Official B5 A4 / S4 Headlight and HID Thread

[BlkBullitt]

Offical B5 Audi Headlight / HID Writeup:
This thread’s purpose is to clear up many common misconceptions regarding the headlights and possible upgrades for the B5 A4 and S4. I won’t really go into too much detail on topics that have been covered multiple times. I’m also assuming you have a general knowledge of halogen and xenon (HID) headlights. If you aren’t horribly familiar here is some general useful reading to start with...

HID Planet - HID Newb Crash Course (great foundation of HID info)
HID Conversions by Daniel Stern (has great examples of the differences between xenon and halogen bulb light output)

Other good B5 headlight related links that cover things I won't be discussing in detail this thread...

Discusses B5 Prefacelift and Facelift Headlight Wiring
Discusses Prefacelift to Facelift Headlight Conversion
Discusses Adding Manual Headlight Level Control
Discusses Projector Removal and Swapping to TRS TSX-R Lenses

*If you know of other links that would be useful for this thread feel free to PM me.

Special thanks to Jay (S4tranquility) for assisting with the testing and for lending me some of the test items.


Group Buy for Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 Bi-Xenon Projector Kits:
For anyone interested in purchasing a set of Morimoto Minis today is the last day to place your order on TRS's website as part of the group buy. Use coupon code Drew15 at checkout for 15% off your order.

If you're ordering high beam splitters you'll want H7 Male > H7/9006 Female.

[BlkBullitt]

I. Introduction to B5 A4 / S4 Headlights

a. Prefacelift vs Facelift Headlights
First, I’m going to start with a basic run down and differences between Prefacelift and Facelift Headlights...

	Prefacelift	Facelift
One or Two Piece	Two	One
Low Beam	*H7 Halogen Reflector	H7 Halogen Projector or **D2S Xenon Projector
High Beam	H7 Halogen Reflector	H7 Halogen Reflector
Integrated Foglights	Yes, H1 Halogen Reflector	No
Wiring Connector	5-Pin, Round Plug Connector	8-Pin, D-Plug Connector

* The European Prefacelift B5 S4 came standard with two piece headlights with a D2S xenon projector low beam.
** The Facelift B5 S4 came standard with xenon low beams while the Facelift B5 A4 came standard with halogen low beams with xenons being an additional option.

b. Swapping from Prefacelift to Facelift Headlights
If you’re interested in swapping from Prefacelift to Facelift Headlights here’s what you’ll need (I’m not going to go into detail on this)...

1. Facelift Headlights
2. Facelift Headlight Wiring Pigtails

You’ll have to trim the front fenders where the Prefacelift headlight turn signal pieces clipped in and solder in the Facelift headlight wiring pigtails.

FYI: From here on out 99.9% of the content will be discussing the Facelift headlights only.


c. What about Euro headlights or DEPO ECodes?
OEM Valeo European lights differ from the US Valeo lights in a few areas (more will be discussed on the internal differences of these a little later, but here's a quick run down)...

1. Have clear projector lenses
2. Have different cutoff shield patterns that also adjust for use in either LHD or RHD cars
3. Have “city lights” (small low output light that is always on)
4. Have no amber reflector by the turn signal (“ aka clear corners”)
5. Have a cover over the turn signal bulb

DEPO H7 ECodes are essentially knockoff OEM Euro lights except...

1. They are fitted with H7 projectors with clear lenses
2. Come with shipping plugs installed
3. Have the lower ballast mounting point found on Xenon lights, but there is no opening into the headlamp
4. The H7 projectors mount via 7mm nuts (x3) on threaded studs while the Valeo projectors mount via bolts (x3)... the location of the three mounting points is the same on both the DEPO H7 ECodes and the OEM Valeo housings

DEPO D2S ECodes are essentially knockoff OEM Euro lights except...

1. They are fitted with unique D2S projectors with clear lenses
2. The DEPO D2S projector does not utilize the same projector mounting point locations as the OEM Valeo or the DEPO H7 housings


c. Facelift Headlight Housing Differences
For differences between the projectors found in these housings please see Section III.a (Items Being Tested: Projectors).

	OEM US Valeo	OEM European Valeo	DEPO ECode H7	DEPO ECode D2S
Projector Utilized	OEM US Valeo H7 or OEM US Valeo D2S	OEM Euro Valeo H7 or OEM Euro Valeo D2S	DEPO ECode H7	DEPO ECode D2S
Projector Assembly Hardware	Clips x4	Clips x4	Bolts (Phillips Head) x4	Bolts (Phillips Head) x3
Projector Mounting Points	Threaded Holes x3 (upper has an angled notch - see photos)	Threaded Holes x3 (upper has an angled notch - see photos)	Threaded Studs x3	Threaded Studs x3
Projector Mounting Hardware	Bolts x 3	Bolts x 3	Nuts (7mm Head) x3	Nuts (7mm Head) x3
Lower Ballast Opening/Mount	H7 - ?, D2S - Yes	H7 - ?, D2S - Yes	Yes, but ballast opening is closed requiring you to cut an opening if you want to use the ballast mounting location	Yes
Auto Level Motors or Shipping Plugs	Auto Level Motors	Auto Level Motors	Shipping Plugs (can be removed and replaced with Auto Level Motors)	Shipping Plugs (can be removed and replaced with Auto Level Motors)
City Light	No	Yes (H6W bulb)	Yes (H6W bulb)	No
Amber or Clear Corners	Amber	Clear (with turn signal bulb cover)	Clear (with turn signal bulb cover)	Clear

