So, has anyone improve the HID? Has the Infiniti/Nissan look at this situation or seem they don't care?

 

The problem does not just lie with the sheer fact of the headlamp's quality; it's simply how it was design. The first generation of Maxima HID was horrible against the competition. Not because of their material quality, but because of its reflector and overall headlamp design.
Keep in mind headlamps are design for the looks of the car. They will sacrifice output and performance to gain a prestigious look for the vehicle. Performance and quality of light is not in their top priority unfortunately. This is why there are good and bad headlamps out there.

I just got a 2005 G35 so I have not had the chance to check out the headlamp inside out. Last time I have checked I think Nissan and Infiniti were using Osram 4300k D2R/S HID capsules for their headlamps.

Philips 4100k produces a whiter, crisper light than Osram from the very beginning. However, the color shift is very gradual and long. They fixed this with the new bulb model 85122. The older bulb models (like in Mercedes) Philips 85123 color shift drastically when the bulb got older. This caused the owner to constantly change the Xenon HID because it was dim and too colorful (purple-blue) for optimum visibility.

Osram 4300k is a bit softish- yellow whitish when new. However, these suckers color shift a nice whitish-purple in no time. Depending on your taste, this could be a good or bad thing.

Aftermarket companies do not go through the quality steps like an official corporate manufacturer would. So no aftermarket headlamp company will beat OEM. This is argued by many because of looks, but looks have nothing to do with quality. Unfortunately, if there would to be an aftermarket projector headlamp for the G35 it would not be HID and no where the quality of OEM.
The aftermarket company will not have the funds to build, make or manufacturer headlamps that are up to par with OEM. So instead, they will put in cheap labored projectors (most likely H3) in the headlamps. Why do you think aftermarket headlamps are cheaper in price compared to OEM? They may look the same, but in the interior it's not.
That aftermarket company will have to deal with Hella, Valeo or Bosch dealers like the corporate car manufacturers if they want a quality headlamp. This can not happen because simply it will be too expensive. If it becomes to expensive to produce and sell, you will have less buyers.

Matsush-ita is the parent company of Panasonic. Matsush-ita ballasts have a longer life expectancy than Hella/Philips ballasts.

 

This is part of the problem, but isn't the problem that plagues the HID performance.


I wrote more about it here:

https://g35driver.com/forums/lighting/44012-hid-fog-too-narrrow.html

 

All HID capsules (bulbs) have a warm stage. Every time you turn them on, the chemicals inside the capsule evaporate. During this process color changes and when all of the chemicals have evaporated, it has reached maximum lumen output.

Some are harder to tell than others because of the ballast quality, headlamp design and the bulb type. Nevertheless they all do it regardless. Plus as they get older, the warmup stage will be longer too.

 

Actually I notice the blue hue to bright white shift...

 

any time you feel your hid's are not bright enough comaired to a cl or is300, just put it in 1st and smash on the gas...i guarentee it will make you feel better!

 

does eveyone knows any aftermarket projecter for the G, i would love 2 buy one

 

Thanks guys.

 

OK, I guess I'll bring the thread from coma. I was driving in horrible Los Angeles rainy weather last night and noticed my HID's shine brightly only on the ground, in the vicinity where the foglights are shot. I think the only remedy as of now is to aim the reflectors a bit upwards. I will test a bit tonight...

Matsushi-ta is Panasonic, I think... the quality of the product should be superb. Perhaps there is a flaw with the design of the headlight system?

I remember awhile back Virginia was opposed to the g's headlight design... perhaps Infiniti fixed that problem with a lower intensity?

... to be continued.

 

I hope you don't aim your low beam reflectors higher, if that's what you are referring to.

As for your other comments, read the last 3 posts I made in this same page.

 

Yes, that is what I was referring to. My car is lowered with Eibach's and I feel aiming the beam upward just a tad bit will help this faint HID issue (well, for myself). I do not intend to blind others for the sake of my HID's.

hehe, sorry... I feel like an old record. :x

 

Aiming your HID higher will not solve the faint HID issue. This poor performance is from our headlamps, not from the height of our vehicles or the HID bulb itself.

 

There's not much to be done to get the HIDs brighter. Projectors will give you a bit more brightness, but mostly a nice clear cutoff and wide beam pattern.

Here's the third revision of my projectors. I've finally been able to create a shroud for the projectors that looks chrome (it's polished aluminum cans). I also bent the shield to get a bit more blue at the cutoff.

 

Good job on the projector retrofit E_K. What OEM D2S HID projectors did you use? Valeo, Bosch, Hella, or Stanley (S2000, TL, etc.)? From the looks of the photo it has to be Valeo or Bosch.

Now the problem with that is the Coupe is very deep and very circular. You probably lose a noticeable amount of width on that beam pattern. Whatever is hitting on that edge must be reflecting as glare. However, it's black so it's hardly blinding.

I have a 2005 Sedan which appears more difficult to retrofit due to its shortness in depth and hits a two piece bottom reflector. I will discover more of this when I feel comfortable to work on the car. It's only 3 months old.

 

Birdhouse,

The projectors are BMW X5's with Philips 4100K d2s OEM bulbs. I first did the retrofit in Sept of 2003.

I also know exactly what you're talking about with the beam pattern and the bezel. It's actually not too bad. The lateral portions of the headlights are not blocked off as much as the medial parts. So the width is still very good, definitely better than the reflectors.

These headlights are really a pain to retrofit. You need a projector that places the lens far enough forward to not block the beam pattern. But you'll hit the clear plastic cover if you're too far forward. And then you have to deal with the rear, making sure there's enough room for the bulb/connector. The rear dust covers I had to modify to create enough room.

Oh yeah, I painted the bottom part of the bezel for the low beams to reduce the glare. I didn't paint the sides since there's not much glare from those parts. I also didn't want to paint the entire thing black, since that's what most retrofitters end up doing. It's more challenging to create chrome pieces.