a far better job. The pictures will speak for themselves :P

Edited August 9, 2011 by lasertip

[Vijith555]

Too much talk and technicality, no action.

I'll put some photos up of my low beams very soon. There's a tiny bit of scatter but in all honesty, I find that it doesn't affect other road users in anyway.

edit: By the way, the scatter in the 2nd picture is horrible. Aurion projectors do a far better job. The pictures will speak for themselves :P

Thank you for that Lasertip..i would have put pics but unfortunately my ride is not with me for the next two days as its getting the front end painted. I had a silly scratch done to it few weeks back..and yes i agree there is a very slight hardly noticeable scatter but nothing like that picture two :)

Edited August 9, 2011 by Vijith555

[lasertip]

Thank you for that Lasertip..i would have put pics but unfortunately my ride is not with me for the next two days as its getting the front end painted. I had a silly scratch done to it few weeks back..and yes i agree there is a very slight hardly noticeable scatter but nothing like that picture two :)

Cheers dude, but not taking any sides here. Just stating my opinion B)

2 days!? are you repainting the entire front end?

[DJKOR]

It appears you guys don't quite understand how glare from these headlights originates. I'm not really going to bother with this topic because I really don't have the patience (plus I am in the middle of whoop whoop right now and have limited resources) but some food for thought would be to do some research of your own. A good place to start is to Google "Camry squirrel spotters".

At the end of the day, you can convince yourself all you want that you are putting off barely any glare, but you can't hide from the facts. The glare will be there regardless unless you intentionally modify the projectors or retrofit with proper ones.

All this is completely irrelevant though because regardless of how good you feel about your HID setup (which if you just fit a HID kit; is like every other Aurion out there with a kit), the modification is still illegal. No amount of reasoning will make it less illegal.

[lasertip]

It appears you guys don't quite understand how glare from these headlights originates. I'm not really going to bother with this topic because I really don't have the patience (plus I am in the middle of whoop whoop right now and have limited resources) but some food for thought would be to do some research of your own. A good place to start is to Google "Camry squirrel spotters".

At the end of the day, you can convince yourself all you want that you are putting off barely any glare, but you can't hide from the facts. The glare will be there regardless unless you intentionally modify the projectors or retrofit with proper ones.

Yea there definitely is some glare at the top, a little rectangular bit at the top of the beam where you'll notice a dim patch. However, my point is not that there isn't any glare. It's that the glare isn't significant enough as to affect other road users ... at least in my opinion

Besides, there's no point arguing with you. You're running 8000k HIDs as well... presumably in your low beams? If you haven't changed your low beam setup, you would be seeing a very similar diffusion pattern as the rest of us.

People strive to maintain high self-esteem through processes of social comparison, which basically means that our perception is biased that we're superior and the rest are inferior. It would be pointless for you to argue against your identity group. Hence, I believe that you do have noble intentions in what you're saying.

Pictures would reinforce/counter whichever side of the fence that you (the reader) are sitting on :P

All this is completely irrelevant though because regardless of how good you feel about your HID setup (which if you just fit a HID kit; is like every other Aurion out there with a kit), the modification is still illegal. No amount of reasoning will make it less illegal.

Well said. Only way out of this is to get a presara, or a merc (or better still, AMG)

But thanks for your input, I really do appreciate your knowledge. Best of luck with whatever that 'whoop whoop' is!

Edited August 9, 2011 by lasertip

[Steven]

To help understand the glare issue with projectors retrofitted with HIDs, you need to understand that even with proper OEM type HID projectors there is beam "leakage" ABOVE the visible cutoff line that is intentionally designed to be there.

The purpose is to provide the light required so that street signs etc are visible to the driver. You've no doubt noticed that modern day street signs are specially designed to "glow" when light is cast upon them. This technology is known as retro-reflection and is found on hi-vis workwear, safety gear and road markings/signs.

When your projectors are on you'd be forgiven for thinking that there is no light above the cut off, when in reality it's just the DIFFERENCE in light levels that makes it appear that way. Halogen and HID projectors are each designed slightly differently to project this extra light in just the right way to keep road signs etc visible but without being a hazard to other drivers. That said the difference isn't as big with projectors as they are with reflectors (yes some cars came with HIDS in a reflector housing that was designed for HIDs), but there is more glare to other drivers when using HIDS in a halogen projector.

However this additional glare is barely noticeable most times and in the real world doesn't really cause an issue. It's more a case of legal technicalities that make such a retrofit illegal and the stringent requirements for OEM HIDs to have equipped from factory (washers, auto-leveling etc).

[Harlo]

Some pictures to illustrate this:

Halogen projectors with HID kit ~ 2 feet (0.6m) away from door, you can clearly see the rectangular focus above the beam used for the halogen bulbs to originally light up street signs:

Same Halogen projectors with HID kit ~ 15 feet (4.5m) away, the light scattering still continues from the original Halogen projector design:

True HID lens, no visible scatter (still leakage as Steven said?), cut off is much sharper:

Images originally posted by LNGasMan of Toyota Nation

Edited August 9, 2011 by Harlo

[dutchie101]

Wasnt this thread about a mirror indicator mod???

[Steven]

Wasnt this thread about a mirror indicator mod???

<sigh>

[Harlo]

Wasnt this thread about a mirror indicator mod???

Over millions of years with the aid of evolution, we have transformed into HID's.

AUTO-BOT-LIGHTS, ROLL OUT.

