should I upgrade to HID's or just better bulbs

[corner-hard]

Ok - so I've been seriously thinking about upgrading to HID's for my MS3 but have a few questions. Its a debate between Hoen Titanium bulbs (with harness) or SolarTek HID's (35w). Does anyone have a full right up (including pics) of an HID install? Is the system truely plug-n-play? Is their any modification needed to fit the H7 HID bulb into the stock halogen projector headlight? Any chance of frying/melting stock wiring? Any issues with switching back to halogen bulbs if needed? Thanks.

[Rotus8]

Aftermarket HIDs are illegal, but that doesn't seem to stop too many people...

[Double Dspeed]

dont be a bi*ch get HID's twice the amount of light output. and there not illegal if so how do cars come stock with them? i mean if you want bright annoying purple ones then you might have problems but 8K or 10K hid's are perfect

[derspi]

dont be a bi*ch get HID's twice the amount of light output. and there not illegal if so how do cars come stock with them?

You have been misinformed. I'm sure it varies from state to state but in Canada, aftermarket HIDs are illegal. Unless the car came with them from the factory, any and ALL HIDs, plug & play or retrofit, can result in a fix-it ticket and/or fine. The good thing is that since so many cars come with HIDs nowadays, most cops don't bother to notice any more.

But to answer the OP's question, I'd say go for HIDs even though I just stated that it's illegal. There's so much more light output to be had and the MS3 Sport comes with decent projectors so it shouldn't blind oncoming drivers.

[oaklandopen]

HIDs and you won't be dissapointed. And they are illegal if not done correctly, ie when ppl just throw them into any old reflector-type housing. And most of the time since they weren't designed for HID the disperse the light too much and don't make as much difference as ppl think. Xenon was meant for projector housing

[seattleMS3]

what kind of bulb do MS3s use for HIDs?

[corner-hard]

The MS3 bulb size should be H7.

[seattleMS3]

i have people tell me its 9006 and H7. 50/50.... im looking on putting 8k's in my fogs.

[RadSpeed3]

Ok - so I've been seriously thinking about upgrading to HID's for my MS3 but have a few questions. Its a debate between Hoen Titanium bulbs (with harness) or SolarTek HID's (35w). Does anyone have a full right up (including pics) of an HID install? Is the system truely plug-n-play? Is their any modification needed to fit the H7 HID bulb into the stock halogen projector headlight? Any chance of frying/melting stock wiring? Any issues with switching back to halogen bulbs if needed? Thanks.

Get the HID's....but get some nice quality hid's and you wont regret it. There are alot out there that is very good and not expensive. Remember dont get them too bright like 10k+ and you should be in the clear.

[dizzin9]

FYI: brightness are measured in watts (i.e. 35w, 55w) not Kelvin (i.e. 5000k, 8000k), which is the color of the light.

[oaklandopen]

FYI: brightness are measured in watts (i.e. 35w, 55w) not Kelvin (i.e. 5000k, 8000k), which is the color of the light.

and for your information, watts are an electrical measure, and lumens are actual light output as in useable light

[tunersteve]

Color temperature is inverse to light output. Most factory HID setups are 4300-4500K, which are whiter and have more useable light. As you climb, you start going to blue/purple color, but your light output drops dramatically. Wattage does play a factor in light output, as 55w kits will produce more output than a 35w kit will. Here's a chart with the output for the Apexcone/DDM kits:


Color
Description
35 watt
Lumens

55 watt
Lumens


3000k
"Ion" yellow
3200

4800


4500k
Pure white
3400

5000


5000k
White with a tiny hint of blue
3300

4900


6000k
White with a violet hue
3200

4800


8000k
Sky blue
3100

4700


10000k
Dark sky blue
2900

4500


12000k
Darker sky blue
2700

4300


http://www.therpmstore.com/product_info.php?cPath=35&products_id=744

The chart doesn't copy well. Colors are to identify appropriate numbers for each color.

Most OEM HID kits are D2S for the Mazda vehicles, but if equipped without them, you'll need to find the appropriate bulb size. Also, find out what wattage you're running, as some fog lights are only 35w, whereas low beams are usually 55w.

[icspots]

Ok - so I've been seriously thinking about upgrading to HID's for my MS3 but have a few questions. Its a debate between Hoen Titanium bulbs (with harness) or SolarTek HID's (35w). Does anyone have a full right up (including pics) of an HID install? Is the system truely plug-n-play? Is their any modification needed to fit the H7 HID bulb into the stock halogen projector headlight? Any chance of frying/melting stock wiring? Any issues with switching back to halogen bulbs if needed? Thanks.

If you're looking for more light then go with HIDs. If you're going for look without improvement in output then go with the Hoens.

As others have said any aftermarket HID kit is illegal except for off road use. This law is in part caused by those who put HID kits into reflector housings and basically blind everyone around them. Though the halogen projectors in the 3 aren't as good as the HID projectors as far as cutoff and beam spread they are perfectly adequate to install HIDs without blinding people.

The kit is plug and play, the only thing you'll have to figure out is where you want to install your ballasts. As for melting the stock wiring HIDs actually draw less power than the stock halogens, though they do draw a large amount when first igniting. If you go with 55w HIDs (I wouldn't recommend these unless you do a lot of driving in very dark areas) then I'd suggest a battery harness, otherwise you'll be fine to just connect to the stock wiring.

