HID retrofit w/TSX projectors: walkthrough w/pictures

[Tahoewhat]

Anyone done the tsx projectors on an 00-06 tahoe?? think the projector would fit?? Looks like the housings might be too small..

ive been wondering the same thing, im sure someone has done it. But i have the halo proj. lights in mine. I can get the tsx lights no problem, but not sure if they will fit. Is there anything other than a tsx Proj, that will fit. Ive heard the FX 35's will fit, little bigger i think. Anyone know what else will fit, basically a depo light..

Yeah, I don't have a Tahoe but the TSX's barely fit the Denali headlights, at least without having to completely tear apart and custom fab the mounting brackets. I had to shave mine down a little bit to fit the bigger projector bowl in there. Just don't know if you'd have the clearance.

As it was it basically didn't fit from the added depth. I had to heat and mold the washer fluid reservoir around the ignition end of the bulb to fit it in.

I will say if it does work, the end result will kick ass, though. I absolutely love my headlights now, and often find myself wanting to drive in the dark for no apparent reason.



Summer's in Alaska suck for that, though. It's light or partly light all the time....

yeah, your the reason why i want to do this mod, ive seen the pics and love it. I drive alot at nite, not like your times up there, but alot, and these a/m halos output w/ hids, suck, especially since i had to drill the hole out for the hid bulb. guess i messed up somehow on one side.. but they still arent the best..
Do you know of any proj, that might work. I see, bmw's, chrys. 300, suzuki grand vitara, tsx, TL, FX's, all have proj, that look somewhat small, do you know if they fit? (i know im sure fab, will have to be done)

thanks man,

 

[DenaliAK]

Hey Mike,

TSX's are sort of medium-sized. S2000's are pretty small and some people think they are better than TSX's. It's a bit subjective, though; they have a totally different cutoff, especially on the sides, so it's kind of personal preference. Light-wise, they seem about equal to me.

You could check out these Morimoto Mini's from The Retrofit Source. I don't know much about this particular projector as it's brand-new to the market. I am probably going to get them for my fogs by next winter, before the darkness comes again. I'd have to figure out how to wire them into the brights, because they are bi-xenon. Anyway, they are specifically designed for smaller retrofit applications. I have gotten a lot of my stuff from this site, and do highly recommend them. Call them up, and they will honestly try to tell you what will work best for the job. No, I get nothing in return for the endorsement. Here's some pics, followed by the link to the site:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=221

 

[Tahoewhat]

Thanks Scott, ive seen that site once before but couldnt remember it. I'll see what i can find out..

thanks

mike

 

[guysgonewild]

DenaliAK,

So... Depo doesnt make the chrome yukon denali headlights anymore?
The price is way more than the black depos you got.

I have a yukon 04, those depo denalis should fit right?

I have a carbon metallic yukon 04, i love the color. i wonder how the black casing will look

 

[DenaliAK]

I tried and tried to find just the clear/chrome ones, with no luck. And that was about a year ago.

They should swap right into your truck with no problems. The Denali headlights will fit pretty much any GMC truck from '01-'06, I think.

 

[DenaliAK]

Latest update: 55w 4300k HID's in the TSX's with 55w 4300k fogs in new DEPO fog housings:

 

[chip]

That is a GREAT idea! I hate my aftermarket BS projectors, and I've been triny to figure out a way to fix them (I already took them apart).

Thanks!

Did you take the glass lens out, or is the tsx lens behind the depo lens?

 

[xOperator]

Hey Mike,

TSX's are sort of medium-sized. S2000's are pretty small and some people think they are better than TSX's. It's a bit subjective, though; they have a totally different cutoff, especially on the sides, so it's kind of personal preference. Light-wise, they seem about equal to me.

Well, for starters, here is a projector that is extremely better than a TSX, in terms of width of the light output, It is the LS430 Projector:



More pictures can be found here: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34106

Here is a direct comparison of a TSX(Top) and a S2K projector(Bottom), Notice on the S2K output, the light is brighter in the middle and more light is focused right at the cut off. This translates into a brighter output further down the road which counts Dont get me wrong, the TSX Projectors are still pretty good, but there are projectors which are cheaper and can output better light. Also, I read on HIDPlanet that TSX Projectors cant handle 55watt ballasts that good. Even if you use OEM Bulbs such as Phillips, the projector bowls still end up getting burn marks. If you are using 55watt ballasts with non-OEM bulbs, its just asking for trouble 0_o


For more detail about this comparison and other output shots: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=46508

And here are output comparison of Projectors which are slightly cheaper than the S2k Projectors, they are the RX330 Projectors (if lucky, $75-80 on ebay):
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=50855
I just purchased these on ebay, simply because in a SUV or a Truck (putting them on a avalanche) you dont want bright foreground lighting (right in front of the truck).
I have the Morimoto Minis in my 04 Denali, with the high beam solenoid tapped into my high beams for quad high beams. It was a tight fit and i had to cut the aftermarket reflectors i purchased to make projectors sit further back. After a few night road trips from San Jose to Las Vegas, I must say that the bright light in the foreground worsens your night vision because your eyes tend to focus in front of the truck where the brightest spot is.


There will also be S2K-R or S2K-Replicator projectors coming out sometime this year, made by the same company who introduced the FX-R (FX-35 Replicas) and the Morimoto Mini H1 and Mini D2S Projectors: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/

Hey Mike,

You could check out these Morimoto Mini's from The Retrofit Source. I don't know much about this particular projector as it's brand-new to the market. I am probably going to get them for my fogs by next winter, before the darkness comes again. I'd have to figure out how to wire them into the brights, because they are bi-xenon.

You should check out Micro DE or Blazer Fog Lights. The blazers already have a flat cutoff and all you have to do is turn the bulb upside when using HID Bulbs to give a proper output. Do a search on HIDPlanet.com for Blazers and you will find a lot of results, some with output shots comparing the 2 lights. Blazer fog lights can be found on ebay for about $45

 

[DenaliAK]

I still say the difference between S2K's and TSX's is subjective. Yes, the S2K's are slightly brighter in the middle, but I don't like the side cutoff. It flares down, which makes no sense to me. I like the TSX's because on the passenger side it flares up which allows for illumination of street signs.

I never said the TSX's were the best or that everyone should use them. I even pointed out the S2K's and Morimoto Mini's as other options, so you're not really hitting new ground here. I preferred the TSX's over the S2K's, so that's what I used. Pretty simple. One of these days I'd like to retro the high beams with a bi-xenon, and that's another story all together.

 

[DenaliAK]

I have now seen the Mini Morimoto in a retro, and they look amazing. I was blown away, especially considering their size. They are tiny, bi-xenon, and could fit into almost any application.

If I had to do it over again, I would use these instead of the TSX's. They are small enough I might even run quad projectors, since they are bi-xenon. That would be badass. You might even be able to squeeze them into the DRL's with a little modification.....

Check 'em out:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=221