e. Facelift Headlight Components

Item	Description	Photo/s
Projector Assembly	The projector assembly consists of three main parts. *The front lens / lens holder (the glass lens that shapes / projects the light down the road) *The cutoff shield (this blocks the upper part of the light output from the projector so that you aren't blinding oncoming traffic) *The rear reflector bowl (where the bulb sits)	Pictured below is an OEM Valeo US D2S Projector Assembly found in Xenon equipped US B5 A4s and S4s...
Ballast (Xenon Only)	The ballast boosts your car's 12v power to the level needed to ignite the Xenon gas found in HID bulbs as well as manages the power output to the bulb. The OEM Valeo ballast used on B5 A4s and S4s is a 35w ballast and utilizes a special 6 pin connector (3 +12v and 3 grounds) to receive power and a female D2S connector to output power. Most aftermarket ballasts utilize a female 9006 connector to receive power and a set of AMP connectors to output power.	Pictured below is an OEM 35w Valeo Ballast found on Xenon equipped B5 A4s and S4s...
Headlight Wiring Harness	This is the actual wiring found inside the headlight housing.	PreFacelift Halogen Wiring Harness Facelift Xenon Wiring Harness Black 6-Pin Connector for Valeo Ballast (Low Beam), Black 2-Pin Connector for H7 Bulb (High Beam), and White 3-Pin Connector for Auto Level Motor Facelift H7 Wiring Harness (from DEPO ECode) Black 2-Pin Connector for H7 Bulb (Low Beam), Black 2-Pin Connector for H7 Bulb (High Beam), Black Connector for City Light, and White 3-Pin Connector for Auto Level Motor
Auto Level Motor (Auto Level Equipped Cars Only)	These small motors sit inside the headlight housings and automatically adjust the height of your headlight beams (using leveling sensors on a front and rear wheel) so that they remain level.	Reserved
Shipping Plugs	When purchasing a set of aftermarket headlights shipping plugs come in place of the auto level motors to prevent the inside of the headlight from moving excessively and possibly being damaged during shipping. If your OEM headlights have auto level motors you would replace the shipping plugs with them before installing the aftermarket headlights in your car. If you don't have auto leveling in your car the shipping plugs remain inside the headlights.

[BlkBullitt]

II. Facelift Headlight Disassembly / Modifications
This is a quick guide of the components found inside the facelift headlight and how to disassemble the headlight. Please note that I will not be discussing how to remove the front lens on the headlight only how to remove the major components inside the headlight related to projector swapping / modification.

A. Headlight Disassembly
These are a quick series of guides on how to disassemble a few different types of B5 A4 and S4 headlight housings.

i. Facelift OEM Valeo Housing

Reserved

ii. Facelift DEPO H7 Housing

a. Tools / Items You'll Need

• 7mm Socket (1/4in drive)
• Extension (1/4in drive)
• Ratchet (1/4in drive) or any 1/4in Driver
• Phillips Head Screwdriver
• Flat Head Screwdriver
• Wire Cutters (aka Side Cuts, Dykes, etc)
• Razor Knife or Box Cutter

a. Disassembly

1. First, lets take a look through the rear opening of the housing to see how the projector assembly is mounted inside the DEPO H7 housing. You'll see the projector assembly is attched to the housing by three 7mm nuts (two lower and one upper). You'll also see four phillips head bolts that hold the projector assembly together...
   
   
   
   
2. Also, if we look through the other rear opening of the housing you'll see the shipping plug (note the threaded metal center with a flat head screwdriver sized notch in it)...
   
   
   
   
3. First, take your wire cutters and cut the zip tie that's wrapped around the headlight housing. Remove it along with the small metal thing it's attached to...
   
   
   
   
4. Next, to make disassembly easier we need to take out the shipping plug. Using a flat head screwdriver turn the threaded center of the shipping plug clockwise until you can no longer turn it (this will push the inner headlight assembly forward). Turn the shipping plug counter clockwise to release it from the outer plastic of the headlight housing and pull it rearwards a bit. Using your screw driver, pry downward where the shipping plug attaches to the inner headlight assembly until the rounded end of the shipping plug pops out of the bottom of the plastic channel it is sitting in. By removing the shipping plug you are able to tilt the inner headlight assembly forward and backwards slightly which give you a little more room to get at the hardware holding the projector assembly together / in the housing...
   
   
   
   
5. Using your razor knife carefully cut out the flat section on the bottom of the housing where the ballast mounts (not only do you need to do this in order to install your ballasts later, but this also gives you better access to the inside of the housing)...
   
   
   
   
6. Next, we're going to need your phillips screw driver and your 1/4in drive driver, extension, and 7mm socket to remove the projector assembly. Here's the two tools I used...
   
   
   
   
7. First, using the 7mm socket/extension/driver combo loosen the three 7mm nuts holding the projector assembly in (don't fully remove them yet). If your socket is like mine and isn't quite deep enough to loosen the top nut you can remove the socket from your extension, place it onto the nut, place the extension into the socket as far as you can (it should fit in a little bit, but not enough to lock into the socket), and then start to loosen the nut. With all three of the nuts loosened use your phillips screw driver to remove all four of the phillips bolts that hold the projector assembly together...
   
