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Halogen Headlight Upgrade Bulbs

elvin315

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elvin315 Enthusiast

elvin315

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My previous car had HID lights so I was disappointed with my 3.0R Ltd's Halogens. I was looking into replacing them with new LED bulbs but couldn't find enough first hand info from owners who've made the change to LEDs to justify the cost of conversion. Following the advice of coldsoda and info from the Daniel Stern site I replaced my standard headlight bulbs with an Osram Rallye 64217 65w H7 low-beams and Philips / Osram 9011 (HIR1) high-beams.

 

While not as bright or white as an HID low-beam it is a big improvement. Same for the H1R1 high-beam. Both are brighter, with extended beams though I can't tell if they're wider than stock. The roads I tested on are narrow 2 lanes with thick woods to the sides making it hard to judge.

Instructions on modifying the H1R1 to fit the 9005 sockets:

http://store.candlepower.com/mohirbuba.html and http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-91565365470012_2267_311973

 

I'll continue to research the LED option. I'm thinking of trying them in the fog-lights. I really can't tell when they're on or off with the stock bulbs anyway, fog or no fog. To me they're more decorative than useful. Maybe LED bulbs can change that. If not then maybe a pair of aftermarket driving-lights on the bumper. Superior lighting is important to me. Lots of Whitetails around here at night, along with skunks and groundhogs, not to mention the rare Moose or escaped Cow, so close-calls are a regular occurrence.

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utc_pyro Mentor

utc_pyro

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Just about all PNP LED setups are going to have less output than stock and a strange beam pattern. Particularly when compared to the Rallye H7 bulbs. If you want to run led headlight, particularly as your main beam, you really should do a full retrofit. Kyoto Bi-LED or the upcoming TRS kit both are good options, or getting really custom with other OEM units. HID is another option, but again you need to go a bit beyond PNP. The squirrel finders will blind people if not filled in, and if you're in there you might as well swap to a different projector. RX330 non-AFS, maxima, and RX8 are basically plug and play if you want OEM. There are also off the shelf brackets for FX-R and Mini H1 6.0/7.0 aftermarket projectors.

 

For your fogs, the Morimoto XB leg fogs or BMW x5's would be a better option. The '05-'06 projector based fogs took well to HID retrofits, but the newer reflector type should just be swapped out wholesale.

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coldsoda Rising Star

coldsoda

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Good feedback elvin. UTC_pyro hit some good points as well.

 

I've had the morimoto XB fogs on a 15 wrx I had for a while. I was impressed with them, here are a couple pics from when I installed to compare to the factory fogs. note: the LED headlights are the OEM limited wrx lights.

 

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv185/coldsoda/IMG_20141225_131906743_HDR_zpsscbtf772.jpg

 

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv185/coldsoda/IMG_20141225_131750783_zpszkeqceyl.jpg

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utc_pyro Mentor

utc_pyro

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Will those work as a H7 replacement?

 

NO. :mad:

 

Do NOT uses PNP LED's for your main beams. For the safety of yourself and others around you.

 

Fogs are auxiliary lights so whatever. There is a reason Phillips marked these for fogs only.

 

If you want LED main beams start reserching on Hidplanet.com and headlight junkies (FB group).

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98legwag Experienced

98legwag

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NO. :mad:

 

Do NOT uses PNP LED's for your main beams. For the safety of yourself and others around you.

 

Fogs are auxiliary lights so whatever. There is a reason Phillips marked these for fogs only.

 

If you want LED main beams start reserching on Hidplanet.com and headlight junkies (FB group).

 

I was just curious. I have no intention of getting them. I currently have the 65w Osrams.

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elvin315 Enthusiast

elvin315

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@elvin315 - The Philips H11 LED bulbs are an awesome drop-in replacement -- available in both 5000k and 2700k (yellow).

 

Steve

 

UPDATE: The more night miles I drive the more I'm liking the 65W Osram H7 low beams. I tend to use the H11 hi-beams more often, but when forced to go Lo-beam with oncoming traffic or when following behind other cars the Osrams do a much better job than the OEM H7s. They project farther and spread wider the the OEMs. Granted, the ones I removed had deposited residue inside the bulbs, a sure sign they were near the end of their lives, and not producing optimum light. Still, I'm sure the Osrams are brighter than new 55W H7s.

Now about these H11 LED Fog-lights........

  1. Are they plug & play? The OEM fog-light is a 9006. Does the H11 LED need any modification to the bulb or the housing?
  2. In terms of Lumens the H11 produce 700 lumens to the 9006's 1200. How can they be brighter if they produce less light?
  3. In terms of color temperature, are the white 5000k brighter than the yellow 2700k? I know yellow is supposed to be more effective in the fog, rain, or snow, but light output is more important to me. If their relative brightness is close I'll go yellow.

Even on sale, and with the discount, they are a sizable chunk of change. I need these questions answered before pressing ENTER. Thanks!!

