[harvey a]

Thanks to all on this forum for sharing so much great info with newbies! Am pondering the merits of HID headlights for my 2010 Frontier LE. I don't know if I have one bulb that works for both Hi & Lo or if its a 2-bulb arrangement. Plan on country roads in NE Pennsylvania and think brighter light would be better for my old eyes. How hard is install? Best left to a pro or do-able by homeowner/tinkerer? Brands, prices of kits?
N'other question too. Read here about first generation stuff; not sure what generation my new truck is, and to be frank, not even sure whether I've already got HID headlights. Hope you all can clue me in.

 

[Idleone]

Thanks to all on this forum for sharing so much great info with newbies! Am pondering the merits of HID headlights for my 2010 Frontier LE. I don't know if I have one bulb that works for both Hi & Lo or if its a 2-bulb arrangement. Plan on country roads in NE Pennsylvania and think brighter light would be better for my old eyes. How hard is install? Best left to a pro or do-able by homeowner/tinkerer? Brands, prices of kits?
N'other question too. Read here about first generation stuff; not sure what generation my new truck is, and to be frank, not even sure whether I've already got HID headlights. Hope you all can clue me in.

Welcome to the club. Check out this thread, all the info you will need will be in here. BTW you have a 2nd gen truck (05+) and do not have HID's. :hi:

 

[eckemoff]

SIMPLE:

Don't get them. Get better halogen light bulbs (they will not last as long, but will be slightly brighter).

If you DO want HID headlights, you basically have to redo the whole headlight assembly to get projectors that focus the light correctly. If you do not do this and just put in the bulbs in the factory headlight assembly, you will not have a high beam because you will need to aim the low beam way down to not blind people...which will in turn aim your high beam too low for it to be a high beam (you can't aim just the low and high because they both use the same bulb).


DO NOT DO IT.

 

[harvey a]

Thank you

Seems clear enough- sounds like OEM is the way to stay. Sure not looking to complicate my life. Appreciate your clarity and prompt reply.
Harvey A

 

[domoMKIV]

Seems clear enough- sounds like OEM is the way to stay. Sure not looking to complicate my life. Appreciate your clarity and prompt reply.
Harvey A

If you don't mind paying for it, there are places that will do the HID retrofit for you and it will come out looking nice and ready for you to put on the truck.

 

[05ccle]

I have just bought a set of HID projector headlights off the ebay, i know many dont like the look of those but i bought them for the purpose of pojector beam. They look awsome at night and have a nice cut off beam so you dont blind the oncoming traffic. I have 55w kit installed in those @4300K temp.

 

[wolfman437]

The best thing to do is get a set of brighter halogen bulbs, such as the silverstar ultras or a set of PIAA's. They are a fair amount brighter then stock, and still give you good beam cutoff.

 

[fusionfronty99]

wow, such crap being posted here

the frontier headlights, both 98 to 04 and 05 and up DONT SCATTER LIGHT LIKE OTHER HEADLIGHTS FROM OTHER MAKES (MOSTLY HONDA AND CHEVY), our beam design focuses from the center out, so no matter what bulbs you put in, its still at the same angles as stock (projecting the same out-wards) and it still keeps a crisp cutoff line

get an HID kit from DDM tuning, they are 30 bucks and are so simple to install

and no matter what halogen you put against it, the HID will be brighter AND will last longer

HID Kits, BMW Aftermarket Bumpers & Lighting, DEPO - DDM Tuning

The best thing to do is get a set of brighter halogen bulbs, such as the silverstar ultras or a set of PIAA's. They are a fair amount brighter then stock, and still give you good beam cutoff.

silverstars usually comes standard in most vehicles newer then 06 or so and up, so it wouldnt be an upgrade itd be the same thing (they do not say sylvana on them, but they are made by them)

also, PIAAs use a higher wattage bulb to get more light output, ive been down this road, it FRIES your stock bulb sockets, so if you like replacing them every 4 months or so, then have at it

 

