Hi, I just got a 2008 CX-9 drove at night for the first time and my headlights only seem to illuminate 20 yards (very well btw) but blackness beyond. I tried the adjustment left of the steering wheel but it seems to have no affect. Anyone know if I can adjust under the hood or is this just the way it is? Thanks.
Headlights
- Thread starter Bartman
- Start date
- :
- 2022 CX-5 Turbo
You have a GT with HID, right?
The adjuster has 1/2/3 settings. Any change in angle when you change the settings?
If not, the motor that adjusts the headlights might be broken.
Do this.
Have your CX9 face a wall or garage.
Turn on headlights.
Change the settings.
You should see the cut off line raised or lowed.
If not, it is broken.
The adjuster has 1/2/3 settings. Any change in angle when you change the settings?
If not, the motor that adjusts the headlights might be broken.
Do this.
Have your CX9 face a wall or garage.
Turn on headlights.
Change the settings.
You should see the cut off line raised or lowed.
If not, it is broken.
We just have a Touring model, so no HIDs and no adjuster in the cab. On our first road trip at night, it was dangerous. The headlights didn't light up much, and I pretty much had to drive with my high beams on just to see.
I went ahead and installed some HIDs, and the light output was awesome, compared to stock, but the cutoff line was still too low.
Did the trick that ceric mentioned, used the garage door to help raise them, and manually raised them. After a few test drives and trial and error adjustments, we are very pleased with how well the light output is, with the HIDs adjusted properly. I think I used a 10mm wrench to make the adjustments on the headlights.
I went ahead and installed some HIDs, and the light output was awesome, compared to stock, but the cutoff line was still too low.
Did the trick that ceric mentioned, used the garage door to help raise them, and manually raised them. After a few test drives and trial and error adjustments, we are very pleased with how well the light output is, with the HIDs adjusted properly. I think I used a 10mm wrench to make the adjustments on the headlights.
veyl_oiuja
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazda CX-9
does anybody know what kelvin is on the stock hids?
Z-Thrizzle
Member
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- Mazda CX-9, BMW MZ3 Roadster
How exactly do you adjust the headlight?
Sorry I missed this. There is an adjustment bolt for highs and lows. Mine had a clear plastic cover on it that I had to mommick up to get it off. I didn't bother putting it back on. I used a 10mm wrench to adjust the bolt if I'm not mistaken.
If I remember correctly, the top one adjusts the low beams, and the bottom one adjusts the high beams. I haven't bothered adjusting my high beams, since my low beam hids do a pretty good job of lighting everything up, and the high beams seem to be adjusted about right.
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Z-Thrizzle
Member
- :
- Mazda CX-9, BMW MZ3 Roadster
Sorry I missed this. There is an adjustment bolt for highs and lows. Mine had a clear plastic cover on it that I had to mommick up to get it off. I didn't bother putting it back on. I used a 10mm wrench to adjust the bolt if I'm not mistaken.
If I remember correctly, the top one adjusts the low beams, and the bottom one adjusts the high beams. I haven't bothered adjusting my high beams, since my low beam hids do a pretty good job of lighting everything up, and the high beams seem to be adjusted about right.
Thanks...much appreciated!!
Alfissimoint.
Member
- :
- 08' CX-9 AWD
4200-4300 K is typically standard. You don't want anything higher than this. Then you get into the blue spectrum which you then loose lumens. Hard to see with blue light at night, better with a little yellow in it like the standard capsules. I prefer the Osram capsules over philips. More yellow than blue.
The HID with the adjuster in the cab is not for adjusting lamps whenever you feel like it. They are to be set to 0 and if the load in the rear is causing lamps to align to high to on coming traffic then you adjust 1,23 down.
You installed factory HID or those retro fit crappy things into existing HALOGEN headlamps? Thats a no no! May look bright but it aint doing a thing for you.
The HID with the adjuster in the cab is not for adjusting lamps whenever you feel like it. They are to be set to 0 and if the load in the rear is causing lamps to align to high to on coming traffic then you adjust 1,23 down.
You installed factory HID or those retro fit crappy things into existing HALOGEN headlamps? Thats a no no! May look bright but it aint doing a thing for you.
