HIR bulbs

[dentrecords]

Originally Posted by wc1288

so if i want brighter, long lasting, street-legal lights, HIR are the way to go? are they whiter than stock (but not as much as HID) or just brighter?

they are simply brighter. "Whiter" bulbs tend to have filters on them actually reducing your light output so they look a certain way. I won't go back to a PNP kit (or stock) after these bulbs. Unless you're doing a full retro, these are the way to go IMO.

[G-Ray]

Originally Posted by skiz

you mean like this?

do we follow the directions on both bulbs 4 the trimming (hir 9012) or do the opposite 4 the other?

[FALer]

Originally Posted by G-Ray

do we follow the directions on both bulbs 4 the trimming (hir 9012) or do the opposite 4 the other?

Bulbs have only one orientation and it doesn't change with what side of the car they go on. If they've been marked by the vendor (most seem to be), then there is no thinking required.

[phunk]

to the guy who put the high beam HIR into the lowbeam housing... will that be OK for oncoming drivers if properly aimed? is that even an upgrade? i thought the wattage was what effects the output, and that the part number is what defines its housing shape/style.... so is putting the high beam in the low beam part of the housing going to be any different anyway?

i want to put some 2500k DRL/HIs in my car because i like the look... so I figured if I am going to sacrifice lighting on the high beams, i should upgrade my low beams a little.

[VanSi07]

Originally Posted by phunk

to the guy who put the high beam HIR into the lowbeam housing... will that be OK for oncoming drivers if properly aimed? is that even an upgrade? i thought the wattage was what effects the output, and that the part number is what defines its housing shape/style.... so is putting the high beam in the low beam part of the housing going to be any different anyway?

It's fine, still waaaay better for oncoming than any PnP HID, and you know how many of those are around. You do get more of a hotspot in the middle than using the regular bulb though.

It's 65w, and 2350 lumen. The lowbeam 9012 is 55w and 1750 lumen I believe. So the highbeam bulb puts out a lot more light, and it's the same price.

[phunk]

Originally Posted by VanSi07

It's fine, still waaaay better for oncoming than any PnP HID, and you know how many of those are around. You do get more of a hotspot in the middle than using the regular bulb though.

It's 65w, and 2350 lumen. The lowbeam 9012 is 55w and 1750 lumen I believe. So the highbeam bulb puts out a lot more light, and it's the same price.

i appreciate the info, thanks. i may try this route. i need to upgrade my stock lowbeams because i just got some 80W 2500K for my DRL/HIs... i figure the 2500K is going to hurt me a little so i should upgrade the low beams.

[FALer]

Originally Posted by phunk

i appreciate the info, thanks. i may try this route. i need to upgrade my stock lowbeams because i just got some 80W 2500K for my DRL/HIs... i figure the 2500K is going to hurt me a little so i should upgrade the low beams.

80W bulbs will warp the plastic headlight housing if used for any length of time.

[phunk]

Really? Hmm thanks I considered the heat but had seen a few people say they are using these. So if I did put them in, I really shouldn't ever use than as more than the DRL which would be kinda *** to have to explain to people it I let them drive the car

[FALer]

Originally Posted by phunk

Really? Hmm thanks I considered the heat but had seen a few people say they are using these. So if I did put them in, I really shouldn't ever use than as more than the DRL which would be kinda *** to have to explain to people it I let them drive the car

One thing about 80W bulbs is that many aren't very high quality, even those from brands like Hella, which are just something made in China for them. They can break because of poor construction and the extra output at normal voltage very much increases the heat generated. I have used 100W bulbs in the past and melted my lights; 80W aren't quite as bad, but given enough time they can do the same. It would be better to buy the HIR 9011 bulbs instead.

[ryker]

Found some info on another site.

this guy had the same thought I had

Summary:
Can/should I replace my 9006 low beam bulbs with 9011 hi-beam HIR bulbs safely?

