Welcome back to part two of our 5×7 headlight housing showdown, where we explore today’s different 5×7 headlights. In part one, we covered the LED options, and now we’re shifting gears to HID and halogen headlights. The star of this article is the Star HID XP6054 5×7 HID headlight, a full size projector housing. We tested it, wired it up, and compared it against a stock halogen sealed beam. If you want serious light output from a classic 5×7 opening, this housing delivers real HID performance. It’s also a product we’ve been recommending for a long time.
What Makes the Star HID XP6054 Different
The Star HID XP6054 is the first headlight in this showdown that is not an LED. This one was actually designed from the very beginning to run HID bulbs, and it originally shipped with a Philips ballast and Philips D1S bulbs. That is a very different animal than the drop-in LED sealed beams we looked at in part one. This housing is built around a projector, not a reflector, which is a big deal in a 5×7 form factor.
If you look at the front of the lens, there is a lot of information stamped into it. It reads ACA (the original manufacturer), SAE, DOT, HG, D1S, and XP6054. Let us break that down. ACA was the company that originally made this housing, and they are no longer in business, so it is now owned by Star. The SAE and DOT markings mean the lens is both SAE and DOT approved for on-road use. HG means the bulb source uses mercury. D1S is the type of HID bulb it was originally designed to use. And XP6054 is simply the model number. That is a compliance and spec sheet baked right into the glass.
The Star HID XP6054 has a hardened polycarbonate lens and a full-size OEM style projector. When you flip it around and look at the back, you can see just how deep it really is. On factory vehicles that use projector headlights, all of this projector depth is normally hidden inside a much larger fixture. Because Star is squeezing a real projector into a 5×7 housing, the end result is this large porch of hardware sticking out the back. You are going to see the same thing to some extent on the GTR Lighting true projector product later in the series.
They are both SAE and DOT approved. The HG marking means the bulb source contains mercury.
The Wiring, Connectors, and Relay Harness
On the back side of the housing there are a few things going on. Two cables come off of the solenoid actuator that drives the bi-xenon projector, which is what physically moves to switch from low beam to high beam. You get an H4 connector, with available 9007 or H13 adapters in case your application needs them. Then there are three wires that connect to your relay harness.
Each housing from Star comes with a full relay harness, and honestly, this is one of the nicest touches on the whole kit. The harness connects to your battery, to the headlight, and to the ballast for the HID system. One connector goes to the headlight, one connector goes to the battery, and one connector powers up the ballast. These are heavy duty relay harnesses, and it is pretty rare to see something this nice included anymore. It is refreshing to see a high quality headlight come packaged with a matching high quality relay harness rather than leaving you to source your own.
So when you buy the kit, here is what shows up: two headlights, two relay harnesses, two ballasts, and two bulbs. You get your choice of black or chrome housings. The bezel around the projector is chrome on both versions, while the inside portion is either black or chrome depending on which housing color you pick. If you are shopping other options in this category, it is worth browsing our full range of HID headlight kits for trucks and cars to see how this projector approach compares to a simple bulb swap.
These two cables come off the solenoid actuator for the bi-xenon projector. You have an H4 connector with available connections.
How the Original D1S Bulb Setup Works
The bulb setup on these headlights is straightforward once you see it. On the back side of the projector, two screws hold a bracket that wraps around a retainer, and that retainer holds the bulb in place. You take the bracket off, drop the bulb in, and put everything back.
The original bulb designed to go in the Star housing is a D1S. It has the igniter built onto the base of the bulb, and it uses a special three pin cable to connect the bulb to the ballast. This is where the original setup gets expensive. The D1S uses a very specific type of ballast, and both the bulbs and the ballasts are pricey. These bulbs can run hundreds of dollars each, and the ballasts can cost even more. The bulb fits into the projector using alignment grooves inside the projector casing, then the retainer goes on top and everything screws down just like it came off. Once it is buttoned up, you have a semi watertight seal with the cables routed out for installation.
The GTR Lighting D2-to-D1 Upgrade Path
A Smarter Alternative to the Original Philips Setup
After selling Star HID headlights for a while, we found that one of our suppliers, GTR Lighting, offered a smarter way to run these housings. Instead of being locked into the expensive Philips D1S setup, we now have the option to run 35 watt (the original power level) or even 55 watt with a really high quality aftermarket HID ballast.
More Output, Lower Cost
When you find the Star HID XP6054 for sale on our website, you’re ordering it with an aftermarket GTR Lighting kit. We found a way to offer this product cheaper than the original Philips option. We can also make the lights brighter with 55 watt HID ballasts. The setup still maintains the reliability of the original equipment. That’s a win for price, output, and dependability all at once.