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Yes, I did install crappy HIDs in our halogen projectors. Whether it is a no no, or technically not correct, the light output is noticeably better than the halogen bulbs that came stock. I'm not going to spend a lot of money to do a true retrofit, and install HID projectors, nor will I spend the $1000+ to replace the entire headlight assemblies with the OEM Xenon HID assemblies..... would be a big waste of money for me. I'll have to disagree with you that it isn't doing anything for me. The book, or the rules might suggest that, but in real life, our CX-9 lighting is much better than its stock (halogen) configuration, and I have the lights adjusted responsibly, so oncoming traffic isn't being blinded.
Alfissimoint.
Member
- :
- 08' CX-9 AWD
Sorry But you do not know what your talking about at all. Hate to break it to you. Of course the light output is going to be better. It's essentially like removing a 65W bulb in your house for 100W. There is more light. But we are talking about physic's here. We are talking about halogen vs. Gas Discharge. Different technology, different reflector units, the whole thing is different. Totally different. 9006 bulbs have a 1000 lumens. D2S capsules have 3200 lumens.
Of course there is more light but the problem is the focus. You can't get it focused properly in a halogen based reflector unit. No way. So what ends up happening? Well you get TONS of light right in front of the car, so you are like WOW this is great. Well it's not. Not only did you loose your distance lighting but you have also enlarged your pupils during night driving due to the amount of light in front of the vehicle. You don't want that! You actually want light way out in the distance, not right in front of the car. You also want it focused properly so you do not have black holes in the beam pattern. Also this kind of "retrofit" is illegal due to the facts above and it also causes massive glare to oncoming traffic.
My suggestion would be to pull it out and dump it. The lamps use a 9006 Bulb. Buy 9012/HIR2, these are a new High Intensity Infrared bulb, they put out 1870 lumens. Thats 870 lumens more than stock 9006 bulbs. Thats massive light and properly focused. Proper focus also means you can see better even though the light is not as bright as the gas discharge.
"Looking" cool with Xenon is not really the way to go. Your just putting yourself in danger. But most of the time people don't care and do it anyway. I say be smarter than that. You can purchase the 9012 Philips bulbs, made in Germany on line for $24.00 each and boost your halogen lamps by 870 lumens which is 80%+ more light. Some bulbs only have 850 lumens so you would be up there with 1870 Lumens. Drastic difference. You can educate yourself more by reading about lighting and especially the retrofit you have done: www.danielsternlighting.com
Dan is a lighting Expert. But I assume like most who do this will be in denial.
Of course there is more light but the problem is the focus. You can't get it focused properly in a halogen based reflector unit. No way. So what ends up happening? Well you get TONS of light right in front of the car, so you are like WOW this is great. Well it's not. Not only did you loose your distance lighting but you have also enlarged your pupils during night driving due to the amount of light in front of the vehicle. You don't want that! You actually want light way out in the distance, not right in front of the car. You also want it focused properly so you do not have black holes in the beam pattern. Also this kind of "retrofit" is illegal due to the facts above and it also causes massive glare to oncoming traffic.
My suggestion would be to pull it out and dump it. The lamps use a 9006 Bulb. Buy 9012/HIR2, these are a new High Intensity Infrared bulb, they put out 1870 lumens. Thats 870 lumens more than stock 9006 bulbs. Thats massive light and properly focused. Proper focus also means you can see better even though the light is not as bright as the gas discharge.
"Looking" cool with Xenon is not really the way to go. Your just putting yourself in danger. But most of the time people don't care and do it anyway. I say be smarter than that. You can purchase the 9012 Philips bulbs, made in Germany on line for $24.00 each and boost your halogen lamps by 870 lumens which is 80%+ more light. Some bulbs only have 850 lumens so you would be up there with 1870 Lumens. Drastic difference. You can educate yourself more by reading about lighting and especially the retrofit you have done: www.danielsternlighting.com
Dan is a lighting Expert. But I assume like most who do this will be in denial.
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Alfissimoint.
Member
- :
- 08' CX-9 AWD
Just to back my claim up with valid, credible information: Left you the link to read the whole thing but posted the main part. If after reading this information thoroughly and you still think your right, then I have nothing more to say. Well I would but....