Lastly color temp. The kelvin rating reflects the both the color output of the light, and the actual lumens. The highest lumens will come from 4100-4300k lamps (this is what all OEM HIDs are). Many people will install high kelvin rated lamps (8,000k +) to get the blue look they see on high end cars. Again, all OEM HIDs use ~4100k lamps..... the blue look is actually a function of the optics of the HID projectors.

[dizzin9]

and for your information, watts are an electrical measure, and lumens are actual light output as in useable light

gee. thanks.

(ugh)

[disturbedfan121]

You have been misinformed. I'm sure it varies from state to state but in Canada, aftermarket HIDs are illegal. Unless the car came with them from the factory, any and ALL HIDs, plug & play or retrofit, can result in a fix-it ticket and/or fine. The good thing is that since so many cars come with HIDs nowadays, most cops don't bother to notice any more.

But to answer the OP's question, I'd say go for HIDs even though I just stated that it's illegal. There's so much more light output to be had and the MS3 Sport comes with decent projectors so it shouldn't blind oncoming drivers.

wrong. in the US as long as the same model came with optional HID you can put the same "brightness" into your own car. But then again, how many DOT workers know what came factory on every make and model. all they care is that the headlights work and they aren't purple or some other color than white

[el_Don]

You may be satisfied with some brighter halogen bulbs, but you'll be happy with HIDs. Plus they have a longer bulb life anyway, so by going with HIDs, you're actually saving money...(mj)

[Fenrir]

HIDs.

[Kymerik]

Hid :) 8k Ftw :) and 55w is overkill

[RUMBLEFISH]

Installed my kit 55 watt 6000 bulbs about 4 months ago and they work great. I can now see at night. Bought them from this place and they have the best price with lifetime warranty.
http://ddmlights.com/hidkihidbuhi.html

[oaklandopen]

Installed my kit 55 watt 6000 bulbs about 4 months ago and they work great. I can now see at night. Bought them from this place and they have the best price with lifetime warranty.
http://ddmlights.com/hidkihidbuhi.html

Are they really $70 for a set with a lifetime warrany? Cuz that is fucking amazing. I will really consider this for some 3k yellow for fogs

[zzoomp09]

Aftermarket HID's are illegal in the US. You can fool the inspectors if you have 35w 4500 or 5000 as they look very close to stock HID's (4300K are stock on our 3's).

By the way, I installed 35w 5000 HID's on mine. Worked perfectly until I noticed the left side is a little brighter than the right. The bulbs snugged in perfectly, I just don't know why the left shoots brighter than the right. Not higher though.

[vdubjetta2005]

I put an HID kit into my 2008.5 mazda 3 sport touring. The result was amazing. I put one side in and turned them on to compare to the factory halogen bulbs. The difference is indescribable.

The install took me about 45 minutes; the hardest part, or should i say the most time-consuming parts where removing the factory bulbs and putting in the ballasts. The bulbs are held in place with a thin metal rod that slips behind a clip. Prepare to have some patience because they are a pain in the ass, especially on the driver side. As far as the ballasts, i regret not going with slim ballasts, although the regular ballasts werent that hard to hide. I hid the ballast for the driver side light right inside the battery box, and the passenger side i just mounted it to the inside of the fender.

Most high-quality kits are truly plug-and-play. A good kit wont require you to run a seperate wire right to the battery. High quality kits also have, as you might expect, high quality wire.

I agree with everyone else, they are deff. illegal, but being that we have projector housings, it would be near impossible for a cop to tell.

HID's offer 3 time the light output as halogen, depending on the bulb temperature, and usually about 30% less power consumption.

Good Luck!

[RUMBLEFISH]

For that clip I went to autozone and got the screwdriver with an slight angle and a Y fork in the end. Its took me all of about 1 min on each bulb.

Got this little tip from another forum.

[drledford93]

Bringin' this one back to life--curious about those of you who bought the DDM tuning HID kit. Which one did you buy? Is it the 9006? I can't seem to find it. I'd appreciate it if someone could point me in that direction...

Daniel

[icspots]

Bringin' this one back to life--curious about those of you who bought the DDM tuning HID kit. Which one did you buy? Is it the 9006? I can't seem to find it. I'd appreciate it if someone could point me in that direction...

Daniel

For the low beam it's H7. 9006 should be for the high beam which you probably don't want.

Incidentally on another forum I ran into a couple of cool modifications you can do to the halogen projectors to improve some of their shortfalls when compared against the HID projector. The main performance differences are: fuzzy cutoff, and glare above the cutoff. Also in the HID projector you can "color mod" (give it color along the cutoff) by spacing the shield from the bowl with washers.... on the halogen projector the shield is attached. Anyway these four modifications are:
-Either replace the stock frosted lens with a clear one, or spray the frosted lens with a clear coat making it clear. This cleans up the cutoff immensely.
-Cut off the projection on the shield that causes most of the glare above the cutoff.
-Paint the shield black to eliminate the rest of the glare.
-space the lens from the shield to give color along the cutoff.

Several members on other forums have done these mods and the results are amazing. It's not as good as the HID projector in terms of beam wideness, but it's ridiculously better than HIDs in an unmodded halogen projector. I'll be installing HIDs and halos next week and I'll be doing these at the same time.

[derspi]

wrong. in the US as long as the same model came with optional HID you can put the same "brightness" into your own car. But then again, how many DOT workers know what came factory on every make and model. all they care is that the headlights work and they aren't purple or some other color than white

I SERIOUSLY doubt that is the case but like I said I don't live in the US.

[maxspeed3]

I have a DDM 10K HID kit in my lows, highs and fogs. It's very nice!!!!

-Max