calebian21
Member
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- 2015 Subaru WRX
Anonymous MD, I'll try and grab some tonight for you!
Fitting Spot Lights Below the CX-5 Radiator
- Thread starter kiln
- Start date
calebian21
Member
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- 2015 Subaru WRX
Nice! Do you get flashes from the opposite cars? From the road pic you've posted, the light seems going up quite high. I'm in dilemma of whether I should get the light bar installed like yours or replace the stock HID with more powerful ones.
calebian21
Member
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- 2015 Subaru WRX
I only use my lightbar when there is no oncoming traffic. It has 20 individual LED's. 5 on either side are flood lights and the 10 in the middle are spot light. It's obscenely bright to use in traffic. I also replaced my stock low beams lights, but I didn't have the stock HID's to start with.
Looks very good calebian21!! Well done on a fantastic installation.
If I may ask: Did you connect it to the High Beam Relay? Have you installed a seperate switch inside the vehicle? I am also thinking of using a wireless 12v remote switch because I do not want to make holes in the dash....but if it can be switched with the High Beam Relay, that would suit the installation much better.
calebian21
Member
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- 2015 Subaru WRX
Thanks! It can be put in with the high beam but I just haven't got around to do it yet. I just put a separate switch for the meantime.
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- CX5 Touring
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- 2016.5
That'd be awesome if you can just detail what part you bought and how you installed it. 
calebian21
Member
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- 2015 Subaru WRX
That'd be awesome if you can just detail what part you bought and how you installed it.
So the parts that I can remember using are as follows:
2 - U brackets, 2"
2 - L brackets, 5" or 6", can't remember
20" SR-LED light bar from Rigid Industries
1 - U cradle for 20" light bar (from Rigid)
Wiring harness with cherry red 2 way switch (from Rigid)
2 - bolts and washers to hold on the L brackets to the holes below the radiator
2 - bolts and washers to hold the U bracket and light bar onto the L brackets
So you will have to take the battery out to access where you pass the wiring harness through the firewall. You will see a small, about 4" diameter, rubber boot against the firewall from the outside of the car. You will need to push a knife VERY carefully through it and leave it in the boot. Next, pass the wiring harness from the battery area to the boot. Turn the knife the opposite way of which the initial cut was made and use it to hold the rubber boot open while passing the harness through it. Next, drill a hole inside the cubby hole to the left and below the steering wheel (Be careful as to where you drill your hole because it has to be in the EXACT right position or else it won't fit. It is quite a tight fit even when it the right spot. I drilled all the way over to the left (outside side) of the cubby. Then, put the wires onto the cherry switch and push it into position in the hole you drilled. Run the wiring harness down to where you're mounting the light bar. Mount the light bar and hook up the wires. To mount the light bar, you will mount the L brackets to the holes below the radiator. Then, put the U brackets on the bottom of the L brackets and the light bar cradle onto the U bracket. You will use the same bolt to hold on the cradle and U brackets to the L brackets. Next, mount the light bar onto the cradle and hook up the wires to the light bar and battery. Then you simply turn the switch on and adjust the light bar to where you want it aimed and tighten the bolts on the side of the light bar to hold it into position.
Anonymous MD
Member
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- 2016 mazda cx 5
good job my friend . looks great
Thank you calebian21.
Additional to the install I would like to use the High Beam connection to switch a wiring harness with relay as in the attached picture below. What do you think, will it add value in the sense that the light bar/ spotlight LED's be only switched on with the high beams activated so as not to blind oncoming traffic by accident whilst on low beams?
Additional to the install I would like to use the High Beam connection to switch a wiring harness with relay as in the attached picture below. What do you think, will it add value in the sense that the light bar/ spotlight LED's be only switched on with the high beams activated so as not to blind oncoming traffic by accident whilst on low beams?
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As promised a small write up of my 2x 40W Spot/Flood lights installation below the CX-5 Petrol Radiator.
Already mentioned is that I utilized two holes below the radiator to fit two 10 mm bolts that I used to bolt the light brackets to. I have also studied this video on How to remove the bumper to facilitate easy removal and re-installation:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc_bBFxCnSY
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https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=215336&d=1479046860
I used a relay pre-wired harness to connect the lights to the battery. Also I connected the trigger wire to the Blue wire of one of the head lights so as to only switch the spot/flood lights on when high beams are selected.
And here is the final result. Might do a small height adjustment but for now I am pretty much happy with the result.
Thanks to everyone that provided valuable intel on how to accomplish the end result.
(drive2) (cool)
Already mentioned is that I utilized two holes below the radiator to fit two 10 mm bolts that I used to bolt the light brackets to. I have also studied this video on How to remove the bumper to facilitate easy removal and re-installation:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc_bBFxCnSY
..
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=215336&d=1479046860
I used a relay pre-wired harness to connect the lights to the battery. Also I connected the trigger wire to the Blue wire of one of the head lights so as to only switch the spot/flood lights on when high beams are selected.
And here is the final result. Might do a small height adjustment but for now I am pretty much happy with the result.
Thanks to everyone that provided valuable intel on how to accomplish the end result.