Educate yourself.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html
Thinking of converting to HID?
So you've read about HID headlamps and have it in mind to convert your car. A few mouse clicks on the web, and you've found a couple of outfits offering to sell you a "conversion" that will fit any car with a given type of halogen bulb. STOP! Put away that credit card.
An "HID kit" consists of HID ballasts and bulbs for retrofitting into a halogen headlamp. Kits for replacement of standard round or rectangular sealed-beam headlamps usually include a poor-quality replaceable-bulb headlight lens-reflector unit that's not safe or legal even when equipped with the intended (usually H4) halogen bulb. Often, these products are advertised using the name of a reputable lighting company ("Real Philips kit! Real Osram kit! Real Hella kit!") to try to give the potential buyer the illusion of legitimacy. On rare occasion, some of the components in these kits did start out as legitimate HID headlight bulbs made by reputable companies, but they are modified (hacked) by the "HID kit" suppliers, and they aren't being put to their designed or intended use. Reputable companies like Philips, Osram, Hella, etc. never endorse this kind of hacked usage of their products. Nevertheless, it's easy to get "HID kits" from China bearing the (unauthorised, counterfeit) brands of major, reputable companies. See this page for just a few examples of the many packaging options offered by just one Chinese maker of "HID kits".
Halogen headlamps and HID headlamps require very different optics to produce a safe and effective—not to mention legal—beam pattern. How come? Because of the very different characteristics of the two kinds of light source.
A halogen bulb has a cylindrical light source: the glowing filament. The space immediately surrounding the cylinder of light is completely dark, and so the sharpest contrast between bright and dark is along the edges of the cylinder of light. The ends of the filament cylinder fade from bright to dark. An HID bulb, on the other hand, has a crescent-shaped light source -- the arc. It's crescent-shaped because as it passes through the space between the two electrodes, its heat causes it to try to rise. The space immediately surrounding the crescent of light glows in layers...the closer to the crescent of light, the brighter the glow. The ends of the arc crescent are the brightest points, and immediately beyond these points is completely dark, so the sharpest contrast between bright and dark is at the ends of the crescent of light.
This diagram shows the very different characteristics of the filament vs. the arc:
When designing the optics (lens and/or reflector) for a lamp, the characteristics of the light source are the driving factor around which everything else must be engineered. If you go and change the light source, you've done the equivalent of putting on somebody else's eyeglasses: You can probably make them fit on your face OK, but you won't see properly.
Here are some downloadable PDF tests done by DOT and CalCoast Labs on halogen headlamps equipped with "HID kits":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Y5n38wDe684
Educate yourself.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html
Thinking of converting to HID?
So you've read about HID headlamps and have it in mind to convert your car. A few mouse clicks on the web, and you've found a couple of outfits offering to sell you a "conversion" that will fit any car with a given type of halogen bulb. STOP! Put away that credit card.
An "HID kit" consists of HID ballasts and bulbs for retrofitting into a halogen headlamp. Kits for replacement of standard round or rectangular sealed-beam headlamps usually include a poor-quality replaceable-bulb headlight lens-reflector unit that's not safe or legal even when equipped with the intended (usually H4) halogen bulb. Often, these products are advertised using the name of a reputable lighting company ("Real Philips kit! Real Osram kit! Real Hella kit!") to try to give the potential buyer the illusion of legitimacy. On rare occasion, some of the components in these kits did start out as legitimate HID headlight bulbs made by reputable companies, but they are modified (hacked) by the "HID kit" suppliers, and they aren't being put to their designed or intended use. Reputable companies like Philips, Osram, Hella, etc. never endorse this kind of hacked usage of their products. Nevertheless, it's easy to get "HID kits" from China bearing the (unauthorised, counterfeit) brands of major, reputable companies. See this page for just a few examples of the many packaging options offered by just one Chinese maker of "HID kits".
Halogen headlamps and HID headlamps require very different optics to produce a safe and effective—not to mention legal—beam pattern. How come? Because of the very different characteristics of the two kinds of light source.
