SwedeSpeed - Volvo Performance Forum banner

D2S HID retrofit, E46 projectors, Matsu****a Ballasts, Morimoto 5000K, 35W

108K views 205 replies 27 participants last post by  -ForceFed- 
#1 · (Edited)
D2S HID retrofit, E46 projectors, Matsu****a Ballasts, Morimoto 5000K, 35W

Beginning my HID retrofit today. Going to take more time than I thought as there is a lot more involved with tuning the HID output than expected. All parts ordered thru my friends at TheRetrofitSource.com



Parts list:
Matsu****a ballasts 35W setup
Morimoto 5000K D2S bulbs
E46 bi-xenon projector housings
ZKW-R clear lenses
H7 wiring harness converted to work with H11 setup

The wiring harness only uses one of the low beam bulb inputs and then using a relay system attached to the battery runs an extension harness over to the passenger side ballast. An H11 harness kit wasnt available so a H11 female connector just needs to be swapped out for the H7 that comes with it.

So far that ive seen today is due to only using one head light low beam connector connected to the harness theres a bulb out message. Have to figure out how to fake out the passenger side harness.

With nothing installed into the head lights yet I took some comparison pics just to show the difference between a 55W DDM kit with 45000K bulbs and the 35W retrofit with E46 projectors and the factory lenses that came with them.

DDM


E46



Will continue to update the thread as the project goes along. More than likely wont finish this weekend as I need some more supplies.

By adjusting the cut off shield or the "shield mod" as they call it you can alter the cut off line color and clarity. Ill be using a roll of flashing to adjust and alter the output to my liking and then drill out the rivets that hold the RV shield on to mount it.



I also have clear ZKW-R lenses to swap in which changes the clarity and output of the bulbs quite a bit. Did the one side but need to change how it mounts inside the projector a bit more. You can see the difference from the E46 lenses compared to the clears quite a bit just visibly.

E46


ZKW-R



Stock projector to E46 projector comparison





These are the shields that are required for the color modification. Used a roll of thin aluminum flashing and was cut with scissors.





Final results with E46 projectors, ZKW-R lenses installed, Morimoto 5000K D2S bulbs, AMP adapters to DDM 55W ballasts.
Here are the final results of the retrofit









Modified by ForceFed Motorsports at 5:21 PM 12-1-2009

Modified by ForceFed Motorsports at 5:23 PM 12-1-2009

Should also note that if anyone is experiencing issues with aftermarket ballast firing issues, or just plain worried about the wiper module failure, I used https://www.skbowe.com/ harness to eliminate the original issues I was having with DDM.
 
See less See more
23
#177 ·
Re: Re: (theshadow27)

Quote, originally posted by theshadow27 »


For the record, there is no such thing as a 55w HID bulb. All bulbs sold for/with 55w kits are the same as the 35w bulbs... Rebased D2S. The difference is only in the drive current (from the ballast).

That means that running a bulb at 55w will shorten it's life, but at DDM's prices, who cares? They are literally cheaper than Silverstars.

Second that. Had to order my (55W) bulbs of a different color from sharphids, had a friend gave me 55w ballasts. Only one type of bulb for both 35w and 55w available.
 
#178 ·
Re:

I made my shields, but I don't really understand the results:







Why is there yellow in the middle?? Here's my shield:







My shields are working great with main beam solenoid controllers though:





Any suggestions why there's yellow in the middle? I didn't really get the nice cutoff color either
 
#179 ·
Re: Re: (mikamars)

Quote, originally posted by mikamars »



In this picture you see the screw their on the right side? By backing that out you can increase your color. Also the further you move the shield upwards the more the hot spot (the yellow) is covered and brings out more of the blue/purple.

You using the clear lenses or the factory ones?
 
#180 ·
Re: Re: (ForceFed Motorsports)

I noticed that screw but didn't really think about adjusting it. Thanks for the tip http://********************/smile/emthup.gif I might have to adjust the shield a bit more upwards too. I'm using ZKW-R clear lenses.

I guess I'll settle with a straight line for the cutoff. It's way easier.
 
#181 ·
Re: Re: (mikamars)

Back that screw out and pull the shields up just a bit. You will see the hot spot when the lights are just a few yards away against a wall. But once you get a decent distance away it should be solid blue http://********************/smile/emthup.gif
 
#183 ·
Re: Re: (mikamars)

Quote, originally posted by mikamars »
I don't think I can adjust my shields without removing the projectors

I think Kyle adjusted the shields before he installed the projectors. That's what I would have done anyway...
 
