KrisKringle
Member
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- Mazda CX 9 Grand Touring
For those looking to get a little more out of your high beam headlights especially for those of use with the GT's since the HID's make our high beams only so so(lol2). I did the upgrade on mine to the Toshiba HIR 9011 bulbs replacing the 9005. It should be noted that the 9005 that comes from the factory is 60 watts. The replacement 9005 are 65 watts. I think that Mazda is putting in a bulb similar to the phillips ecovisions, these bulbs have a 20 percent less power consumption IE 52-54 watts. The idea is loading the alternator less will yield more mpg. It should be noted the replacement 65 watt 9005 put out 1700 lumens, upgrading to a vision plus or xtreme power etc any of the reputable higher output same wattage bulbs (phillips,sylvania,osram,ge) should get you 1750-1800 lumens depending on the manufacture. It should be noted those xtra vision bulbs have shorter lifespans because of the overdriving of the filament to produce additional lumens without additional consumption.
I choose a different path, I upgraded to HIR 9011 which has a lumens rating of 2350 for a 65 watt bulb, yes thats right that much more output with the same stock rated wattage. Those not familiar with HIR technology I encourage you to read up on them. I will give you a brief synopsis here.
HIR technology (Halogen Infared), was a development upon Toshiba's part to produce a Halogen headlight near HID performance. They indeed did succeed for the most part. The bulb is coated with special coatings to increase the reflectivity which makes the infared energy otherwise wasted in a regular halogen bulb reflect back to the filament making it in effect more intense. They are pretty incredible to say the least and last just as long as a standard 9005. The bulb does require a slight modification to one of the plastic mounting tabs on the bulb itself. But it is a 5 minute job. I just thought id share a bit of information for those looking for a little more high beam out of there niners.
Also it should be noted that even the xtra vision or stock for that mater replacement will provide increased performance. As far as any increased glare, I don't see any. I am sure there is since the lumen output has increased, but it is for a high beam, it shouldn't be lit up when faced with oncoming traffic or traffic in front of you anyways so any increased glare should be negligible.
I choose a different path, I upgraded to HIR 9011 which has a lumens rating of 2350 for a 65 watt bulb, yes thats right that much more output with the same stock rated wattage. Those not familiar with HIR technology I encourage you to read up on them. I will give you a brief synopsis here.
HIR technology (Halogen Infared), was a development upon Toshiba's part to produce a Halogen headlight near HID performance. They indeed did succeed for the most part. The bulb is coated with special coatings to increase the reflectivity which makes the infared energy otherwise wasted in a regular halogen bulb reflect back to the filament making it in effect more intense. They are pretty incredible to say the least and last just as long as a standard 9005. The bulb does require a slight modification to one of the plastic mounting tabs on the bulb itself. But it is a 5 minute job. I just thought id share a bit of information for those looking for a little more high beam out of there niners.
Also it should be noted that even the xtra vision or stock for that mater replacement will provide increased performance. As far as any increased glare, I don't see any. I am sure there is since the lumen output has increased, but it is for a high beam, it shouldn't be lit up when faced with oncoming traffic or traffic in front of you anyways so any increased glare should be negligible.