The product making this possible is a GTR Lighting D2 to D1 style bulb adapter. Here’s how it works. The original D1 bulb has an igniter built into its base. The D2 to D1 adapter matches the physical shape of that D1 bulb. Inside, it only contains the plastic adapter and wires. There is no igniter inside the adapter. This lets us use more affordable and widely available D2 bulbs from GTR Lighting. The D2 bulb fits inside the adapter, allowing it to fit the Star housing correctly. We then connect everything to the GTR Lighting HID ballast.
To put the value in perspective, the original Philips setup can cost nearly $1,000 per kit. The GTR Lighting setup with Star housings costs roughly half as much. You also get brighter output, more color options, and OE level reliability. That’s the main reason we chose GTR Lighting over the Philips setup.
You take the cheaper, more commonly available D2 bulb and twist it into the adapter. It’s then ready to install into the Star housing. Once installed, it fits just like the original D1 bulb. It also includes the correct connections for the aftermarket ballast. Don’t let all this technical detail scare you. We’re only showing you how everything works under the hood. When you buy this setup from us, everything arrives pre-installed and pre-tested. We check everything and confirm it works properly. All you have to do is plug it in.
Beam Testing: Halogen Sealed Beam vs the Star HID
First, we set the benchmark with a stock sealed beam halogen H6052. On low beam and then high beam, it honestly does not look terrible at first glance. But it is not very wide, it is not very tall, and it has that yellow glow that just about everybody hates. That is our starting point.
Then we powered up the Star HID 5×7 running a 5000K 55 watt HID setup, and the difference is dramatic. From about 20 feet away, the beam is absolutely huge and takes up practically our entire wall. It has a decent cutoff line with an extra hot spot right in the center, and no light is being produced above that cutoff. That means it stays safe for oncoming drivers while still throwing a massive amount of light down the road.
On color, a 5000K HID bulb with a 55 watt ballast is pretty standard. There is a touch of yellow, but it is mostly white. If you stepped up to a 6000K or 8000K color, you would see less yellow and more of a bluish white tone. When we switched to high beam, the main portion of the beam pattern stayed put, but we picked up a massive arc increase across the top of the light. On the wall that jump might look modest, but out on a horizontal plane shining down the road, that added high beam arc is phenomenal.
Star HID 5×7 running a 5000K, 55 watt HID setup. You can see just how massive the beam pattern is.
How It Fits Into the 5×7 Market
The Star HID XP6054 is a strong pick if you specifically want HID projector performance in a 5×7 opening. That said, it is not the only route to modernizing a classic 5×7 fixture. If you would rather go the LED direction, we compared several options in our 5×7 sealed beam LED headlight shootout, which is a great companion read to this HID review.
On the LED side, the Holley RetroBright 5×7 LED sealed beams are a popular premium choice, and you can also find the Holley RetroBright 5×7 kit from The Retrofit Source if you are cross-shopping. For a projector-based LED alternative, take a look at the Morimoto Sealed5 5×7 LED housing. And if you simply want to stick with a straightforward bulb-in-reflector layout, our Vision X 5×7 halogen sealed beam headlights are worth a look as a more traditional upgrade.
That is it for the Star HID XP6054 5×7 HID headlight. If this is the type of product you are looking for for your project, you can grab it from us with the GTR Lighting kit pre-installed and pre-tested, and everything you saw above ships ready to plug in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What bulb does the Star HID XP6054 originally use?
It was originally designed for a D1S HID bulb paired with a Philips ballast.
Can the Star HID XP6054 be upgraded for more brightness?
Yes, Headlight Revolution offers a GTR Lighting D2-to-D1 bulb adapter that lets you run a 35 watt or 55 watt aftermarket HID ballast instead of the original Philips setup.
What housing color options are available for the Star HID XP6054?
The kit is available in black or chrome housings, with a chrome bezel around the projector on either version.
Is the Star HID XP6054 DOT and SAE approved?
Yes, the lens is marked SAE and DOT approved, confirming compliance for on-road use.
Does the Star HID XP6054 kit include a wiring harness?
Yes, each housing comes with a full relay harness that connects to the battery, the headlight, and the HID ballast.
Meet the Experts Behind Headlight Revolution
Chris Nelson – Founder
Before founding Headlight Revolution in 2011, Chris worked as an automotive install technician specializing in lighting, sound systems, and engine performance parts. He has personally tested thousands of lighting products and works directly with lighting engineers to evaluate the technical performance behind every recommendation.
Josh Beberg – Content Production Manager
Josh leads hands-on testing and content production at Headlight Revolution. From beam pattern comparisons to real-world installations, he works directly with lighting engineers to ensure every review is grounded in measured results, not marketing specs.
