Depends on where you drive. I have my high beams on most of the time and when they are on it is because my car is the only one is sight. When that is the case you want the best light you can get because yours is the only light. I made improvements to my high beams I don't care about the low beam. Most people live in cities and there are street lights and the lights from other cars to help see, but not all of us.
led or hid
- Thread starter 16cx-5
- Start date
Depends on where you drive. I have my high beams on most of the time and when they are on it is because my car is the only one is sight. When that is the case you want the best light you can get because yours is the only light. I made improvements to my high beams I don't care about the low beam. Most people live in cities and there are street lights and the lights from other cars to help see, but not all of us.
calebian21
Member
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- 2015 Subaru WRX
I personally would not recommend HID. I had a 13' mustang with factory HID's and they got so hot that they melted the housing, TWICE! I've had LED's in every vehicle before and after that and have had absolutely zero issues with them.
runtohell121
Member
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- 2014 Mazda CX-5 Touring AWD Soul Red
^That just don't sound right.. factory/oem HID would most likely not melt a factory/oem housing... Sounds more like a user put a 55w HID kit or generic kit in their housing or something...
calebian21
Member
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- 2015 Subaru WRX
No they were definitely stock because Ford said they would only replace the housing if the bulbs were stock. Maybe I just had a freak incident with them but I don't want to risk having that issue again.
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- 2022 2.5GT
I've got LED active headlights. The performance is very good on dipped beam but it doesn't make much difference on main beam, it just adds a bit more spread. I suppose the LEDs add to the "green" theme of the newer Mazdas but I would not be at all unhappy with conventional headlights which can give surprising results with legal bulb upgrades. Another down side is the cost of the throw away LED headlight units which are a ridiculous 500 each.
I don't like HID conversions. They might be good for the driver but they invariably dazzle the drivers coming the other way as the light unit was never designed to take them. They are also illegal without auto levelling and headlight washers.
I don't like HID conversions. They might be good for the driver but they invariably dazzle the drivers coming the other way as the light unit was never designed to take them. They are also illegal without auto levelling and headlight washers.
karlmagnum
Member
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- CX-5
I don't think HID can dissolve/melt the housing as long as you used the proper wattage. 35w should be good.
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- Fredericton Canada
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- 2018 CX-5 GT
OK, here's my issue. I have a GT(non-Tech) with halogen high and low beam. I have swapped the black plastic trim surrounding my fog light with an aftermarket surround containing LED lights. Now, since these LED's are on all the time(although dimmed when in high beam or fog light mode) these result in my halogen DRL/highbeams appearing even more yellow. So, my hope is to upgrade my DRL/highbeam 9005 bulbs to something that gives off at least the same lumens and beam distance, BUT, be whiter as well, to complement the LED's around my fog lights.
From what I have read on other CX-5 threads as well as here, LED replacements(at the moment) for my DRL/highbeam unfortunately won't give me the proper beam spread or distance, but just look whiter, and HID's aren't a suitable option for DRL/highbeam applications in a non-tech version.
I have read that the Sylvania ZXE's are supposed to be that brand's whitest halogen bulb, but some reviewers suggest that their lifespan is REALLY poor. This seems odd since the basic Sylvania halogen bulb is the OEM bulb in my 2014 CX-5. Something about it's higher energy demands burning the filament out sooner that the basic model. Others caution ever getting a bulb that is tinted blue as this causes a blue tint to the light(which I definitely DON'T want) but also decreases the light/lumen output.
A previous post here mentioned a Philips 9011 bulb as a higher lumen replacement( with a bit of tab trimming) for the 9005 , but is it whiter than the OEM bulb? Is this bulb a good replacement for the non-Tech version or meant only for the DRL light of the Tech model?
I am open to any and all suggestions!!
From what I have read on other CX-5 threads as well as here, LED replacements(at the moment) for my DRL/highbeam unfortunately won't give me the proper beam spread or distance, but just look whiter, and HID's aren't a suitable option for DRL/highbeam applications in a non-tech version.
I have read that the Sylvania ZXE's are supposed to be that brand's whitest halogen bulb, but some reviewers suggest that their lifespan is REALLY poor. This seems odd since the basic Sylvania halogen bulb is the OEM bulb in my 2014 CX-5. Something about it's higher energy demands burning the filament out sooner that the basic model. Others caution ever getting a bulb that is tinted blue as this causes a blue tint to the light(which I definitely DON'T want) but also decreases the light/lumen output.
A previous post here mentioned a Philips 9011 bulb as a higher lumen replacement( with a bit of tab trimming) for the 9005 , but is it whiter than the OEM bulb? Is this bulb a good replacement for the non-Tech version or meant only for the DRL light of the Tech model?
I am open to any and all suggestions!!
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A good HID conversion on the CX-5 projector actually produces exactly the same cut-off and beam pattern as demonstrated in this thread. So "dazzle" should no be a problem in most cases. Those who put HIDs in old reflector housings should be forced to eat them... I do agree with the auto leveling though, I did have a problem with that on one occasion (during 1.5 years) as I also detail in the same thread. Note that headlight washers are not mandatory (nor available) in North America), but I sure would love them!
