Projector vs Reflective Housing. The OEM HIDs use projectors to give a clean cut off like the picture below. Well, probably not as good as that, but same idea.

 

What did I miss?

If that pic is of projectors, are you saying a reflector housing, regardless of bulb, would not provide as discreet a cut off? What about halogen vs aftermarket HID? I get that projectors have a nice cut-off. I'm trying to discern the difference between halogen and HID bulbs in the same housing.

 

Oh, I gotcha.

Yes, halogen don't have a clean cut-off in the OEM housing compared to HIDs. Since the aftermarket HID bulbs are brighter, it naturally intensifies the light output, including any light thrown above the cut-off.

 

so I'm kinda confused by all this now . . . one basic question:

do the aftermarket kits come with the right reflectors for the HID bulbs so as to not blind oncoming drivers, or do they use the stock reflectors which means they probably throw too much light up high?

 

They are plug and play kits. No additional reflectors. Unless you modify the stock housings yourself or have them modified by someone who reftrofits headlights (and at that point you might as well get the Ford HIDs from the factory).

The glare/blinding effect is only if the lights aren't designed well in the first place. Most of the newer H-style bulb housings are designed to have a similar cut off to HIDs, but due to the limitations of the halogen bulb, they will never have as sharp of a cutoff as a projector (because there is an actual plate cut off inside the projector "cutting off" the light at the top).

Give them a try. They should be fine.

 

The aftermarket kits just consist of the bulbs and ballasts. If you modify the headlight enclosure at all it becomes more of a retrofit. Mustang headlight enclosures used to have bulb shields to help reduce glare, but they stopped using them in 2007 I think (don't quote me). Bulb capping helps simulate this. Retro Solutions is the only place I know of that offers a bulb capping service. I've had my kit for about 8 months and haven't been flashed at all. Great investment for $180 IMO. Will the cut off be as good as OEM? No. The decision is yours

 

Agreed on the bulb capping. It seems obvious that it would reduce glare but probably not much on the cutoff. I'm leaning that way (bulb cap option) for this reason.

They're not going to check cutoff in a safety inspection. They're only going to look for "on".

 

That's the way to go. I'm a OEM kind of guy.....except for wheels.

 

OEM HIDs + Hoen Xenonmatch fog light bulbs = good enough for me.

I haven't had the chance to see the 2010+ HIDs at night for light cutoff, can anyone comment on the quality of the light at night?

 

I put in some aftermarket hids on a 6 Gt and while they were an improvement over stock I knew it would not be top notch. Its because of the housing. The low beams are pretty darn good but the high beams scatter light every which way. The stock lighting was pathetic so it was hard to go wrong.

I do think the hids are worth the price even if you have to buy the security system. My only fear of them is what it would cost to replace something like a ballast down the road. You know Ford is not going to give you any lube when you need a OEM part.

 

I really dislike the look of the HID headlight enclosures. That's the primary reason I went aftermarket.

 

I know what you mean. At first I hated it but it has grown on me over time. Still not crazy about it but I believe the trade off is worth it if the lights are no better than the cars of past. We have a lot of back roads that I have to travel and deer are everywhere along with other animals. I am just tired of not being able to see. I am getting way old and the first thing that goes is night vision. To each his own though.

 

+1

I had a VVME kit on my 05 GT for both headlights and fogs; I thought the lighting was a great improvement over stock especially they all had 6000k bulbs to be uniform. BUT, the high beams were quite scattered; not a real problem for me as I never use them. The low beam on the HID VVME kit light up better the road than the stock high beam did !

BTW, I took off the kit from my 05GT and it is now on my 11GT

 

If the stock Ford HID's are the same as the '10, they use a standard D3S HID lamp w/integral ballast.
Amazon has them for around $115ea. The OEM stuff should last a very long time though.


http://www.amazon.com/Sylvania-35081.../dp/B00265FWIC

 

They aren't.

 

I like the OEM setups personally. If given the option, I'd rather pay for it up front, then mess with it in the aftermarket when it comes to lighting. I've done my share of retrofits/installs into a variety of cars, but the OEM just can't really be beat. The design work for all of the details is done, and the guess work is eliminated. Wanna change the bulbs for a different color - go for it. I just don't think I'll opt out of HIDs again.

 

good to know. Sometimes I worry about what will happen 5 years from now. That makes it even more enticing to me. The lights on my 03 are not worth a sh $#. They are adequate at best. At least Ford is giving us an option to upgrade.

 

Check out this site before you venture onward....http://store.candlepower.com/trabhidki.html

 

Great reading right there!

 

From the 2011 Mustang Owners Guide...