3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

Lots of variables to balance, hard to say for certain without the test data. Also saw posts on Candlepower that was inconclusive without trying them out, but haven't seen any results yet. Those Philips bulbs are a fair amount more than the already expensive Volsas though at about $32/ea vs $25/ea.

 

You would think there would be more data since there don't seem to be many product offerings. I'm sure you dislike answering questions like this because you're very analytical with things, but what does your gut tell you if you had to guess in a horse shoes and hand grenades kind of answer for which one would be better?

 

I cant speak for the philips bulbs, but the voslas are great. Huge upgrade. Bought a 2nd pair for backups. Had them for about a year.

 

Ran the Volsla's as well and the output was great although I did have one that burned out way sooner that I thought even with expected reduced life expectancy. Running the ACDELCO HIR ones in the highs too which is nice. Probably going to take a flier on these Philips though.

 

Impossible to say with any level of certainty. Philips Pro bulbs haven’t performed as well in a projector as Tungsram and Osram, but they tend to do excellent in a reflector. Projectors are more sensitive to filament size, whereas reflectors are a bit more forgiving and can benefit more from greater output. In reflectors Philips Pro/Racing Vision have consistently come out as best. But I don’t have the comparison data for Volsa logged to say how it compares to Philips in either lamp style.

It’s also worth noting that Philips latest bulb releases with their Racing +200 series have appeared to not increase the efficiency, but instead move the baseline… down. Rather than compare to a standard bulb, they compare to a long life bulb, or an end of life bulb. Thus allowing for greater advertising gains over the comparison, even though the bulb didn’t get better in output, it was just the comparison baseline that got worse allowing for higher advertised values. Not saying this is the case with the Pro HIR2s, but it could be. For an example of what I am referring to See updated +200 review in post #3169.

Halogen light meters are really inexpensive. I’ll send you one if you want to try both sets of bulbs and compare and share your results here. I’d suggest a pair of Volsas (because they are great bulbs) and a single Philips because it is more expensive and an unknown. It’s a lot easier than shipping a headlamp. If interested shoot me a PM.

 

Baja’s new SAE headlight teased. I’m excited to see how these do as a unique standalone headlight option.

 

I saw that today and thought: “how long before crash does the testing?”

 

Well, based on how things went with their fogs, let’s just say I don’t think I’ll be getting any advanced copies.

 

That’s kinda exciting. Look to be LP6 size?

 

I believe they are targeting the 7” round headlight market segment with this product. Says LP6 on the lamp. TBD on dimensions.

 

@toledoupsguy these Bajas could be the low beam solution you were looking for.

 

Did not look that closely. My bad. Was distracted by the weird looks. Hopefully they perform well and put some pressure on other manufacturers to step up!

 

They appear to have the same aspherical optics found in their next gen fogs. I'm quite curious to see the performance. There is a lot of competition in the 7" headlight space, including heavy hitting USA brands like Truck-lite and JW Speaker. Baja is now an import brand. TBD on how they compare. I find the many similar aspherical projector optics approach slightly concerning, as there does not seem to be a primary projector for a dedicated hot spot like all other brands utilize in their headlight optics of similar style. If you don't have a primary hot spot, the product is really a non-starter for a headlight. But that is just speculation on the optics appearance with no actual data. What I really like about this concept is you can mount actual compliant headlights on anything. Lots of 7" round lights exist, but they all require headlight mount buckets. You can literally bolt these to anything like pods and have a compliant headlight (in theory). We'll see how the product plays out, but I'll certainly obtain some at some point for review.

 

I recall reading in one of these threads (this one probably) that there is no more J582 (hopefully the right number) standard for auxiliary low beams. Any idea the legality of mounting these in addition to existing OEM low beams? The 4 forward facing light limit I could see being the limiting factor

 

It comes down, realistically, to local enforcement... not to encourage disregarding the law, but that's reality.

Most states codes that I have looked through either have an extremely poor/completely outdated standard for what constitutes a fog lamp, refer to federal standards (e.g. sae j581), or, for some real fun, have no reference standard at all.

Like Pennsylvania. I could run a set of aircraft landing lamps with my lowbeams and be perfectly legal. As long as they are aimed so that the

^^And yes, the aiming standard for two completely different types of lamls with two completely different use cases is exactly the same. :/

When you dig through the codes and even the inspection manual (for PA), it keeps referring to standards that fog lamps and auxiliary driving lights, but never actually references them. They do list a maximum intensity limit of 150,000CD from all lamps... but who is going to be able to check that on the side of the road?

Given how many people run their fog lights with their lowbeams all the time, I'd think the odds of a cop so closely inspecting your "fog lamps" as to realize they are not marked as J583 or j581, then dig for what the markings mean, then attempt to cite you for driving with an activated auxiliary driving light/high beam... only to sit in court and you be able to, say "well these are Neither driving lights, nor fog lamps and they are made and designed to be operated with the lowbeams..."

 

I think the only limiting factor you are likely to practically encounter is the 4 lamp limit (one aux lamp pair in addition to low beams). Some states might technically want an aux lamp with the low beams to be mounted in compliance with the vertical height requirements of fog lights, but that seems like a stretch to be stopped for a citation and a lot of that legal terminology can be very vauge. And yes, is is J582 for aux low beams, that was discontinued some time ago.

 

Where are these local police officers that know or care about SAE lighting standards? I am positive none around here do.

 

I appreciate the offer but I would have to buy a new Volsa bulb too in order for it to be a fair comparison with both being new for output. I installed the Philips HIR2's over the weekend and anecdotally the light output seems better and a touch whiter than the Volsas. Packaging says designed in Germany, but made in Poland. I compared it to an old 9006 I had too when doing the tab modification. Impressed with them so far, may get a light meter to compare the two HIR2s just so I know from an analytical point since that's how my brain likes to work.

 

Baja Designs has an IATF16949/ISO 9001, Tier 1 Production Facility in Mainland Mexico. This Bestop-owned factory is located just outside Mexico City and will help us keep up with production thus decreasing the wait times that we have been battling. A new staff of Baja Designs employees has been trained and prepared to exceed the high standards and performance specs that we are known for. We will continue our production line at our California facility, to meet the goal of 100% production. We have grown tremendously over the past 4 years and are now better prepared for our future growth and opportunities.

Best,

Bill Sonevongxay | Forum Sales & Support
Email: bill@bajadesigns.com | Phone: (760) 560-2252​

 

You will not be seeing the DOT Lp6 till the first quarter of next year. At the moment this is just a prototype. Shoot me an email at brahianh@bajadesigns.com. Let's stay in touch.
Best,

Bill Sonevongxay | Forum Sales & Support
Email: bill@bajadesigns.com | Phone: (760) 560-2252​