OEM HID versus TRS HID

[Anomie]

Hey, I was wondering what the differences were as far as quality/cutoff/beam pattern/output/etc between the OEM bi-xenon found on the BRZ & 10-series (I assume BRZ & 10-series use the same HID projector, if not correct me) and The Retrofit Source's Bi-xenon retrofit kit.

I tried searching for a comparison but couldn't find any detailed one, if there is throw me a link to it

Post up pics of your cutoff/beam pattern & any insight you may have as to which you consider to be better and why.

Thank you!

[SkAsphalt]

Most find TRS to be better. I have retrofits from TRS (mini 11) and they are great

[Anomie]

Here's the cutoff from the TRS morimoto 6.0 from another thread I found (5k bulbs). Looks amazing! Anybody have a picture of the OEM cutoff for comparison?

[post_break]

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9116

[Anomie]

Thank you post break, It seems like even the OEM HID output is fairly poor compared to the TRS solution. Makes me wonder why people want to splurge 1.5-2 grand on OEM gt86 lights when the output is not nearly as good as an ~$300 retrofit. I guess its the need to have OEM look or the fear of baking/sealing...

Here's the pic from the thread he linked for reference. OEM HID on the right, Hid bulb in halogen projector on the left (which is not what this thread is about but it's part of the same picture :P)

[infinite012]

I have been a xenon projector retrofitting enthusiast since before it was cool. I have tried out OEM and aftermarket projectors and always choose OEM for quality of the product. I may use Morimoto projectors as fog lights, but not for my main driving lights. They don't spread light the way my eyes like it.

I approve of the BRZ headlights.

[brz_star21]

Originally Posted by Anomie

Thank you post break, It seems like even the OEM HID output is fairly poor compared to the TRS solution. Makes me wonder why people want to splurge 1.5-2 grand on OEM gt86 lights when the output is not nearly as good as an ~$300 retrofit. I guess its the need to have OEM look or the fear of baking/sealing...

Here's the pic from the thread he linked for reference. OEM HID on the right, Hid bulb in halogen projector on the left (which is not what this thread is about but it's part of the same picture :P)

Any idea what headlight level setting the BRZ was on since they're OEM adjustable? In the second row of pics, the BRZ appears to disperse the light better. It's not always about "the brighter, the better". I prefer the OEM just because fit and finish.

[Anomie]

Originally Posted by brz_star21

Any idea what headlight level setting the BRZ was on since they're OEM adjustable? In the second row of pics, the BRZ appears to disperse the light better. It's not always about "the brighter, the better". I prefer the OEM just because fit and finish.

Yes he says in that thread that in the first pic they were on the "0" setting and in the second pic they were aimed lower on the "3" setting

[Anomie]

Originally Posted by infinite012

I have been a xenon projector retrofitting enthusiast since before it was cool. I have tried out OEM and aftermarket projectors and always choose OEM for quality of the product. I may use Morimoto projectors as fog lights, but not for my main driving lights. They don't spread light the way my eyes like it.

I approve of the BRZ headlights.

Can you further explain what "the way my eyes like it" means? What about the way the OEM projectors spread the light is different and in your opinion better?

[infinite012]

Originally Posted by Anomie

Can you further explain what "the way my eyes like it" means? What about the way the OEM projectors spread the light is different and in your opinion better?

The way the hotspot of the beam is projected on the road by the OEM projectors is easier on the eyes than the Morimoto stuff. From what I know about the Mini H1 projectors that I've used versus the RX330, RX350/BRZ, TSX, Valeo, ZKW, Bosch, other OEM stuff, the Morimoto Mini H1 suffers from too intense foreground lighting which hinders the "throw" of the lights (i.e. what you can see directly in front of you is brighter than what you want to see miles ahead of you). The RX350/BRZ bixenons have the "softest" foreground light I've seen from an OEM projector so far. I've also stepped away from having razor sharp and super colorful cutoffs (the transition area between light and no light) and have become a fan of softer cutoffs, so that more light will bleed further out.

[Anomie]

Interesting, how do you feel about the amount of light being thrown above the cutoff with the OEM HID projectors? Seems like a lot to me, isn't it?

[Poodles]

Originally Posted by infinite012

The way the hotspot of the beam is projected on the road by the OEM projectors is easier on the eyes than the Morimoto stuff. From what I know about the Mini H1 projectors that I've used versus the RX330, RX350/BRZ, TSX, Valeo, ZKW, Bosch, other OEM stuff, the Morimoto Mini H1 suffers from too intense foreground lighting which hinders the "throw" of the lights (i.e. what you can see directly in front of you is brighter than what you want to see miles ahead of you). The RX350/BRZ bixenons have the "softest" foreground light I've seen from an OEM projector so far. I've also stepped away from having razor sharp and super colorful cutoffs (the transition area between light and no light) and have become a fan of softer cutoffs, so that more light will bleed further out.

Keep in mind the Mini H1's have been changed a lot over the years. Specifically, they added foreground limiters to them so they're not as bad as they were.

Cutoff wise, yes, they have some issues, namely the step is far too big compared to OEM's. Sharpness is a personal choice.

Originally Posted by Anomie

Interesting, how do you feel about the amount of light being thrown above the cutoff with the OEM HID projectors? Seems like a lot to me, isn't it?

All lights are required to have light above the cutoff. It's one of the main reasons HID's in non-HID headlight reflector/projector is a bad idea.

[Gaiakai]

Originally Posted by Anomie

Thank you post break, It seems like even the OEM HID output is fairly poor compared to the TRS solution. Makes me wonder why people want to splurge 1.5-2 grand on OEM gt86 lights when the output is not nearly as good as an ~$300 retrofit. I guess its the need to have OEM look or the fear of baking/sealing...

Pretty sure people want the GT86 lights because of the LED strip mainly. And because JDM yo... Instead of considering the actual light output for HIDs lol

[dsgerbc]

Originally Posted by Anomie

Thank you post break, It seems like even the OEM HID output is fairly poor compared to the TRS solution.

You have no clue what you're talking about.