Skidoor

Hi, can someone tell me what kind of lamps (low beam) I have in my 2014? I'd like to upgrade them to something that throws out a lot more light. Thx.

thoiboi

Got a pic?

RDX10

If you are in Canada then you have HID's, if you have the tech package you have HID's. If you have the base model and are not in Canada, you have halogens.

Skidoor

OK thanx RDX10....yes its the Tech....I had the photo all ready to go so I will post it anyway....have a great day.

thoiboi

looks like HID to me!

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/al...equipped)_2014


the best bulb on the market recently dropped in price! so grab it here!:

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/al...ect_restrict=1

mrgold35

I haven't seen (or looked) for +14 RDX threads of folks upgrading the HIDs to different bulb like OSRAM or Morimoto? I did the OSRAM 5000K upgrades to my 08 RDX and 11 MDX and that really improved the light output range/width/illumination.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

dont be fooled by higher kelvin temps!
higher kelvin temps do not equal to brighet lights!

thoiboi gave you a great starting point on upgrading the bulbs.

Skidoor

Holy cow, I wasn't looking to spend quite that much.....

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

stay with your stock bulbs then.

thoiboi

The Morimoto XB35 bulbs are a nice bang for your bucks for ~50 bucks USD.

What issues are you having? Can you take a picture of your headlights output facing a wall ~25 feet (~7.62 meters) away so we can determine if there really is an issue. Your lenses look to be in good condition and for just shy under 3 years, I'd be shocked if the bulbs were dying already.

Skidoor

I wouldn't say (or know) if they are deteriorated, even though the RDX has approx 55,00 miles on it..... I just thought that the light output wasn't quite what I had hoped for and doesn't seem any better than any previous vehicles I've owned.....how far the light reaches down the road is my biggest beef. I do drive out in the sticks occasionally and there are wild animals like deer and raccoons who happily run around naked in the woods and while you're doing 75 mph, they can jump out in front of you as if they just want to end it all.

And you can't always use your hi beams.

mrgold35

I stayed in the 4300k-5000k range for my upgrades. Anything above 5500k is just for the blue-ish to purple-ish looks and won't help with road and sign illumination. Another issue I seen was from just A-OK OEM projector lens light output design. My MDX projector lenses are no where as concentrated with the sharp cut off compared to my 06 TSX HIDs (still have my OEM HIDs in the TSX after +10 yrs because they are so good).

The biggest one is UV damaged hazy headlight can also dim/diffuse light output. It doesn't take much UV haze to start to diffuse the headlights to make it look like dim HIDs. Even a 10% haze can start to do this. I would make sure the headlight cover is clear and maybe put some UV clear bra material on them if that is an issue.

thoiboi

May just be an issue with height adjustment. Do the wall test and report back

Skidoor

Yes my housings are a bit pitted, but not hazy or yellow....this summer I may restore them. For the mileage on the RDX I was quite dismayed when I saw how much pitting there was.

thoiboi

but pitting has nothing to due with age and everything to do with driving conditions..

you've had 55,000 miles of potential rock chips..

Skidoor

ya I think the previous owner was content to bumble along behind dump trucks and transports on the highway. There are a lot of stone chips on the hood and bumper too.

chickdr

And this is why I had our headlights, bumper and hood protected with a clear bra within days of purchase...

RDX10

You're welcome man!

This 1000%.

Comfy

I thought the base model with halogen projectors also looked the same. So I don't think the photo will distinguish between them unless the headlamp is on.
And yes, you've contracted the mod bug. Congratulations. .

tal

The headlight housings are the same down to the part numbers at least for the 2013 base RDX AWD I have. I don't understand why Acura did this. The halogen bulbs put out such a poor throw of light.

I went with The Retrofitsource in the OEM 4300k and they are just like the OEM RDX Tech package lights. They work great.

Comfy

Great job. So did you put the HID bulbs in the OEM halogen projectors or you did a full HID projector retrofit or swapped the entire headlight to HID version? I've heard that HID bulbs even in a halogen projectors do not work as well. I'd be glad if you could post a wall shot of your low beams at approx 25ft for reference. Thanks.

RDX10

He's saying the part numbers are the same so I am guessing it means he only needed to swap the bulbs

Comfy

What....??? So you mean the projectors are the same for HID and halogens? I can't believe Acura did this atrocity to save a few bucks. Anyone buying an Acura would have easily offered a few hundred more to upgrade to HID if that was available as a stand alone option. Glad that they realized their folly and the newer version sports LEDs as standard.
In this case of halogen lights, simply going with an "HID only kit" makes the most sense.

RDX10

Re-reading his post, that is exactly what he is saying. He simply got a 4300k HID kit and retrofitted it into his headlight. But I am curious about one thing, by law cars outfitted with HID's have to be auto-leveling. Are RDX's with halogens auto levelling and if not, is there an extra part like a motor (as was the case with my 2004 touareg) that attaches to the housing to make it so (in conjunction with sensors of course)?

Acura was on a cost cutting extravaganza with the 2G RDX (mainly the removal of SH-AWD). So it would not surprise me if the removal of HID's was just a cost cutting measure as well, because they were standard on the 1G. In fairness in Canada the HID's were standard still on the 2G as well.

tal

The is no auto-leveling on the Acura RDX.

RDX10

I don't think that is correct. It is mandated by law. If they were not auto leveling it would have to have a little roller switch to lower and raise them at minimum.

Nicholasx

I'm not sure this is correct. I just did a search on a couple of parts websites and these are the parts numbers I found:

2013 RDX HID housing part number (same for FWD and AWD): 33101-TX4-A01
2013 RDX Halogen housing part number (same for FWD and AWD): 33100-TX4-A11

Skippy2000

Trying to upgrade my low beams on 2014 RDX. Go to unscrew the caps under the hood...like in the videos!...but caps have black wires "plugged" into them making unscrewing problematic and risky. What are they? HID Kit? How can I unscrew? Still H11 bulbs?
Thx.

Bob fillare

Hello fellow RDX members,

Tried a lot of lights

I have a 2013 base AWD RDX, I tried numerous lights. Right now I have these in my car, cost is next to them:

HID--low beams--400--local perf shop
LED--High beams--50--Amazon
HID--fog lights--250--local perf shop

Tried to use LED in the low beams, bought the best I could find(8400 lumens), the HID was noticbly better.

I live in North Jersey, minimal street lights, and this is the best I could find. They are much better than the stock, and Acura wanted a lot more(do not buy from Acura, go to Bernardi Bros, genuine Acura parts, much less)

Yes it was costly, but the best I could get for the stock were PIAA super white.

Hope this helps

Bob

Comfy

How does the LED high beam perform with the reflectors meant for Halogen? Can you post a wall shot please. thanks.

trantj

Hi. I'm new to this forum. Finding a solution to my 2014 RDX base model headlights problem has been a HUGE headache. I've had to change the halogen bulbs every other year (1st pair was factory and 2nd pair was Sylvania Silverstar Ultra). After one of the headlights on the 2nd pair blew a month ago, I was looking to find a more lasting solution so I decided to try LEDs. I ordered from Amazon a pair of CougarMotor 7,200 lumen 6K, but they just weren't bright enough. I returned them then ordered another pair from Amazon, Hikari 9,600 lumen 6K, but still not bright enough. I read that it's hard to change to HIDs that's why I've only ordered LEDs. These LEDs don't throw the light far enough and they're just not bright enough. I see other cars have super bright areas on either side of the car, but mine is just a soft glow. I'm convince the projector housing is causing the light to be dim. Any suggestions would be appreciated.