3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

Thank you for clearing it up for me. I understand now.

 

I prefer not to use the adapter/harness. Every connection in the circuit adds resistance, lowering voltage to the bulb, and therefore decreasing brightness. I just use a micro side cutter I bought for six bucks at Walmart and it literally takes one second to trim the bulb socket tab to fit the OEM plug. There is no need to trim the metal center tab for the bulb to fit correctly in my 3rd gen Taco or 5th gen 4Runner.

 

If you'd like to ship them, I'd be willing to test them. That is a good point about maintaining the output intensity. I recall seeing that the GEs were advertised as holding the output at 90% by the bulbs EOL, whereas halogen average tends to be closer to 20%. I'd be surprised if an H9 dropped down to nearly 50% to the point it wasn't as bright as a stock standard H11. I've done EOL testing in H4, since that is what I run in my truck and it was pretty interesting to look at the data. I'll have to see if I can dig up the post.

 

The GE +130 H11 is plug and play and also whiter. The H9 is not either of those things.

 

Just one snip with a micro cutter and it's plug and play. And aren't the GEs whiter because they have a tint on the bulb, thereby decreasing output? For me, color temp takes a backseat to output. I would be interested in knowing when H9s start to decrease output so can compare cost to replace then vs a cost of high performance H11s. I've had Phillips H9s in my low beams since January, about 100 hours of use, and haven't noticed a decrease in output yet. Maybe change these out every 12 months?

 

The GE Xenon +120s (best H11) are whiter because rather than using a halogen gas in the bulb, they use a Xenon has. Xenon gas causes halogens to burn whiter, but it is more expensive. The bulb has very little blue coating and in an area that does not affect output. The GE +130 does have more blue coating which is why it is outperform by a lower efficiency bulb of the +120.

One of the things about halogen output drop is that it is very gradual. You may notice than when you install new bulbs after one fails, that the new ones are brighter, because you are comparing end of life bulbs to brand new. But the day to day loss over time is so slow and gradual that it won’t be noticed.

 

Ahhh. At how many hours would your recommend replacement? Or do you think the +120 would be more economical? Thank you!

 

Is the GE +130 xenon filled like the +120?

 

I don't have the data on bulb performance degradation over time for those specific bulbs to provide that answer. Typically ~20% loss at end of life is around the norm. It is the first time I've heard a number remotely as high as being discussed. The Philips bulbs are about $14/pr vs GEs at $50/pr, so it would take quiet a bit for it to be less economical from a strict dollar standpoint, especially given the longer life of the H9s.

Good question, I'm honestly not sure.

 

Thank you Sir. Sounds like Phillips H9s are still the way to go. And correct me if I'm wrong but I've read 20% reduction in lumens wouldn't be noticed by the human eye, it would take double or half power to notice a difference.

 

Here was my post on EOL output with measured comparison from my H4 thread, in post #1465. Now these are exotic Hyper bulbs, both high efficiency and high wattage, which is what I run. They are not your typical consumer bulb product. For my 85/80w Hyper bulbs, measured EOL output was a reduction of 28%. While I didn't notice the reduction over time (200hrs ~1yr), it was immediately noticeable when replacing one bulb. The pictures don't do a great job in capturing the output difference, but there are lux readings included. So, side-by-side I'd expect you to be able to tell a 20% difference, but you are unlikely to tell over time.

 

Thanks. There is a noticable difference in the pic. What is the expected hours on a Phillips H9 BTW?

 

I seem to recall it being 250 hours, but looks like the back of the box say close to 400 hours.

 

Awesome. Thanks again!

 

And by 350, I meant close to 400.

 

Yet another reason to choose the H9!

 

Good god holy mother of fuck. This is dope. Little bit of sarcasm, thank fuck I had a day to read it

 

Exactly why I started looking for lighting my dude. I’m bout to head back to the 48 in November headed down the ALCAN and I 10/10 need better headlights.

 

While you are at it, re-aim your headlights if you’re driving down empty or close to it. The factory aim is really low, simply raising the point of aim by 0.5-0.75” at 10’ will greatly increase the headlights’ effectiveness even with the stock bulbs.

 

So I’ve not opened my lights at all, never had to. How do I go about doing that *that being re-aim the bulbs*?