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Are projector headlamps legal?

grandprix17

grandprix17

New member
Are they legal. I see some people say they are fine and some other people say you will get pulled over with them. I'm thinking I should invest in some or just some clear headlights.
 


lol anyways...

Projectors are NOT illegal. You probably got it mixed it up with HID's. Yes some HID's are illegal. But why would projectors be illegal? They come factory on some vehicles..
 


Well for HID's I've heard a couple of things that would make them illegal..

- If someone holds a white piece of paper in front of you headlight, and it's blue, that makes them illegal I think.

- and if they look like high beams then that's illegal too, at least that's what a cop has told me
 
With straight HID's in stock housing you just have to be careful to not have them to far up, or they will blind on coming traffic and will catch the eye of the beloved law enforcement.
 
Police cars have a light sensor mounted where the dash is. This is for things like this, to catch unfocused poorly aimed headlights, mainly hid's that people stick in stock housings. Projectors are not illegal however those ebay ones you find may be illegal still because of the fact that they may not be D.O.T. stamped. If you get a real dick cop then they could right you a ticket for those. Aftermarket hid kits are also not D.O.T. certified there fore illegal. However, most cops look for the ballasts because most people just install them in plain sight. If you do a decent clean install job, make sure to hide the ballasts that way you can pass it off as factory. Factory hid ballasts are usually mounted up under the headlamp housing out of sight. Back to the projectors though... projectors are necessary in my opinion when you go hid because of the light output difference. A clean and focused light output is necessary for safety and will keep the law off your butt. Cops arent going to mess with you if they arent blinded by your hids when they are near you.
 
minichopper6hp said:
Police cars have a light sensor mounted where the dash is. This is for things like this, to catch unfocused poorly aimed headlights, mainly hid's that people stick in stock housings. Projectors are not illegal however those ebay ones you find may be illegal still because of the fact that they may not be D.O.T. stamped. If you get a real dick cop then they could right you a ticket for those. Aftermarket hid kits are also not D.O.T. certified there fore illegal. However, most cops look for the ballasts because most people just install them in plain sight. If you do a decent clean install job, make sure to hide the ballasts that way you can pass it off as factory. Factory hid ballasts are usually mounted up under the headlamp housing out of sight. Back to the projectors though... projectors are necessary in my opinion when you go hid because of the light output difference. A clean and focused light output is necessary for safety and will keep the law off your butt. Cops arent going to mess with you if they arent blinded by your hids when they are near you.
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Hmm... never head of this.. nor never installed any on patrol cars, around here, and down in Orlando.
 


No such thing as a "light sensor" guys and gals. Only sensor a patrolman needs is his eyes. If the light blinds him/her, they might stop you......bottom line.
 
I believe that the regulations vary by state.

If I'm right, the regulations here in Missouri state that lights must "be composed mostly of white, yellow or amber" color and the upper cut-off of the light must not break the plane of the center of the bulb at a distance of 25 feet and should illuminate people and cars 200 feet away.

I think that's the law as far as I know. I didn't see anything in there about aftermarket or DOT certified. And outside of the above comment about "white" light, the only color mentioned is that cars can't show red lights that are viewable from the front of the car if I remember correctly. Presumably so people don't think they're looking at the back of the car when they're looking at the front...

You may have a look here. It's a non-governmental site that tries to be a one-stop-shop for stuff like this including tail light tint, etc...

http://fmvss108.tripod.com/
 
Short answer yes they are illegal for our cars.

Long answer: The projectors for are cars have not been DOT certified. Any modification out side of a replacing a light bulb which is DOT approved, is illegal. Many things go into certification include beam pattern and lumens at so many yards away (in fact many states have their own laws that it has to be this bright so many yards away)
 


Toofastgs said:
Short answer yes they are illegal for our cars.

Long answer: The projectors for are cars have not been DOT certified. Any modification out side of a replacing a light bulb which is DOT approved, is illegal. Many things go into certification include beam pattern and lumens at so many yards away (in fact many states have their own laws that it has to be this bright so many yards away)
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So what's the best route to go then? Get the projector lights or just some clear lens ones? I like them both though.
 
ZR1Vette09 said:
i really don't think it makes any sense. HID's help you see better, so please make them illegal?
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A properly designed HID system that has been tested to meet all of the photometric requirements of FMVSS 108 helps you see better without blinding other drivers. Besides blinding other drivers, improperly designed kits can create hot spots that actually impair your night vision. None of the aftermarket projector or HID retrofits have been tested to meet these requirements, but some will be better than others. As long as you have a decent system that's not blinding the cops (i.e. not most HID kits in stock housings), they probably won't even notice.
 
grandprix17 said:
So what's the best route to go then? Get the projector lights or just some clear lens ones? I like them both though.
Click to expand...
The biggest problem with stock GP headlights isn't how much light they put out, it's how that light is directed. Adding brighter HID bulbs just results in more light where you don't need it, blinding both you and other drivers.

That's not saying some people haven't had great results putting HID's into stock housings. Light source placement has a huge effect on output in our headlights. Some HID retrofits seem to get lucky and have a decently placed arc to give a good output, but you really have no way of knowing until you get the bulbs and compare them to stock.

The Spyder Auto projectors, even with halogen bulbs, are a significant improvement over stock. They do put out more light (1550 vs 1000 lumens), but the biggest difference is how the projectors focus the light.

IMO, the list from best to worst is:
  • HID projector retrofit
  • Spyder Auto projectors with HID (not as sharply defined as a true HID projector, but still pretty good)
  • Spyder Auto projectors with halogen bulbs
  • Stock headlights with HID (results vary based on the kit)
  • Flashlights taped to the front of the car
  • Stock headlights
  • Dragon Eyes H3 projectors (6 LED's in the corner)
 
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