[eckemoff]

wow, such crap being posted here

the frontier headlights, both 98 to 04 and 05 and up DONT SCATTER LIGHT LIKE OTHER HEADLIGHTS FROM OTHER MAKES (MOSTLY HONDA AND CHEVY), our beam design focuses from the center out, so no matter what bulbs you put in, its still at the same angles as stock (projecting the same out-wards) and it still keeps a crisp cutoff line

get an HID kit from DDM tuning, they are 30 bucks and are so simple to install

and no matter what halogen you put against it, the HID will be brighter AND will last longer

HID Kits, BMW Aftermarket Bumpers & Lighting, DEPO - DDM Tuning



silverstars usually comes standard in most vehicles newer then 06 or so and up, so it wouldnt be an upgrade itd be the same thing (they do not say sylvana on them, but they are made by them)

also, PIAAs use a higher wattage bulb to get more light output, ive been down this road, it FRIES your stock bulb sockets, so if you like replacing them every 4 months or so, then have at it

No this is plain misinformation. I know the 2010 headlight assembly does not work and does shatter and give horrible lighting from installing and uninstalling 2 different kits myself.

You have HIDs installed and currently use them?

Lastly, HID kits are not DOT legal and you can get an improper equipment ticket.

 

[blackout08]

I have some decent cut off lines in my 2008. My HIDs in stock housings actually disperse the light pretty evenly compared to the other cars i've owned.
I use the folds in the shop garage doors to align my beams.

 

[eckemoff]

I have some decent cut off lines in my 2008. My HIDs in stock housings actually disperse the light pretty evenly compared to the other cars i've owned.
I use the folds in the shop garage doors to align my beams.

I'd hope they'd disperse well 3 feet away.

 

[domoMKIV]

You can see in blackout's pic that most of the light is just focused in the center, 2 light blobs. It's inability to light up your path can be shown when the pics are taken further away, the light is just scattered and not focused as nicely as it should be. One can only argue the "AMAZING LIGHT CUTOFF ABILITIES OF TEH FRONTIER!!11!!11!" so far.
If you want something that ACTUALLY puts your light WHERE IT BELONGS, you go retrofit.
No PnP kit on here is going to even remotely TOUCH a retrofit.

This is about 18ft from the wall and these are FX-35 bi-xenons. Let's see those PnP kit pics 18ft away from the wall, any takers? (I was wrong with the distance, the car is farther away).

 

[blackout08]

Easy there. Let's compare apples to apples. You're comparing projectors to standard reflector housings :wtf: I'm comparing the Frontier's reflector housings to other vehicles' reflective housings. In no way am I saying that the light cut off is great or as good as a projector headlight...All i said was that the light cutoff on the frontier is noticeably better than all my previous vehicles (without projectors). And for reference, the picture was taken about 10ft away from the wall.

The main point I was trying to make is that spending <$40 on an HID kit will yield more light output on the road than spending $40+ on Sylvania Silverstars that tend to burn out every few months. Much better bang for buck IMO.

 

[domoMKIV]

Easy there. Let's compare apples to apples. You're comparing projectors to standard reflector housings :wtf: I'm comparing the Frontier's reflector housings to other vehicles' reflective housings. In no way am I saying that the light cut off is great or as good as a projector headlight...All i said was that the light cutoff on the frontier is noticeably better than all my previous vehicles (without projectors). And for reference, the picture was taken about 10ft away from the wall.

The main point I was trying to make is that spending <$40 on an HID kit will yield more light output on the road than spending $40+ on Sylvania Silverstars that tend to burn out every few months. Much better bang for buck IMO.

My post was in absolutely no way an attack on you or your setup. I was simply using yours because the picture was there. I do agree with you that there are far worse reflector housings. I put a PnP kit on our old 04 Expedition and the scattering was AWFUL.
I am just saying, and showing, that if you want the best light output that puts the light on the road, the PnP kits cannot touch a retrofit.

 

[blackout08]

PnP kits cannot touch a retrofit.

QFT. I agree 100%.

I also know how it is with Ford and Chevy headlight housings. They are designed so poorly that they throw light in every random angle, even when aimed down. I could not, for the life of me, aim my mustangs stock housings so that the light stayed on the road. Here's a good example of how badly some OEM housings scatter light. People hated me on the road

 

[fusionfronty99]

No this is plain misinformation. I know the 2010 headlight assembly does not work and does shatter and give horrible lighting from installing and uninstalling 2 different kits myself.

