Replacing stock non-HID halogen to aftermarket LED

[10Mazda3i]

Hello fellow mazda owners,

I've been reading on these boards and others alike in order to make a more informed decision when shopping for headlights. After all, we all drive similar if not the same car (more or less) so who better to ask?

Currently 2010i stock, bought used 4 months ago. 162,000 km. I have halogens stock in now.

With that in mind I'd like some opinions on:

Whether I will be able to upgrade my current halogen setup with the stock housing, using kits or bulbs to either LED or HID without:

Melting or replacing the headlight, melting or shorting the wiring harness or causing spikes in the car's electrical system or make the alternator/battery work harder?

Would I be able to get this done without blinding people while keeping a consistently bright light beam or will I need to replace the headlight and install more parts?

Would would tinting my headlight housing cause a big difference in the light?

What produces the strongest and most consistent beam? HID? LED? Halogen?

My brother in law is convinced that LED are brighter than HID, I have read that HID throws more light. He's convinced LED are the way to go. I find that my halogens don't throw out that much light in dimly lit areas.

Sorry in advance if I posted in the wrong spot, I'm pretty new here.

[Hyperion]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170323/5a69e2173145098247806b4ea01a713f.jpg

Pick your preference between the 3.
Follow this guide if you'd like the h9
https://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1409801
You can message me if you'd like to buy a hid kit.

[10Mazda3i]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170323/5a69e2173145098247806b4ea01a713f.jpg

Pick your preference between the 3.
Follow this guide if you'd like the h9
https://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1409801
You can message me if you'd like to buy a hid kit.

I'm not sure if that helps me.
Any other replies?

[Hyperion]

🤦*♂️

[SonicBoy]

Whether I will be able to upgrade my current halogen setup with the stock housing, using kits or bulbs to either LED or HID without:

Melting or replacing the headlight, melting or shorting the wiring harness or causing spikes in the car's electrical system or make the alternator/battery work harder?

Yes. Hyperion shows you 3 options


Would I be able to get this done without blinding people while keeping a consistently bright light beam or will I need to replace the headlight and install more parts?

Yes. Hyperion's pics shows the difference in the light patterns with each option giving a brighter spectrum. (Look at the Garage Door) I'm sure Hyperion's neighbours love living across from him. :chuckle


Would would tinting my headlight housing cause a big difference in the light?
Any kind of tint will impede the amount of light being projected outwards. Are you looking at yellow overlays? They may cut through fog but highly illegal as main lights.


What produces the strongest and most consistent beam? HID? LED? Halogen?
My opinioin would be HID at the moment. LED technology is coming along where multiple units together does produce more lumins. The 2017 Mz3 can be purchased with LED lights IIRC as the main headlight.


My brother in law is convinced that LED are brighter than HID, I have read that HID throws more light. He's convinced LED are the way to go. I find that my halogens don't throw out that much light in dimly lit areas.
LEDs use less energy and are more efficient. Could your headlight housings be foggy and not clear? Halogens do get dimmer over time and perhaps replacing both of them will yield better results if you want to stay OEM.

Hope that answers all of your questions. Hyperion really would be the best person I know of here TM3 that would be able to answer all your questions and even perform the work for you. His pictures are worth a thousand words where I hope I have provided the words.

[Hyperion]

Leds are worthless unless oem from factory. Even then they won't perform as good as a 35w hid set up.
I didn't present the option because it's not worth talking about.

[spugenpower]

Do an HID retrofit. PnP LEDs don't have a hotspot and it throws a lot of foreground light, it will only make your visibility worse. PnP HIDs are brighter than halogens but it could burn your reflector bowls and it also causes a lot of glare to oncoming vehicles.

Also, modified H9 bulbs are much better than PnP LEDs and HIDs if you don't wanna go the retrofit way.