The Retrofit Source: Morimoto XB LED Fog Light Housings for Mazda

[RWatters]

It's Facebook official:

We have commissioned another production run of the Mazda XB LED fog lights from Morimoto! They are now available for pre-order (re-order?) once again on our site. Shipping ETA is Early May.

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/c...ts/morimoto-xb-led-fog-lights-type-mazda.html

 

[chavy]

awesome! I'm going to preorder a set for my mz3 and cx5!

 

[CTt3P5]

Great news! It is nice to see TRS listen to the customers and bring this great product back to the market, even if for a limited run. Now, do I buy another pair to keep as a back-up?

 

[RDK006]

This may seem like a dumb question (probably!), but do you guys actually use fog lights because you live in areas where there's a lot of fog (or otherwise inclement weather) or because they look cool? I'm in So Cal, so rarely ever see fog and have maybe turned on my fog lights just a handful of times over the years. Yet I see cars with them on all the time, driving in "dry" weather. Is this a thing? (Sorry, old man talking here!) I assume the LED fog lamps are superior, though is that because of color temp or light throw or just because they last longer? I have never replaced a bulb in a fog lamp and I've been driving for 40 years now.

 

[Joaks]

This may seem like a dumb question (probably!), but do you guys actually use fog lights because you live in areas where there's a lot of fog (or otherwise inclement weather) or because they look cool? I'm in So Cal, so rarely ever see fog and have maybe turned on my fog lights just a handful of times over the years. Yet I see cars with them on all the time, driving in "dry" weather. Is this a thing? (Sorry, old man talking here!) I assume the LED fog lamps are superior, though is that because of color temp or light throw or just because they last longer? I have never replaced a bulb in a fog lamp and I've been driving for 40 years now.

In my particular case, i live in a country where we have poorly paved roads and very little lighting on the street. So in my case they are a must if i dont want to eat a pothole that just showed up out of nowhere. Also since our traffic laws are poorly enforced a motorcyclist can cross a street blind and cause a lot of trouble. So the more i can get out my car the better the chances of not getting hit [emoji2]

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[tibimakai]

I have all my lights on all the time, hopefully I'm better seen by others. I have custom HID projector driving lights, not really fog lights. I'm in LA as well.

 

[SayNoToPistons]

This may seem like a dumb question (probably!), but do you guys actually use fog lights because you live in areas where there's a lot of fog (or otherwise inclement weather) or because they look cool? I'm in So Cal, so rarely ever see fog and have maybe turned on my fog lights just a handful of times over the years. Yet I see cars with them on all the time, driving in "dry" weather. Is this a thing? (Sorry, old man talking here!) I assume the LED fog lamps are superior, though is that because of color temp or light throw or just because they last longer? I have never replaced a bulb in a fog lamp and I've been driving for 40 years now.

Only on very rare occasions do we get thick fog here in NYC, and it's usually the daytime. However, I wander out of the city on rare occasions to areas that have fog.

I will say that these are absolutely phenomenal when my lowbeams were completely coated and blocked by snow/ice. They give nearly as much usable light in the snow as my lowbeams and the correct light pattern with cut off. It is not the color (which is true white at 5000Kelvin), but more so the light pattern.

I can confidently say at least 95% of the foglights on the market (be it factory or aftermarket) are no longer REAL foglights. They're just selling points and accessory lights with no usable light coverage on the road. This include both the OEM halogen H11 Mazda foglights and new mini OEM foglights that come with Mazdas as of the past couple years equipped with LED front lights. The closest factory foglights I've seen perform as well as the Morimoto XB's are the factory LED foglights on the Land Rover Range Rover.

 

[tibimakai]

Fog light should be yellow, no? Ours, is most likely driving lights.

 

[shrimpsiumai]

Now the question comes, which one is better: JDM retrofit HID projector ones or XB...

Does anyone know which is brighter and gives more throw?

 

[SayNoToPistons]

What's a "JDM retrofit HID projector"...

