Headlight Mods

[agarboy]

I have a 2000 Civic Ex and I am looking to change the headlights
Before I do that, I did some research and came up with
1. Angel Eyes- Not sure if this is the whole headlight housing or just the the bulb covers
2. HID bulbs(lights)- I think they are the same as Xenon bulbs
Now my question is can I put in Angel Eye with HID bulbs?
Is this something that the experts here would suggest?
What I am looking for are bright lights that also give the car an aggressive look.
Again, I am an absolute newbie so please be patient with me.

Thanks

 

[BrutalB83]

"Angel Eyes" will be an entirely new headlight housing, and they'll also require some minor wiring to make the light rings. You'd have to tap the parking lights for a power source. Honestly, I'd recommend against them. Yeah, they might look cool, but the majority of them end up burning out after a while, and there's really not much you can do to fix them besides getting a new set of headlights.

HID is more complicated than you're thinking. Yes, it's a new bulb, but it also requires a lot more power than the factory bulbs, so you have to install ballasts in your engine bay as well. And I have heard of people just sticking them in where their factory bulbs were, but the best way to do it is to retrofit a projector of some kind into your headlight housing. This will give you the cleanest looking and the best light dispersion.

If you just want bluish/whitish looking headlights for cheap, then go to Autozone and buy some Sylvania "Cool Blue" or "Silverstar" light bulbs. If you want the real deal, then get an HID kit, but be prepared to shell out some bucks for it.

Either way, I'd recommend against Angel Eyes.

 

[chestercheeto48]

I have the silverstars and love them in terms of the light they put out. I also removed the orange reflector by heating up the headlight and prying it appart. There was a how to on here showing how to do that.

 

[agarboy]

BrutalB83 Thanks for the information. What kind of kit should I be looking to get.. any recommendations? I looked around in google and found one for $300, is this the kind of price you are talking about?
you definately crush my "noob ambitions".. but for the better

 

[awptickes]

I thought I had a thread about this before, but I guess not.


It's a lot of work to modify headlights. Besides Bi-Xenon projectors, (What you'd have to put in the 2000 civic headlight housings, because they won't fit two projectors) suck balls. Imagine when you flip the brights not getting anymore light, just seeing the cutoff line change. Besides, that sealant bead in the headlights is a bitch to break, then it never seals right again.

While I'll be the first one to agree that those reflectors suck, just buy some nice aftermarket replacements. Spend about $300 for the pair, and call it a day. I spent about $500 on retrofitting my headlights, not counting my time, and my car got hit, and now I've only got one headlight until I do the retrofit again. I'm not looking forward to it.

Buy the aftermarket lights, they're easily replaceable and you don't have to spend as much time or money "fixing" them.