SubieDoobieDoo

"Frogg" asked: "who is daniel stern and why do care what he says?" ====== Good question! Who, indeed, is “Daniel Stern” … (Other than that goofy actor from “City Slickers”!) and why should anyone give a shit about what he says? Some surprising “research” reveals that there might very well be *two* “goofy actors” with the same name. Turns out, MY nephew (by marriage) recently – and quite successfully – defended his Doctorial dissertation for his PhD in Mechanical Engineering (in the Department of Automotive Engineering) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. You know … Michigan? … where the major U.S. auto manufacturers are headquartered? I was talking with him about other automotive-related matters (the upcoming changes in Formula 1 engines, new aerodynamics regulations and the 2012 return of a United States Grand Prix) and how his paperwork defense went as he prepared to accept his post-doctorial studies position at an esteemed German university in Darmstadt – one constantly used by the German TUV (Technischer Überwachungsverein – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technischer_Überwachungsverein) - for all sorts of their automotive research. Know who developed the “European code” headlighting systems? THIS well-known German university - in conjunction with the latest TUV guidelines! First practical application of HID lighting? Approved studies by the German TUV – and high-tech German educational research facilities and their massive test equipment and computer analysis! MILLIONS of dollars spent!!! And since he’s now well-established at his new German university and still has valuable contacts at the University of Michigan, Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN and Michigan Tech in Houghton, MI - which are **THE** primary U.S.-based “think tanks” for all sorts of “cutting edge” automotive research – as well as having friends, contacts and research associates at General Motors, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and just about every other auto manufacturer on Earth - I thought he might have some interesting contacts to do some “brain-picking”. He does. A couple of e-mails and the chase was on! And when it comes to the educational and research side of automotive technology – especially lighting - it is a very, VERY small community of dedicated professionals!!! You can bet your last penny that all such research, studies and grants for research are VERY well known to other universities – as are the people and staff involved. And who the manufacturers or inventors are and their automotive-industry contacts are. That is, no one does anything without almost everyone in the same area-of-interest knowing about it. Period. And no one – not the U.S.D.O.T or the N.H.T.S.A. - pays for “opinions” and word-of-mouth testimony from “independent consultants” when they can get the truth, TONS of fact-based research from cutting-edge, automotive-dedicated university research labs!!! Someone like Daniel Stern advising an official agency on automotive lighting would be like the F.B.I. asking Deputy Barney Fife how to load and shoot a gun … I simply expressed my amusement and concern about a couple of Internet forums I peek into from time-to-time and asked him – a few weeks before U.S. Thanksgiving 2010; to give him and his contacts some time to “snoop” – just who in the H#ll this “Daniel Stern” guy is and why he’s so valued and trusted by the N.H.T.S.A. (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) and U.S.D.O.T. (United Stated Department of Transportation) for his (legendary) knowledge about automotive lighting! Short answer: All sources drew a blank. Going back some 25-30 years to the present day … NO ONE my nephew could find in research and development circles and research archives - at any university level - all the way down to research, development and studies conducted by, for and on behalf of the major lighting players – GM, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, Sylvania, Bosch, North American Phillps, Cibie, Marschal – anyone who is anyone and who has ever been involved – IN THE SLIGHTEST MANNER! – about studies, research, related work or developed / manufactured a single lighting fixture or bulb in the Western Hemisphere … has ever even heard of him. Not even so much as a whisper. No one with the name “Daniel Stern” has any sort of educational background, theoretical or applied research history, applied knowledge, authority, credentials (or credibility) or any other technical connection - whatsoever - to anything related to automotive lighting. Not even as much as a period at the end of this sentence. Zero. “Daniel Stern” is – at best – a savvy, Internet light-bulb-selling huckster. A blow-hard. He’s the equivalent of an old-time circus fast-talker selling snake oil … His “knowledge” and credibility in the science and technology of automotive lighting is totally invisible. As an “expert” and “consultant” to anyone – private or governmental - in this extremely important field of automotive research, his opinions and “esteemed” knowledge would come right after, say, a koala bear. And a stuffed toy version at that! In other words, put on your best and tallest hip-boots to wade thru all of the Daniel Stern bullsh*t about lighting and light bulbs. You can get similar answers and INCREDIBLY biased opinions from anyone selling THEIR favorite products – like the zit-faced yokel at the sales counter at Auto Zone – or by doing some “google” research on the Internet. Daniel Stern's world is "I'm always right and you're always wrong!. Or ... "if I don't sell it, it's trash!" Just avoid anything to do with the “expert opinions” of Daniel Stern and you’ll be fine. Or … ask that goofy actor guy with the same name; in 5 minutes looking at sales literature published by the major light bulb manufacturers, he’d no doubt spit out about the same sort of information.