   
   
   
8. After you've removed the four bolts you can remove the three nuts holding the projector to the inner headlight assembly. Slowly pull the rear reflector off of the three studs and tilt the top of it toward the inside of the headlight and begin to pull the rear reflector out of the headlight housing...
   
   
   
   
9. As you pull the rear reflector out of the headlight you may need to pull or push the lower part of the rear opening downward to get the rear reflector out as there is a small lip of plastic that the reflector tends to get caught on as seen here...
   
   
   
   
10. Next, pull the cutoff shield off of the three studs, tilt the top part of it toward the inside of the headlight (so that it is basically facing the bottom of the headlight), and pull it out of the headlight housing...
    
    
    
    
11. Finally, pull the projector lens off of the three studs, rotate it clockwise 90 degrees than rotate it towards you 90 degrees (so the lens is facing the top of the headlight), and pull it out of the headlight housing...
    
    
    
    
12. You're all done, congrats!
    
    
    
    

B. Projector Modification / Retrofitting

i. TRS TSX-R Lens Swap
This is a quick guide on how to replace the lens in a Valeo projector with the TRS TSX-R 2.5" Clear Lens.

Reserved

ii. TRS Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 Bi-Xenon Projector Retrofit
This is a quick walk through of how to retrofit the TRS Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 Bi-Xenon Projector into a Facelift Headlight.

Why the Morimoto Mini H1 instead of the Morimoto Mini D2S?
I've been asked this question so many times. The reason is although the Mini H1s and the Mini D2Ss are similar in size they are very different in how they are constructed. When I started looking at doing a possible retrofit the Mini D2Ss was what I had looked at first for obvious reasons... it uses the same bulb type as the OEM Xenon projectors and it seemed to be around the right size... however, while this all sounds great and even though the Mini D2Ss will fit into the Audi headlight housings they are not easy to get fitted and mounted correctly into the Audi headlight housings without some pretty serious work (if making a bracket to use the Mini H1s is tough for you trying to mount the Mini D2Ss in the Audi headlight housings would we way way too much for you to handle). I've spent quite a bit of time and money in this writeup and I've tried to be as detailed as possible. I hope you all trust that at the time of doing this writeup if retrofitting something like the Mini D2Ss were a better option or even a reasonable option for most people I would have tested it or at least considered it and if it wasn't mentioned in the writeup it probably wasn't a good or reasonable option.

a. Brackets

a. Template
Here is my first version of the Mini H1 bracket template for both OEM Valeo housings and DEPO H7 housings. To insure the template is the correct size I have placed a 1 inch x 1 inch square inside one of the brackets (as well as a 20mm x 20mm square inside the other for anyone outside of the US). So after you've printed the template just check the measurement of the square before you start.

Mini H1 Template - Click Here

b. Tools / Items You'll Need

• Valeo Housings - You'll reuse the 6 bolts (3 per side) that mount the OEM projectors into the headlights along with the 8 (4 per side) screws that came with the Morimoto Mini H1s (they are normally used to attach the Mini H1s to the shrouds that TRS includes).
  
• DEPO H7 Housings - You'll reuse the 6 7mm nuts (3 per side) that mount the DEPO projectors into the headlights. along with the 8 (4 per side) screws that came with the Morimoto Mini H1s (they are normally used to attach the Mini H1s to the shrouds that TRS includes).
  
• LEXAN (I picked up a 8"x10" @ .093" thick sheet at Lowes for right at $4)
• My Bracket Template
• Drill
• 3/16 Drill Bit
• 3/32 Drill Bit
• Dremel (or another tool for cutting/ sanding/ cleaning up the LEXAN)
• Eye Protection

c. Making the Brackets

1. First, verify your bracket template is the correct size by measuring the square (either 1in x 1in or 20mm x 20mm). You can see in this photo the Lexan sheet I used to make my brackets with along with the bracket template print out (notice the slight difference between the Valeo template and the DEPO H7 template)...
   
   
   
   
2. Next, cut out each bracket and attach it to your Lexan sheet. In this photo I just used clear tape, however, you could make things a little easier and print them on paper with an adhesive back (such as label making paper). Also, to keep the amount of cutting down, I attached the templates so that I could utilize the top and side edges of the Lexan sheet.
   
   
   
   
3. After you have attached the templates to the Lexan, get your drill and use the 3/16 drill bit to make the projector mounting holes and your 3/32 drill bit to make the Morimoto Mini H1 mounting holes...
   
   
   
   
4. Next, grab your Dremel (or whatever tool you plan on using) and cut out the interior area of the brackets...
   
   
   
   
5. Then cut out the outside of the brackets. To make the edges nice a smooth use a sanding bit to clean everything up. After you're finished you might want to wash your brackets off and wipe them down to remove any Lexan shavings / dust off of them (you don't want that junk coming off inside your headlight housings). Congrats you're all done making the Mini H1 brackets!

d. Finished Valeo Brackets
Reserved

e. Finished DEPO H7 Brackets


f. Installation
You might find it easier to go ahead an install the H1 bulbs while the projectors are outside of the headlights. I installed one without the bulb installed and one with it installed and didn't really have a preference. I also took care of adding the connectors for the Bi-Xenon solenoids prior to installation.

g. Wiring
UPDATE:
It appears the issue related to cutoff shield operation I mention below has been resolved on newer Mini H1 projectors and therefore you should not need to worry about adding the resistor to the wiring. To be sure go ahead and test the projectors outside of your headlight housings prior to installing them to verify there are no issues.

