FraziaFraz

Has anyone installed projector headlights on a 98-02 camaro? I'm currently looking at the spyder clear projectors. They are affordable, but are they any good?

VIP1

Some ebay projector headlights are OK (at best), others are crap. Which ones specifically are you looking at?

Blackbird Lighting Solutions (BLS) is a sponsor and sells Camaro headlights with HID projectors in them for more money than the ebay options. These are much better than ebay headlights.

A third option is to do it yourself. Either install projectors in stock-style headlights or replace the projectors in ebay headlights with something better.

All above options are covered in the Lighting FAQ.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearanc...hting-faq.html

FraziaFraz

I'm not looking to retrofit. The headlights are getting a little foggy so I was looking to replace them and upgrade at the same time. These were the ones that I was looking at. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004W4OC4A/ref=s9_simh_gw_d0_g263_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf _rd_s=mobile-1&pf_rd_r=0WFDKRQS6J763SSDCCRZ&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd _p=2015187942&pf_rd_i=mobile

2001mikez28

Me personally have not had spyder headlights buy had an eBay knock off for like 130 bucks a were complete ****. If u want better than stock and ever want the possibility of hids ur prolly going to want a better most likely more expensive headlight. Sometimes there's just no quality in a little bit cheaper and I found that with headlights. If u want pm ur email I'll send you before and afters

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Those headlights are projector only on the low beam and standard reflector on the high beam. And they are halogen not HID. The company has a decent reputation for their Mustang replacements so I see no reason why they wouldn't work well as replacements for your cloudy OEM headlight assemblies.

A couple of things... don't put HID capsules in them (especially not in the reflector high beams). Replace the cheap crap blue-coated H11 bubs that are included with some good quality H9 bulbs and you will see a noticeable improvement over the stock lighting. Also, get some of that clear bra protection film to put over the outer lens. The plastic they use for the lens is even worse than OEM for pitting and the film will make them last much longer.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

I had a set of those (only in black). I had H1 HID bulbs in them. They worked OK with HID in the projector. Not as good as a proper HID projector, but they are far better than shoving HID into a reflector housing. 35W HID only if you go that route.

You'd want the low+high mod if you were to do that, so the low beam HID stays on when you hit high beams.

VIP1

Those look like the "Sonar" headlights which are OK with an H1 bulb, but not great. You may be satisfied with them or not. I'm not sure. Worth a shot if your budget is only $185.

If you are looking for OEM HID Quality, you will be disappointed. If you just want stock-like (or close) output then they may be fine. The projectors in most ebay headlights are low quality halogen projectors regardless of whether or not the seller advertises them as HID. Some people have tried HID in them with varying degrees of success. I've seen some where the beam pattern stayed close (but still not great spread) and some where it went all wrong.

WhiteBird00, those use H1 bulbs. Where did you see that they use a H11 bulb? A H9 won't fit in place of a H1 (although it will fit in place of a H11 with a minor trim to a tab).

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

I read it in a review somewhere when I was poking around yesterday but now I can't find it. If it uses H1 then your upgrade options are somewhat limited. You should still throw away the blue tinted bulbs it comes with and use standard clear bulbs. I don't know that I would want to go with much higher wattage halogen bulbs due to the heat generated. There are 75W and 100W H1 bulbs on the market but I would bet that they would melt the housing. A standard 55W H1 in those projectors will give basically the same light as stock although it will have the sharp cutoff pattern similar to HIDs.

FraziaFraz

Well it sounds like as far as quality goes it would be better to just get OEM replacements. if I go that route what bulbs should I get to improve my lighting? Nothing colored though.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

I've heard good things about the Philips HIR bulbs (not to be confused with HID), but I've never used them myself. I went straight to projectors + HIDs.

VIP1

Yes, true, ditch the tinted bulbs.

Similar lumen output but not similar beam spread. Some of these projectors are ok, some have a bad beam pattern. Having a cut-off doesn't mean it has a good beam pattern.

If you want to stick with stock housings, get Philips HIR bulbs.

9012 low beam
9011 high beam

They fit in place of the stock bulbs (with minor trimming) and are much brighter for the same wattage.

Watch out for fake HIR bulbs. Older-style ones had a pearlescent coating while new ones are clear. None are blue. Blue ones are fake.

See my post here for more info on HIR bulbs:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...l#post18679122