Yes. Try www.superbrightleds.com You can also click on THIS - I think: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2F1157.htm Cannot say enough good things about these people. I've ordered several items and their service is lightning fast and the goods are ... well, perfect. The good - and the bad - about going LED. Da good: Nice lighting. Low energy usage. You'll probably never, EVER have to replace one. More expensive than regular bulbs - which is why your manufacturer doesn't use 'em. The bad. Actually, the not so bad, really: Many circuits that also have a "burned out bulb" indicator may show a burned out bulb when your new LED(s) are glowing quite brightly, thank you! Remember, these tell-tale circuits act on "resistance" and a no-resistance burnt our incandescent bulb - or ultra-low resistance LED - gives the same basic indicator signal. The cure: You'll possibly need resistor(s) in some of the circuits to fool the system. As with ANY mod, "Y.M.M.V." ........ But in those impossible-to-reach places that really p!ss you off when the bulb DOES go on the fritz? Here's the sure-fire, one-time fix ...

@ blackturboblack: "Okay, is this the DDE Lightning Kit for Legacy you're recommending? Because I see mention of glue." === WHAT?!?! No way! These Apexcone DDE after-market HID's are *strictly* P-n-P. ZERO mods, no Dremel cuts, no glue - nothing! And no over-heating. You un-bayonet the old bulbs, re-bayonet the new ones, install the HID modules, snap-fit your OEM headlight connection and their wiring harness into the system as instructed ... and voila! You own the night! Have you been *sniffing* glue? =

I was told the “D” in “JDM” stands for “Domestic” …. as in the Japanese HOME market and that would mean the lighting systems – the headlight “buckets” – are designed for right-hand drive vehicles. You’d have a perfect set of lamps – with whatever bulb you select – for BLINDING on-coming traffic in a left-hand driving world!

bigdadi comments: "If you use the HID on Fog as above suggested link, use the 35 Watt lumens for the fog as its housing cannot stand too much heat." ===== Boom! "bigdadi" speaks great wisdom. But use the 55 watters on the headlights themselves. You ... will ... be ... impressed! My main antagomist on this site continues to berate MY choice of after-market bulbs ... yet he knows exactly NOTHING of my *exact" lamp housings nor my driving conditions and style. I estimate I've avoided well more than a dozen incidents with other vehicles, road hazards (pot holes, sh*t dropped in the roadway by trucks etc.), animals (MANY deer, coyotes, foxes and the random dog) - plus avoided hitting a dark-clothed drunk staggering on the side of a "dual-lane carriageway" near my home. I've yet to hit what I can see because of overwhelming superior light output ... and that type and quality of lighting which (finally!) puts me at parity with modern high-performance vehicles. I just can't get rid of "old Paint" because she's an '89 model! So I'll just upgrade her!

blackturboblack asked: "Thank you. Whoa. I got dizzy trying to research this. Whew! Can someone just suggest the brightest/strongest bulbs to replace OEM without hassle, until I can get around to retrofitting? Right now I'm concentrating on engine and suspension, but OEM bulbs are ass." === ALL bulbs except headlights? See these guys. http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fled_prods.htm&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=superbright%20led&utm_content=45587571022&utm_campaign=365351522&OVRAW=superbright%20led&OVKEY=superbright%20led&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=45587571022&OVKWID=226808622022 CANNOT recommend them highly enough! You'll never replace one of these in your lifetime ... Headlights / driving lights? http://www.therpmstore.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=24&products_id=38 Apexcone HID after-market systems. These are what most manufacturers stupidly ommitted on YOUR car. You have the power to change that. And you'll get about 6X-8x the life of "regular" bulbs and the finest lighting you've dreamed of. Both the SuperBrightLED's and Aperxcone HID's are 100%, so easy a caveman can do it, Plug-n-Play. You *may* have to add a resistor in the LED circuitry as these draw almost no voltage and almost zero resistance. Happy and **SAFE** motoring! (Because you can finally SEE the road ahead at "touring" speeds!) SubieDoobieDoo