OLD:
I found that I had issues with the bi-xenon solenoid not returning when switching from having my high beams on to just having my low beams on. The cause was a small amount of voltage continuing to travel to the solenoid once the high beams had been turned on then back off. The solution is to solder a 1 watt 20 ohm resistor in parallel to the bi-xenon solenoid. Here is an illustration of the high beam wiring with the resistor added...

Low Beams	High Beams

[BlkBullitt]

III. Items Being Tested
Here is a complete list of what I’ll be comparing in this writeup...

a. Projectors

Name	Assembly	Lens	Cutoff Shield	Rear Reflector Bowl
OEM US Valeo H7 L: 5" W: 4" H: 3.365"		2.5" Fresnel Lens	Single Piece, Non-Adjustable
OEM US Valeo D2S L: 5.5" W: 4" H: 3.365"		2.5" Fresnel Lens	Single Piece, Non-Adjustable
OEM Euro Valeo D2S L: 5.5" W: 4" H: 3.365"		2.5" Clear Lens	Single Piece, Adjustable
DEPO ECode H7 L: 5" W: 4" H: 3.365"		2.5" Clear Lens	Single Piece, Adjustable
TRS 2.5" TSX-R Lens Modification		2.5" Clear Lens	N/A	N/A
TRS Bi-Xenon Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 L: 5.35" W: 3.14" H: 2.75"		2.5" Clear Lens	Bi-Xenon, Non-Adjustable

Projector Lens Visual Differences...

*Fresnel Lens vs Clear Lens
Notice the US lenses are fresnel lenses (meaning they have circular ripples in them which diffuses the light as it passes through the lens) while the Euro, ECode, TRS TSX-R, and the TRS Morimotto Mini lenses are clear.

*TRS TSX-R Lens vs OEM US Valeo Lens
TSXR Lens on left, OEM US Valeo Lens on right. Notice the TSXR Lens has a slightly different shape.



Projector Cutoff Shield Visual Differences...
As you can probably see each cutoff shield is completely unique and properly matches its paired rear reflector bowl. Here are some key items to look at...

*D2S vs H7 Light Emitting Area
Notice the D2S cutoff shields have more open area to release light than the H7 cutoff shields. The OEM US Valeo H7 shield is wide, but not very tall at all while the DEPO ECode H7 shield has an open area that is both wide and tall, but it is triangle shaped which gives it less open area at the top when compared to the D2S shields.

*Euro vs US Cutoff Pattern
Notice the US shields produce a different cutoff pattern (__|***) than the Euro and ECode shields (__/***). Also, both the Euro and ECode shields provide the means to switch the cutoff pattern to either LHD (__/***) or RHD (***\__).


Projector Rear Reflector Bowl Visual Differences...
As you can probably see each rear reflector bowl is almost completely unique and properly matches its paired cutoff shield. Here are some key items to look at...

*D2S Rear Reflector Bowls US vs Euro
Both of the D2S rear reflector bowls appear to be exactly the same.

*H7 Rear Reflector Bowls US Valeo vs ECode
The US Valeo rear reflector is fairly uniform on both the top and bottom (both are slightly curved) while the ECode rear reflector is curved on the bottom the top comes to a more pronounced point. The reflective area inside the ECode bowl is both wider (comes out to pretty much the edge of the bowl) and taller than the US Valeo bowl.

*D2S Rear Reflector Bowls vs H7 Rear Reflector Bowls
The D2S rear reflector bowls are very different than the H7 rear bowls. The D2S bowls are flat across both the top and bottom vs the curved or pointed H7 bowls. The D2S bowls are longer than the H7 bowls. The D2S bowls have a wider reflective area than the US Valeo H7 bowl and about the same as the ECode H7 bowl.


Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 Bi-Xenon vs OEM Valeo Projector
To give everyone a general idea of how the Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 Bi-Xenon compares dimensionally to the OEM Valeo projector (DEPO ECode H7 projector is used in the examples below)...

*Projector Lenses (Morimoto on Left, Valeo on Right)
While the Morimoto appears to be slightly shorter in length (front to back) than the Valeo it is important to not that the Valeo is sitting slightly higher in the second photo due to the four alignment pegs on the base of the projector lens holder. In terms of height and width the Morimoto is clearly smaller than the Valeo.



*Cutoff Shield (Morimoto on Left, Valeo on Right)
Notice how much smaller the Morimoto is compared to the Valeo... even with it being Bi-Xenon. You can also note that the Morimoto also has a curved cutoff pattern.



*Rear Reflector Bowl (Morimoto on Left, Valeo on Right)
Again it is easy to note the size difference between the Morimoto and the Valeo.



*Projector Assembly (Morimoto Back, Valeo Front)
Sitting side-by-side you can see that the Morimoto and the Valeo are very close to each other in terms of length.



Here's another quick iPhone shot of the Morimoto next to an OEM Valeo H7 projector (Morimoto on Right, Valeo on Left)


*Will the Morimoto fit in the Valeo Headlight Housing?
Yes, it fits, but you'll need to fabricate a bracket in order to attach it to the stock Valeo projector mounting locations. Unlike the Valeo projector assembly the Morimoto can be inserted and removed from the headlight housing as an assembled unit through the back opening. It does require turning the projector assembly upside down in order to clear the opening (since the Morimoto projector is wider at the top while the headlight opening is wider at the bottom). Once the projector is inside the housing you simple turn it back to the proper side facing up. Here's a quick iPhone photo of the projector assembly in the headlight housing (the lens holder is sitting flush with the projector shroud)...

