MrMeaty wrote:Just did this on a US 2013 base model and worked like a charm. Thanks!
Had previously replaced Highs with LED thinking my low HID would be bright enough but they are not as bright as my last car so I put the stock high back in, just didn't want those dim yellow DRL on whenever I drove. I had already swapped the parking assist (or whatever they are called) lights to LEDs so those still stay on when driving which is perfect.
For the LEDs to work well, you need a proper kit with a driver, not just a LED replacement bulb. There are LED kits out there that output well over 2000 lumens, making them significantly brighter than halogens. I find the bigger problem is the proper reflection inside the headlight than actual light output.
I also want to add that those "parking assist" position bulbs don't come on unless the light switch is either in the Parking or On mode. They don't come on when the light switch is in the Off position, making them considerably different than the DRLs in functionality. The DRLs come on when the car's on and the hand brake is lowered. They only turn off when the headlights are turned on, enabling the low beams.
I'm in somewhat of a dilemma with the high beam/DRL configuration because I want to keep my DRLs for safety, but I want high performance high beams. Using high output halogens like Osram Rallye H7s or Philips Xtreme Vision greatly boosts high beam performance, but at the cost of bulb life in regular operation. With DRLs, the bulbs are even further cut short in lifespan. My Osram Rallye bulb only lasted 6 months when used as a DRL and high beam bulb. I favor LEDs but, as my previous experiment with a high-end LED conversion kit yielded, there are numerous complications.
The first is that the DRL system in the Kizashi uses a Pulsed Width Modulation system. It's not a low-voltage system, but more a pulsed system closer to normal operating voltage. This makes bulb usage other than a halogen somewhat difficult as they cause HIDs and LEDs to flicker. A capacitor is the remedy, but this also causes the DRL to operate at a significantly higher output, looking almost like you have your high beams on. This is because it gets rid of the pulsed system and supplies the DRL with a stable voltage. The problem is that this voltage is rather high for a DRL.
The second is that LEDs don't necessary work too well in headlights designed for halogens. LEDs in this application are Surface Mounted Device emitters so they can't perfectly replicate the light output characteristics of a halogen bulb. This causes focus and glare issues. High beams require a concentrated "hotspot" of output to work properly for a long throw of light and LEDs generally can't offer that in drop-in kits given the reflector wasn't designed for a LED bulb. Hence, the LED's output is like a bright flood light in high beam usage, from my experience. While some LEDs are better than others and recent ones allow adjustment inside the headlight, it's still not as great as a halogen bulb in throw. Basically, it requires you to compromise.
Lastly, LED bulbs require fans and heat sinks to cool them, making the entire bulb size huge compared to a halogen bulb, especially a small one like a H7. H7 bulbs are often used in sealed headlights like the Kizashi and many LED bulbs aren't compatible with sealed headlights. They often require ventilation into the engine bay for the fans and often are too big to even fit inside the sealed headlight's cap.
Despite all these challenges, I'm still looking into an ideal LED conversion because I want to keep my DRLs while having a high output high beam. I also want long bulb life and LEDs are the best at that. LEDs also allow for color output choices unlike most halogens which are simply tinted blue for a whiter output, making them actually dimmer. Halogens are based on old technology which creates more heat than light and have a very short lifespan compared to LEDs and HIDs. I personally don't think they belong in cars anymore with the current technology available and it's why I'm so eager to find a suitable LED replacement.