Brighter Headlights?

[jf1020]

I am looking for brighter headlights for 2009 legacy limited.

I don't want an expensive HID upgrade.

 

any ideas?

[MrTris]

The fourth gen Legacies have some of the best and brightest headlights of any generation of Subaru that doesn't have HIDs stock.

 

That said, nut up for some HIDs.

 

Are you running stock bulbs? Maybe try some better bulbs like PIAAs.

[rob-2]

Hid $80 never look back

[HappySub]

I use to buy Silver Star's but they would burn out about every 6 - 9 months. I finally got HID and have not changed a bulb in over 2 years. DDM tuning usually has a good price of them. I when with 5k 35watt

[JJr]

My Osram H7's, 65w super bright, Off-Road bulbs were a nice upgrade!

[minuccims]

My Osram H7's, 65w super bright, Off-Road bulbs were a nice upgrade!

 

This

[ScottieBoy]

You can get cheap HID kits that work great! I went spendy with mine that were $60 and I don't think I'll ever go back! 6k 55w and I haven't ever had someone flash their brights at me Why spend $30 on something that will only be ok? If you're spending money already, might as go with something that you'll love. Just my $.02

[iNVAR]

Check the lighting sub forum, especially the stickies. Don't want HIDs? Get the Osrams.

[lee07]

Bulbs are already about what? $40

 

Get some Hid, $100 or so. Well worth it.

 

Fairly easy to install. Less than 1hr

 

5 years on mine, since 2009 and hasn't gone out yet

[iNVAR]

If you do actually do your HIDs correctly, you need to remove the reflector assembly and bend down the blocking plate/tab , or you have to somehow jam something in there to block out the "squirrel finders". Otherwise, you blind opposing traffic. It's been suggested that even with the Osrams that this may be a good idea. Or you could just not give a crap about other drivers on the road.

 

You also have to disable DRL.

[Chris GTO TT]

On my 08 I don't feel like filling in the 'squirrel finders' is necessary, because I for one like being able to see highway signs and things beyond the cutoff. IMO the 'glare' from the 'squirrel finders' is much over hyped.

[iNVAR]

Comparison photos in post #31

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/get-rid-glare-w-stock-headlights-and-hid-82756p3.html?highlight=glare+HID

[Chris GTO TT]

apples and oranges comparison... RX330 to filled in OEM housings.

 

What effect does filling in the squirrel finders have on lighting up road signs and highway signs down the road?

 

Course this is kind of a moot debate on this thread since the OP doesn't want HID's

[iNVAR]

Filling them in will obviously make signs less visible if they're above your light cutoff. Have you ever checked to see how much of a glare you actually get from your own headlights from the POV of oncoming traffic? Have a buddy drive your car some time and approach from the opposite direction in his car and see how it is.

[Chris GTO TT]

I've looked at my car from a long distance with the HID's on and I wouldn't consider the glare any better or worse than an car with OEM HID's

[Steve R.]

I've looked at my car from a long distance with the HID's on and I wouldn't consider the glare any better or worse than an car with OEM HID's

 

From straight on? Or have you tried different approaches, including various offsets, corners and height (hills) advantages/disadvantages?

 

I really hate to have to tell you that clear air does not refract the light so you can see it. It WILL be glaring at some angle or offset that is not readily apparent to you. Use them HID's in the fog or snow.

 

As far as people not flashing their high beams? Maybe they assume that if you put a china bay HID kit in your car, you might lack the intelligence to understand the signal they are giving you. Maybe they were blind enough to not be able to flash you.

[rob-2]

From straight on? Or have you tried different approaches, including various offsets, corners and height (hills) advantages/disadvantages?

 

I really hate to have to tell you that clear air does not refract the light so you can see it. It WILL be glaring at some angle or offset that is not readily apparent to you. Use them HID's in the fog or snow.

 

As far as people not flashing their high beams? Maybe they assume that if you put a china bay HID kit in your car, you might lack the intelligence to understand the signal they are giving you. Maybe they were blind enough to not be able to flash you.

 

Lots of resentment there. I'm blinded by more trucks then anything else. Lifted trucks are the worst. OEM or not.

 

Oh and then there are the moron drivers who think the BLUE light (high beam) is for night time driving.

[Chris GTO TT]

From straight on? Or have you tried different approaches, including various offsets, corners and height (hills) advantages/disadvantages?

 

I really hate to have to tell you that clear air does not refract the light so you can see it. It WILL be glaring at some angle or offset that is not readily apparent to you. Use them HID's in the fog or snow.

 

As far as people not flashing their high beams? Maybe they assume that if you put a china bay HID kit in your car, you might lack the intelligence to understand the signal they are giving you. Maybe they were blind enough to not be able to flash you.

 

Everything you said is also true about incandescent bulbs in our housing also. Yeah if you crest a hill and a car is below the cutoff it will seem brighter to that car no matter what type of headlights you have.

 

Cars with factory HID don't have this mythical100% perfectly clean cut off that never glares. Have you ever compared the beam throw pattern of 4th Gen headlights to a car with OEM HID? I have and my cutoff is sharper and cleaner than an 09 GTI, which has stock HID.

[Steve R.]

Lots of resentment there.

100% fact. Take these next words for their face value not their potential assumed connotations; 'I am actually an asshole, but I don't feel that Chris' opinion or otherwise assumed shrug and thumbs up on the presence of glare from his HID's was completely correct.'

 

I'm blinded by more trucks then anything else. Lifted trucks are the worst. OEM or not.

 

This does add weight to my last post, the angles that you are offset from the source of light and 'aiming device' does affect glare, halogen or gas shielded electrical arc lights.

[iNVAR]

Very true. There are obviously a lot of other cars/drivers out there that blind the crap out of me, whether due to HIDs or just benig poorly aimed and simply halogen. Leaving it alone certainly won't bring about the end of the world.

 

But that doesn't mean I want to become a part of that population. "It could be worse" or "It's not that bad" usually isn't an argument that works well to convince me.

[Steve R.]

Everything you said is also true about incandescent bulbs in our housing also. Yeah if you crest a hill and a car is below the cutoff it will seem (lol, wut? The beam will be focused on you.) brighter to that car no matter what type of headlights you have.

 

Cars with factory HID don't have this mythical100% perfectly clean cut off that never glares.

 

Oh I can't agree more. Perhaps that may upset you, but truthfully it is more about the amount of effort to optimize the output of the lamp.

 

4th gens for example with a projector may be better than vehicles with straight up reflector housings. However the internal design of the projectors (and forget about the cutoff plates for a minute) will be dimensionally incorrect for bulb type and light concentration characteristics.

 

Here is where you can stick your tongue out at me. Once all is said and done, even with proper design retrofit projectors, you can definitely still have glare just because of the plastic headlight housing cover. The question is, will you have corrected as much potential for glare without proper projectors? Will you have taken that light that would be scattered as glare and focused it on the road where it is useful to you?