[BlkBullitt]

III. Items Being Tested Cont'd

b. Ballasts

Name	Wattage	Power to Ballast	Power to Bulb	Photo
OEM Valeo	35w	6-Pin Connector	D2S Bulb Connector	Valeo 35w Ballasts and Close up of 6-Pin Ballast Power Connector and D2S Bulb Connector
DDM Slim	55w	9006 Connector	AMP Connectors	DDM 55w Slim Ballasts and Close up of 9006 Ballast Power Connector and AMP Bulb Connectors

c. Bulbs

Name	Bulb Type	Halogen or Xenon	Color Temp	Photo
OEM H7 Halogen	H7	Halogen	~3000-3500K
OEM OSRAM D2S	D2S	Xenon	4300K
DDM	H7	Xenon	4300K
eBay D2S	D2S	Xenon	4300K
TRS Morimoto 3Five	H1	Xenon	5000K

d. Wiring

Name	Description	Photo
OEM D2S Headlight Harness	8-Pin D-Plug to 6-Pin Valeo Ballast Connector, H7 Highbeam Connector, 3-Pin Headlight Level Motor Connector
DEPO ECode Headlight Harness	8-Pin D-Plug to H7 Lowbeam Connector, H7 Highbeam Connector, 3-Pin Headlight Level Motor Connector, City Light Connector
AMP to D2S Adaptor	AMP Connectors to Female D2S Bulb Connector - Allows use of aftermarket Ballasts that use AMP connectors with D2S Bulbs
D2S to AMP Adaptor	Male D2S Bulb Connector to AMP Connectors - Allows use of OEM Valeo Ballasts with aftermarket Bulbs that use AMP connectors
H7 to 9006 Adaptor	Male H7 Connector to Female 9006 Connector - Allows use of aftermarket Ballasts that are powered by a 9006 connector with H7 Headlight Harness

---

IV. Testing

a. Disclaimer / F.A.Qs
First, I want to state a few things about this test and also answer a few questions people have had (I'll add to this more if needed)...

1. If you have any detailed questions, need help, etc...
Feel free to contact me via:
PM or Email - [email protected]

2. This isn't a perfectly executed, flawless, 100% pure scientific test.
While I believe the methods we used are fair, well executed, and will provide reliable information for the majority of people I won't say that they are perfect... we didn't test multiple copies of each item being tested, the environment isn't completely controlled, etc. We all know there are variances in manufacturing, that performance of these items can depend on age and use (everything tested isn't brand new), and the list goes on. If you feel that I could improve how I tested these items or that something was tested unfairly please PM or email me, don't fill the thread with negative posts.

3. None of these items were donated by vendors.
Everything tested I either purchased myself with my money or was lent to me for this test by a good friend of mine (a fellow forum member who also helped execute the test) who also is not a vendor nor has any vendor relations. I'm not here to make anyone happy or to help sell anything... just to provide good information to the community. If I do provide positive feedback on something test please trust that it is genuine.

4. What are you doing to do with all of these items after the test?
Good question! I will be selling some of the items after the experiment since I don't really need a million projectors, ballasts, etc around my house... so if you're interested in something PM or email me.

5. Will you be doing any further testing or testing items for X model Audi? / I really appreciate you doing this test. / This test really helped me decide how I want to upgrade my B5's lighting. / Is there anything I can do to help?
First, I'm always glad to help the Audi community (check out my previous writeup on B5 Center Consoles). As for additional testing or testing items for model X Audi... I'm not opposed to doing further tests or testing items for other models. If you have items you would like to see tested and are willing to send said items I will be more than happy to test them and return them to you. If my writeup helped you make a purchasing decision I encourage you to let the vendors you do business with know that this thread was of help. If you want to make any donations as a thank you or to help with further testing feel free to PM or email me.


b. Testing Procedure
Each combo was tested at a distance of 25 ft from a large wall and were NOT inside a headlight housing (I didn't want the front lens of used headlights potentially causing any variances). We were testing for two primary items...

1. Light Output
How much light does each Projector/Lens/Bulb/Ballast combo actually puts out? We measured this by using a light meter (Minolta Auto Meter IV F). The light meter was placed on a stand (never moved) just in front of the wall 25 ft away. A reading of the ambient light was taken before testing each combo to make sure that the ambient light level had not changed (it never changed throughout the 4 hour test). After the ambient reading the combo was turned on and was given a good minute to warmup. Each combo was aimed at the light meter so that the meter sat in the center of the light output just below cutoff at its transition and a few light readings (just to insure there were no variences) were taken. If I could do the test again I would have attempted to acquire a second meter to take readings at the far edge of the cutoff as well (to see how each combo varied at its edges). We did take secondary readings of certain combos if we noticed unusual light output characteristics... for example if a combo had a dim center, but had brighter output just to the sides of the center or if a combo had one larger hot spot that wasn't located in the center. These secondary readings were noted and recorded (and will be noted on the result data), but for all of the results we will be using the light reading from the center of each combo.