TSi+WRX, I applaud your campaign to make things perfect in an otherwise imperfect world. Either that or you're simply trying to play God to all of us: Guess what? 1, You're not worh a damn at it and 2, the job is already taken. Next ... try telling everyone YOU'VE never done a *single* thing "illegal" in your life. Not even once - even if by accident. Guess what #2? I say you're a liar. Last person who could make that claim was nailed to a cross more than 2k years ago ... Just because MY Sube is aged BEFORE the advent of modern HID lighting is no reason whatsoever I should have to suffer the intimidation and the discrimination. My OEM lights were little better than a couple of 2 X D-cell flashlights duct-taped to the fenders! I'll be damned if *I'M* gonna settle for that with the hoardes of BMWs, Lexii, Mercedes-Benzes, Infinitis and Acuras whizzing by me and coming at me with headlighting that is SO superior to MINE it pained me to find a simple, inexpensive cure. And I have succeeded beyond MY wildest dreams! And safely so, too! That YOU don't approve is YOUR mental deficiency to deal with. Otherwise, stick a sock in it, pal!!!! All I can figure is you're REALLY what's-his-name - Daniel Stern, is it? - the seller of up-charged incandescent headlight bulbs - and MY posted information is a potential risk to your income stream. I'm sorry if that's the case ... but I thought this forum was for all to exchange ideas and swap information. YOU and your Islamic Taliban-like attitude to squashing all information YOU don't agree with is terribly unflattering. I just checked - again - with a local DOT authority in the county seat of my residence. I showed him EXACTLY what I had installed and told him I'd return in total darkness to show him just how ungodly *bright* they were and reiterated that the carton clearly stated "not U.S. DOT approved for highway use". He looked at me like I was taking YOUR drugs! Ha! Ha! Ha! His simple words of caution: Make sure they're aimed as "politely" as possible and quite simply - "we don't - and can't possibly - enforce what's not really enforceable". He CLEARLY stated that "non-DOT approved" was not - in ANY sense of the wording - construed to mean "illegal". He reminded me that when the authorities mean something is "illegal", you'll know it. He asked me if I'd failed a State-mandated safety test with them. I said "no" and he replied, "well, then I'd say you're good to go!" He reminded me of a late-night accident on an Interstate overpass in the next county a couple of months ago when a couple of kids were street-racing and one clipped 2 people on bicycles - killing a rider and his passenger - severely injuring the other rider for life. The driver was charged with 2 counts of second-degree murder ... He grimly looked at me and said, "Hell, if they'd have had those super-bright lights you describe, maybe those dead people would be alive right now ..." Then ... as an after-thought, he noted that on any given night, there are - statistically-proven - drunks, dopers, mechanically unsound vehicles and assorted other "sins" that ARE against the State and local vehicle codes - that pose a GENUINE danger to everyone! He gave me a wry smile and half-asked, "have you broken a State law? Possibly but I'm not sure what it might be. Besides, do you really think we have the time and resources - with the latest round of State budget cuts - to give a damn about someone who has made a serious improvement to his headlighting and that improvement happens to use "non-DOT approved" equipment? Besides, Benie Madoff scammed investors out of 50 *BILLION* dollars so your little - what shall I call it, "indiscretion" - doesn't even make a blip on the radar ... Then - he asked me for the website where I bought my Apexcone 55Ws. "Gonna report them?" I asked. "Hell no, I just might order a set myself!" he winked ...

Whatever a "full-retrofit" involves, if that in ANY WAY modifies the stock headlamp housing from the way it was shipped from the factory - i.e. a second owner can't re-install stock incandescent bulbs - I'd never do it. I drive a Subaru; not a rolling Dremel tool experiment. Looking at the actual illumination point of my "old" 9007 bulbs vs. these hot chihuahua HID plug-ins, it would be hard to measure any discernable difference without totally destroying BOTH bulbs and ... well, that's not an option either. I'll admit it: My simple, unscientific out-swapping of prehistoric incandescent bulbs for these marvelous HIDs may not be dead-perfect - but something that in ANY way modifies the stock lamp housing isn't a very good idea either. I don't like the idea of putting my car - OR ME! - at a "point of no return". A brighter light source (these killer HID's) from an almost identical point to a stock halogen is simply close enough for me. Yeah, the imperfections in the design of the housing itself *may* be emphasized by applying a brighter lamp but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Given that it takes 4X the light to illuminate 2X the distance, it's a reasonable trade-off to me. I don't blind my fellow drivers - I've been "flashed" exactly once in about 3 years - and the issue of replacing standard bulbs has pretty much disappeared. With no blazing-hot filament to burn out, I've put this problem behind me. But I do have a spare 55W HID of the same color - amazing 4,800K white - in the trunk just in case ... And that's the point, I guess, I've been trying to get across all along: Other than mounting the damned ballasts in a tight engine compartment - one has to get rather creative! - this is nothing but a simple plug-and-play swap. No muss, no fuss. Simple hand tools - primarily a screwdriver - that we're all familiar with. Didn't have to remove the headlight housing, grind anything, re-shape this ot that ... nothing. Just like taking one shoe off and putting another one on. TSi+WRX, I respect your opinion(s). I do. But I can only surmise you've never actually *seen* my EXACT situation and the results of this wonderful, inexpensive conversion. Sorry, but I don't need to see a whole lot more than I do in the pitch-black of the darkest night. I'm zipping along at the speed limit or a wee bit over and on lo-beams, I've got an incredible field of vision just BATHED in diamond-crystal white light! People keep harping about some odd colors of their after-market halogen or pseudo-HID bulbs and I just can't relate! MY headlighting is **SO** superior to anything that involves a "glowing filament" ... in a fashion, I'm already at a point of "no return" because I'll NEVER drive another car w/o HID bulbs - whether I have to install them myself or not! Happy, safe motoring everyone. Remember: If you can't *see* it, you're in danger of hitting it. Safety starts - and ends - by being able to see better in the worst driving conditions and the darkest nights. YOUR safety is on the line; YOU make the call - and it's YOUR car. Best regards,

