So I finally finished and took pictures of my TSX projector retrofit in my Evo IX. I couldn't see myself paying over 1k for HID headlights that don't even come with ballasts or bulbs. On top of that, in my opinion the TSX projector is far superior to the Evo as far as visibility goes.

What's the point of this project some may ask? Simple for me. Improve visibility/lighting over factory Evo HID's by using a better projector with a clearer lens. Also, create color/flicker effect correctly without sacrificing visibility. (Don't need 12k bulbs here to get purple lol)

Steps I took to do the project.
- TSX projectors and lens on ebay for 100 or so.
-Morimoto 50w ballast, 5k D2S bulb and relay- 180?
-TSX-r lens (supposedly much more clearer that OEM TSX lens)-50 bucks (optional imo) Only reason I bought it was so I could swap the OEM TSX lens on my brothers STI.)
-I also color modded the projectors. If you don't know what that is, it's spacing the lens from the projector using washers, creating more color on the cutoff line. In return, the cutoff isn't as sharp.

Note: Normally when color modding, you can get a lot of color without sacrificing too much of the cutoff sharpness. Not the case when dealing with TSX projectors. From what I've seen and read, most people get flares when color modding TSX. You can see the flare in my 2nd and 3rd picture. The right side of my cutoff line shoots up a little. It doesn't bother me too much.

Here are some of the pictures.







Here are a few sequence shots to show what the car looks like moving towards you. In the first sequence the shots are taken from standing position, 2nd sequence from a sitting position.


2nd sequence

 

By the way, my car is a base so I didn't have HID's to begin with.

 

looks sick man great output too..now do mine haha

 

Finished pics of the housings?

 

Looks just like my daily lol!

Care to share your process photos?

 

looks awesome man! i got the same setup as you minus the color mod and with morimoto 4300k's instead. i gotta admit; it's a huuuuuuuuge difference coming from my stock ix halogen projectors with plug and play hid kit. i still deliberately find excuses to go out at night just so i can see my headlights in action!
after seeing your pics, i kinda regret not color modding now

 

 

Nice. Who installed your projectors?

I didn't take many process photos. I knew this wasn't going to be a diy thread because of all the trial and errors (making sure fitment is good, headlights aim correctly) and I was kinda short on time.

 

dang that is sick! i've been wanting to do this soo much. my oem hids arent so bright. i dont know why.

how did u get it to fit? any special brackets u had to make or buy? any info or possibly a write up on how to?

 

I expected the TSX lens to take up more space in the housing than that! Wow, I'm shocked.

Nice job on the conversion.

-Acree

 

I've done a couple of these retrofits for some guys. Including a Base lancer retrofit. Overall it really is a great mod for people who drive at night. The light output of the TSX projectors is still the best on the market considering the price of the projectors.
One thing I've done for a couple of guys is to add a thin line of color to the cutoff plate. What it does is gives the inside of the housing a colored tint. So if you put a red line inside, you have a red glow to the lights when they are off. Like "demon eyes". It's not extremely bright or distracting, just a slight tint to set them off.

 

No special brackets. I used the 2 factory brackets and re-drilled holes on the projector itself. That way I can still adjust my headlights properly from the outside.
I did use custom nuts and bolts so the projector would sit forward more.

 

They look beautiful reminds me of the TL projector Retrofit I did on my SRT-4 and honestly thats probably the only thing I miss about that car.

Another thing Im messing with a extra set of headlights for my viii and the projector size is 3". TSX ar 2.5" why didnt you op for the TL's? I'm thinking of doing it but aint got the extra cash to buy the parts lol.

I'm guessing you went through TheRetrofitSource.com?

 

I have an 09 TSX and the headlights are far superior to the HID's in the 9 and X. Good job!!

 

I wasn't interested in using the bi-xenon function on the TL projectors. I heard TL projectors have an awkward shape and has the bi xenon solenoid on the bottom. I wanted to insure a good fitment with a lot of room for flexibility (aiming and position the projector) so I went with the smaller TSX.

Yes, the ballast, bulb, relay and lens was from TheRetrofitSource.com