2012 5 HID low beam replacement kit?

fauxpaw31

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:
Mazda 5 Sport
Hello members. I would like to replace the stock halogen with HID for safety reasons. What kit and sellers does anyone reccomend? Also, any DIY videos would be very helpful. Thanks!
 
Where low beams are concerned, I honestly think the best upgrade (for seeing ability) is to stick with the (very good) stock projectors, but to go to halogen H9 bulbs with a slight base modification in the lows. These offer much more light (2100 lumens vs 1200, going from H11 long-life bulbs in the lows!) but with an identical filament position to the original halogens - so they glare far less than most HIDs, which by their nature can't match the optical properties of halogen filaments. HIR1/9011 bulbs can similarly be placed into the highs, and generate more light at the same wattage as stock. The light is "whiter" than stock but by no means blue - H9 and HIR1 bulbs are uncoated per their standards in order to throw as much light as possible. These are in an entirely different league than "+80%" and "+100%" stock fitment bulbs, which offer improved light distribution over stock due to higher filament precision but actually only throw about 20% more lumens, at best.

The HIR1 high beams just make the night go away. You have to be responsible with them, but they are very nice out on an empty road with possible wildlife. They also light up reflective street signs like they're on fire.

One reason I'd be especially wary of doing a HID conversion is that the stock MZ5 halogen projectors throw a significant amount of light above the cutoff line. This can be greatly worsened by off-center light as would be found coming from a HID capsule (halogen filaments are brightest in the middle, HID capsules are brightest at the endpoints of the curved arc). If you could lay hands on some stock MZ5 HID projectors (which are totally different than the halogen ones) then I think you'd be in good shape (but these are pricy).

Truly, I'd recommend trying the H9 bulbs before anything else - nothing on the car needs to be modified, and it's easy to modify the bulbs to fit. The light spread is extremely good and I believe you will find less light saturation of the foreground than you would with HIDs - this is what you want. An oversaturated foreground diminishes distance seeing while increasing apparent visual confidence.

Hope this helps.

Ruby
 
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