You have HIDs installed and currently use them?

Lastly, HID kits are not DOT legal and you can get an improper equipment ticket.

i do have HIDs on my truck, this is the 2nd kit ive owned and ill def be a returning DDM tuner customer. also, as long as ur not being a ricer and try to run deep deep blue/purple then u wont get a ticket. i live in NYS, second toughest state on vehicle inspections/standards (first = cali) and have never been hastled about my HIDs, mine are pure white (5K)

 

[harvey a]

PnP? Retrofit?

Thanks all for sharing perspectives. As a 'newbie' I feel more than a bit lost here. Not sure what a PnP is, nor how to 'retrofit'. Main goal is good light on the country roads I drive up in NE Pennsylvania. If changing the OEM setup is a) a major league hassle or b) a major expense or c) really doesn't yield much brighter light on a dark country road, I'll just stand pat. If by 'retrofit' one means a complete replacement of the headlight, and it can do a better job of lighting the road, then I'm curious as to where to get these, how much $$ are we talking about and just how tough is it to do? Can't hardly wait to have you knowledgeable folks weigh in on this. Not trying to rile anybody up, just hoping to better understand my options (if any).
harvey

 

[domoMKIV]

Thanks all for sharing perspectives. As a 'newbie' I feel more than a bit lost here. Not sure what a PnP is, nor how to 'retrofit'. Main goal is good light on the country roads I drive up in NE Pennsylvania. If changing the OEM setup is a) a major league hassle or b) a major expense or c) really doesn't yield much brighter light on a dark country road, I'll just stand pat. If by 'retrofit' one means a complete replacement of the headlight, and it can do a better job of lighting the road, then I'm curious as to where to get these, how much $$ are we talking about and just how tough is it to do? Can't hardly wait to have you knowledgeable folks weigh in on this. Not trying to rile anybody up, just hoping to better understand my options (if any).
harvey

A PnP (Plug & Play) kit is something like this:
Dabears2k Performance
It just plugs into your existing wiring and replaces your existing halogen bulbs. There are quite a few Kelvin ranges to choose from but if you want the whitest, I would say 5000k is the way to go.

A retrofit would be cutting into your headlight housing to be able to mount an actual HID projector into it.
Here are some threads:
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f10/infinity-hid-retrofit-frontier-18176/
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f10/another-xpbqn-hid-headlight-conversion-55735/
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f10/new-retrofit-projector-52007/
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f10/again-hid-projectors-retrofit-42958/
There are companies online that will do these things for you if DIY is a bit too much.
headlight retrofits - Google Search

There is always the option of getting some lights to mount to the front or top of the truck that could really shine on the surrounding areas.

 

[Spelvin]

Just a quick shout out to the OP, you can also try aiming your stock headlights up a little. I found that I mine were way low and was able to bring them up a bunch without blinding people on low beam. I am not sure if our trucks auto adjust the headlights for when there is a load in the back, but the headlights seem like they are aimed from the factory to take into account a weight back there. This was the only link I could find that describes the process..
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f23/headlights-dont-adjust-37102/

 

[NismoFrontier08]

I got HIDS on my truck and they are sooooooo much better than stock or even better bulbs than factory. While HIDS are not street legal your not going to get hassled unless your a tard and put the 30ks on it. As long as you dont go higher than 6k you'll be ok. Anything higher than that and all your doing is adding color not better vision and defeating the purpose of why you wanted HIDs to begin with. I have 6k on both headlights and fogs lights and I love em. One of my fogs went out a while back and let me tell you the difference between having them and not having them was huge. Its more expensive than what others have told you but I got the O-NEX kit. Comes with a lifetime warranty. If you want HIDS for better vision ignore all the adjusting headlights or getting projector headlights or being all nit picky. They are a great investment. Beware of cheap ebay HIDS that are 30 bucks. I went through 3 kits off ebay and returned them all!!! Get a quality kit because in this case you really do get what you paid for.