Ralphie : 2013 Honda Accord EX

[AccordWarrior]

What did you guys get if you don't mind me asking?

We weren't planning on getting the Accord but my sister in law needed a car so my in laws gave me what the Altima was worth and we set out to get a new Pilot for the wife and I was going to take the CRV but that Pilot is pricey lol.

So the Accor it was!

We bought a new 2016 Mazda CX-5 Touring with the Bose/Moonroof package.

We looked at all the cars in the segment and were between the CX-5 and CR-V and found the CX-5 to be the best fit for us. It was a blast to drive and felt just a little less like an appliance than the CR-V.

[Ralphie]

We bought a new 2016 Mazda CX-5 Touring with the Bose/Moonroof package.

We looked at all the cars in the segment and were between the CX-5 and CR-V and found the CX-5 to be the best fit for us. It was a blast to drive and felt just a little less like an appliance than the CR-V.

Ah nice!

Yea I bet that was much more fun than the CR-V.

I haven't driven either the Mazda or the new CR-V, but we have a 2009 CR-V and while it has been amazing, no issues, just hums along happily, the drive is pretty bland.

[owequitit]

Scott to the rescue LOL.

Oh, well hot damn....I thought only the "sports" had the red. That is good to know!

Hmmm....so basically I just need to find someone who works for Honda that can reprogram it and hopefully throw them a few bucks.

Why wouldn't the computer just track that shit and display it on the odo so that A) you could easily swap clusters if one broke and b) it would be that MUCH harder to scam with....???

Ill have to be careful about it though, as the last thing I need on my CLEAN carfax is that little asshole fox talking shit about my mileage to everyone.

I am not sure to be honest. Maybe because it makes it harder to tamper with.

[Ralphie]

I am not sure to be honest. Maybe because it makes it harder to tamper with.

Yea that is probably why.

Did you ever throw a set of HIDS in your parents v6?

[owequitit]

Yea that is probably why.

Did you ever throw a set of HIDS in your parents v6?

No, not yet. I have too much other stuff going on. LOL.

[Ralphie]

No, not yet. I have too much other stuff going on. LOL.

Yea I hear ya. You still flying into beautiful Newark lol?

[owequitit]

Yea I hear ya. You still flying into beautiful Newark lol?

No. I am Dallas based now, which even though the flying sucks, I get to drive home at the end of the day which makes it worth it. I guess the flying doesn't really "suck", its just repetitive. Lots of rapid short-haul stuff.

I do miss flying in Newark though. I loved flying there, just hated having to commute to sit in a crashpad.

[Ralphie]

Well I pulled out the DDM 5k HIDS.

I had a horrible shadow on the drivers side that ended up being a shadow caused by the return rod on the bulb. I guess because these housings were designed for halogen bulbs, when you twist the HID bulb in, the rod can cause issues.

After doing research I think H11B bulbs work better than H11A, which I believe is what I got.

I just bought the $25 DDM kit. They looked great but the lighting was worse than stock.

I found out about a mod using h9 bulbs instead of h11. They are 65w as opposed to 55w. They are meant for high beam applications, so their life won't be as long but they retain the OEM throw and cutoff and provide way more light.

Ill post pictures in a minute.

Going to send the DDM kit back to DDM and get a refund. Sometime down the road, when I have money I will maybe invest in quality pieces, OEM ballasts and morimoto bulbs but the H9 bulbs are $9 each so for now, it's OEM-ish lol.

[Ralphie]

Here is with the H9 mod-


and with the DDM kit installed-


Basically I had to sand down a plastic nub inside the socket and trim about 3mm of metal off of one of the clips so that I could A) attach the stock harness and B) twist the bulb in to lock it into place.

They went in smooth and look great. I miss the blue hue and that igniting look when they kick on, but I need to see lol.

[Ralphie]

SHAT

No updates.

Hit 31k miles. I need to perform the basic maintenance but other than that, no new mods. Been busy working and my photography business has been busy so I have had like 0 time off.

[owequitit]

Beware of that headlight mod. We used to do that stuff with the high beams in the low beam socket on CB7's and it would eventually cause the low beam wiring to start to burn and melt. I had to replace both of my low beam sockets for that.

[Ralphie]

Really? Damn.

Only reason I did it is because a few members on the 9th gen group ran the h9 bulbs for over a year with no issues.

When these bulbs go, I am just going to buy brighter OEM bulbs from autozone lol.

[owequitit]

Really? Damn.

Only reason I did it is because a few members on the 9th gen group ran the h9 bulbs for over a year with no issues.

When these bulbs go, I am just going to buy brighter OEM bulbs from autozone lol.

Don't know if it will or won't. The HID's put bigger than stock load on the wiring for the first few seconds they are warming up, but then the current draw goes down and the thermal load on the wires is reduced.

If you look at the electrical curves of HID lights, you will get a spike in power draw at the beginning and then a drop as they warm up, and it will stabilize at a lower value than an incandescent bulb. This is part of the reason that CFL's don't save you money if they are turned on and off frequently because they actually average a higher draw than the incandescent bulb. Frequent on and off cycling also shortens the lifespan of these types of bulbs (HID included).

However, with a higher wattage incandescent bulb, they just draw more current, and even though it doesn't seem like a lot, it does put extra load on your wires. To be fair, by car was quite old when they finally burned through and ran them for a number of years (probably around 3-4) when it happened, so your car's might last a lot longer just based on the age of the wires.

Just wanted to give you an FYI. Also, you can find some aftermarket HID setups where the wire is positioned to not interfere with the halogen reflector. Mine don't and they work great and I know the Accord projectors blow my reflectors out of the water.

[Ralphie]

Yea I wasn't too thrilled about putting higher wattage bulbs in my low beams as they are clearly for high beams only.

I just wanted some extra throw and my DDM 5k 35W kit was just horrible but they're only $25 for you definitely get what you pay for.

Im on the fence about the next step. Ill either get "brighter" bulbs from autozone or get a respectable kit that will not interfere like the DDM.

I am dying to convert to dual exhaust and buy one of the cheap flushmount spoilers online. They paint them OEM colors and reviews have been pretty positive. Also they attach via 3m tape, no screws required, so I like that in the event that I want it off or it falls off it isn't leaving behind holes.

Other than that, I just want to do a mild drop and some gunmetal wheels and id be content.

[Ralphie]

Well, almost at 40k miles. Sheesh, I love driving it but hate seeing the miles rack up.

She needs new rotors and pads as the OEM ones are garbage.

I want to do mods so bad but no moneies