2. Visual Appearance
How does the cutoff appear? How is the light output distributed (narrow, wide, even, focused, etc)? This item is slightly more subjective. We measured this by taking photos of each combo after it had fully warmed up and was aimed at the light meter. The camera was mounted on a tripod directly next to the testing area and never moved. The camera used was a Nikon D3 body with the Nikon 14-24 f/2.8G lens. Focus was made manually, was set, and never changed. Shots were taken at the camera's base ISO 200, f/5.6, at 14mm.

At first I was hoping to use the photos not only to show the visual appearances of each combo, but also as another way to illustrate each combo's light output, however, after shooting an ambient shot (-1.7 EV @ ISO 100) and then taking a shot at what I guessed would be the combo with the most light output (which I ended up being correct) there was a difference of roughly 9.5 stops of light. For those who don't know what that means I'll give a quick example/explanation... If we have an ambient light reading of 0 EV and we turn on a light which now gives us a reading of 1 EV the amount of light has doubled or has increased by 1 stop. Likewise if we turn that light off to return to our original ambient level (so from 1 EV back to 0 EV) the amount of light has been cut in half or has decreased by one stop. So with over 9 stops of light I had two choices... either keep a constant exposure and show a variety of photos... some which would be very overexposed and would look like a giant white glare... or expose each shot to best show what the combo actually looks like (which is what I ended up doing).

[BlkBullitt]

VI. Test Results

You'll notice in the photos that there is light bleeding off above the cutoff on both the right and left far sides. This is due to the projectors all being outside of a headlight housing. If you look at photos of the projectors... especially from the sides you'll see large open areas, for example...

US Valeo H7 Projector Assembly

US Valeo D2S Projector Assembly

Euro Valeo D2S Projector Assembly

DEPO ECode H7 Projector Assembly

So, when the projectors are installed inside the headlight housings you won't see any of the additional side light above the cutoff.

As always click on the photos to see it at full resolution.


I. US Valeo H7
All of the results below utilized the US Valeo H7 rear reflector bowl and cutoff shield. Ambient light was -1.7 EV.

Name	Lens	Ballast	Bulb	Output	Notes	Photo
I-01	US Valeo H7 (Fresnel)	N/A	Halogen H7	6.0 EV	Halogen bulb is used and we aren't certain of its age. Notice that the halogen bulb produces decent light output, but only in a concentrated area (small and towards the center of the cutoff).
I-02	US Valeo H7 (Fresnel)	DDM 55w Slim	DDM 4300k H7	3.1 EV	Hot spot left of center reads 7.3 EV. DDM 4300k H7 bulb is brand new (had never been used). Notice with the addition of the DDM 55w ballast and 4300k bulb the light output is increased and is wider and foreground light output is increased as well when compared to test I-01. Notice that now we also see quite a large hot spot introduced off center.
I-03	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	N/A	Halogen H7	4.4 EV	With the addition of the TSX-R lens notice the sharper/crisper cutoff and also the addition of red and yellow to the entire cutoff compared to test I-01. Also note that the TSX-R lens seems to give a slightly wider beam pattern when compared to test I-01.
I-04	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	DDM 4300k H7	5.7 EV	With the addition of the TSX-R lens notice the sharper/crisper cutoff and also the addition of blue to the entire cutoff and yellow to the center of the cutoff. Also, note that the TSX-R lens seems to have fixed the hot spot that was to the left of center in test I-02. During this test the DDM 4300k bulb we were using failed (one of the wires disconnected from the bulb's H7 base). Notice the color change in this photo compared to the test I-02. We are uncertain of why the color is different between the two bulbs as both bulbs were shipped as a set and were brand new (had never been used).

II. US Valeo D2S
All of the results below utilized the US Valeo D2S rear reflector bowl and cutoff shield. Ambient light was -1.7 EV.

Name	Lens	Ballast	Bulb	Output	Notes	Photo
II-01	US Valeo D2S (Fresnel)	Valeo 35w	OSRAM D2S	6.9 EV	OSRAM bulb is used and we aren't certain of its age. Notice that the D2S provides a brighter, wider, and more even light output across the cutoff with better foreground light output when compared to the Halogen projector in test I-01.
II-02	US Valeo D2S (Fresnel)	Valeo 35w	eBay 4300k D2S	6.5 EV	eBay 4300k D2S bulb is brand new (had never been used). Couple of hot spots. Notice the color difference between the eBay and OSRAM bulbs. You would expect for them to be similar in color (although the OSRAM bulb is older and with age comes color shifting).
II-03	US Valeo D2S (Fresnel)	DDM 55w Slim	OSRAM D2S	7.2 EV	Notice with the addition of the DDM 55w ballast the light output gets a bit wider and brighter and foreground light output is increased as well when compared to test II-01.
II-04	US Valeo D2S (Fresnel)	DDM 55w Slim	eBay 4300k D2S	6.8 EV	Couple of hot spots.
II-05	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	Valeo 35w	OSRAM D2S	6.9 EV	With the addition of the TSX-R lens notice the sharper/crisper cutoff and also the addition of red, yellow, and purple to the blue in the center of the cutoff compared to test II-01.
II-06	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	Valeo 35w	eBay 4300k D2S	6.7 EV
II-07	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	OSRAM D2S	7.2 EV	Again with the addition of the DDM 55w ballast the light output gets a bit wider and brighter and foreground light output is increased as well when compared to test II-05.
II-08	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	eBay 4300k D2S	7.5 EV

III. Euro Valeo D2S
All of the results below utilized the Euro Valeo D2S rear reflector bowl and cutoff shield. Ambient light was -1.7 EV.