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rougeben83 Experienced

rougeben83

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I've used Philips Xtreme Vision on the minivan for years - very good light oupt for the price (usually $5-10 cheaper than Silverstars). Have also tried Silverstar Ultras and Nightbreakers - pretty comparable, just a matter of availability and price.

 

Just like any of the brighter halogens, their light output goes down with time due to running a much hotter filament. I usually replace them every couple of years.

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elvin315 Enthusiast

elvin315

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I'm a fan of the H7 Osram Nighbreaker Unlimited bulbs -- if you're looking for a quality halogen replacement.

 

H11 LED - You cannot install an h11 bulb into a 9006 application. I apologize, for some reason I thought that your vehicle used an H11 bulb for the fog lights -- not 9006.

 

Steve

 

Bummer. Good thing I didn't order them. My LED Foglight search continues!

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utc_pyro Mentor

utc_pyro

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Bummer. Good thing I didn't order them. My LED Foglight search continues!

 

You could just get HIR2 bulbs and be done with it, or swap to proper LED fogs (morimoto).

 

HIR2 is the same deal as the HIR1 you did on your high beams, trim a little and you're good to go.

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elvin315 Enthusiast

elvin315

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Just throwing these out there, and fishing for comments. Our foglights use 9006 bulbs. The following are a few of their LED equivalents. I know they will fit but will the light output be better/same/worse than the halogen bulb? Any opinions re: Cree LEDs? If you have knowledge or experience with anything I've listed I'd appreciate your advice.

 

Xtreme LED 9006 Headlight bulb

http://www.xenondepot.com/9006-LED-headlight-kit-p/9006-led-hl.htm

A 9006 LED but not designed as a fog light bulb.

Morimoto 2Stroke LED 9006 Bulbs

http://www.morimotohid.com/led-lighting/2stroke-9006-led.html

utc_pyro: You recommended the Morimoto fog lights, but did you mean the bulbs or the whole fog assemblies? They seem a little cumbersome with the bulb assembly, bulb adapter, bulb driver, bulb, bulb input, anti-flicker link. and input adapter.

 

Nokya 9006 yellow LED fog light bulb

http://www.lightbulbs4cars.com/product/NOK9510

Advertised as a fog bulb. I'm sort of leaning towards these or something like them.

 

Lots of 9006 LED Headlight Bulbs but few optimized for foglight use. I'll keep looking.

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coldsoda Rising Star

coldsoda

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I'm thinking utc_pyro meant these: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/complete-headlight-fog-light-housings/morimoto-xb-led-fog-lights-wrx-sti-gr.html#.V8WtxZgrK00

 

Which is exactly what I put in my 2015 wrx and those pictures above in post #3. I'd lean towards a fog-specific bulb like the Nokya if you don't want to shell out 200 bones on the complete xb led fogs. FWIW, I bought mine on black friday through the retrofitsource and had a pretty sweet discount - got those bad boys for $150 shipped.

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elvin315 Enthusiast

elvin315

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I'm thinking utc_pyro meant these: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/complete-headlight-fog-light-housings/morimoto-xb-led-fog-lights-wrx-sti-gr.html#.V8WtxZgrK00

 

Which is exactly what I put in my 2015 wrx and those pictures above in post #3. I'd lean towards a fog-specific bulb like the Nokya if you don't want to shell out 200 bones on the complete xb led fogs. FWIW, I bought mine on black friday through the retrofitsource and had a pretty sweet discount - got those bad boys for $150 shipped.

 

I like what I see in your pictures. I was originally looking for an LED bulb to swap for the Halogen but I do see the sense in replacing the entire lamp assembly. The original is designed for a halogen bulb and swapping in an LED would be a compromise since the bulb and reflector weren't made for each other.

 

While checking out the Retrofitsource site I found a link to a Motomori thread on this forum's 5th Generation section outlining the install. I figure it can't be much different than an install on the 4th Gen. Not to mention all the positive reviews for the 5th Gen lamps.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/morimoto-xb-led-fog-install-theretrofitsource-233152.html?

 

I also found a review on the Retrofitsource page for their GR WRX STi: Morimoto XB LED Fogs from a 2008 3.0R owner, Andres. He owns the same year & model Legacy as mine and said all the right things about the lights.

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/complete-headlight-fog-light-housings/morimoto-xb-led-fog-lights-wrx-sti-gr.html#.V8aWTK33ggt

 

Looks like I'll be ordering a set with the yellow LaminX film. The increased cost of the XB lamp versus the bulb isn't much considering the increased performance, however I think I might wait to see if they go on sale as we approach the Holiday Seasons. I wonder if there's such a thing as a Halloween Foglight Sale?

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elvin315 Enthusiast

elvin315

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I finally gave in to my impatience and ordered the Morimoto XB LED Fogs. Now I get an email from TRS that they're on backorder with no hint of when I might expect delivery. No mention of that on their website. They should've warned me before accepting my credit card. Very pissed off.
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