 

[blackcx5]

What's a "JDM retrofit HID projector"...

this below..... but it is far from plug and play, see Mazda3 link below, I got them cheap during their sale and it will fit the OEM brackets at the required 3 mounting points but need to shave a lot of plastic off in the bracket rear to make it fit, I haven't gotten a chance to install them yet, looks like a universal HID projector housing and they provide a molded bracket to fit into existing OEM bracket but the OEM bracket opening in the back needs to be Dremel'd out, I got two spare OEM fog brackets from RockAuto about $6 each so I can mount them, I'll post pictures and video after I get them installed.


HID projectors ? http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/2014-2016-mazda-3-skyactiv-appearance-interior/174426-hid-projector-fog-lights.html

http://store.ijdmtoy.com/Mini-HID-Bi-Xenon-Retrofit-Projector-Fog-Lamps-p/70-126.htm

 

[shrimpsiumai]

this below..... but it is far from plug and play, see Mazda3 link below, I got them cheap during their sale and it will fit the OEM brackets at the required 3 mounting points but need to shave a lot of plastic off in the bracket rear to make it fit, I haven't gotten a chance to install them yet, looks like a universal HID projector housing and they provide a molded bracket to fit into existing OEM bracket but the OEM bracket opening in the back needs to be Dremel'd out, I got two spare OEM fog brackets from RockAuto about $6 each so I can mount them, I'll post pictures and video after I get them installed.


HID projectors ? http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/2014-2016-mazda-3-skyactiv-appearance-interior/174426-hid-projector-fog-lights.html

http://store.ijdmtoy.com/Mini-HID-Bi-Xenon-Retrofit-Projector-Fog-Lamps-p/70-126.htm

Please do post pictures of the process. Also, can you link the OEM fog brackets for the CX5? Do you know if the brackets are the same for 2015 vs 2016.5? Also, when was the sale? Seeing if I should wait for the next sale.

It's quite attractive that the output would be about 3x the lumens.

 

[blackcx5]

Please do post pictures of the process. Also, can you link the OEM fog brackets for the CX5? Do you know if the brackets are the same for 2015 vs 2016.5? Also, when was the sale? Seeing if I should wait for the next sale.

It's quite attractive that the output would be about 3x the lumens.

I don't see the brackets in Rock Auto anymore but they are available thru eBay, still relatively cheap $8 each, works for both 2015 and 2016.5
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272441564185?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/282249262848?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

the JDM sale was back in February, they were like 1/2 the price of the Morimoto's LED (I recall the HID projector housings for a pair was $90 shipped, they don;t come with HID kit, you have to buy that separately), like I said, it's not plug and play, the projector housings are too long and don't fit the OEM brackets, I have to Dremel a lot of plastic away to make them fit. You can see in the JDM link there are three mounting stubs, two on the sides for the main mounting and one on the bottom to allow swivel adjustment of up and down.
http://store.ijdmtoy.com/Mini-HID-Bi-Xenon-Retrofit-Projector-Fog-Lamps-p/70-126.htm

I'll take pics of the mod and also night pics and video.

 

[batmancx]

blackcx5, I;m interested as well, please keep us posted on your install, ijdmtoy seems to be universal projector housings and they add on adapter brackets for various vehicles....

I found this online, same exact housing as their CX-5 fog light but different bracket for the BMW. Light output and light throw/pattern should be the same since it's the same housing.... I don't have much fog in my area, I'm more interested in getting more lighting and distance to easier spot potholes or debris

http://store.ijdmtoy.com/BMW-Retrofit-Projector-Fog-Lamps-p/70-133.htm

 

[tibimakai]

Something like this, I have made myself. I have got a set of projector light kit off of Amazon, for $23 and I have made some spacers & brackets, to make them fit into the original brackets. I did all this, by eyeballing everything(that is why is not sticking out enough and it is not exactly in the center of the opening). Eventually, I will remove them and make the necessary modifications.

 

[tomcat1446]

this below..... but it is far from plug and play, see Mazda3 link below, I got them cheap during their sale and it will fit the OEM brackets at the required 3 mounting points but need to shave a lot of plastic off in the bracket rear to make it fit, I haven't gotten a chance to install them yet, looks like a universal HID projector housing and they provide a molded bracket to fit into existing OEM bracket but the OEM bracket opening in the back needs to be Dremel'd out, I got two spare OEM fog brackets from RockAuto about $6 each so I can mount them, I'll post pictures and video after I get them installed.