A halogen bulb has a cylindrical light source: the glowing filament. The space immediately surrounding the cylinder of light is completely dark, and so the sharpest contrast between bright and dark is along the edges of the cylinder of light. The ends of the filament cylinder fade from bright to dark. An HID bulb, on the other hand, has a crescent-shaped light source -- the arc. It's crescent-shaped because as it passes through the space between the two electrodes, its heat causes it to try to rise. The space immediately surrounding the crescent of light glows in layers...the closer to the crescent of light, the brighter the glow. The ends of the arc crescent are the brightest points, and immediately beyond these points is completely dark, so the sharpest contrast between bright and dark is at the ends of the crescent of light.
This diagram shows the very different characteristics of the filament vs. the arc:
When designing the optics (lens and/or reflector) for a lamp, the characteristics of the light source are the driving factor around which everything else must be engineered. If you go and change the light source, you've done the equivalent of putting on somebody else's eyeglasses: You can probably make them fit on your face OK, but you won't see properly.
Here are some downloadable PDF tests done by DOT and CalCoast Labs on halogen headlamps equipped with "HID kits":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Y5n38wDe684
LOL, I promise you that I did not put HIDs in the car to "look cool", and get the "cool" (in reality, NOT cool) rice look. (sleep) It never even occurred to me to put HIDs in the CX-9, until after coming home from a 9 hour road trip that was done at night, where I had to pretty much leave my high beams on the whole time, because the factory low beams left A LOT to be desired. That's why I even ordered a set in the first place. And please don't waste your time with a juvenile comment like "You should have just bought the GT that came with xenon hids". (lol2)
I'm not 16 years old, and I'm capable of listening to other ideas and opinions, then doing my own research to see if I like it or not. So don't worry about me being in denial...and thinking that the damn soccer mom suv is so cool now with HIDs, and I'm not going to listen to any other opinions or facts. (lol)
Thanks for chiming in and giving me other ideas. As far as me not knowing what I'm talking about, I admitted that my current setup may not be optimal, but I do notice better lighting. I think I would know or not, if I notice better lighting. If you are challenging my definition of "better", well, to each his own. In the physics sense, maybe the lighting is not technically "better". My personal perception is that the lighting is better. I'm aware of what hardware changes need to be made, to make it "correct", in both the legal aspect, and physics (or whatever) aspects, like you pointed out. I'm not a physics major, so I can't debate with you about light and electricity and gas. However, I can read stuff on the internet just like anyone else can, and come to my own conclusions.
I'm not 16 years old, and I'm capable of listening to other ideas and opinions, then doing my own research to see if I like it or not. So don't worry about me being in denial...and thinking that the damn soccer mom suv is so cool now with HIDs, and I'm not going to listen to any other opinions or facts. (lol)
Thanks for chiming in and giving me other ideas. As far as me not knowing what I'm talking about, I admitted that my current setup may not be optimal, but I do notice better lighting. I think I would know or not, if I notice better lighting. If you are challenging my definition of "better", well, to each his own. In the physics sense, maybe the lighting is not technically "better". My personal perception is that the lighting is better. I'm aware of what hardware changes need to be made, to make it "correct", in both the legal aspect, and physics (or whatever) aspects, like you pointed out. I'm not a physics major, so I can't debate with you about light and electricity and gas. However, I can read stuff on the internet just like anyone else can, and come to my own conclusions.
It's obvious that you are trying to convince me that my setup is wrong. And I've already admitted that it is not technically correct, or optimal. So, why are you so hung up on me "thinking" I'm right? Let it go man. You win. You're right, and I am wrong. I'm not out there telling everyone to put HIDs in the halogen projectors.
I'll do my research, maybe even a little trial and error and try another higher lumen bulb, and see what happens. Until then, you really don't have to keep trying to convince me that you are right, I have already submitted to that. (rolleyes) Maybe your time and energy might be better spent by ranting about, and to, all the "crappy" HID businesses out there?
Alfissimoint.
Member
- :
- 08' CX-9 AWD
At least you admit your wrong. LOL No I am kidding. I am just trying to educate. I am in the automotive business and I for one frown at this kind of garbage. Either do it right or go home. I am not arguing with you. But I find most of the time people who do this are not willing to listen, they see bright light and that is it for them. It works!!! Yay! Bright lights! If you can, take it into a dark dark place, you will see blackholes in the beam pattern, no distance lighting (magnesium street signs far away do not count as your beam pattern lighting those up), see the orange or light pattern scattered on the sides? See the massive amounts of light in front of the bumper but fades as it goes 4-5ft out? Means it's not working properly and you could end up not seeing anything in the distance.