I also replaced the black plastic caps with LED version. What I did is install a 5000K HID kit (see the thread I link above) that matches the color of the LEDs perfectly. I also installed 5000K LEDs from VLED in the fogs with no fitting problems. The VLED LEDs are just a tinge yellower than the HID and fog trim LEDs, but barely. Finally, I simply removed the DRL fuse so that LEDs on the black fog trim now act as my DRLs (that is what most cars with OEM LED bars over their fogs do anyway, eg. Mercedes). This won't disable the high beams which remain more yellow, but if anyone can see that you should not be using high beams anyway right?
In the end, it all matches well and actually looks very high-end.
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- Fredericton Canada
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- 2018 CX-5 GT
Thanks for the suggestions. I actually just read another thread last night about taking out the DRL fuse, which I did. That resolves that issue. I have seen references recently regarding the bulbs you suggest for the lowbeam and fog lights, but, here is my concern. The Morimoto HID upgrade at US$150 would be around Can$225 and the VLED fogs are US$60, so about Can$90, + higher international shipping to Canada. These prices are getting a bit to expensive for my liking since the Canadian $ has tanked lately. That is why I had hoped to find a good whiter halogen upgrade. But maybe there is no good halogen option. A LED and HID upgrade as you have done would certainly be my preference if $ was not an issue.
Yes, I am painfully aware of the Can$ situation (I'm in Quebec). I was lucky to get mine while the US and Can $ were near par.
I looked into whiter halogens and LEDs as well before going the HID route. The LEDs produce dismal results in low beams from every credible review I could find, so that option was eliminated quickly. The whiter halogens either have some blue coating on that inevitably reduce their brightness, or burn brighter (hotter) to compensate but have MUCH shorter lives (maybe one year) and are way more expensive than your run of the mill Canadian Tire bulb. I keep my cars 10 years+, so even at the current exchange rate, HID + LED would still by my #1 option (and the least expensive in the long run). And as you can see from the review I linked in my previous post, the results are very nice.
I looked into whiter halogens and LEDs as well before going the HID route. The LEDs produce dismal results in low beams from every credible review I could find, so that option was eliminated quickly. The whiter halogens either have some blue coating on that inevitably reduce their brightness, or burn brighter (hotter) to compensate but have MUCH shorter lives (maybe one year) and are way more expensive than your run of the mill Canadian Tire bulb. I keep my cars 10 years+, so even at the current exchange rate, HID + LED would still by my #1 option (and the least expensive in the long run). And as you can see from the review I linked in my previous post, the results are very nice.
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- Fredericton Canada
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- 2018 CX-5 GT
I checked out your earlier post with the great pictures and explanation. It is certainly convincing. I think that I would have to see the C$ up closer to $0.80 before I'd make the leap with your choices. Your comments on LED's and Halogens(with a blue tint) agrees with everything that I have read as well, but, are you aware of any positive comments about ANY of the more commonly sourced (brighter/whiter) Halogens available here in Canada i.e. Sylvania, GE, Philips, Putco, PIAA ?
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- Fredericton Canada
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- 2018 CX-5 GT
For future reference, should I decide to go for the Morimoto HID kit I just wanted to confirm two upgrades that are available for this kit. Did you get/do we need, the Anti-Flicker Capacitor Link(+$15) or the Carbon Fiber Bracket(+$20)? Where did you mount the ballasts?
Not really, I haven't looked at that in a while. Everything I had looked at back then had significantly shorter life spans (it's actually written on the package). Seemed logical to me, burn hotter, live shorter!
No anti flicker needed (mine are super stable). The Carbon Fiber Bracket is a choice on your part (I guess it could help not to scratch the paint, but who knows). That option was not available when I got my kit. Look again at my thread, I have an entire post about installation, including pictures of where I mounted the ballasts. If you have any further questions about installation, please ask in that thread for future reference (so that all the info on Morimoto kits is in the same place as much as possible).
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- Fredericton Canada
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- 2018 CX-5 GT
OK vroom, I'll transfer future questions to the other thread. Thanks for your input. I did look at your HID installation comments & pictures and it seems pretty straight forward. So, all I need to wait for now is a suitably recommended highbeam upgrade as well. Let us know if you come across anything.
Well, not all question, just the ones about the Moriomto kit. Anything more general is fine here!
I can barely tell the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver
and I managed just fine!As I said, I'm no longer looking for a high beam replacement since I rarely use them, especially since my low beams are so good, and when I do nobody can see them so I don't care much about the color. And besides, I think the performance of the halogen high beams is more than satisfactory for my needs.
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- Fredericton Canada
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- 2018 CX-5 GT
Just out of curiosity, whenever you do have your high beams on is it obvious that they look much more yellow than your HID lowbeans and LED fog surrounds?
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