[lasertip]

okay, now who was the jack**s who started the HIDs?

Edit: whoops, sorry 450HP :P

Screw HIDs. Just get this:

http://www.butlergroup.ie/products-page/instrumentation/security-surveillance/security-cameras/flir-pathfinder-ir

More info:

https://www.toyota-global.com/innovation/safety_technology_quality/safety_technology/technology_file/active/night_view.html

So back to my turn indicator mod, what do you guys think about ADDING SMD strips beside the existing filament globe?

New Mod Idea:

Have you guys seen the Audi A8 turn indicators? Saw 'em on the way home today.

One Word; EPIC.

Edited August 9, 2011 by lasertip

[DJKOR]

okay, now who was the jack**s who started the HIDs?

Edit: whoops, sorry 450HP :P

Now let's not play the blame game... 450HP/tonne was merely providing an ADR example to make his explanation clearer. The conversation started after you made the statement:

Speaking of which, I ordered 8000k HIDs instead of the intended 6000k (sigh, me and my careless mistakes). A little too blue for my comfort. I hope that the cops don't think otherwise...

But moving on...

So back to my turn indicator mod, what do you guys think about ADDING SMD strips beside the existing filament globe?

I reckon it will look tacky. Would have to be one or the other and if using multiple LED's, integrated into the existing lens. Otherwise it will fall into the same category as those that put SMD strips on the front of their car trying to copy Audi's. Saw a Commodore the other day that just had to take that one step further and line the whole lower grill. The car had a crappy grin.

And once you see something like that, it's not hard to group everyone with LED strips stuck to the front of their car (non-factory) into the same group.

[dutchie101]

The Audi sequence is pretty much exactly how my SMD mirror covers run. Exception being the parkers dont come instantly back on, they have a 2 second delay.

I wouldnt mix n match either. Do the full conversion with 5050 3-chips or dont bother.. Actually, you could go for 5 or 10mm straw hat LEDs too.

[ryan184]

I reckon it will look tacky. Would have to be one or the other and if using multiple LED's, integrated into the existing lens. Otherwise it will fall into the same category as those that put SMD strips on the front of their car trying to copy Audi's. Saw a Commodore the other day that just had to take that one step further and line the whole lower grill. The car had a crappy grin.

And once you see something like that, it's not hard to group everyone with LED strips stuck to the front of their car (non-factory) into the same group.

Thats why I made sure mine didn't make it look like its "grinning"

[chicken]

just make sure the leds at the edge of the mirror cap are bright and facing side-on or slightly back of the car. so cars adjacent to you can see you indicating.

[lasertip]

And so, my HID's just died. After 5 days. Ballast blew and took out a fuse. Finito. Just like TRD. I expect the ebay seller to replace it for free

But let's not dwell on HIDs, DJKOR does have a point that the DRLs look tacked on. It's just whether you mind or not. Honestly, I don't mind them but in the spirit of improvement, I've ordered 2 smd strips to try something like this:

I've got a few concepts on my desktop that I could upload if anyone's interested.

Perhaps the amber lights could be placed on the bottom strip (horizontal with the ground) ? Then, there's always that DJKOR tacky factor to consider :P

Anyway, which is that 3 chip SMD strip that you're talking about? Can't seem to find them on ebay.

I reckon it will look tacky. Would have to be one or the other and if using multiple LED's, integrated into the existing lens. Otherwise it will fall into the same category as those that put SMD strips on the front of their car trying to copy Audi's. Saw a Commodore the other day that just had to take that one step further and line the whole lower grill. The car had a crappy grin.

Hah. Someone suggested that I do that with SMD strips. No doubts that I said no.

[Harlo]

Are you going to crack your headlights open to put in the LED strips?

I like how at the top it doesn't go right along to the end of the headlamp but rather stops midway. Can you make it somehow curve in the middle of the headlights?

I saw a 5th gen Camry with a straight LED strip on the bottom of the headlights, looked tacky as.

The Audi's are pretty cool though because they have curves in the LED strips.

Edited August 11, 2011 by Harlo

[lasertip]

Are you going to crack your headlights open to put in the LED strips?

I like how at the top it doesn't go right along to the end of the headlamp but rather stops midway. Can you make it somehow curve in the middle of the headlights?

I saw a 5th gen Camry with a straight LED strip on the bottom of the headlights, looked tacky as.

The Audi's are pretty cool though because they have curves in the LED strips.

Thanks!

Would love to crack open the assembly and put the curve in the middle but I'm worried that I don't seal it properly and i end up with condensation inside. Besides, I'll need to drill a hole in the assembly for the power cord.

I'm just gonna stick on the headlight assembly surrounds, in the gap between the bumper and the assembly. There's a considerable gap and the smd strip that I got are supposedly only 5mm wide.

I'll upload the other concepts later tonight but that's the best so far IMO.

[Andrew357]

Too much talk and technicality, no action.

I'll put some photos up of my low beams very soon. There's a tiny bit of scatter but in all honesty, I find that it doesn't affect other road users in anyway.

edit: By the way, the scatter in the 2nd picture is horrible. Aurion projectors do a far better job. The pictures will speak for themselves :P

How? Did you do a handbrake turn and chase each one down and ask them? Just because they don't beep you or high beam/flash you back doesn't mean they haven't noticed it.

I don't like the DRL lighting myself. Even on cars that come with them standard, especially the new HSV range :/