==================== Oh, boy ......... here we go again! Using incandescent headlight bulbs, "over-wattage" = over heating. Basically, I agree: Melted lamp housings are a REAL bad career move. (Been there, done that!) OK, how about passing on the over-heating issue and skipping straight to the heart of the matter - BETTER HEADLIGHT LUMENS: And some serious EXTREME BRIGHTNESS. *** Cannot possibly recommend the 55W "racing" Apexcone after-market HID kits highly enough!! They're *SO* bright and so incredibly beautiful, you'll be speechless - as many of us who have already installed them are. Yes, technically, they're "illegal" for highway usage. Actually, they're simply not "D.O.T. approved" which isn't quite the same thing as "illegal". "Illegal" is murdering someone, cheating on your taxes - or making moonshine. "Non-DOT approved" means the same Washington, DC idiots that make our laws simply haven't kept up with the latest in lighting technology. (They're too busy trying to figure out how to pull the wool over your eyes and tax American citizens to pay for health-care for illegals!) Yes, aimed inaccurately, you WILL BE a nuisance to on-coming traffic. AND, **YES**, YOU CAN "BURN A @#$%^& HOLE" IN THE VERY DARKEST OF NIGHTS AND SEE FAR, FAR BETTER AND DRIVE MUCH MORE SAFELY THAN YOU EVER DREAMED!!! (Chances are, you WILL hit what you can't see!) Do a www.google.com search for "apexcone" to find the on-line retailer you feel comfortable dealing with. These are a simple plug-n-play (PnP) installation - so easy a Geico caveman can install them in 45 minutes or so - then ... STAND BACK! Biggest time-consumer is where and how to mount the ballasts in modern (read that "cramped") engine compartments. I've had mine + 3 years and they're as bright as ever and have had no replacement issues. Not one! Most of the Apexcone on-line e-tailers have a "lifetime warranty" provision so as long as the e-tailer stays in business, you're kiester is covered. As to this so-called "illegal" mumbo-jumbo someone is bound to post - consider the source and the facts: I've NEVER known ANYONE, ANYWHERE to be stopped for having "too bright" headlighting. Odd colors, yes. Drive with "gangsta purple" and I'll bet you get pulled over in 30-40 seconds. Stick to "pure white" - 5,000K or close - aim them accurately - and you'll NEVER have a problem. I've never been stopped - or even been "second-glanced" by "les gendarmes" - city, county or State Highway Patrol - and I've passed every State-required safety inspection with flying colors. In fact, some law-enforcement buddies of mine have installed them in THEIR vehicles! Your Honor, the defense rests ......

http://www.superbrightleds.com/images/products/car/ba15/115x-24.jpg www.superbrightleds.com Type 1157 bulb. 24 LED's in a cluster. WOW!! www.v-led.com shows THIS as their Type 1157 bulb ........... Doesn't look like an LED assembly to me. (Sorry, but I wanna actually *see* what I'm buying!) The www.superbrightleds.com 1157's are UNGODLY bright! They're nuclear! Example: Hit the brakes and the drivers behind you will need sunglasses! (Just kidding! But they ARE *really* bright!) When I replaced one side of my Sube brake bulbs with these - and had my lovely wife verify they were OK - she was ASTONISHED they were *SO* much brighter than the filament bulb opposite! When I told her they were expensive but would last MUCH longer than incandescent, she was first to the owner's manuals to make a list of every possible bulb we could order - for BOTh cars. Couple of years now and not ONE of these has been defective! Except for high beams on our Acura, I don't think there's an incandescent bulb remaining in either car if I could reach it and replace it with an LED assembly ........ Rgds,

