Replica
if your bulbs were blowing that often, maybe you have other problems?
Not really. Silverstars are notorious for their short bulb life. I probably went through 4-5 bulbs on my Protege5 in less than a year. Car was stock in any way that would matter to a bulb. Check out Amazon reviews on the Silverstars. Lots of complaints of gnat-like bulb life.M
Yea I worked at a parts store for a while and the Silverstars are junk. I always ordered Hellas. Better lifespan.
shaowq
im one of those HID ******** that put 55w 6000k HID's in my non hid reflector housing headlights =-p
Suddueth13
I've never had Silverstars blow frequently but my cars had good ground systems. Some cars just eat bulbs period. But they are supposed to have a shorter life span. I had a set outlast 3 cars. After doing my retrofit, I dont even bat an eyelash at halogens anymore.
Chris_uk
im one of those HID ******** that put 55w 6000k HID's in my non hid reflector housing headlights =-p
Im also one of those ********, 55w 8000k HID's my friend, gotta love em 
fam
After debate...I too will be an ******* (probably will be june though)...really hating the halogens compared to all my other hid cars (actually put my last set from my 3 to my wife's 5 before I traded it in so I see the hid's in action every day when I drive my wifes van).
x808x
Osram Night Breaker Plus or Hella/PIAA bulbs.
powerbulbs.com has the Osrams with free international shipping!! They're not available in the states right now.
Replica
Im also one of those ********, 55w 8000k HID's my friend, gotta love em
Without a proper OEM projector housing, I just can't do the HID thing.
Chris_uk
To be completely honest the reflectors on the haolgen lamp are reallllly good for HID's and ive had them in on both my current sport 1.5 and my old 1.3 and man they are so good compared to the basic halogen lol, and i dont dazzle drivers either because i fitted them correctly and they adjust correctly using the cabin adjuster 
Chris
fam
M
chris keep in mind us folks here in the states dont have cabin adjusters as its just a requirement for you crazy euro people.
DrWebster
For halogen, Philips Extreme Vision.
The Philips BlueVision bulbs are good too. They're about as close as you can get to HID-look in a halogen, and don't suck like Silverstars do.
ElZoom
Ive had Silverstars with excellent results...However, I now use Osram Rallye bulbs since around last july and couldnt be happier. Thay were suggested to me by a fellow forum member.
Chris_uk
chris keep in mind us folks here in the states dont have cabin adjusters as its just a requirement for you crazy euro people.
Ah i see, well tbh if the goverment have their way HID's will soon be banned unless fitted by manufacturers, boooooo
Chris
Suddueth13
0
^^^That's a good thing. That keeps the kids from blinding everybody with their cheap HID kits. A proper retrofit looks and performs just like, if not better than the OEMs. The 2's reflectors are terrible for HID lighting. The cutoff is erratic and not consisistent along with way too much foreground light. Plenty of glare above the cutoff and when you aim them lower you just further reduce your distance vision than you already have with the big blob of bright light 20 feet in front of the car.
Chris_uk
to be totally honest, a land rover for example been a high car has projector lights and i still get blinded with the glare, so really it doesn't solve the problem 100% with projectors but i also have to disagree with you, ive had a few compliments on my HID's about how well they sit in the halogen lens and reflectors, i paid nearly £100 for this kit from a proper aftermarket tuning shop nearby so trust me its no cheap kit and ive also fitted it correctly :)
fam
Mandate projectors and problem solved
Suddueth13
The reason you get blinded by Land Rovers is because you're below the cutoff. Higher vehicles mixed with lower vehicles, there's just no way around that. If you were above the cutoff, there would be no glare because there is no scattered light. On the other hand, there's still significant glare above the cutoff with halogen reflectors when using HID burners. There's nothing to stop it and it is dangerous while being annoying. It may look good, but the lighting dynamics are bad. Whether the kit is $15 or $1500, it still is a rebased burner being used in a housing not designed for it which scatters the light. I have years of experience with HID, halogen, and incandescent lighting systems, both OEM and aftermarket. I've retrofitted many vehicles, fabricated tail lghts, enen attempted to build my own D2R reflector HID set up. Lighting is one of my hobbies so I know how these systems work.
Chris_uk
i was't saying mine would be no glare cos of the price i was stating mine isn't cheap lol as per your earlier comment, and as for the HID retrofit, would it work in the uk considering we have our in car adjustment of the beam?
Suddueth13
.It depends on how the level is adjusted. If it moves the reflector like a standard adjuster does, then you would be able to retain the factory leveling system. I got my shrouds today. I'll be using BMW E46 shrouds. I'll try and snap some pictures of the shrouds tomorrow and post them up. Now I'm just waiting on my harness. I'll probably start disassembling my formerly retrofitted lights and start getting the projectors ready in the meantime.
Chris_uk
i see, but then i also have a question regarding the use of a retrofit, will it pass the yearly MOT test we have here in the uk, here is a section for the new regulations introduced this year.
Lighting
Products on the lens or light source that obviously reduce the light's intensity or change its colour will become a reason for failure – applies to front/rear position lamps, registration plate lamps, stop lamps, rear fog and direction indicators,
Headlight requirements are updated to take account of the particular characteristics of High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps.
HID headlights can cause dazzle if they are dirty or aimed too high so car manufacturers must fit headlamp cleaning and levelling systems. A car will fail if a mandatory headlamp cleaning or levelling system is missing, doesn't work or is obviously defective.
Vehicles fitted with aftermarket HID systems must also be fitted with properly working washer and levelling systems.
If a headlamp bulb is not seated correctly the resulting beam pattern will be indistinct and this will result in a test fail
Now obviously i have an aftermarket HID system in my halogen reflectors, so im guessing since i have the levelling system already fitted, as ive only switched the bulbs, i should pass this lol, well i hope
Chris
Suddueth13
You'll have to see what acually changes when you flip the adjuster. If it's just the shield for instance, then a retrofit could not utilize the factory adjustment without some sort of modification. If it moves the whole reflector, then you would retain the ability to adjust it up and down with the OEM switch. Just be sure to use bulbs no higher than 5000K and no one will know the car originally had halogens.
Suddueth13
Here's the finished product of one light. I'll do a write up in the How To section when I get some more time. No output pics yet either
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=191376&d=1328063375
Suddueth13
Here's the how to for the retrofit. How to: Retrofit your Mazda 2
Chris_uk
price?
Chris
XCLR8TN
^^ theretrofitsource.com for pricing
Chris_uk
yea priced it up, sheeeeesh shipping is going to cost the earth, 30-40 pounds for shipping per item, obviously if i get a few things its going to be a bit more because of the weight, found them on ebay for easier conversion of currency lol
Chris
Suddueth13
Plus if you email Matt@theretrofitsource.com he may be able to get you a good deal
Car Service Long Island - Long Island Limo