Name	Lens	Ballast	Bulb	Output	Notes	Photo
III-01	Euro Valeo D2S (Clear)	Valeo 35w	OSRAM D2S	7.3 EV	We're starting to see that the OSRAM bulb appears to look better and tends to have better focus than the eBay D2S bulb.
III-02	Euro Valeo D2S (Clear)	Valeo 35w	eBay 4300k D2S	5.6 EV	Hot spot reads 7.0 EV.
III-03	Euro Valeo D2S (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	OSRAM D2S	7.6 EV
III-04	Euro Valeo D2S (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	eBay 4300k D2S	6.8 EV	Hot spot reads 7.5 EV.
III-05	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	Valeo 35w	OSRAM D2S	6.8 EV	With the addition of the TSX-R lens notice the sharper/crisper cutoff and also the addition of red, yellow, and purple to the blue in the center of the cutoff compared to test II-01.
III-06	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	Valeo 35w	eBay 4300k D2S	5.7 EV
III-07	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	OSRAM D2S	7.5 EV	Again with the addition of the DDM 55w ballast the light output gets a bit wider and brighter and foreground light output is increased as well when compared to test II-05.
III-08	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	eBay 4300k D2S	6.0 EV	eBay bulb we had been using performed oddly on this test so we switched to the other eBay bulb that came in the set. Hot spot reads 7.1 EV.

IV. DEPO ECode H7
All of the results below utilized the DEPO ECode H7 rear reflector bowl and cutoff shield. Ambient light was -1.7 EV.

Name	Lens	Ballast	Bulb	Output	Notes	Photo
IV-01	DEPO ECode H7 (Clear)	N/A	Halogen H7	6.6 EV	Notice the shape of the light as it leaves the car (triangle shaped) as well as the shape of the brightly lit area on the wall (triangle shaped). Both are very distinctly triangle shaped and of all of the projectors the DEPO ECodes had a pointed top to its rear reflector bowl and cutoff shield. We can clearly see how these items impact how the light output appears. Outside of the center triangle hot spot the dimmer area reads 5.3 EV.
IV-02	DEPO ECode H7 (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	DDM 4300k H7	5.0 EV	Notice that changing from a halogen bulb to the xenon in this projector has changed the light output slightly. In test IV-01 we see a bright triangle shaped hot spot in the center with the halogen, but now with the xenon we're still seeing a triangle shaped light output, but it has a dimmer center area and a brighter outside area. In the triangle the bright areas just to the left and right of the dimmer center area read 5.6 EV.
IV-03	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	N/A	Halogen H7	6.9 EV	Notice with the addition of the TRS TSX-R lenses the light output has risen compared to test IV-01. Outside of the center triangle hot spot the dimmer area reads 5.4 EV.
IV-04	TRS TSX-R (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	DDM 4300k H7	4.3 EV	Again we are seeing a light output change with the xenon bulb vs the halogen bulb (see test IV-02). In the triangle the bright areas just to the left and right of the dimmer center area read 5.3 EV.

V. TRS Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 Bi-Xenon
All of the results below utilized the TRS Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 Bi-Xenon projector assembly (projector lens, rear reflector bowl and cutoff shield). Ambient light was -1.7 EV. I do want to note that TRS does NOT recommend running these projectors with 55w ballasts due to their small size and the added amount of heat a 55w ballast adds. Aside from these two tests we have not run the Morimotos with any 55w ballasts.

Name	Lens	Ballast	Bulb	Output	Notes	Photo
V-01	TRS Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 (Clear)	DDM 55w Slim	TRS Morimoto 3Five 5000k H1	7.8 EV	The TRS Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 was the first projector we tested and it also turned out to be the highest scoring in light output. I really wish I had more options to test with this projector to give a more realistic idea of how it performs, however, we only had the DDM 55w Slim ballast and DDM 55w Raptor ballast to test it with at the time. I hopefully will be adding a stock 35w Valeo ballast (I now have the wiring to do so) along with a DDM 35w Slim ballast to the test in the future along with the DDM 5000k H1 bulbs.
V-02	TRS Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 (Clear)	DDM 55w Raptor	TRS Morimoto 3Five 5000k H1	7.8 EV	Since we had very few options to test with the TRS Morimoto Mini H1 4.1 projectors I'm going to show the photos of the test with the DDM 55w Raptor ballast as well. The 55w Raptor ballast produced the exact same light output as the 55w Slim ballast (7.8 EV).

[getslideways]

Great Contribution!

in for results

[S4 00 2.7]

Yeah, thanks for taking the time.

[BlkBullitt]

Update coming shortly... currently in my little home studio shooting photos of most of the items. Here's a quick teaser of the projector lenses (click on image for 100%)...



Points to anyone who can guess what order they're in.

Also, here's a quick iPhone shot of everything I've got to test so far...

[getslideways]

this is shaping up to look great, cant wait for the full results! thanks again!

[Hyphy]

Wow. Thanks for this!

[ianwpb]

My guess would be TSX, OEM Euro,OEM H7, OEM D2S, DEPO?

[BlkBullitt]

this is shaping up to look great, cant wait for the full results! thanks again!

