Hi All,

Not sure if this has been discussed before but I have been lurking this site and norotors/nopistons for years and I have yet to grasp this or find the thread. Also, I hope this is the right area to post this discussion topic.

So I was thinking, why does most of the community seem to gravitate towards the Re-Amemiya (or style) headlights over something like the C-West kit; Is it the overall look? The lens, the RE kit being sleeker and the CW bubblier? Cost? Fitment? Availability? Lighting availability/choices (that fit the housing)? If it's none of the above, please share your thoughts as to why.

I sort of understand the R-Magic (or any style resembling it) look. It's more aggressive. At least I thought it was so I got a replica, then rid myself of it. If there's another reason then please share.

I am aware everyone will have their own preference and style but I feel there has to be something that is consistent. If not, I would like to see where the FD community is at "style" wise.

Discuss!! (?)

Edit* This discussion has nothing to do with preferring pop-ups over an aftermarket option. This is a discussion inquiring about the preference between available aftermarket options. Thanks

 

I think most of the club or at least what I have seen prefer stock pop ups.

For those who do like the sleeks it is just a preference so asking which one is the best style is like asking what is the best oil.

 

I wouldn't be against sleek lights but there currently aren't any made that I'd put on my car. They all look like high school shop projects. I think JimLabs project was the last attempt at anything OEM enough.

 

preference is not to have sleek headlights

 

Hm. I didn't realize the omission of the stock pop-up headlights as a topic would actually bring it up as an option.

This thread is specifically about sleek or sleek style headlights. The pop up crowd is different. I know. I like them, but do not prefer them. Anyway, it is not the purpose or topic of this thread.

Wow. I have long forgotten JimLab's attempt. Thanks for the refresher! And I agree. The current selection has a lot left to be desired. hah; ain't that an understatement.

 

I had the Cwest lights on my car. I removed them because they didn't flow with the rest of the car's sleek lines (my opinion)

I've seen the RE lights many times in person and prefer that look over the Cwest because it's flush, so making it look more sleek. I would probably put the RE set on if I did not have to cut the body to make it fit. That's a nono for me personally

RE's actually look pretty good with the stock bumper as well. I';m not sure how the Rmagic would look with a 99spec or 93 bumper though. From what i've seen in pics only I like the R magic the best

 

There is also a general dissatisfaction with the "frog eyes" sleek lights. I noticed many people on the forum dislike them and I'm in the same boat.

 

The RE's (and replicas) all look pretty home-brewed to me—it's not even a sealed headlight unit, you can see the guts and the hole where the inner bucket ends. The Frog eye things are ridiculous, they're not even.... SLEEK. Might was well drive around with the pop-ups up.

If you could do an honest-to-goodness replacement housing with modern looks, maybe an LED DRL, or some kind of styling so it doesn't look like a couple flashlights under plexi-glass, I'd go for it... something like the Jag F-Type.

The other issue, too, is that most assemblies now integrate the parking/DRL and turn signals in the headlight, so with the 99 signals especially, its a bit redundant. You'd have to figure a way to style around that.

 

Oh and lets not forget about Abflug "sleek" lights...taking frog eyes to a whole 'nother level...

spider eyes?

 

All sleeklights are garbage. You might as well hold a flashlight out the window.

 

Most of the kits seem to be more for aesthetics than lighting quality. I've seen a number that just use repurposed fog lights (even the expensive JDM kits) that, as stated, is like holding a flashlight out the window.

I think the "frog eyes" are to help that somewhat, the size of the FD's "headlight hole" and the angle makes it tricky to get some sort of decent lighting in there. With newer LED technology something could be done maybe, but it's a BIG job for a 20+ year old car.

Dale

 

Ironic, given the looks of most of them.

 

Hah. This is definitely true. It is quite difficult to drive confidently at night. Also, experiencing or seeing it for yourself is half the battle; otherwise you have to brave wasting a decent amount of money to see if it's worth it. Which is what i did since I don't know anyone with such lighting.

Good points. The technology is coming up/exists, but the issue is still spacing/size (without having to cut any part of the car). The available products are either still to big or too much effort to design from scratch to make it worth producing. There are certainly other points related to this other than size, one being the bubble/sleek look. Then there's cost. What's acceptable lighting beyond just outputting stock or significantly better flashlights (the HID purists with the perfect cutoff and color types really), etc.

