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The ultimate foglight upgrade H11 (not LED or HID)

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by crashnburn80, Jun 4, 2016.

  1. Mar 1, 2019 at 6:59 PM
    #421
    tsb

    tsb 2018 National Champions

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  2. Mar 1, 2019 at 8:18 PM
    #422
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    Don't buy that China crap. If you want a strictly off road only light, just swap in an H9. It will far outperform the GE in output in addition to the above lights while providing a fuller and more uniform and wider angle beam pattern, because it is the exact light source the housing is designed for, just massively brighter and lacking forward facing glare protection. The Hella Osram Hypers are an elite performance +30 version H9 for even greater output performance, and they cost a whopping $9/each. All you have to do is trim an internal tab on the bulb with a small knife and they are plug and play.

    But by using an H9 you lose the glare cap and these will produce forward escaping light creating awful glare. Not actually as bad as LEDs in halogen housings, but bad glare none-the-less making the mod not suitable for street use. This should be an off road only mod. Lacking the glare cap also eliminates the cut offs, meaning the fog function of having hard cut offs for poor weather performance is lost.

    Hella Osram Hyper H9s
    https://www.rallylights.com/hl78178-h9-12v-65w-xenon-bulb.html

    Upper tab removed with small knife:
    fullsizeoutput_eb0.jpg
     
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  3. Mar 2, 2019 at 8:36 PM
    #423
    tsb

    tsb 2018 National Champions

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    thank you sir
     
    crashnburn80[OP] likes this.
  4. Mar 2, 2019 at 10:14 PM
    #424
    tsb

    tsb 2018 National Champions

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  5. Mar 2, 2019 at 10:33 PM
    #425
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    The Hella standard H9s are the Hypers, but Hella has 2 different versions of the H9 bulb. Those made in Korea by Osram and those made in China. In the 3rd gen Headlight thread post 339 someone ordered the double pack off Amazon and confirmed they are made in Korea though I haven’t tested the bulbs to be certain they are the same, but it does seem like it:

    https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ector-headlights.589465/page-17#post-19886349

    The capped Volsas are not available. But the Hellas will be higher output. Neither option is very street friendly as the TRD fogs don’t do a good job of glare control so even a capped H9 in the TRD housing will magnify the poor glare control.
     
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  6. Mar 2, 2019 at 11:18 PM
    #426
    NMTrailRider

    NMTrailRider Well-Known Member

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    Are those trimmed H9's ?
     
  7. Mar 2, 2019 at 11:20 PM
    #427
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    Left bulb is stock, right bulb is trimmed. Note the metal tabs have 90 degree corners vs 45s.
     
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  8. Mar 2, 2019 at 11:42 PM
    #428
    NMTrailRider

    NMTrailRider Well-Known Member

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    Is it not necessary to trim the metal tab as well?
     
  9. Mar 3, 2019 at 8:17 AM
    #429
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    Only some H9s require that, I don’t think the Hellas do. I’ll double check.
     
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  10. Mar 3, 2019 at 10:14 AM
    #430
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    Hella H9s fit without meta tab trimming, but it is a tight fit.
     
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  11. Mar 4, 2019 at 8:47 PM
    #431
    NMTrailRider

    NMTrailRider Well-Known Member

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    Is it possible that the cutoff line (on a wall, for example) would be slightly higher with the GE Megalights, as compared to the stock bulbs?

    I can't say for certain, but I kinda think the line is higher on my garage wall than it was with the OEM bulbs at the same distance. Is this even possible? Or is it my imagination?
     
  12. Mar 4, 2019 at 9:05 PM
    #432
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    Bulbs can have small variances in focal points for how a smaller filament high efficiency bulb focuses compared to a standard larger filament bulb. Usually this doesn’t require much if any adjustment and is more fine tuning optimization than anything else. Of course this assumes you had quality European made bulbs to begin with, and not cheap Chinese ones where the filament location may be significantly off which would alter the pattern position.
     
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  13. Mar 4, 2019 at 11:21 PM
    #433
    NMTrailRider

    NMTrailRider Well-Known Member

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    Shoot. Ha I meant to post that in the headlight thread- not this fog thread. Too many crash tabs open on the desktop!
     
  14. Mar 4, 2019 at 11:23 PM
    #434
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    Actually makes more sense in a headlight than a fog light. :)
     
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  15. Mar 5, 2019 at 7:01 AM
    #435
    GREENBIRD56

    GREENBIRD56 Well-Known Member

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    I look at this thread every so often just to see how things are proceeding. I've run the H9's in my outfit for about three years now - and they are without a doubt superior in light output to the factory H-11's. They really do the job on dark rural roads and I didn't have to upgrade the wiring. But...................the comments I've seen about the "glare cap" requirement troubles me.

    When I fitted the bulbs, I parked the truck squarely in front of my favorite warehouse wall (level parking surface / vertical wall). I first fitted the passenger side bulb - and then checked the wall for the "cut-off" compared to the factory arrangement. As far as I could see - the lense worked to limit the brighter bulb to exactly the same cut--off elevation. If that is the case - what would be the added effect of the glare cap - the cut-off is the cut-off correct?
     
  16. Mar 5, 2019 at 9:04 AM
    #436
    Raistlen0

    Raistlen0 Well-Known Member

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    I think this is the case for the low beams in the (3rd gen anyway) but not the case when putting into the fogs.
     
  17. Mar 6, 2019 at 8:23 AM
    #437
    pinktaco808

    pinktaco808 Hot Steppa

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    What the best bulb to add to the stock fog light housing? Brightest and wont blind people. Brand name and type
     
  18. Mar 6, 2019 at 8:36 AM
    #438
    pinktaco808

    pinktaco808 Hot Steppa

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    Let me know


    Are these any good Ebay

    332829881884
    Or
    253712260281
     
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  19. Mar 6, 2019 at 9:16 AM
    #439
    Rick_Taco

    Rick_Taco I'll do it myself

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    I didn't think you could get the Optilux 65W H9 yellow with a glare cap. Ive been looking for something like this, still cannot seem to find them.
     
  20. Mar 6, 2019 at 9:27 AM
    #440
    Rick_Taco

    Rick_Taco I'll do it myself

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    Sorry, You got me excited for a minute. I feel like I have found the end of the internet when it comes to stock replacements in yellow. H9 or H11. I do not recall seeing anything in an H9 yellow with a glare cap. Kind of just piddling around until crash drops 3.0 on TW. haha
     

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