Details:
I just got my second accord (from a 1989 to a 1997) and I'm not impressed with the low beams at night, simply too dim for even normal conditions.

9006 replaced with a 9005 for brighter lo-beams:
You can cut/file the attachment fitting of a 9005 bulb (no cap, 1700 lumen, used as hi-beams' bulbs) to fit the lo-beams slot where there is current a 9006 (capped, 1000 lumen). This process is outlined here (CAMRY FAQ ***READ FIRST*** - Toyota Forums :: Toyota Nation) (search that thread for "More Light").

9005/9006 replaced with 9011/9012:
I have also read about HIR bulbs being used as replacements (HIR Headlights 9011 9012 bulbs) (use "select all" on that site to see the black text on black background):
9005 > 9011 (hi-beam)
9006 -> 9012 (low-beam)
They suggest replacing your 9005 and 9006 bulbs with 9011 and 9012 bulbs, respectively, by making a small alteration to the bulb fitting base. (see here also (TOSHIBA HIR 9011 & 9012 BULBS - Drive Accord Honda Forums))

9006 replaced with a 9011:
Combining the above modifications, it would be just as easy to cut the 9011 bulb fitting to match a 9006's fittings, thus it is possible to put the 9011 (MUCH brighter, no cap) in the 9006 lo-beam position. You would have the benefits of no cap (minimal) and the higher lumen rating (9005 are supposed to be 70% brighter than 9006, 9011 are supposed to be 75% brighter than 9005). The 9011 is rated at 2350 lumen, a 135% increase from the 1000 lumen 9006.

Clearly claims of "% brighter" must be taken with a fist full of salt, but even granting them half that increase would be substantial.

My question:
Is this a bad idea for some reason I am unaware of?
Is the brighter bulb going to melt the headlight? The wiring harness? Is the bulb going to have a very short life? (used on new Maximas so I assume it has acceptable bulb life in that application) Some refer to them as simply "over amped" indicating shortened bulb life. Something else (fire, melting, police attention, etc)? (Seems that if your lights are properly aimed the 9005 in 9006 mod does not attract attention, so this ought to be the same but I'm guessing)Also, if anyone knows where to get the 9011 bulbs for less than $29 on ebay ( eBay QQitemZ180289514673QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW), please let me know.

Thanks ahead of time for your feedback


-------------

NOTE: Apparently, if you are willing to do even more bulb modifications (i.e. not only modify the top tab, but also modify lower "channel"), you can actually put the HIR1/9011 bulb in the LOW beam socket of the CRX, giving you even brighter "low beams" than I got with my HIR2/9012 bulbs for the low beams (I did go with HIR1/9011 bulbs for the high beams though). However, it seemed to me that the HIR2 bulbs were already extremely bright compared to stock bulbs (my new HIR2 low beams seem to give me an OK view of the road for close to a full city block), so I didn't see any point to making them brighter still (by using the HIR1 in my low beams). And the HIR1 bulb (since it's designed to be a "high beam" bulb) does use a little more power than both the HIR2 bulb and the stock 9006 "low beam" bulb do (which does effect fuel economy a small amount, due to extra alternator drag on the engine). And finally, the HIR1 bulb (again because it is designed more as a "high beam" bulb) only has an expected bulb lifetime about 1/3 as long as the HIR2's (almost stock) expected bulb lighttime. Which is why I decided to go with the HIR2 for the low beams, but did go with the brighter (but higher wattage and shorter lasting) HIR1 for the high beams. As a result, both my low and high beams are still stock wattage, but they clearly are no longer stock light levels...