#184 ·
Re: Re: (theshadow27)

Quote, originally posted by theshadow27 »

I think Kyle adjusted the shields before he installed the projectors. That's what I would have done anyway...

Well, yes, that's what I did too
I just adjusted them too low. The plastic against those screws is quite soft, and I don't think it'll hold up if the projectors are taken apart too many times.
 
#185 ·
Re: Re: (mikamars)

Yeah I got mine dialed in outside the vehicle. Pulled my car out of the garage and used the neighboring apartment complex to achieve my color lol.
 
#186 ·
Re: Re: (mikamars)

Looks Like very Good work , see You Guys got a Bunch of Snow .


So is there a small slot behind washer to allow some movement?
 
#187 ·
So... has there been any progress on replacing the stock halogen lenses with clear lenses? I'm about to order a couple lenses and get the job done this weekend. Do you guys have any pictures of the stock projectors so I can figure out what tools I'll need?
 
#188 ·
Yeah actually I have a set of stock projectors with E46 clear lenses just sitting in a box. I started shield modding them and just never finished them. I know the clear lenses from retrofit source are a fudge too big but with slight modification fit.
 
#191 ·
I've seen both ways, metal solder rivets and screwed. I have one of each. I planned to just use bolts to reinstall the lens holder to the projector.
 
#193 ·
Those stupid rivets are a biotch to drill out too. I got the holder removed but still need to finish drilling thru the projector side in order to apply some hardware instead. My E46's were removable which made adjustments super easy.

Finishing those projectors is on my to do list now, trying to clear out some of my "stash" of parts. I always go all out and over order parts and then store the spares forever.
 
#196 · (Edited)
I had to modify the rear caps. I cut out a space for the igniter to protrude from the back and made an extended cover out of the square I chopped out using 5 minute epoxy to space it out.

Should also be noted that the new Morimoto ballasts have a much smaller igniter which also helps.
 
#199 ·
I fixed the images on photobucket with the intention of stealing some of them for the skbowe.com site - hopefully Kyle can around to updating the OP one of these days.
Updated the initial post with all the pic progress I posted thruout this thread, for all the information regarding doing a retrofit I encourage you to read the thread, enjoy
Beginning my HID retrofit today. Going to take more time than I thought as there is a lot more involved with tuning the HID output than expected. All parts ordered thru my friends at TheRetrofitSource.com



Parts list:
Matsu****a ballasts 35W setup
Morimoto 5000K D2S bulbs
E46 bi-xenon projector housings
ZKW-R clear lenses
H7 wiring harness converted to work with H11 setup

The wiring harness only uses one of the low beam bulb inputs and then using a relay system attached to the battery runs an extension harness over to the passenger side ballast. An H11 harness kit wasnt available so a H11 female connector just needs to be swapped out for the H7 that comes with it.

So far that ive seen today is due to only using one head light low beam connector connected to the harness theres a bulb out message. Have to figure out how to fake out the passenger side harness.

With nothing installed into the head lights yet I took some comparison pics just to show the difference between a 55W DDM kit with 45000K bulbs and the 35W retrofit with E46 projectors and the factory lenses that came with them.

DDM


E46



Will continue to update the thread as the project goes along. More than likely wont finish this weekend as I need some more supplies.

By adjusting the cut off shield or the "shield mod" as they call it you can alter the cut off line color and clarity. Ill be using a roll of flashing to adjust and alter the output to my liking and then drill out the rivets that hold the RV shield on to mount it.



I also have clear ZKW-R lenses to swap in which changes the clarity and output of the bulbs quite a bit. Did the one side but need to change how it mounts inside the projector a bit more. You can see the difference from the E46 lenses compared to the clears quite a bit just visibly.

E46


ZKW-R



Stock projector to E46 projector comparison





These are the shields that are required for the color modification. Used a roll of thin aluminum flashing and was cut with scissors.





Final results with E46 projectors, ZKW-R lenses installed, Morimoto 5000K D2S bulbs, AMP adapters to DDM 55W ballasts.
Here are the final results of the retrofit









Modified by ForceFed Motorsports at 5:21 PM 12-1-2009

Modified by ForceFed Motorsports at 5:23 PM 12-1-2009
 
#201 ·
Lol just quote my post and paste the insides into the OP... 2 seconds.... I changed the URLs already.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top