I have looked everywhere for the following information, and have yet to find anything. What I'm trying to find out is:

I have a 2010 Mazda3 5-door Hatchback sSport, and I want to convert my stock headlights (Lo Beam) to HID. The dealer told me I would need to change the projectors, to support the HIDs, but others I have heard from said this isn't necessary. I want to know which is correct, as this is weighing my decision ($$) on performing the conversion or not.

Any assistance on this would be greatly appreciated.


As an fyi, it was the parts department of the dealer, who didn't even ask what kind of car I had. When I told the guy what kind of car I had, he said "oh yeah, you definitely have to change the projectors". With this being said, I wonder if the dealer is stating this, so they can get more money from me (parts are expensive), or if they are stating this because of the way the light is handled within the factory projectors vs. those generally used for HIDs.

 

The answer is both yes and no. From a strictly legal aspect any aftermarket HID kit is illegal for on road usage. This is primarily due to people installing them in reflector housings which have no control over the increased light and cause significant glare for other drivers. The Mazda 3 on the other hand has a projector low beam which will control the light from HIDs and keep you from blinding people.

That said the halogen projector and HID projectors are different and distribute light differently. True HID projectors give a very even uniform light distribution while HIDs in halogens tend more towards hot spots in some areas and less light in others..... that's not to say that there won't be more light in those 'dimmer' areas with HIDs than with halogens, just that the light isn't a smooth as with a real HID projector.

You can easily get an inexpensive HID kit which will greatly increase your night time visibility. If you're unhappy with it you could later swap out your housings or retrofit a HID projector into your current housings and you'll have headlights even better.

 

Legality totally depends on your local lighting codes. Here in IL it is perfectly legal for all HID lights as long as they are between a blue and amber hue.

Your projectors should work fine with an aftermarket kit.

 

Thanks for the information, I greatly appreciate it. Also, my apologies for the delayed response, as I've been extremely busy with work and looking for a house.

 

https://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/whe...41/#post128350

 

A good site: (3") Mazda 3 - Clear Lenses from The Retrofit Source Inc
I am not totally pleased with my Mazda 6 Low beams. I changed bulbs and did re-aim them, still not really satisfied but don't like reliabilty of HID lights.
Also found this pic, OE lens is opaque, TRS is clear;

 

^^ I also did the TRS lens swap. Great results.