Why not sell the stuff on e-bay and do the bulbs I mentioned. You will like them. Before I educated myself and talked personally to Dan Stern I did the same thing in My alfa romeo. But I realized it did not work. It looked like it did but in all reality I had a hard time seeing distance stuff at night.
All the crappy HID business' out there are already getting nabbed by the NHSTA. Many of them have been closed down, fined and forced to get the products back from the customers and refund them. Little by little they are disappearing. No need to rant to them. But what this does is also educates other people ON HERE about the false claims and plain ignorance these retro kits have. I much rather have halogen lamps that work well with a sweet German made Bulb (especially these new HIR bulbs which are as close to HID without all the hardware).
In my own business, I do not sell anything that is garbage like this. First off, it would make me look likeI don't know what I am doing to my customers who are smarter than the HID retro kit companies selling you false claims, it's a liability as a business, plus I am promoting illegal products that don't work to make money. I only sell for example bulbs that properly fit the housing my customers have and bulbs that are ECE approved. (thats European road approval).
I bet you can see better with these bulbs. Try it.
Personally perception is subjective. Actual lumens can only be measures with a photometer. So really your eyes play tricks on you especially at night. Having like I said the light right there really makes things hard to see. You will see sort of yellow/black in your vision. Not something I want at night. But with the proper bulbs in there that will not happen.
Physic's is Physic's, your perception does not change it. To each their own works in the sense if I wanted to add racing stripes on my CX-9 and you did not like it, well that makes more sense in that case. But not so much in this one. Do what you will.
Why not sell the stuff on e-bay and do the bulbs I mentioned. You will like them. Before I educated myself and talked personally to Dan Stern I did the same thing in My alfa romeo. But I realized it did not work. It looked like it did but in all reality I had a hard time seeing distance stuff at night.
All the crappy HID business' out there are already getting nabbed by the NHSTA. Many of them have been closed down, fined and forced to get the products back from the customers and refund them. Little by little they are disappearing. No need to rant to them. But what this does is also educates other people ON HERE about the false claims and plain ignorance these retro kits have. I much rather have halogen lamps that work well with a sweet German made Bulb (especially these new HIR bulbs which are as close to HID without all the hardware).
In my own business, I do not sell anything that is garbage like this. First off, it would make me look likeI don't know what I am doing to my customers who are smarter than the HID retro kit companies selling you false claims, it's a liability as a business, plus I am promoting illegal products that don't work to make money. I only sell for example bulbs that properly fit the housing my customers have and bulbs that are ECE approved. (thats European road approval).
I bet you can see better with these bulbs. Try it.
Personally perception is subjective. Actual lumens can only be measures with a photometer. So really your eyes play tricks on you especially at night. Having like I said the light right there really makes things hard to see. You will see sort of yellow/black in your vision. Not something I want at night. But with the proper bulbs in there that will not happen.
Physic's is Physic's, your perception does not change it. To each their own works in the sense if I wanted to add racing stripes on my CX-9 and you did not like it, well that makes more sense in that case. But not so much in this one. Do what you will.
Bartman, it sounds like as has already been said, your leveling motor must be malfunctioning. Try to see if Mazda can sell you just the motor. It sits on the outside of the housing. The little plastic white cap on the end of the motor.... there is a white stick like adjuster inside there... does not require tools. You can use your fingers to adjust it...you might be able to get it where you want by doing that. Also, you may check the connection on that plug that plugs into the leveling motor...spray some electrical cleaner in the plug.
Yeah, deffinately have to be set on the highest vertical setting under normal weight load to get the best light spread.
Alfissimoint.
Member
- :
- 08' CX-9 AWD
That would be set at 0. Thats the proper level. The other setting lower the lamp, not raise it. This is an option that is nice to have but rarely, if ever used or needed.
Alfissimoint.
Member
- :
- 08' CX-9 AWD
Ok??