Coming back to LED projector tech....it's expensive, replacements require replacing the entire projector (from what I have seen and known).

I finally found the thread and what a read and disappointment. I'll have to PM him one day; his mission statement for the project is how I felt and wanted. I can't believe that was nearly 13 years ago.

 

I'm not even sure the lighting quality is bad anymore—the old kits were fog lights but I believe the RE/Replica kits used honest to goodness Hella projector HIDs.

Kevin Wyum developed his kit years ago (which was interesting, but built with fog lights) in part in order to run a cold air intake to the nose. Since that has really been solved by new v-mount/intake approaches, and the fact that I don't think the weight of the stock pop-ups (which can now be retrofitted with GOOD HIDs) is that great, the only reason to so sleek lights would be the looks...

 

For functionality you just can't beat the Sakebomb Garage HID kit.

They're so good that they make keeping the pop ups a foregone conclusion, IMO anyway

There's also this option:



I haven't properly aimed them yet, and I like the look, but man are they pretty inferior to the SBG wrt light output and quality.

 

Papi i like your license plate

 

I love the look of the sleek lights, the Re's particularly. I just think popups should have been left in the 80's

If I had the time I'd make my own.. might just have to make the time, because what's out there is junk and I wouldn't be satisfied with any of the options.

 

I think you should. I've read this many times over the years on the forum

Do it

 

The RE's aren't far off, it's really a contruction issue, you need a real sealed plastic unit, not a bucket and lexan, even a simple well-executed design like this '04 Aston Martin would be eons better:

 

Or you could embelish from there. Astons and Jags offer the best inspiration

 

Boricua!!!

 

Well several factors come into play between the two types of lights that you mention. But I think there are two main reasons:

1. Subjective: Meaning people generally like the way the lights look and IMO the RE lights do not look out of place.




2. Objective: The C-west bulbs are NOT for headlights and according to reports the lighting is not very good.



I am not too sure about the light output on the REamemiya, but in any case the lights can easily be swapped out with H9 projectors.


I don’t understand the Rmagic’s… To me they don’t look like they belong as the head light bucket is part of the light. However, I realize that I am a minority on that and I accept that.


I actually the believe the tide has shifted as IMO aftermarket sleeks are not as sought after as they once were. Basically what is old is new again.

For me on why I chose the lights that I have was because I liked the appearance, their light output, and I didn’t have to cut too much on the car to get the lights to fit (unlike the RE amemiya). And last, I have never been much of a fan of the stock pop ups (when they are up) and the lighting is actually quite bad. For semi stockish versions, I totally love the knightsports pop ups but they are too much $$ and apparently come with crappy lighting. But I think they look amazing and if I ever decide to go retro those will be on my list (with upgraded lighting).


Not necessarily true in terms of lighting. The Rotary extreme sleek version came with H9 projectors as so did mine (preauto):



But IMO they all have their issues in one form of another. Preauto’s issues are (were) CHEAP mounting hardware and this subpar lens cover. Those two issues combined make the kit lose all it's appeal as it made them feel EXTREMELY cheap and homemade. I ended up spending a few hundred bucks retrofiting my kit with new hardware and now it's rock solid. I also purchased a thicker polycarbonate lens cover from pre auto because the original covers were very flimsy and exuded cheapness. Now the kit is where I want it to be: Great lighting, thick covers, & great mounting = like it came stock.

 

I'll admit, sleek lights aren't for everyone. Mine seen below, I did a ton of individualizing to change the look and performance. Mine has BMW projector HID's. I had to cut into the frame bit to make them fit. My covers also have some carbon fiber in place of the black paint you typically see on the other lenses. Lastly, I added red angel eyes and I angled the carbon fiber to give a pissed look. So like I said earlier, the look may not be for everyone, but I absolutely love how mine came out.

 

Seems like with CAD/3D Printing technology, it would be a lot easier to get something nice than it used to be.

 

Because of the shallow housings, sleeklights will always have close range lighting issues. It's effectively high beam pattern with low beam intensity.
Yours are better because they rise out of the housing for a better angle of attack. They don't do that for aesthetics; it was done intentionally to try and mitigate this inevitable issue.
Projectors are leagues ahead of foglights.