3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

A lot of us have upgraded to the OEM LED head lights. I have it on my 2017.
Most of us were waiting on @crashnburn80 's review on it. I know once I saw the review, I checked out.


You will need a harness. Highly recommend @xrunnerdude67 's harness, it is color code and super easy to plug and play. There is the TRS harness also, but there have been reports of the wiring being switched around and blowing fuses.

 

@crashnburn80

Sorry to probably ask the same question asked thousands of times (pretty much a reiteration of your recommendation in first/second post, just making sure still up to date), I'm just ready to pull the trigger on some improved lighting without spending hundreds on full OEM LED housings and such. So would this be the best route to go for now:

This adapter to allow PnP use of H9s in low beam: https://www.ebay.com/itm/162054453041 (modification needed to clip into OEM H11 harness, no bulb modification needed) I've just heard this is higher quality than the jdmtoy one.

and the Phillips H9 bulbs for lowbeam use?

Not looking to go LED bulbs, and/or a full housing retrofit is just not in the books just yet.

 

I’m sorry I ever brought up the damn harness... just trim the h9 bulb. It’s easy, it’s fast, and to fit best in the housing you’ll need to trim the metal tab on the locking base anyway. But yes the Nokya harness is high quality.

 

Was there ever a full test on the quad projector headlights completed?

 

Correct. I should update the harness link on the 2nd post to reference that one. Personally I'd just modify the bulb, as it is simple and quick and involves less parts, but for those wanting to make it true plug and play the harness will accomplish that.

The AlphaRex quad projector lights do not appear to be a legitimate headlight product. They appear to be just reselling cheap china Alibaba lights at a significant markup, and the lights don't appear to have a proper headlight low beam pattern. If someone sent me some I'd take a look, but I have no plans to review these lights. Before realizing how bad these looked, I asked AlphaRex to borrow a set for this thread and return them on completion. They declined. Below is a post I made on the AlphaRex lights based on others reviews and comparisons to Morimoto.

 

@crashnburn80 I have several sets of the GE Xenon 120+ and 2 Philips H9 bulbs. Think I should go straight to the H9's for the low-beams or just save them for replacements for the high's and use the GE's? I plan on getting a set of the DD SS3 Pros in Selective Yellow's for the fogs (just waiting to see what sales pop up for Black Friday / holidays).

 

The GE Xenon +120s are fantastic bulbs being the best plug and play H11, but I'd personally run the Philips H9s for greater output and more light throughout the pattern. The GEs will be slightly whiter in color temp than the Philips H9s. If deciding to go with the Philips H9s, I'm sure others in this thread may be interested in your GE bulbs, since they are not currently available for sale. I speculate they will come back after the GE->Tungsram branding change, but no ETA.

 

So my bulbs just arrived today, and I was happy to see that both the Osram's and the Phillips I received were made in Germany. The harness did not arrive, but I am more inclined to trim the H9's to fit in the H11 spot now after reading more posts...

Does anyone have any detailed pics on what/how to trim the H9's so they pit properly in the low beam spot?

Heres some pics of the Nightbreakers and the Phillips H9's showing made in Germany...

 

Here is a side-by-side showing a stock H9 left vs a modified H9 right. Notice the internal plastic tab is removed on the modified bulb to fit an H11. (There are obviously not the Philips bulbs). I added a link to the post #2 in this thread for easier future reference.

 

How are you getting all the way down into the connector to trim the tab? Dremmel? File? Just curious the best method to remove the tab as clearly as possibly without damaging the actual connector terminals.

 

Xacto knife is ideal.

You'll likely also have to trim the wide metal tab for it to fit in the housing. Tin snips, or a Dremel.

 

Agreed. Pictures in the link below show why.
3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

 

I just use the small knife I carry. Takes only a minute to whittle it off. You’ll want to wear gloves to protect the bulb from oils on your skin, or clean it afterward with isopropyl alcohol.

 

I watched a youtube video to finger it out.

Here is what I did:

Flush cutters to snip off most of the plastic tab, then an exacto to trim the remnants down to the base.

Used a set of small wire cutters to "score" the metal tab on the base triangle, then bent the small piece back and forth against the score and it snapped off perfectly clean. Had to go at it twice as I didn't quite cut enough off the metal tab the first time, but got it done nicely.

Bulbs fit right in, everything is nice and tidy and works fine... Now ....wait till dark to see what kind of difference these H9's in the low beam socket make. Also, swapped out the fogs with the Nightbreakers.

Will follow up with a report this evening.

@crashnburn80

Thanks for posting the pics and the AMAZING work you do for the community sir. Much respect and genuinely appreciated !!!

 

I did the plastic with a razor blade (should be obvious but put on you’re work gloves) and the tab with a flush side cutter. Just to make sure I didn’t damage anything I also ground the cut metal tab smooth with the Dremel grinding wheel. Takes less than 2 min per bulb.

 

The only reason I don't like the idea of using a dremel and grinder on the metal triangle, is you can leave behind some grinding wheel debris and metal shavings that "could" find their way into the light housing, since the metal triangle actually sits inside the projector...

Scoring it with wire cutters (not quite cutting it through) allows you to grab the small piece, and with 2 motions back and forth, the little piece breaks off clean, with no trimming or grinding necessary, and absolutely no possibility for shavings to get inside the light housing.

 

Ooooh, yours and several other posts clarified some things for me. I was unaware that the bulb would still require modification (the metal tab near the bulb), only saw the part about the plastic internal tab. So either way, remove tab from bulb or adapter harness, you still need to remove some metal from bulb to fit it into lens housing? Good to know.

 

You shouldn’t need to remove any part of the external metal tabs to put the Philips H9 bulbs in the 3rd low beam, just the internal plastic tab. A couple have had issues getting them in, finding the appropriate angle can be tricky, and trimming the metal tabs does make it easier, but shouldn’t be required.

 

I wish them well with that bad advice you keep giving. I read somewhere tabs on the H9s were changed some years back, I wonder if those are the ones you got to fit, or maybe an older 2nd gen headlight?
Whatever the case, YouTube videos, other posts on the internet, by far say to remove the metal tab. Posts by others on TW say the same thing, and mirrors my experience. that’s why I posted the pictures which say far more than anyone’s words do. The large tab on the H9 runs the opposite direction of the H11. The bulb is supposed to be aligned, pushed in, and turned to lock. Trying to corkscrew it in proves it’s not made for that bulb and pretty sure for most will be a problem that there’s no need for.

 

I used the phillips bulbs and did not have to trim the metal tab, and it didnt take a whole lot of manipulating to make it fit...