What have you done to your 3rd Gen today?
Thread Starter
Tech/How-To/Northeast Mod
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,517
From: Rochester, New York
I did some experimenting with my eyelid and if it was a little longer (width-wise.. mine don't span the whole headlight) I could totally eliminate any unwanted glare from the HIDs, and have what looks like a good cutoff (though VERY blotchy light spread of course)
on a P5 they look like this:
not awesome like this:
If I decide in the spring that I do want to keep the car around (likely as a winter car) I'll set the plans in motion for my own custom HID retrofit. It'll probably wait until I have a second car so that I don't have to drop $400 per headlamp on spares .. though then I'd have perfectly new lenses *drools* not the 10k mile lens on one and 92k mile lens on the other :P
I still haven't seen a projector retrofit in P5 headlamps that looked right though.. they always look like they're mounted too low.
of course I'd get rid of the foglights if I did it (or just leave them off permanently) because with small projectors and big glowing foglights it would just look funny.
Thread Starter
Tech/How-To/Northeast Mod
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,517
From: Rochester, New York
Spam Czar!!
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,315
From: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Got pics of what they look like Gary? I might start saving for one of those, winter time depresses my urge to mod so I'll probably pick some up afterwards.
Also, how hard's the install? I am NO good with wires and stuff.
Also, how hard's the install? I am NO good with wires and stuff.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 378
From: Birmingham, AL
Nothing bad... just a little paint on the bumper. Not worth my time to chase him down drag him from his car and beat him, then call the cops, trade insurance information, wrestle with his insurance company to not get enough to repaint it or whatever. It looks like some Scratch-X can take it out.
BJ Slut
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 899
From: MD
Nothing bad... just a little paint on the bumper. Not worth my time to chase him down drag him from his car and beat him, then call the cops, trade insurance information, wrestle with his insurance company to not get enough to repaint it or whatever. It looks like some Scratch-X can take it out.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,332
From: Edmonton, Canada
Never done a Protege though.
Thread Starter
Tech/How-To/Northeast Mod
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,517
From: Rochester, New York
Thread Starter
Tech/How-To/Northeast Mod
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,517
From: Rochester, New York
the beam pattern still BLOWS on a P5 with HIDs though. The sedans headlamps are a little bit better, but then you have to go bi-xenon or lose the high beams entirely.
At least it isn't blinding glare like a lot of 'throw HIDs in random car headlamp".. at least not if you make sure the headlamp aim is proper.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 837
From: Rockland, Maryville
I thought that since the P5's low-beam reflector only has to perform low-beam duties, it would be better optimized for that single task. But somehow it's not better than the sedan's Euro-code low-beams. I suspect Mazda skimped in the P5 low-beam department.
Since the P5 lows stay on when the highs are engaged, I believe the P5 has superior high-beam performance.
It's too bad there's no good place to mount Hella Rally 4000s on a Protege; otherwise I'd get a couple for highs and run HID sedan lows.
Since the P5 lows stay on when the highs are engaged, I believe the P5 has superior high-beam performance.
It's too bad there's no good place to mount Hella Rally 4000s on a Protege; otherwise I'd get a couple for highs and run HID sedan lows.
Thread Starter
Tech/How-To/Northeast Mod
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,517
From: Rochester, New York
I thought that since the P5's low-beam reflector only has to perform low-beam duties, it would be better optimized for that single task. But somehow it's not better than the sedan's Euro-code low-beams. I suspect Mazda skimped in the P5 low-beam department.
Since the P5 lows stay on when the highs are engaged, I believe the P5 has superior high-beam performance.
It's too bad there's no good place to mount Hella Rally 4000s on a Protege; otherwise I'd get a couple for highs and run HID sedan lows.
Since the P5 lows stay on when the highs are engaged, I believe the P5 has superior high-beam performance.
It's too bad there's no good place to mount Hella Rally 4000s on a Protege; otherwise I'd get a couple for highs and run HID sedan lows.
ninja edit: article from consumer reports http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache...ient=firefox-a
Originally Posted by the article
What we found. We compared 31 cars and trucks with halogen lights and 10 with HIDs, measuring their ability to light the road ahead and along the sides as well as checking them for glare (see Headlight testing).
Six out of 10 vehicles with HIDs and 9 out of 31 with halogens reached the 400-foot marker on our test course with low beams, compared with an average of 335 feet for all models tested.
The farthest so far: the inexpensive, halogen-equipped Mazda Protegé5. Its low beams illuminated our 600-foot marker without creating a glare problem.
Both types of lights produced our worst performers. The HID-equipped Audi TT’s low beams lit only to our 200-foot marker, while the halogen-equipped Chrysler Sebring and Pontiac Grand Prix provided weak, nonuniform light.
Six out of 10 vehicles with HIDs and 9 out of 31 with halogens reached the 400-foot marker on our test course with low beams, compared with an average of 335 feet for all models tested.
The farthest so far: the inexpensive, halogen-equipped Mazda Protegé5. Its low beams illuminated our 600-foot marker without creating a glare problem.
Both types of lights produced our worst performers. The HID-equipped Audi TT’s low beams lit only to our 200-foot marker, while the halogen-equipped Chrysler Sebring and Pontiac Grand Prix provided weak, nonuniform light.
Last edited by _Kansei_; Oct 25, 2007 at 10:56 PM.
Thread Starter
Tech/How-To/Northeast Mod
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,517
From: Rochester, New York
Cool web site: http://safedrives.com
from hella supertones horns, to electronic deer alerts, to emergency hammers, to hella lighting, to roll cage padding, to helmets..
they have what look like great prices on some stuff too.
$62 for an auto-dimming mirror for those who didn't get the dealer option one with the car: http://safedrives.com/proddetail.asp...50GENK2&cat=57
red LED rear fog lamp http://safedrives.com/proddetail.asp...no19153&cat=15
I'd get it, paint the casing black, and mount it below the rear bumper
just gotta mount it left of the vehicle centerline (legal), which works well since our exhaust exits on the right.
high powered (120dB) electronic deer thing http://safedrives.com/proddetail.asp...rnet120&cat=55
hella supertones for $63 dollars
http://safedrives.com/proddetail.asp...3399801&cat=22
look at me, I'm like a spammer except I come back again and again. --I need sleep, cya
from hella supertones horns, to electronic deer alerts, to emergency hammers, to hella lighting, to roll cage padding, to helmets..
they have what look like great prices on some stuff too.
$62 for an auto-dimming mirror for those who didn't get the dealer option one with the car: http://safedrives.com/proddetail.asp...50GENK2&cat=57
red LED rear fog lamp http://safedrives.com/proddetail.asp...no19153&cat=15
I'd get it, paint the casing black, and mount it below the rear bumper
just gotta mount it left of the vehicle centerline (legal), which works well since our exhaust exits on the right.high powered (120dB) electronic deer thing http://safedrives.com/proddetail.asp...rnet120&cat=55
hella supertones for $63 dollars
http://safedrives.com/proddetail.asp...3399801&cat=22
look at me, I'm like a spammer except I come back again and again. --I need sleep, cya