HID projectors ? http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/2014-2016-mazda-3-skyactiv-appearance-interior/174426-hid-projector-fog-lights.html

http://store.ijdmtoy.com/Mini-HID-Bi-Xenon-Retrofit-Projector-Fog-Lamps-p/70-126.htm

AGREE for you blackcx5, I got the projector fogs from iJDMToy.com and they are indeed FAR from plug and play,

but thanks to your heads up at least I knew what I was in for...

http://store.ijdmtoy.com/Mini-HID-Bi-Xenon-Retrofit-Projector-Fog-Lamps-p/70-126.htm

they're on sale now for about $100 use code : EGG15



I left my OEM fogs alone until I knew for sure I was able to mount the projector foglights, so I got duplicate fog brackets from eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAZDA-OEM-CX-5-Foglight-Fog-Driving-Light-Lamp-Lamp-Bracket-Left-KD5351694A-/272441564185?rmvSB=true
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAZDA-OEM-CX-5-Foglight-Fog-Driving-Light-Lamp-Lamp-Bracket-Right-KD5351684A-/282249262848?rmvSB=true

these are the aftermarket HID projector fogs from ijdmtoy, they only provide the plastic sleeve that mounts onto the OEM brackets, they don't privide the whole OEM brackets that need to mount to the car bumper.



problem is they don't fit the OEM brackets unless you remove a lot of the plastic from the brackets.....

you'll need a 90mm hole diamond drill for $6

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Diamond-Tipped-Hole-Saw-Drill-Diameter-90mm-Bits-For-Glass-Tile-Slate-Granite-/252288859324?hash=item3abd967cbc:g:OeYAAOSwYGFUzth~







just use the 90mm bit to get the general circle shape then you'll need to use a dremel to cut out the smaller pieces,

you'll have to constantly to a fit check with the aftermarket sleeve to determine which plastic area to remove....



once you have that done, the aftermarket sleeve should fit in nicely

it can swivel similar to the OEM fog housing........



then it's just a matter of mounting the projectors and then mounting the assembly to the car......



needed to get a right angle type HID bulb, the passenger side with the washer fluid tank is very close













I'll post video later this week so members can compare HID projector vs the Morimoto LED's and then decide which one suits their needs better.....

 

[tomcat1446]

got a chance to put in the HID projectors....

I don't recommend the iJDMtoy.com HID projectors , light output is tolerable but not as bright and spread out as I thought it would be..... video below

[/QUOTE]

better to go with the Morimoto LED's IMHO.....

 

[shrimpsiumai]

got a chance to put in the HID projectors....

I don't recommend the iJDMtoy.com HID projectors, light output is tolerable but not as bright and spread out as I thought it would be.....

better to go with the Morimoto LED's IMHO......

Interesting that it's not as bright as it should be. Would it change if you put a different type of bulb in it? Also, how would you describe the spread? Very interested in knowing the details since I plan to upgrade the fogs myself.

 

[tomcat1446]

Interesting that it's not as bright as it should be. Would it change if you put a different type of bulb in it? Also, how would you describe the spread? Very interested in knowing the details since I plan to upgrade the fogs myself.

I'll try some new bulbs and readjust the aim and see if it improves, but I wasn't impressed with the light output, spread is even less than the stock OEM housings, you can see in the video.....it has distance and a good cutoff but no intensity, the passenger side was a tight fit because of the windshield washer fluid tank, there's just enough room to get the assembly in but no way to swap out the hid bulb without unscrewing and taking out the whole assembly unless you can get an H11 HID bulb with a right angle wire like this....

honestly, I would just save yourself money and go with Morimoto LED's

 

[tibimakai]

I have done a similar setup, but I have picked up some similar projectors, for $23 from Amazon.
I have machined some spacers to mount the projector to the factory bracket.
One side it was easy to fit into one of the holes, but the other side is offset. I had to make a little aluminum bracket to bring it to the same level as the other one.
My only problem is, that I was doing all this, without trying them out on the car and they are not sticking enough out, and they are slightly off center, from the plastic trim hole.
One of my projector bulbs is out and I have just placed an order, for Morimoto bulbs(I still have some Chinese ballasts, though). I'm curious about their output.