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JDM vs USDM front differences!

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Old 04-06-2020 | 03:30 PM
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JDM vs USDM front differences!

General curiosity thread here, that has been baffling me for a year since I took ownership of my GD3:
from the pics all over the internet there seems to be a discernible difference between the headlights of Asian and US fits. At a first glance they're Identical, but the more you look the more it seems that the JDM ones are slightly stubbier, but otherwise have all the same molds inside! Almost as if someone took a 3D model of the headlight unit into 3ds max and just pulled on control points ever so slightly...

I know there's been a slue of examples throughout automotive history of a particular model looking different depending on the market, but those changes were usually quite obvious. For example, the American Acura Vigor versus the equivalent Honda Inspire in Japan - the latter had much longer headlights and a tiny grille - the two fronts are clearly different. But with the Fit/Jazz, I'm just kind of dumbfounded! Those of you who have had the privilege of seeing both a US and a JDM set of headlights in person, could you confirm that they are in fact non interchangeable?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
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Old 04-06-2020 | 06:31 PM
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They're non-interchangeable.

As are fenders/bumpers/hood/grille/crash bar. All of them need to replaced to fit any of them.
 
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Old 04-07-2020 | 02:45 PM
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Aside from the entire nose of the car being different (due to differing crash requirements), JDM headlights are designed for right-hand drive market. Running them on US roads would throw light into oncoming drivers' eyes.
 
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Old 04-07-2020 | 03:19 PM
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Originally Posted by sneefy
Aside from the entire nose of the car being different (due to differing crash requirements), JDM headlights are designed for right-hand drive market. Running them on US roads would throw light into oncoming drivers' eyes.
You can re-align them.

Also you could run lights from the EU. Germany, France, Spain, etc., all LHD states.
 
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Old 04-07-2020 | 03:34 PM
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Can you realign the stepped/angled cutoff?

Not the best pics, but taken from this forum. RHD vs LHD.



 
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Old 04-07-2020 | 05:35 PM
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Fair point, I'd have to look into that.

But as I said, German, French, etc., stuff is all usable.
 
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Old 04-10-2020 | 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by mike410b
Fair point, I'd have to look into that.

But as I said, German, French, etc., stuff is all usable.
Pretty sure the answer is no in the case of reflector housings without gutting the headlight. Projectors can swap the shields to change the cutoff.

And, the OP is talking JDM. Probably because he's drunk the JDMOMG koolaid.
 
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