-----
My biggest concern so far is the run life - the 9011 may be 235 hours and the 9012 may be 1000 hours to 50% fail rate according to this (2004) thread at Candlepowerforums (HIR Automotive Bulbs - CandlePowerForums)

--------
easons against:
(1) Expensive - a pair of Philips Vision Plus bulbs from Aid-auto.com would have been $22 shipped, two 9012's were $55 shipped from Candlepower (HIR Bulbs - (HIR1) and (HIR2))
Further, the 9011 bulbs would have been the same price and significantly brighter, but at a substantial loss of run time (apparently about 33% of the run time relative to the 9012 according to the technical spec sheets and Dan Stern Lighting (Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply), a great resource).
(2) Only slightly brighter than the VisionPlus 9005:
VisionPlus 9005 - 1700 lumens
Toshiba 9012 - 1875 lumens

So is the longer run time and slightly higher lumen rating worth an extra $33? It's a tough call, but I think the safety, longevity, limited risk of damage to my wiring harness from over amp'age, and (less so) extra brightness are enough to justify the extra $33. I hope they last a long time though!


You can fit:
HIR 9011→ 9005 High beams 1700lm→2350lm
HIR 9012→ 9006 Low beams 1000lm→1875lm

Modded high beams to fit into low beam location (less than half the lifespan)
9005 → 9006 1000lm → 1700lm
HIR 9011 → 9006 1000lm → 2350lm

[ryker]

are the john deere bulbs the same quality as the more expensive Toshiba? do we know if they are the same bulbs just labled different?

doesn't matter Deere is sold out.

[FALer]

HIR Headlights 9011 9012 bulbs

Never had an issue buying from this guy. Dan Stern is hard to get a hold of and buys his from the same place (CandlePower).

[lowincash]

i bought mine from the nissan dealer but it was expensive as hell there. suppose to be $80-$90 each bulb but they charged me $47 a bulb =( since the parts guy quoted me wrong on the phone. but yeah i have a pair of HIR bulbs that i already modified for the 9006 low beams. i have a retrofit now so i don't use them. if someone wants to buy them $30 let me know

[msjwild3]

I work at a John Deer dealer and can get these bulbs for 25 bucks CAD a piece. We have them in stock.

[sw0ggd0gg]

I had HIR's in my civic, aint worth a sh*t. I went back to stock and slapped HIDS in my highs

[gary79]

anyone try the HIR plasma xenon bulbs from autoillumination? they are $14.99 for the pair + ship, 7500k. the john deere dealer now wants $27.25 per bulb, # ah211917.

my sylvania silverstar ultras burned out over the weekend(one did) and I don't feel like dropping $40> on bulbs that don't last.

[VanSi07]

"HIR plasma xenon bulbs... 7500k"
Then they are not HIR bulbs (likely), or, they are but are coated in y blue stuff (unlikely).
Either way, it's fail.

[gary79]

they are blue in color.

[missile_man]

Originally Posted by phunk

to the guy who put the high beam HIR into the lowbeam housing... will that be OK for oncoming drivers if properly aimed? is that even an upgrade? i thought the wattage was what effects the output, and that the part number is what defines its housing shape/style.... so is putting the high beam in the low beam part of the housing going to be any different anyway?

I'm coming into this thread a bit late, but...

The first question you have to answer is this: Do you really care if the beam pattern is legal or not?

If that matters to you (and it seems to NOT matter to way too many tuners), then stay with the stock bulbs. I guarantee you that if you put a brighter bulb into the stock reflector, you will have an illegal beam pattern, and will throw way too much light into the eyes of oncoming drivers. If the reflector was not designed for the bulb that you want to use, there is no "proper" way to aim the head light. It takes an optical engineer and expensive, specialized measuring equipment to design a legal head light. You're not going to get a legal head light by tinkering in your garage.

[VanSi07]

Missileman... are you at all familiar with HIR bulbs?

They are still halogen filaments, and sit in the same place in our reflectors. The beam pattern will not change.
Now, it is going to be brighter, and that includes the ideas where the reflector is not doing a good job keeping light out of, eg. the area above the cutoff. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts however it's still well within legal tolerances, this is not like putting HIDs in our housings causing a bunch of glare and a sloppy pattern.