*** Front Lighting Modifications HID Headlights LED Angel Halo Custom Housing ***

[zAnSh1n]

This thread will discuss headlight modifications on the FR-S.
I will keep links to a minimum to avoid promoting external sites, but links will be provided by the users on a need-to-know basis.



The factory headlights on the FR-S are unique in that it is different than the [GT]86/BRZ variants. It does come with projectors and a dedicated high-beam unit, but they are halogens and not HIDs.
There is not much else aside from the inner housing / reflector inside the headlights since the turn signals and parking lights are located on the bumper.





If you get the fog light option thru Scion, they provide a new trim piece and the fog lights go under the turn signals the same way as the Toyota [GT]86, since they share the same front end.
The JDM vehicles also come with clear parking lights, which will be a popular simple upgrade.



Aside from the minor differences in front lighting design between the FR-S and the BRZ, the FR-S also does not come equipped with headlight leveling switch inside the cabin.
The BRZ [not sure about the 86] is capable of adjusting the low-beam headlights vertically. The dial switch is located next to the trunk button and on the FR-S, it is covered by a blank panel.





Some people may choose to swap out their headlights with the JDM units [seen on the orange 86 above], which includes the LED driving light strip.
This option will be costly and slightly cumbersome since you will have to import them from Japan and you need to worry about adjusting the light beams to aim correctly for the US driving direction [oncoming traffic on the left].

One of the more popular modifications will be to install an HID kit to replace the factory halogen system.
Since the low-beams are projectors and there are dedicated high beams, the whole upgrade will essentially be plug-and-play and bi-xenon kits are not required.

Personally, modifying/upgrading my headlights will be the first mod I will be performing to my FR-S.
I will most likely paint the inner housing black, leaving the ring around the low-beams chrome, and upgrade the halogen units to 8k HIDs.

Stick around for more information to come and I can't wait to see some of our more hardcore members to modify the projectors, add custom shrouds/angel eyes/light strips, etc...

Please feel free to share your modification plans and any relevant information.

Thanks for stopping by and happy modding

[zAnSh1n]

reserved.

[Saibot]

nice! question though.. Does the JDM toyota lights have hi-beams then??

[Dave-ROR]

Saibot: The HID GT86 headlights are bi-xenon, so halogen hi-beams are not required.

Zanshin: We currently have no idea how good those halogen projectors are. They might suck.. badly. If they are subpar, putting a PnP HID conversion setup in them will produce extremely poor results. Also, 8000K HIDs are going to just add to that misery since they put out less light anyways than 4300K HIDs. If you want proper results, and are already taking the headlights apart for cosmetic changes, why not install some FXR projectors (awesome projectors), TSX or S2K (also awesome and not bi-xenon so it's "easier") projectors?

[Crashoverride]

Originally Posted by zAnSh1n

This thread will discuss headlight modifications on the FR-S.
I will keep links to a minimum to avoid promoting external sites, but links will be provided by the users on a need-to-know basis.



The factory headlights on the FR-S are unique in that it is different than the [GT]86/BRZ variants. It does come with projectors and a dedicated high-beam unit, but they are halogens and not HIDs.
There is not much else aside from the inner housing / reflector inside the headlights since the turn signals and parking lights are located on the bumper.





If you get the fog light option thru Scion, they provide a new trim piece and the fog lights go under the turn signals the same way as the Toyota [GT]86, since they share the same front end.
The JDM vehicles also come with clear parking lights, which will be a popular simple upgrade.



Aside from the minor differences in front lighting design between the FR-S and the BRZ, the FR-S also does not come equipped with headlight leveling switch inside the cabin.
The BRZ [not sure about the 86] is capable of adjusting the low-beam headlights vertically. The dial switch is located next to the trunk button and on the FR-S, it is covered by a blank panel.





Some people may choose to swap out their headlights with the JDM units [seen on the orange 86 above], which includes the LED driving light strip.
This option will be costly and slightly cumbersome since you will have to import them from Japan and you need to worry about adjusting the light beams to aim correctly for the US driving direction [oncoming traffic on the left].

One of the more popular modifications will be to install an HID kit to replace the factory halogen system.
Since the low-beams are projectors and there are dedicated high beams, the whole upgrade will essentially be plug-and-play and bi-xenon kits are not required.

Personally, modifying/upgrading my headlights will be the first mod I will be performing to my FR-S.
I will most likely paint the inner housing black, leaving the ring around the low-beams chrome, and upgrade the halogen units to 8k HIDs.

Stick around for more information to come and I can't wait to see some of our more hardcore members to modify the projectors, add custom shrouds/angel eyes/light strips, etc...

Please feel free to share your modification plans and any relevant information.

Thanks for stopping by and happy modding

Or Just get the German version of the lights, they will point in the right direction and be the same as the JDM ones without modifcation....

[zAnSh1n]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Zanshin: We currently have no idea how good those halogen projectors are. They might suck.. badly. If they are subpar, putting a PnP HID conversion setup in them will produce extremely poor results. Also, 8000K HIDs are going to just add to that misery since they put out less light anyways than 4300K HIDs. If you want proper results, and are already taking the headlights apart for cosmetic changes, why not install some FXR projectors (awesome projectors), TSX or S2K (also awesome and not bi-xenon so it's "easier") projectors?

i've decided to run 6000k instead... yes, still less output than 4300k, but i really don't care cuz i like the color, haha...

it's probably safe to assume the factory pieces aren't that great of quality, so i'll probably just swap them out with tsx units...

[zAnSh1n]

Originally Posted by Crashoverride

Or Just get the German version of the lights, they will point in the right direction and be the same as the JDM ones without modifcation....

that'll work, but still expensive

[merlin2111]

When I put the 4200k on my RSX the light out put was incredible. I would love to have a set like this on my next car. Luckly I am leaning towards the BRZ so this shouldn't be a huge problem but I will keep this thread in mind because blackout housings are always sweet.

[civicdrivr]

I know its probably way too soon, but does anyone know if the projectors use 2.5" or 3" lenses?

[zAnSh1n]

too soon to tell... for the angel eyes?

[civicdrivr]

No, angel eyes arent my style.

These are halogen projectors, which arent ideal for HID use. Ive got a few pairs of bixenon projectors here that I could drop in, both 2.5" and 3" lenses. Then Id simply turn the inner reflector into a dedicated DRL.

[zAnSh1n]

ah, gotcha... you're swapping out the projectors

[robotvoice]

Halogen projectors are designed much differently than HID projectors. They look the same on the outside but the bowl and cutoff shield inside the projectors are very different. A lot of people will immediately want to throw a cheap HID kit into these headlights but will wind up with very poor output and a lot of extra glare which can be unsafe for other drivers on the road.

Unfortunately there will be no true "plug and play" kit option that will yield great results. You will have to open the headlights and swap in true HID projectors or find a way to modify the halogen projectors to eliminate excessive glare.

[civicdrivr]

Originally Posted by robotvoice

Halogen projectors are designed much differently than HID projectors. They look the same on the outside but the bowl and cutoff shield inside the projectors are very different. A lot of people will immediately want to throw a cheap HID kit into these headlights but will wind up with very poor output and a lot of extra glare which can be unsafe for other drivers on the road.

Unfortunately there will be no true "plug and play" kit option that will yield great results. You will have to open the headlights and swap in true HID projectors or find a way to modify the halogen projectors to eliminate excessive glare.

Yep, which is my plan.