HIR bulbs are a variation on the standard halogen bulb, using a special coating on the inside surface of the bulb to increase the brightness of the filament, making it the step just before an actual HID kit. Specifics on the technology
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I purchased a pair of HIR 9012 bulbs to replace my stock 9006 low beam bulbs from candlepower.com ($55 shipped). They claim up to 90% brightness over stock for the same wattage, but what does that actually look like?
Here are the bulb shapes for comparison:
They fit in the stock socket and plugs, you just need to take a pair of snips and trim down the "upper" locking tab to match the shape of the 9006 bulbs. The cuts are simple to figure out, just hold the bulbs side by side and remove what doesn't belong.
Here's a before and after pic of the installed bulbs. I had my camera set on "manual" mode to keep the same exposure values between the two photos:
If you look around the edges of the beam pattern, especially around the right side, you can see a noticeable difference in brightness. You'll also notice the shadows cast by the bike on the left side are stronger. The overall beam pattern appears to be identical.
Was it worth it? Considering that you pay that much for "high brightness" aftermarket bulbs anyway, it is.