I've ordered every LED bulb I can ever use from THIS website. Great products, ALWAYS have everything in stock - including the in-line resistors your "burned out bulb" logic needs to "see" in order to prevent a false reading - and great prices. www.superbrightleds.com Rgds,

Legacy, Outback or Impreza? Owners manual????????????????????????????????? Depending on what part of the model year your car was made - early on or later - the assembly process may have involved a supplier and / or equipment change-over ... and your owner's manual should explain this - by the month / year of production on the metal tag affixed to the car. Diver's door column ...... Or ............ just take the bad bulb to a parts store. They can identify the critter for you.

"Mines" offers some highly questionable advice - twice: ==================== If you live in a city, county or state that has mandatory vehicle inspections, you will FAIL w/o properly-operating low *and* HIGH beams. Go ahead, take twice the time and possibly twice the cost to pass a simple mechanical / electrical inspection - your choice. Rgds,

What are you trying to accomplish by having "better reverse lights"? R U actually trying to *SEE* with this lighting? If so, no can do. As you probably realise, "reverse lights" are simply a signal to those behind you that you intend to put the vehicle into motion towards them. They're not actually intended to allow you better vision or *illuminate* the area behind the vehicle. If you're trying to *illuminate* the area behind the vehicle, the only thing I can think of are small, auxillary "driving" lights - either wired to come on via the reverse lamp switch circuit - or a separate, manually-operated toggle switch - - - but be VERY careful if you do this as accidentally activating ANY reverse lighting while the car is in forward motion makes for a dangerous situation to those behind you!!! It's also be illegal in every state I know of to have "reverse lights" on when the car is in forward motion - and Officer Friendly will pull you over in a flash!!!!!! I believe the automobile lighting codes also dictate that any lighting used to indicate "reverse motion" must be white in colour, too. If you're simply trying to *see* behind the vehicle a little better, a simple license-plate frame-mount camera will do the trick. In Rockville, MD? Hit a local Wal-Mart or discount auto supply store. They're 70-100 bucks - minus installation - which is pretty easy and straight-forward. Some are even wireless except for the 12VDC power tap - which you get from the existing back-up light circuit. Pop the car into reverse and the camera comes on and your dash-mount display lights up ... and you can see if anyone left a bicycle lying down behind your Sube estate (wagon). Regards,

I agree with all points except driving with NO lights at all - under ANY conditions! Yes, the driver *may* be able to see "better" (i.e. less reflected light from his / her own low beam headlights) ... but this is a potentially DEADLY situation for on-coming traffic: THEY can't see YOU! Please don't do that ... for EVERYONE'S safety!!! The extreme top edge cut-off on fog lights, of course, is EXACTLY why they were designed and why the low mounting works so well. And ... NO QUESTION - there are many, MANY times when 'fogs only' simply work better. I've experienced those types of weather situations many, MANY dozens of times in my life - maybe into the hundreds. But .... most laws are made by politicians, not smart people. = But as far as saying 'fogs only' work better, try telling "John Law" that when you cruise by him in the opposite direction in CLEAR violation of many state headlight laws. Result: Instant "blue light special" - - - and you're not even shopping at M-Mart!!! I think this is part of my running battle with some yitz on the headlight bulb forum over ME installing after-market HID bulbs in regular housings. He keeps screaming to me about how wrong this is - in theory - and I disagree because I drive in a practical world. Yes, my new lights are UNGODLY bright - they're 55W "recommended for off-road use only" HID's and they light up road signs from a half mile away!!! I can see Neptune from the driver's seat!!! But they're aimed as carefully as can be and they pass all state vehicle inspection laws. No one has "flashed" me for these "nuclear bright" bulbs; and the police have never stopped me - not even once. So, YEAH, I'm - in "theory" - breaking a law. But in the practical world, certainly doing no harm to anyone and THAT'S why I've never had a single problem. Here's the deal as to why you MIGHT get stopped for running "fogs only" - or not - or for having some SURREAL headlight bulbs. Well, one is that with so many cars - around where *I* live, for sure - running super-bright HID's right from the factory, no one even bothers to notice *me*. 2, with the obnoxious SUV and pickup truck headlight mountings, EVERYONE gets blinded by them - whether oncoming or driving ahead of one - so, again, no one even bothers to give *me* a second glance. As far as making oncoming drivers "blind", I'm not. I'm "Joe Nobody" ... It reminds me of police enforcing littering laws, for example: The city, county and State police seem to have a funny way of deciding for themselves what laws they place a higher emphasis upon enforcing - depending upon a variety of factors. As for crusing along with 'fogs only' in bad weather and the law isn't on your side, if you're Grandpa Jones in a older Sedan de Ville, heading home to watch Vanna White spin the wheel ... I'll bet you could pull it off. If you're spike-haired Jose Martinez driving a lowered Civic "tuner" with some fluorescent flame paint a raspy, "coffee-can" muffler - and it's after bar closing time - I'd say your odds just went ballistic. Words to the wise - and trust an old man on this: When it comes to dealing with ANY part of society - the police, especially - just stay "below the radar". Rgds,

