3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

I have, but you need a plastic welder to do it correctly.

You can get a good plastic welder at Harbor freight for like $70.00 : You can get a cheap one for $17.00 that comes with screen and various plastic rods : It is a good idea to practice on some old parts of similar composition like an old car bumper for example because it is really easy to go too hot on the welder, and melt the rest of the tab in the process of trying to fix it, especially with the hot air ($70.00) plastic welder in the first link.

I use aluminum screen material as reinforcement and just melt it in across the back/hidden side of the broken section to add additional support/strength. When done properly, the repaired section is stronger than the part was before it was broken because of the reinforcement.

Here is a pic of the job partly done. When finished, the screen is almost completely melted into (submerged) into the part and it becomes bulletproof. I jsut failed to take pics of the finished product before I put the lights back on the truck.... This set of lights were shipped to me with a broken tab. The tab was broken completely off on this light.

 

Thanks for letting me know! I never knew plastic welders existed!! Apparently back in the day, Toyota sold a repair kit for these tabs.

 

I'm going to wait on your review before I spend over $40 on a single bulb.....

 

Definitely fair, they are not cheap. However closer to $30/ea with the coupon, making them just over $60/pr. While that is pricey, that is a similar price point and only slightly higher than the best performing GE Xenons. But! The GEs are spec’d at 150 hour life span (IIRC) whereas the Philips H11 Pros are 400 hours. So if the Philips performance is comparable, that would actually make them a more economic option. TBD.

 

That's fair, I should have taken time to do the math. Thank you!

 

Hey @crashnburn80 and @tattooedsnake I just ordered some Philips +150 Pros in the H1 bulb to try out on the Spyder lights so we will see... fingers crossed.. I used the code posted to get the discount. coming from the UK so no telling how long it will take to get to me but they send a shipped email today. I only bought one pair and don't know what i'll end up putting in the high beam spot. My lights were recently replaced by body shop after a fender bender. no idea which ones I actually have as i'm sure they went aftermarket cheapie on me ! what recommendation do yall have for the other light. I think its the corner lens for these projector assemblies ?

 

Should help, some. High efficiency performance bulbs rely on precision optics for the performance gain. If the headlight assembly optics are poor/garbage, then having a more precise filament bulb doesn’t work the same way it does in a precision engineered headlight assembly. Pretty much anything is better than Spyder, but if they look the same they probably came from the same place regardless of the brand label. Should have taken that opportunity to press for new OEM assemblies!

 

Hindsight indeed ! Will the 55W be alright ? It looks like the xtremevision +130 are also 55W. What’s the biggest difference in the 2 ? Thanks as always

 

A standard H1 is 55w, they will be fine. +150 should have a more precise filament than the +130, when paired with quality optics it should equate to a higher intensity hot spot for improved distance projection.

 

So, I have HIDs in my 3rd gen projectors. I am currently running 6000k bulbs that came with the kit. For the winter I wanted to drop in some 3000k yellow bulbs. I bought some on Amazon and I have a feeling they sent the wrong ones.

Purple.

Question being, is it possible the bulbs are right and they SHOUKD be yellow and it’s my truck that’s the issue?

I have the opt7 boltzen 35W ballasts. My 6000k lights are bang on though so I’m more leaning toward....they sent me purple ones.

return already initiated and ordered a replacement set, just curious if anyone had a similar experience (I know about the green light, this is not green though).

 

Notice those blocks of uplight above your cut off pattern? That is illegal blinding glare to oncoming drivers, caused by using HIDs in a projector meant for halogens. An HID projector does not have that issue.

But to answer your question, bulb color is a function of the bulb, not ballast. They sent you the wrong ones.

 

I love it! Absolutely would hate having it from a functional stand point, but I love the purple light. That being said, I hope I'm never in oncoming traffic with you

 

Shouldn’t be an issue, mine weren’t flush cut either and they fit fine.

 

1. today I learned. I’ve read the post before briefly but didn’t know it was that bad. Might nix the HIDs entirely then, there are yellow halogen low beams. I also haven’t secured the ballasts so they’re sort of bouncing around and a pain anyway. Thanks for the heads up.

2. Glad I wasn’t doing something very dumb and somehow had yellow and thought it looked purple. It’s very purple and I don’t think I’m colorblind.

it was groovy. But not the intention, it would probably make it worse in the snow.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, got my bulbs (Philips H9s) modified and dropped them in a few nights ago, I can definitely tell an instant difference and I hadn't even gone down the unlit roads yet. I do need to get my ass in gear and double check the aiming since I am sitting on a 2 lift/level so want to make sure I'm not blinding anyone, though the only person who has said anything yet was the lowered Honda in the Chik-fil-A drive thru. He wasn't happy, lol. Thanks again!

Oh, also, when aiming headlights does anyone have the exact specs for drop? Like, how many inches at what distance? I've read mixed opinions of 2" or 4", both at 25'. Just curious...have not looked in manual to see if it is in there, figured it wouldn't be.

 

I attempted H9 bulb modification with a box cutter, it did not work very well. I suppose dremel is mandatory? Or have people had ok luck with tinsnips or other tools? It was harder than I thought it would be, making the adaptor harness slightly more appealing (especially if you had to swap highs and lows due to bulb burnout on a trip)

For aiming.

 

I used the blade from a box cutter, holding it with a small plier to not injure your hand. The blade was brand new and it went through the plastic tab very easily. I also trimmed the mounting tab to make it easier to insert the bulb, for that I use a small side cutter like you would cut a wire or zip tie with. Took 2 min for both bulbs.

 

While box cutters are sharp, they may not be sharp. I prefer a smaller blade as well.

 

So a different type/style of knife? Can I buy a vowel??? Starts with the letter.....???

 

Exacto. Or a really good quality box cutter blade.