The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID)

Not rude/arrogant at all, just asking valid pointed questions.

Sounds like you have made a fitting choice based on your needs, and that is what these threads are supposed to be about. For best output I would recommend adding the HS Harness with the GE bulbs. It won't make the improvement that it does with high wattage, but it will still make an improvement giving you extra output out of your stock wattage bulbs.

 

Yup, I was planning on it as well, as much output as I can get from the higher efficiency bulbs

 

Ordered the harness Will play with the existing bulbs first for a baseline then order some new ones if required.

 

It seems like it is more difficult to find a high wattage low beam without a small star for a high beam. I don't like the idea that the highbeams can melt small glaciers... Would be better to have an 85/85 or something as opposed to going to a 130/90... Hmmm.. more bulb research is in order.

 

See post #1265 on page 64 for another 85/80w bulb.

There are also many options for the 100/90w power level. But if you wanted stock wattage high beam with upgraded low beam there is ARBs Fatboy 2 bulbs, 60/80w, I have them and was not impressed with the build quality on misaligned filaments. Haven’t tested them yet though. Edit: And I should mention they are absurdly expensive.

 

The Chinese knockoffs you mean? I'd rather avoid that, however I suppose life span matters less if they are cheap enough.

The 60/55w +### bulbs... Do they actually put off more light? Or just marketing? Ideally,I'd like to have a very good low beam with a good life... Or cheap enough that I am not worried about going through 2 for every 1 normal bulb. Don't really want to spend $60 a pair every 100 hours.

Or is this an unrealistic expectation? For instance if those Chinese knock offs aren't as good as the OSRAMs, are they at least better than the 60/55 legal ones?

 

These look interesting... Anyone try these Hella Bulbs?

 

The +xxx bulbs use more precise filaments to focus the stock amount of light into a more condensed hotspot, which will then project the light further. So they don't put out more light, it is just better focused and projected further. The Philips +130s I believe have a low beam life of 420 hours. Step up to the +150s and it drops to 200 hours. I'm not sure what the bulb life is on the GE +120 bulbs, I'd expect it to be similar to the +130s, but the GEs will have a much better performing high beam.

The Chinese bulbs claim higher efficiency, meaning better hot spot than stock. I haven't compared them to stock to validate that claim. They will certainly be brighter than stock but they may not project as far as the best stock wattage bulbs.

Yes, I have tried them in an H13. They are literally the worst bulbs I have ever tried. I would not recommend them, you could not pay me to put those bulbs in my truck. See my comments here, and the post afterward.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...4-not-led-or-hid.398066/page-41#post-16638724

 

Thanks for the answers. I appreciate it. I'll keep looking. Maybe worth trying a pair of the Chinese bulbs. They don't specify a life I don't think. Hmm. I'll have to double check.

 

As a point of comparison, the 85/80w Osrams had a life of 200 hours.

 

Well.. (as a caveat I have read the pieces of this thread on coated bulbs and understand I get less light than otherwise)..

But I do prefer the whiter/bluer light on my Volts Lowbeams... So I found these... Higher wattage, likely with coating for color... But overall will best stock and get me closer to a color of light I really react well to..

OSRAM Cool Blue Boost 9003 (HB2/H4) (Twin) - from power bulbs

https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product/osram-cool-blue-boost-h4

Anyone have personal experience with these? Or test them? Seems like a good compromise..
Just looking to find bulb life listed.

 

Never tried them. They will pay a heavy penalty with the coating, but they are also high wattage to generate greater raw output than stock. Osram is a quality brand, cannot comment on their performance but it will surely be better than the Optilux equivalent.

 

Yes, after reading through the posts you linked, I will be avoiding the optilux mark.

I'll give them a try, as they will be genuine Osram at least, and they are a good price right now.

Thanks for the help. I still plan on Harness with stock old bulbs for a baseline, then do the bulb swap and see how they go.

Now to read the Fogs thread.

 

You may need more than a single bag there bro. It's gonna take a couple weeks to get the harness home and some bulbs

Update: Harness shipped, bulbs should ship soon. Now it's a race... Do I get to head south to pickup my harness before or after the bulbs arrive... Hmmm...

 

@crashburn80. I am going to be ordering new housings as well as ordering the headlight services harness. I really prefer the dtrl to be non amber, and was considering getting the Vled switch back led in place of the stock amber dtrl bulb. I realize led's are bad in a halagen bulb housing, but considering these are for daytime only would it be that big of an issue? Also, the headlight harness upgrade only increases the main bulb in the housing correct?

 

Nothing wrong with changing out the center DRL to LED if that is what you prefer. Depending on the bulb, you might encounter hyperflash with the signal. I have no experience with the ones you mention.

The LEDs in a halogen housing issue really pertains to forward facing lights where you want to project light some distance but maintain beam control to keep a clean cut off horizon. The purpose of the DRLs is to emit light everywhere to be seen, LEDs will do that fine.

Correct, the harness just goes to the two H4 bulbs. All other bulbs in the headlight assembly are unaffected.

 

Thank you for the confirmation.

 

wow! there is a lot of info to digest here! I'm not sure I want to upgrade my harness just yet, if I were to just swap the stock bulb, is there a lamp you recommend? I don't use hi-beams a lot, would just like better low beam performance, i.e. better projection. I can't use the Philips RacingVision +150 in the stock harness, correct? Because that seems to be the lamp I would use, if I upgraded the harness.

 

Philips Racing Vision +150 is stock wattage, meaning no harness necessary, just ultra high efficiency for maximum distance projection.

High efficiency bulbs use smaller more precise coils to concentrate the hot spot for improved distance projection, but the total light output is near the same as stock. Compared to high power bulbs that require a harness where ligh output is significantly increased. In the case of 85/80w Hypers the distance projection is also improved (bulbs no longer available). But in the case of the 100/90w Superbrights the distance projection is not improved.