I'm willing to bet that's illegal in most states. Something about "primary lighting" - which "fogs only" would then be - at some sort of a "minimum height" above the road surface ... which I'll bet they wouldn't be. (It's in the same package of rules that say a car can't have but 4 "lights" on at once, too. Lows and fogs, highs and driving lights - NOT lows, highs AND fogs / driving, for example.) Factory fogs are switched via rather simple relay connected to the low beam circuit. You can easily re-wire the fogs yourself to do what you want but be warned: Check twice with your state DOT before doing anything you can't reverse ... Rgds,

Cold? Whazzz dat? We're just poor Southern folks and can't afford cold weather ... = Just surreal, bright, sunny, short-sleeve warm - 73-74 *here* today - so I'm cooking a couple of HUGE New York strip steaks on the grill today for a late lunch - w/ Caesar salad, baked spuds, etc - then wifey and I are packing a cooler full of Stella Artois and some pre-mixed margaritas and heading out to watch the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Late Models World Finals ... "Cold" and "snow" is for taking a vacation to Taos, NM or somewhere in Utah skiing ... Rgds,

Not sure what this means. "Retro" what? Retro-fit something? Ride a retro-saurus? The one point I think TSi+WRX and I can agree upon: "Those other" lights - the ones I promised never to mention again on THIS thread - are NOT very good in a HI beam only application. If for no other reason, the ballasts don't like being operated intermittently - "flash-to-pass" using the HI beams. In fact ... that leads to ratger premature ballast failure. Therefore, I find the ones I have GREAT for replacing MY dual-filament configuration because they so **CLOSELY** mimic the position of the 9007 filaments! Look at a 9007 bulb. The LO beam filament is in one position and the HI beam is in another. My "other" bulbs are of the type that solenoid-shift the glowing gas tube back-n-forth to VERY accurately "mimic" the same thing as shift-illuminating the HI and LO elements in the halogen bulb. There is another type of "those bulbs" that "twiddle" the little glowing glass bulb up and down - like twitching your finger - and THOSE are prone to early failure, too. Or so I'm told. So what I have with MY "other bulb" set-up is an unbelievably freakin' BRIGHT 55W glowing glass tub that shifts position - back and forth - just like the the "shift" in physical position when either 9007 filament in energized. THEREFORE, I'm never simply pulsing the the ballast by "flashing" the HI beams ... The same beam is "on" all of the time - it simply reflects differently off of the headlight housing depending upon where the HI/LO switch tells the little glowing glass tube to be. Hey, it they work. And DAMNED well!!!!!! As far as "legality", I have HI beams and LO beams to pass ANY vehicle test. The State licensed garage where I have my car inspected has NEVER questioned the technology under the hood - ONLY that I have two functioning headlights, beams hitting on a perscribed target on their test apparatus. And they do. Illumination (MY GOD, those are bright!!!!) hasn't been an issue. Except the monkeys at the garage wanted to know what the heck they were and where I got them. (I should be on commission sales!) I pass all tests. "Legality" to me - if tests are passed - is simply a matter of "am I allowed to even OWN these or not?" If I'm NOT, then they shouldn't be imported into this country in the first place. This is nothing more than making a choice between an import car and a domestic; strictly a moral issue of whether you should buy "made in the USA" or "something else". If "something else" is bad, then don't import and offer them to me, 'cuz I damned well guarantee, I'm gonna buy what's in MY best interests!!! MY right as a consumer! Don't want me to have something? Then don't offer it for sale to me. Rgds,