(drive2) (cool)
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Anyone try mounting a lightbar on the 2017+ models? Was thinking about a 20"-24"/2 row bar in the space on the bottom of the bumper, similar to in these pics, but I see nowhere to mount the thing to at a glance without removing the bumper for a closer look. Is the frame of the new model the same as the outgoing, or is it dramatically different?
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- Mazda CX5 Touring with PEP
I question the effectiveness of these light bars vs stand alone single focused light beams, either a fog pattern or driving pattern. I have seen the light bars mounted on top of pick up trucks with lift kits and big tires...the lights are extremely bright, but the light is unfocused. So it IMO is just a blob of bright light with no projection or focus. What does that get you in useful light?
Then again OP placed the lights low towards the ground. That should probably make a difference in keeping the light pattern fixated a bit.
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- Mazda CX5 Touring with PEP
How does it fixate without a lense?
Each individual LED is set within a reflector housing similar to a Halogen headlight on the bar I was thinking about buying. So each individual LED is focused at either 30 deg or 60 deg beam pattern depending on where it is located in the bar, and the actual bar is curved to about a 30 deg beam pattern.
I have a light bar on my quad, and trust me, it is a night and day difference between the headlights on that machine and the light bar in conjunction with the headlights. I've also been in rigs (pickups, jeeps, etc.) with light bars mounted mid - low frame, and the light they project is actually pretty impressive. It isn't really something you'd ever use in a city, so if you're a city slicker, just stick with the headlights. But when you're on back roads in the country, or making long unlit highway drives (aka: not living in the city), it really helps throw light out into the trees and up-road to illuminate moose and other big animals (deer, bears, etc etc.).
Pretty much everywhere except Metro St. John's in Newfoundland is like the latter. Long stretches of unlit highways and twisty backroads. Even the provincial highways are littered with potholes, twists and turns, and large animals. The more light the better. It's a beautiful place, but there's a lot of wildlife on the highways, namely moose, which are 1 : 5 moose per person living on the island (~110,000:~540,000), hahaha. Since I'm moving about an hour outside the city limits in the next year or so, I figure it'd be good to have the light bar for some extra light.
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- Mazda CX5 Touring with PEP
That is sort of a good description of my drive to work; 11 miles of 2 lane out through the farms etc to the interstate that is 20 miles of limited lighted freeway into snow and deer country followed by 17 miles of 4 lane in and out of a business district that goes from business to nothing in seconds. And deer, lots of deer, coyotes.
I too would be interested in a light bar. If one could be mounted that does not look like a hood ornament on the finely styled '17 CX5 front end. Integrated into the front end somehow.
The drive lights on my Xterra, Hella 500, I am estimating that they can catch a reflection off a sign at least 1/2 mile away. The lights are at least 14 years old, have been rebuilt at least once. Since i have a mount point and the harness is still good and is wired into my high beam switch, I might try a light bar on the Xterra. I do have a new set of comparable drive lights that could replace the Hellas as both of my lenses have rock holes or cracked. Those lights have saved me from deer strikes numerous times, well worth the expense.
Yeah, that's my thing, I don't wanna just drill holes in the fenders, throw a light bar across the hood and call it a day. Want it to look civilised, which is why I had my eye on the lower section of the bumper, where there's lots of empty space in behind the grille. But the mounting points at a glance look to be non-existent; may be something a little farther up or in behind a plastic cover somewhere that I can't see without taking off the bumper cover. Which is why I was wondering if anyone has done it already, so I don't have to take the cover off just to see what I need for mounting hardware. Basically, I'm being a lazy c***. Hahahahaha.
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- Mazda CX5 Touring with PEP
I was just out in my garage and looked at both the Xterra and the CX5. The Xterra with the Westin safari bar on the front has 2 mount points at 18" apart and the space between the bar is 30".
The CX5, the only thing I could see to do is cut out that center slat in the lower bumper that serves as a decorative spoiler and mount as wide as could or a curved light in the hole you created. The other option I could see would be roof mounted, integrated with the roof rack.....which naturally I don't have, and would cost me $400+ and then the light too which there is a gambit of options for lights. I was looking at CarID.com, so no idea if they are price competative or not. If it were me, I would do the roof rack integrate route. Hacking up the front grill???? I would really cringe. Now i did see all sorts of single row slim lights, short row lights, but how effective either of those would be, I have my doubts. If I am going to the expense of mounting lights, they better work really good or at least as well as the lights on my Xterra.
The CX5, the only thing I could see to do is cut out that center slat in the lower bumper that serves as a decorative spoiler and mount as wide as could or a curved light in the hole you created. The other option I could see would be roof mounted, integrated with the roof rack.....which naturally I don't have, and would cost me $400+ and then the light too which there is a gambit of options for lights. I was looking at CarID.com, so no idea if they are price competative or not. If it were me, I would do the roof rack integrate route. Hacking up the front grill???? I would really cringe. Now i did see all sorts of single row slim lights, short row lights, but how effective either of those would be, I have my doubts. If I am going to the expense of mounting lights, they better work really good or at least as well as the lights on my Xterra.
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- Mazda CX5 Touring with PEP
Further review by me thinks a skinny curved light bar that follows the roof line somewhat that is forward or at the front edge of the sun roof but mounts to the roof rack I don't own, somehow would look factory. Prices on these light bars are all over the map from $100-$1000+.
