Mazdaspeed Headlights

[TreFlip999]

hey guys just wondering about a couple of thing...How is the fitting on P5's with the mazdaspeed protege headlights...Is it just plug and play, the headlights look identical..anything special i would need to do? ive searched with no luck...thanks

 

[JoshP5]

It's not plug-and-play. The MSP (same as any 3rd gen sedan) headlights use H4 bulbs which contain low and high beam filaments, whereas P5 lights have separate lights and bulbs for these modes, so switching from one car's headlight to the other requires a little wiring. Anyway, the rewiring is explained here.

 

[L8R]

But why...?

Dual beams look much nicer than a single unit.

 

[JoshP5]

They're rare on a P5
Euro-code beam pattern
They come blacked out

 

[TreFlip999]

wow i have no idea about re-wireing...looks like a no on the MS headlights for me.

 

[daonly1around]

wow i have no idea about re-wireing...looks like a no on the MS headlights for me.

its REALLY simple.... just make sure you get the part of th harness that plugs into the H4 bulb when you get the head lamps. THen use the one common ground and the two hot wires for your hi and low... really simple

 

[redpr5]

They're rare on a P5
Euro-code beam pattern
They come blacked out

euro-code?? (uhm)

 

[JoshP5]

Basically they have a very sharp cutoff--check the images here (scroll 2/3 the way down) for the difference.

 

[Salmon_Rob]

the p5 has better glare reduction and distance on beam though

 

[TheMAN]

that's an oxymoron... better glare reduction means a better cutoff! the P5 headlights aren't!

 

[Salmon_Rob]

they won that hid/halogen shoot out back in the day

 

[Salmon_Rob]

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60492&highlight=protege5+headlight

cliff notes

Six out of 10 vehicles with HIDs and 9 out of 31 with halogens reached the 400-foot marker on our test course with low beams, compared with an average of 335 feet for all models tested.

The farthest so far: the inexpensive, halogen-equipped Mazda Proteg5. Its low beams illuminated our 600-foot marker without creating a glare problem

 

[njaremka]

what he TheMan said....

FYI, if you want some MSP / ES headlights, i have a set for sale - send me a PM if you are interested - what i'll do, too, becuase i'm a nice guy, is i'll even make up a wiring conversion harness for you so they'll be plug and play

 

[Demoniam]

whatta guy!

 

[JoshP5]

Sedan - better lows
P5 - better highs
The End.

 

[njaremka]

Sedan - better lows
P5 - better highs
The End.

actually, i think the opposite -

protege5 = better lows
sedan = better highs

 

[TheMAN]

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60492&highlight=protege5+headlight

cliff notes

Six out of 10 vehicles with HIDs and 9 out of 31 with halogens reached the 400-foot marker on our test course with low beams, compared with an average of 335 feet for all models tested.

The farthest so far: the inexpensive, halogen-equipped Mazda Proteg5. Its low beams illuminated our 600-foot marker without creating a glare problem

the consumer reports test was hardly scientific... the only way to determine good headlights is to measure each major point of the beam pattern using a photogonimeter and to measure any stray light outside of it.... the reflector test just simply shows how intense the hotspot is in the beam pattern... no way does it show how well light is distributed on the road nor empirically determine the amount of glare the headlight is producing

the european beam pattern is much superior over the SAE beam pattern in glare control and effective roadway and signage lighting performance despite the fact that the SAE beam pattern has theoretically better distance advantage which is nullified by the fact that at the extreme ranges of the beam pattern, the candella levels are too low to be effective at lighting objects... the upsweep or Z-beam pattern style of european headlights allow for glare control but yet effectively increases range power by concentrating light to the curb side of the horizon-- away from oncoming traffic

the attached pages of the photometric isoscans shows a typical ECE beam pattern and a typical SAE "DOT" beam pattern... source: Daniel Stern commentary on NHTSA headlight glare RFC http://dsl.torque.net/images/DSL_8885.pdf

the P5 headlights is more of a mix between the two beam pattern styles... interestingly the european P5 with the same style headlights has the "sedan style" beam pattern but with a much stronger high beam setup using H1 bulbs instead.... as far as easily available headlights in North America for the protege, the 01-03 sedan headlights blow the P5 and many other car's headlights out of the water.... both in low and high beam performance once upgraded to GOOD bulbs... another example good highlights are the E46 BMW ones as they are exactly the same as the european market ones except for lense markings and aiming

 

[TheMAN]

reference this thread for beam pattern pics... http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123631466
ignoring all the things gone wrong with them with the HID conversions, they are still crap compared to the protege sedan and OEM audi ones

 

[TreFlip999]

whatta guy!

Hell Of a Guy!