They're NOT?!?!?! (whoops!) Seriously - back on HALOGEN BULB lighting - I *know* what it is and still use some - just not in the main headlights for the Sube - but I **DO** need to replace some HI beam halogens in the wife-mobile and was told on another brand forum that *THE* hot set-up for HI beam headlights is a pair of PIAA "Intense White" bulbs. NOT the "Xtreme White" but the "Intense White". Bulb is a 9005 ... SEVERAL people have said these are the brightest, "white" color bulbs approaching the look of "those other" types of bulbs on the market. But ... ya can't just walk into any parts store and find them ... PIAA's are also more expensive than most other brands so it's not just a matter of convenience to get them - it's that PLUS the added price. Personally, I carry a spare set of important bulbs for the wife-mobile (9005's, 1156A's and 1157A's) tucked away in the spare tire cavity. If a headlight pops, I won't be driving "half-blind" for long. Having a spare set of PIAA's is an expensive proposition, however .... GE has a fairly new line of extra-power or extra-distance halogens - they claim 30% "brighter" - called "Nighthawk" and these have instant appeal simply because you'll probably be able to find them everywhere ... and GE stands behind their products like a rock. Better than Sylvania SilverStars? K-Mart and Wally-World will probably carry them - you KNOW every parts store will! - and if you have a problem with something you bought at Big K or Wally's - even a popped headlight bulb with the original receipt - they'll take 'em back or replace 'em with almost no questions. Anyone know anything about these "Nighthawks"? The color will sway me one way or the other ... because I just hate the yellow or non-white look of halogens - almost ALL halogens - after driving with the ORIGINAL, FACTORY HID's on the wife-mobile (Acura TL Type S). In the case of the Ack being a single-filament bulb for the HI's - halogens don't bother me like they did in the Sube - well, the off-color does ... They look "pink" at night ... MY problem with the Sube was about 90-percent of my driving was on "LO" beams, therefore I was replacing a dual-filament bulb (9007) when only one filamant was bad ... Not sure an aftermarket P-n-P is the right way to go with a "HI" beam-only set-up. In fact, I'm sure it isn't when one considers "flashing" the HI-beams is the most common use for me and not just tunring them on for a while. But I'd like the very, VERY best 9005 halogen bulb for the wife-mobile and those PIAA's sound pretty good. The OEM halogen 9005's - brand unknown - have been in there 7 years now with no problems ... Rgds,

"subarussian", it's a capital "C" on Chinese and it's <"threw" out more light than ...> - - - but this isn't grammar class so you're home free. But your comments just made you a target for some put-downs. Beware. ============ I was zapped by a moderator for even bringing P-n-P HID's into this (apparent) halogen-only thread so maybe everyone should forget these even exist - - even though the thread simply says "Daniel Stern Lighting and Subaru headlight options." However, since Daniel Stern Lighting doesn't sell after-market P-n-P HID's, maybe that's the problem. Fine. I was wrong to step on his toes. I apologize - sincerely. But "they" ARE an option ... Just how good - or bad - is up to an induvidual car owner As far as "legality" of "those" lighting systems, I think some people have confused anything other than DOT-approved as being illegal. Not sure that's correct. "Not approved" and "illegal" are entirely different matters. "For off-road use only" is a pretty harsh warning, too, but there are ZILLIONS of "off-road" parts being used on road cars. If these "other" bulbs were FEDERALLY "ILLEGAL" - like heroin or cocaine - then they shouldn't even be IMPORTED or allowed inside this country's borders - on dealer's shelves or sold on the Internet to U.S. customers! I won't utter another peep about them ("those" bulbs) ... Not on THIS thread anyway. Rgds,

"Electrical probems" don't usually manifest themselves in the form of broken glass light bulbs. Or even failed elements. Not really. They ("electrical problems", grounding issues, etc.) pop fuses. That's what fuses are for. That's why it's **SO** important to NEVER, EVER replace a fuse of a rated capacity with one of a lower or higher value. NEVER, EVER!!!!!! Don't even **THINK** about doing that!!! 1. Skin oil(s) are *rumored* to cause a bulb to fail - although that's more of an old wive's tale than proven fact. However, if Sloppy Joe, your mechanic slathers 10W-40 all over your new halogen headlight bulbs, THEN I'd worry. In ultra-hot slide projector bulbs years ago, for example, the old tell-tale evidence that "someone" had touched the glass was always said to be a bulge or bubble in the housing. Not true. That merely indicated a flawed (thin area) of the glass housing. Filament bulbs are manufactured and sealed under VACUUM. How could one mysteriously "bulge" OUTWARD? Simple: Manufacturing defect in forming the glass balloon - NOT a whisp of skin oil. 2). Filament failure - prematurely (or so you feel)? Likely a production run that wasn't up-to-snuff. Could be an electrical surge but given the high resistance of filaments - after all, your headlight elements *ARE* a glowing form of a controlled, short-circuit - that it was "electrical" is also remote guess on someone's part. Filaments can be on-the-edge as far as material quality - a schoshe low or high in one alloy or another - and vary wildly in durability. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances. 3), Broken glass housing? And going thru them as fast as General Grant went thru Richmond? Bad glass manufacturing and a form of poor glass "tempering". There is REAL brittle glass, brittle glass and not-so-brittle glass when it comes to incandescent bulb manufacturing. This is a result of the final stages of these fragile glass globes passing thru an open gas flame to "temper" them before sealing under an inert gas atmosphere and onto the filament-attached base. The gas flame might have been off a few degrees. The bulbs that failed were early - or late - in a new set-up or production run. Or someone just wasn't paying attention on the production line. Maybe some faulty instrumentation in the process line that finally got caught and fixed / replaced (AFTER your faulty bulbs had already hit the shelves). Pick one. Rgds,

