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08 WRX HID Conversion

18K views 45 replies 18 participants last post by  paulderek 
#1 ·
Sup lighting gurus,

Okay, after going through all the forums looking for help or suggestions regarding HID upgrades for the 2008 WRX 5-Door Wagon, here are a few questions i have.

1. Has anyone done a STI complete conversion into an 08 WRX (Head Unit / Ballast / Bulbs)? Will it work?

2. Are the stock Halogen projector compatible for a straight aftermarket HID conversion without all the glare?

3. Since I've never done a retro fit before, what options do I have for an optimal, OEM look, but with a clean HID light source (no excessive glare)?

4. Looking to spend about $300 to $350, but if it's all OEM products, I may pay more.

Please help. Thanks in advance.

RE
 
#3 ·
I realize I can get a conversion kit for under 250, but Im afraid that there will be too much glare coming out from the cut off line and I rather not try to do a retro fit because I have no experience in creating one. The other thing is, I like the Sti look and wanted to know if anyone has done something like that. Any help or pics would greatly be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Richie
 
#7 ·
Awesome, looking forward to seeingthe outcome. So far I haven't been able to find any information about a complete STI housing swap. I'm sure it's possible, but need to get my hands on one first to test it. Also rewiring the harness shouldn't be bad either.
 
#10 ·
I have installed a 50 watt HID kit in my '08.

If it's about the look, you'll want to get some lights that are about 5000K in color. That's what I got. That gives you about the same color as STis have. With the projectors our cars come with, you don't get glare like you're thinking. Also, the line stays absolutely crisp all the way across. You'll be really satisfied, and you don't HAVE to get the entire OEM kit. (Don't take this as a plug) Kits that are from reputable companies, like SharpHID from the sponsored links portion of this site, are IMO just the ticket to save some money, but still get performance. Not to say that OEM lights aren't fantastic, just that you don't have to spend as much as you would on an OEM kit. The only thing about a retrofit kit is that with our sealed headlights you do have to drill a hole to keep a clean look and a sealed housing. The kit I got came with the grommet to seal the hole back up, and all the HID kits I've used also had them included. Just be careful with the light color you get. If you get anything higher than 8000K it starts to look cheap (they advertise it as "Exotic") IMO even 8000K is too blue to go for a clean stock look. If you go to 4300K, that's what you'll see on most stock vehicles with HIDs. If you look at 4300K by itself you might even think it's a little yellow, but compare it to a halogen and you'll see it's more purple. I found that 5000K is a clean, pure white, and only has the slightest hint of blue. It's just really clean looking, and that's what I like. I have a 6000K kit on my wife's car, and that also looks good, but I find myself drawn to the color of the 5000K setup. I hope that helps. If you have any questions regarding the install, please feel free to ask.
 
#11 ·
Picture of lights with conversion

I wanted to post this picture to show you the way the lights end up looking once you've installed them. These are the stock headlights with an HID kit installed. It looks like there's a tiny amount of glare in the picture, but it's actually the reflection of the board I put in front of the car to show the cut-off line. you're seeing 2 reflections of the car's headlights off the board (does that make sense?).
 

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#25 ·
Unless you drive on long stretches of highway, and don't ever come across anyone on the roads, running HIDs on your brights is kind of silly. First thing is, they aren't meant for switching on/off constantly. It will wear them out quicker. Second thing is, when they turn on, it takes a few seconds for them to get to full brightness. Which if your area is like around here, by the time they get to full brightness, is when the next oncoming car shows up.
 
#22 ·
Yes, I had to cut holes in my low beam light caps for the wires to go through, but the kit I got from SharpHID supplied me with a rubber grommet that sealed everything back up nicely. Other than that, everything else (including the optional battery harness) was plug and play.
 
#24 ·
Well when I got home, I noticed that I got the HID's but I did not get the battery relay harness. I E-Mailed John so hopefully we can work that out, I plan on running the HID's without the relay for a few days until I get it in the mail (hopefully it won't cause any issues). I also noticed that the prongs inside the socket needed to be bent in order to fit inside the factory connections, anyone else notice this?
 
#29 ·
I don't have a picture, but I've been running my HID's for about a month now (without the harness, just haven't had time to install it yet), I've only gotten flashed once or twice, but that's when I am going up a hill and my lights are projected higher. The cutoff seems to be pretty good, I just plugged them in and went.

As for the DRL's, you know that it's a law in Canada right? I don't see how you could get by for more then a day before a cop sees you.
 
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