LED Headlights on the Mazda5
- Thread starter E11
- Start date
Haven't heard good things. I know Tom's Hardware tried to do it and they were wholly unsatisfied. If you want more light get HIDs or do the cheap thing (like I did) and use H9 instead of H11 bulbs. Significantly more lumens, lower price, but shorter life. You either need to buy a harness adapter or be cheap and cut the tabs on the H9s to fit (once again, what I did).
Depending which thread you found. One thread basically concluded - don't get it.
Our headlights are not designed for the LED light pattern.
HID would be a better chage if you get a reasonable qiality AC volatage type or H11.
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LEDs still don't have nearly the luminous point intensity of a filament, and that's what's going to contribute in large part to the "punch" of the beam. I very much doubt there's one out there that can outperform a 9011/HIR1 bulb placed in our stock main beam reflectors. It's very easy to modify one (even easier than the H9/H11 modification), the wattage is identical to stock, and they will put out in the neighborhood of 2400-2500 lumens each. The color temperature is slightly higher than the 9005 bulbs, but subtlely so.
The beam pattern is very nice and they really carve through the night. You have to be very careful with them but they are amazing on a country road.
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- mazda5 2006, Focus ST
Did mine back in 06 or 07 with a kit I got from Ebay. It was a HID kit work great till I sold my 5 about 4 yrs ago.
Well after 7 owners of stock OEM headlights, getting tired of the low output.
Which HID kit do you guys recommend for my 2012? I am thinking of going with 4300K
How hard is in the install? I saw a few videos online. I see you have to put the ballast with tape or something. Then you put the new bulbs on. Don't you have to do wiring from the ballast to the car? That part scares me.
Which HID kit do you guys recommend for my 2012? I am thinking of going with 4300K
How hard is in the install? I saw a few videos online. I see you have to put the ballast with tape or something. Then you put the new bulbs on. Don't you have to do wiring from the ballast to the car? That part scares me.
I did this video how I've done it on my 5: https://youtu.be/C12CvW4onow
Stick with 4300k or 5000k, and buy A/C type kit, the good kits will be advertised to be so. Don't buy the lowest one on ebay but at around $50-$60 you can get a good one.
Mine has lasted about 4 years for the bulbs about 6 for one ballast, second one still ok after 7. (I actually moved the balasts from my previous car into 5)
Bulbs dull over time, so even though mine were still working after 4 years a new set made it brighter.
For a super clean install you can remove the headlights and attach the ballast to the bottom of them, there is a spot there but I opted not to do that just in case I need to changed the balasts.
I always watch your videos. It has been helpful for many things.
I want to do the 4300K, and I will do A/C per your recommendation.
One thing I didn't get in your video, is how you intalled the wiring TO the ballast FROM the car?? That is the wiring I am scared about.
Would you recommend this?
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/hid-systems/h11-morimoto-elite.html
I want to do the 4300K, and I will do A/C per your recommendation.
One thing I didn't get in your video, is how you intalled the wiring TO the ballast FROM the car?? That is the wiring I am scared about.
Would you recommend this?
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/hid-systems/h11-morimoto-elite.html
No special wiring. Just used the wires that go to the stock bulbs.
In some cars you need to run a separate power from the battery to balasts, but not on this one. 3:18 to 4:12 is the only wiring connections I've done.
My ballast was a generic ballast so it just had the two metal tabs sticking out. Simply connect them in to the existing connector that goes to the original bulbs and secure with electrical tape.
Some fancier kits would have oem style plug on the ends but I was not willing to pay the price
Kit looks ok but about double of what I'd be willing to pay
Thank you, much appreciated. I will search around for some kits. Someone else suggested Dynamic diodes.No special wiring. Just used the wires that go to the stock bulbs.
In some cars you need to run a separate power from the battery to balasts, but not on this one. 3:18 to 4:12 is the only wiring connections I've done.
My ballast was a generic ballast so it just had the two metal tabs sticking out. Simply connect them in to the existing connector that goes to the original bulbs and secure with electrical tape.
Some fancier kits would have oem style plug on the ends but I was not willing to pay the price
Kit looks ok but about double of what I'd be willing to pay
That's the kit that I used. Installed in 2014 and still working well. It is fairly easy to install, the connectors are direct fit. I posted a diy about it.
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6330322
typo, I tried to write LED, not HID.
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?sp...Iuk28&id=568354251071&ns=1&abbucket=19#detail
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?sp...Iuk28&id=568354251071&ns=1&abbucket=19#detail
There are plenty of cheap hid and led kits, probably in the $20-30 range.
How good or reliable or safe they are are the issue though.
I've tried the cheap $30 sets and found them to be garbage.
The light output is s***, reliability of balasts is crap, the lightbulbs bases crack.
Seem at around $50-$60 a set the quality shoots up to the good level and several of my e-bay sets lasted good 3-4 years before I had to replace bulbs and 5-6 for balasts.
This is experience over several personal cars and friends.
HID bulbs after about 3(ish) years begin to get dimmer rather then but out and require replacement even though they still output light but there is a noticeable difference wen you pot new $15 bulb set.
I just ordered this today. The $20 one isn't great afterward.
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.c1e02e8dCoENKx&id=555842208954&_u=okhpl0k03a1
$63 a pair LED...
I will do some review afterward
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.c1e02e8dCoENKx&id=555842208954&_u=okhpl0k03a1
$63 a pair LED...
I will do some review afterward