Thanks! It's taking a bit longer (and costing a bit more) than even I expected to get everything done the way I want to do it. Hopefully will have everything by mid week and will be able to post results (for those who like spreadsheets there will be one).

My guess would be TSX, OEM Euro,OEM H7, OEM D2S, DEPO?

Congrats, you're extremely close... TSXR, DEPO ECode, OEM US H7, OEM US D2S, OEM Euro.

Granted I haven't tested them yet, but visually inspecting all of the lens elements I can't see a difference between the two OEM US lenses. There might be an ever so slight difference between the DEPO ECode and OEM Euro lenses. The TRS TSX-R lens definitely has a different shape to it (see photo in my main post above).

[somebody5788]

If there are any pictures you don't have and you need, ask and I can see if i can help you out. IDK if I have as much as you but I've definitely played around a bit myself hehe.

I'd like to see what happens if you use an FX-R lens on these. I should take the ones out of my Morimoto D2S and try it... lol

[BlkBullitt]

If there are any pictures you don't have and you need, ask and I can see if i can help you out. IDK if I have as much as you but I've definitely played around a bit myself hehe.

Sure thing. I just need to sit down and take them all which is harder than it used to be now that I have a 4 month old.

This might also be a good time for anyone to request, if they have any, photos they'd like to see of any of the items. I'll be basically doing what I've done for the OEM H7 projector for all of the projectors.

[Dutchsider]

Quality work! I love the B5 forum's tech support.

[vteckiller2000]

Close ups of the reflector bowls please?

[BlkBullitt]

Close ups of the reflector bowls please?

Click on the small images to get 100% high res copies. If you need closer shots let me know exactly which part and I'll get them posted.

[vteckiller2000]

Got it. Your stock reflector bowl looks terrible, doesn't it?

[BlkBullitt]

Got it. Your stock reflector bowl looks terrible, doesn't it?

Which stock bowl... Valeo H7, US Valeo D2S, Euro Valeo D2S?

[vteckiller2000]

Which stock bowl... Valeo H7, US Valeo D2S, Euro Valeo D2S?

The valeo h7

[BlkBullitt]

The valeo h7

Ah, my car is a prefacelift so technically none of these are stock for me. Yes, the Valeo H7 I have isn't great, but it actually isn't as bad as it appears to be either in the photo.

[PearlS4]

Not to muck up your thread with useless posts, but thank you for taking the time to do this.

[BlkBullitt]

Not to muck up your thread with useless posts, but thank you for taking the time to do this.

No problem and no worries... I've got all of the posting space I need reserved at the top.

[BlkBullitt]

Good news... the Morimoto Mini H1s arrived from TRS...

[somebody5788]

Good news... the Morimoto Mini H1s arrived from TRS...

Make sure you double check the washers on the lenses. My D2S's came with different settings and one had a crisp blue line and the other had a blurry yellow haze.

[BlkBullitt]

FYI should be testing everything tonight.

[RedB5S4]

In for results. Nice work.

[noznab]

Wow, wanna make a write for B6's too?

[BlkBullitt]

Wow, wanna make a write for B6's too?

If people want to lend me B6 projectors / headlights I'll do one.

[vteckiller2000]

If people want to lend me B6 projectors / headlights I'll do one.

You can do mine!

[BlkBullitt]

Testing has been completed... expect updates over the next few days.

[zrider91r]

this is awesome. i had DDM HID kit in my 03 saab and they were amazing! then again i had h7 halogens..
cant wait for results!

[tekazgtr1984]

This is a great thread! Thanks for sharing this wealth of knowledge.

[Korben007]

very excited for the results. I have oem US d2s Valeos and oem ecode d2s Valeos in the garage, I will build my ultimate headlights with your awesome help! You should also do a little blurb on properly Aiming them once done. That would be awesome as well!

[Dutchsider]

very excited for the results. I have oem US d2s Valeos and oem ecode d2s Valeos in the garage, I will build my ultimate headlights with your awesome help! You should also do a little blurb on properly Aiming them once done. That would be awesome as well!

Agreed.

[Timtheguru]

There are more ballasts and bulbs, not sure how much you plan to expand this. The Ebay bulbs I use are Phillips and work great.

[BlkBullitt]

There are more ballasts and bulbs, not sure how much you plan to expand this. The Ebay bulbs I use are Phillips and work great.

Yeah, there are about a million different bulb and ballast options. I happened to use the 55w DDM Slim Ballast because I had it already, but also because it is a popular choice on this board. I've got a 35w DDM Slim Ballast set on order currently that I'd like to add to the test, but I really would like to try out the Morimoto 3Five Ballasts (and maybe the 5Five Ballasts), but they're a good $110 per pair.

My friend who helped with the testing actually happened to have a DDM 55w Raptor Ballast laying around that we used at the start of the testing in addition to the 35w OEM Valeo Ballast and the 55w DDM Slim Ballast, but stopped using it somewhere in the middle as we were getting basically identical results with it as with the 55w DDM Slim Ballast.

We did notice changes in light output with different bulbs. If you have time PM me a link to the bulbs you like on eBay and I'll check them out.

[wannabeS4]

Excited to see the results, been looking to retrofit my depos.

[S4tranquility]

Testing has been completed... expect updates over the next few days.

The numbers are crunched... I'll let you decide what charts you want to use or not... Have fun ;)