Just wondering if it is possible to replace the HID bulbs in the Speed 3 GT to give a slightly more "blue" hue. Nothing too garish, just slightly cooler. I've noticed when the HID's are finally "warmed up" they emit a bright white light more so than ice blue light. Any suggestions on good, reliable bulbs? How difficult is it to replace them? Thanks for any info.

 

good question. ive been thinking about changing my bulbs too.
the yellowish white colour just looks cheap compared to HID or Xenon bulbs.
and it makes the car look more expensive because HID are always seen on slight more expensive cars (ie, cadillacs, acuras, etc)

 

If you want some new bulbs then check out the ones on www.HIDplanet.com. You need to get a DS2 bulb. The OEM ones are around 4,300 kelvin which is the brightest light available, and won't tire your eyes out as much as something with a higher kelvin rating. If you want something a little bluer then try 5,000k, or 6,000k. Personally I wouldn't go any higher than that as the higher you go the less light you have.

dentinger, he's talking about replacing the OEM HID bulbs, not replacing the halogen bulbs.

 

yeah, i thought he was talking about a non-speed3.
my bad.
but could i easily put HID's in my 2007 mazda3?? its just base, btw

 

Well the GT non-speed 3 has HIDs as well. You could put HIDs in your halogen housings with a HID kit (bulbs, ballasts, ignitors, wiring). They run anywhere from about $200-500 depending on what you get. There are several forum sponsors over on www.mazda3forums.com that sell various kits and offer a lifetime warranty.

The downside to putting HIDs in your halogens is that while they're way way brighter than the halogens they aren't going to be as good as OEM HIDs just because the projectors and lenses are different. Still it's a great upgrade.

 

could i just buy Xenon headlights instead?? like, just the bulbs??
cuz im leasing and dont want to void my warranty

 

The DS2 are the ones you need but the I would be causious of the higher ratings for they could cause damage to your lights over a pieriod of time. I just recently purchase the same thing and found everything I needed thru ebay. Just type in "mazda 3" in the search box. Good luck

 

There's a big difference between xenon filled halogen bulbs, and HIDs. You could get halogen bulbs that have a bluish tint, or that are filled with xenon gas, but it's not going to perform like HIDs. You can't just install HID bulbs with a halogen setup... they don't work that way. Halogen bulbs make light by running electricity through a metal filament surrounded by an inert gas. HIDs arc electricity through xenon gas between two electrodes, similar to a flourescent light. As such they require a ballast/ignitor to start them up... again just like flourescent lights.

As long as you're still using a 35w bulb then there isn't any difference in the power/heat between a 4,300 kelvin bulb, and a 12,000 kelvin bulb. Remember that the number is the color temperature, not the power usage of the bulb.

 

so a 12000K bulb is more blue than a 4000K bulb??

 

A 12,000 kelvin bulb is a violet/purple color. Remember, the higher the kelvin the less usable light there is. 4,000-4,500 kelvin is the closest to sunlight you can get. Also highly blue or purplish light tires your eyes out more easily. Some people like the bluish tint of the higher kelvin, since they like the color flickering that you see on OEM HID systems. That flicker is a function of the projector cutoff shield, and not the bulb itself. Myself I'd prefer more function than form.

Here's a pretty good scale of kelvin to color