blitz960

Is it even possible to get an MDX without HID? I thought HID is standard on all MDX.
Just bought a '10 Tech/RES and the headlight doesn't look like HID or at least it is not white... more yellow.. quite a bit of yellow... I just came off a
2nd Gen RL with Adaptive Headlights and those are WHITE and bright. Love those lights. But on this MDX, seems like it is a regular headlight.. pretty yellow. How do I check if this is HID?
Also, are these headlights Adaptive? Could not seem to find any literature about it.
Could be the HID aging but it is only a '10. Could it be?
Also, the SHAWD indicator on the dash... on my previous RL, it usually shows equal torque to all wheels but on the MDX, is it normal to always have more torque on the front 2 wheels than the rear? Like the LF and RF is always 2 "bars" and the RR and LR will always be 1 "bar". Normal?

Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks

NJ06RL

I have a 2010 MDX Tech/Ent and I also just sold my 2006 RL. My 2010 MDX has HIDs. The color could be due to the bulb used. Some HIDs have a 4300K yellow color and you can swap them out for a 6000K white colored bulb.

My 2010 MDX headlights are not adaptive.

On the SH AWD display, try really stomping on the gas pedal and you might see it even out between front and rear. On gentle acceleration, I also get more torque to the front vs the rear. I also hear that our MDX torque transfer is supposedly more active between left and right than in the 2G RL.

blitz960

I see... thanks for the explanation. So. are these HIDs 4300K?
And if they are, what white colored bulb would you recommend? CDIs, Xtreme Vision? Or do you know of a better bulb?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

most cars come stock with 4300k
although, I wouldnt call them yellow.


the CBI's are supposed to be one of the best HID bulbs ever, as the price reflects this.

if you want a more white, I suppose you could step up to a 5000k bulb.

anything past 6000k would be blue towards purple.


as HID's age, they will color shift. more towards the end of the spectrum towards the blue and purple, although I dont see this happening often with quality bulbs.
when they are totally gone, they will be a pink color.


Maybe honda cheaped out and put a cheap hid bulb in the MDX

EL_PIC

See K temp color chart for color perceived ... http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting...emperature.gif

Regarding SHAWD ... yours is like mine and note it works harder on the heavier longer wheelbase
when turning ... reason why you need to change Acura SHAWD dif fluid more often than regular AWD Suv's.

Acura_Dude

^This. The previous owner probably did more dusk/dawn/night driving or drove around with the lights on more then average. OP probably just needs to replace his HID bulbs. With what? That's totally up to him. If he doesn't want any tinge of yellow, then I second the Osrams CBI bulbs. Can't go wrong with 5000K AND equal to or more lumans than a comparable 4300K bulb.

blitz960

El_pic, That's really good advice... need to remember to change the diff fluid more often. Make sense.

As far as HID, I guess there's no way to tell if the previous owner had the HID taken out.. (don't see how and why). I'll probably change it to CBIs 5000K. I think I saw some DIYs on how to change the bulbs out. I think it requires removing one of the fluids container out or something. Has anyone done it before?

Also, the high beam is not HID, right? What do you guys use for hi beam? HID or some SIlverstars?

NJ06RL

Hi beam stock is not a HID bulb. There may be a way of fitting a HID bulb in there though the qn is whether you need adapters, ballasts etc. that HID bulbs tend to need as opposed to normal halogen. if what you are after is a whiter colored light output, you can check the exact bulb type for our hi beams on sylvania's web site and find a matching halogen bulb in a whiter color than stock. Lots of options on eBay. This may be easier than HIDs in the hi beam socket cos it is more likely to be plug n play.

On AWD diff fluid change, be sure to follow the on board MID. There has been a spec change for the fluid in our SH AWD diffs - used to be ATF Z1 but it is now Acura AWD Fluid. So the dealer gets to charge us more ....

MI6

I use the CBI's and I couldn't be happier. As with any HID bulb there is a "burn in" period of approximately 100 hours before they settle in on their respective Kelvin rating.

I too was disappointed with my OEM HID's and thought they were too yellow. I "upgraded" to the CBI's because they are far more white without a doubt.

However, more white means less light. 4300K is the optimal temp for HID's to produce the most light. The CBI's are rated higher (5K I believe) and produce a whiter light but technically do not output as much light.

I hope I wrote that so that it makes sense. FWIW I do about 60% night driving and these things are wonderful. As one commenter noted they are expensive but I totally think they are worth it. I have had them in now for over a year and no problems yet.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^yeah, but you wont lose that much light going from 4300k to 5000k, thats one small step.

MI6

I totally agree. For me (at least to my eyes) it just made the road whiter. I saw no loss of light output that I could tell and if there was it was negligible. I just got rid of the slightly yellow color of the OEM bulbs (which were from 2007!) by using the CBI's.

I guess what I was getting at is that as you go from the optimum 4300K up the scale you lose light output to the ground. You're right though, 4300K to 5000K is a very small step. One which I didn't notice. I definitely recommend the CBI's.

blitz960

Thanks for the output.. I'd definitely want to put in the CBIs in mine then.. Mine is getting extremely yellowish...coming from RL, this is not normal color to me..