Best Headlight Replacement Bulbs for 2014 Touring?

Days are getting shorter and I'm using the headlights more now. The original headlight bulbs seem kinda weak and I'm thinking of replacing them to get a brighter, whiter light. Any recommendations?
Thx!
Bill

For your low-beam H11 halogen bulb replacement, theres simply no free lunch. The more you spend, the better light youd get. And the brighter you want, the shorter service life youd get. I personally would get name-brand halogen bulbs such as Philips CrystalVision Ultra、Philips X-tremeVision、or Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited. Check color temperature of the bulb and I personally dont want anything over 4,000K which may look bluish. And higher color temperature also means shorter service life on halogen.

You may have already known this. When installing a new bulb, never touch the glass. Either use gloves or paper towel when handling.

I dont recommend getting any H11 LEDs for your 2014 CX-5 Touring as the headlight housing is simply not designed for LEDs.

I installed Sylvania SilverStar Ultras a few years ago and have been happy with them. Something that's often overlooked in these discussions is proper headlight aiming. CX-5s (and I suspect most SUV/CUVs) leave the factory with the lights aimed low in order to compensate for cargo/passenger loads owners may have in the course of the vehicle's life. The result is that 90% of the time most owners are running around with no load in the back and their headlights pointing directly onto the pavement in front of the car. I adjusted mine up a bit when I first bought it and was pleased with the result for a time. Then I lowered the car (H&R springs) which also leveled it, thus bringing the lights up even more. Started having oncoming drivers flash me, so I tried to adjust them down myself. Long story short, I couldn't get them right, so I took it to a certified lighting shop who adjusted them for $45 and I was was amazed what a professional, accurate job they did. Now the combination of properly aimed lights and better quality bulbs is really evident when I drive at night and I never get flashed. I highly recommend doing both.

Thx yrwei52! Yeah...don't want to go blue in light color...just want a whiter (and brighter?) light color.

Has anybody on this forum done a H11 to H9 swap for low beams? Seems easy enough to do. Yeah...H9 bulbs won't last as long but they are cheap so keeping a spare around is easy enough.
Bill

Thx paris1! That's something I need to do...check headlight aim...because I have H&R lowering springs too. Agree about the factory aim point. Time to upgrade and check aim I guess.
Bill

SA Bill said:

Thx yrwei52! Yeah...don't want to go blue in light color...just want a whiter (and brighter?) light color.

Has anybody on this forum done a H11 to H9 swap for low beams? Seems easy enough to do. Yeah...H9 bulbs won't last as long but they are cheap so keeping a spare around is easy enough.
Bill

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Standard wattage for H11 is 55W and H9 is 65W. You have to cut the tab on the bulb socket to fit the H9. I personally wont do it as the wiring and bulb socket are designed for 55W with some safety margin. More current on wiring and hotter bulb on socket may jeopardize the safety originally designed for. Try to find H11 bulb with higher light output but shorter lifespan.

I'd be okay with the mod and the higher wattage but will probably do just as you suggest yrwei52 and buy new H11 bulbs for now. Problem is...all of the H11 bulbs are the same light output (mandated by the government) and the "super/whiter light" versions of each bulb manufacturer seem to burn out very quickly in the reviews I've seen. I really don't want to buy/replace bulbs every year or so just to get a whiter light. At least the bulbs aren't too difficult to change out.
Bill

Higher wattage than OEM lights burn hotter so there may be issues with the headlight housing (melting/warped lenses and glue), and they also draw more current so it may not be so great for the wiring either.

I just put some LED bulbs in my Protege and holy crap they're bright. I did a little research and found Beamtech seems to have the best bang for the buck. I can't really comment on how long they'll last, but so far, after about a month, I'm 100% stoked on them.

http://bulbfacts.com/led-kits/reviews/beamtech-led-kit-review.html

https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)

SA Bill said:

I'd be okay with the mod and the higher wattage but will probably do just as you suggest yrwei52 and buy new H11 bulbs for now. Problem is...all of the H11 bulbs are the same light output (mandated by the government) and the "super/whiter light" versions of each bulb manufacturer seem to burn out very quickly in the reviews I've seen. I really don't want to buy/replace bulbs every year or so just to get a whiter light. At least the bulbs aren't too difficult to change out.
Bill

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Some halogen bulbs are claimed to have more light output with its legal 55W limit such as this OSRAM Night Breaker Laser (Next Generation) H11.

OSRAM[/QUOTE said:

The Night Breaker Laser (Next Generation ) offers a massive light projection up to 150 metres in length and up to 150% brighter* than a standard halogen.

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Again, I personally dont like H11 bulb replacement with equivalent LED. Those H11 LED replacements have to use multiple LED cells to produce enough light output (and heat). The souce of the light is not a single point like holagen bulb but multiple, and LEDs are multiple-point light source which cant have a proper focusing point for headlight projector.