I have been told - whether true or not - that all filament bulbs don't like the "jolt" of having the engine switched off as a source of de-energizing them. Or when RE-energizing them. That is, hit the light switch, THEN shut off the engine. Likewise, don't flip the headlights "on", then hit the engine ignition switch ... For persons who tend to flip the ignition key to "off" and then think, "Oh yeah, better put the light switch into "off", too ..." this *might* be a something to consider. Whether or not this is just an old wives' tales is up to you I guess. Again, this is what I've always been told. People who do this *do* seem to have longer bulb life - co-incidence or not. When my wife drove our Sube a lot more, she NEVER switched the lights off with the actual turn-lever stalk-switch because (her reasoning) they went off with the engine ignition switch anyway. Looking back - I keep a log of such matters along with oil changes, etc. - we were replacing the standard 9007 bulbs like they were free ... something like 3 or 4 a year. I always replace in pairs so that meant buying 3 or 4 PAIR of 9007 bulbs ... Ouch! For these newer, brighter, whiter, MORE EXPENSIVE halogen bulbs, doing whatever you can to make them last longer seems like a good idea, no? As with ALL suggestions and comments, "YMMV". Rgds,

Hey, bottom line is: Your cars are YOUR cars. Last time I checked, this was still the United States of America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, so - staying within tests that do not defeat combustion engine emissions standards - let's not mess with clean air rules! - I say after that, you're STLL FREE to do what you want to with YOUR car. Besides, the damned government has already intervened ENOUGH in my life - and yours! - and not always for OUR benefit, either - so screw 'em! Break a rule! Question authority! Take automotive antiquity matters into your own hands when it comes to headlights and head-lighting. I never read ANYWHERE that "D.O.T. approved" was the word of God - and that using NON-D.O.T. stuff sent you straight to Hell without passing "Go!" and collecting your 200 bucks. If someone like Miss Tsi+WRX gets mad at people like ME for calling her out, that's good! They SHOULD get mad when they get caught talking down to others and coming across like pompous know-it-alls! Rgds - happy motoring,

! agree. With YOU and to a degree, the retard on the forum who thinks he's "god". There are SO many factors affecting ALL headlights - aiming, road grime, aging and hazing of plastic lenses, simply the motion and the car bouncing down the average highway, on and on and on ... With the inverse square law in physics applying to headlight illumination, that also means any flaws and light scatter are also minimized over distance, too. And rather quickly. And your observation that, yes, looking at the new headlights against a garage door show some slight flaws, they're meaningless over, say, 100 feet. And in a moving vehicle. I went with THE brightest HID plug-in I could find and haven't regretted it a split second! I've passed every stste vehicle exam with ease and since my OEM bulb was a 9007, every HID "plug-n-play" I could find - except one! - killed my Hi beams and I refused to go that route. Apexcone has an HID module with a solenpoid built in that "re-positions" the entire light globe back-and-forth inside the master HID module - and that does a VERY good job of mimicing the front and rear position of the elements in the 9007 bulb. I appreciate 'ol "anal-retent's" opinions but I gotta SEE when I'm crusing down the highway! He insists I'll blind everyone approaching me and I, too, have been "flashed" exactly ONCE in more than a year of using them. Some people just don't like the look of those "Euro-white" headlights approaching them. I used to run around with my fog lights on with the LO beams - regardless of the weather - and realised THAT might invite someone to flash me, too, so I run them ONLY when the weather dictates. My MAIN reason for switching to the overly-bright HIDs was simply so I could see. The second was for durability. I was of the ilk to replace BOTH halogen bulbs when one went out - trying to keep the "aging" equalised - and found myself replacing an awful lot of PAIRS of bulbs! Now? I haven't replaced a bulb since the day I installed the HIDs. Mission accomplished! Rgds,