The ULTIMATE (almost) light bulb comparison thread (w/pics!)

[DUBSTER]

Very nice write up, thanks for sharing this info. I changed my fogs with PIAA fogs.

[WingsofDeath]

I have the regular halogens lights in my car & I did a little experimenting myself. I bought the HIR high & low beams & the Xenon 7k "high beam" bulbs. I did not have any comparison pictures that came out, but I did note a few differences.

The HIR lights are significantly brighter than the stock bulbs (high & low). The Xenon 7k is significantly bluer than the HIR & stock high beam bulb. I don't think the Xenon is as bright as the HIR bulb. The blue coating is pretty significant & probably blocks out some light.

Because the Xenon bulb wasn't brighter and didn't match the HIR color, I put the stock high beam bulb in the fog light. The stock high beam bulb is much brighter than the stock fog bulb & matched the HIR well enough. All in all I wish I had ordered 2 extra 9011 high beam HIR bulbs to put in the fogs.

The end result with HIR's in the High & Low beams & stock 9005 in the fog light is significantly brighter. I haven't been flashed by any oncoming traffice despite the increased light. I doubt I'll consider HID conversions now. Since this is my first new car I was pretty happy even with the stock light output, but I'm easily impressed. I've been driving work trucks (F150 & Chevy Astro Van) for years or my personal cars (74 Bronco & 83 Porsche 911). I upgraded my personal cars w/Hella 7" round headlights that use a replacable halogen bulb (don't know what number) I think its kind of funny that the Bronco & 911 use the same headlight, it has to be the only common part.

I guess the only comparison I haven't seen is Sylvania Ultra compared with HIRs.

Also, the only adjustment I needed to make to fit the HIR bulbs was to grind down the mounting "ear". One web site shows an adjustment to the plastic just behind the bulb and infront of the o-ring. This was for a Magnum, but the bulbs fit my C with much less work.

[lukeinva]

Great write up!!! Thanks adding it!!! It will be helpful!!

[SRT8C]

Excellent thread, thanks alot for the time and valuable info you provided.

[racinghotroddave]

Very good write-up.It`s very informative

[Y2K5SRT]

Originally Posted by gunnibronco

I have the regular halogens lights in my car & I did a little experimenting myself. I bought the HIR high & low beams & the Xenon 7k "high beam" bulbs. I did not have any comparison pictures that came out, but I did note a few differences.

The HIR lights are significantly brighter than the stock bulbs (high & low). The Xenon 7k is significantly bluer than the HIR & stock high beam bulb. I don't think the Xenon is as bright as the HIR bulb. The blue coating is pretty significant & probably blocks out some light.

The end result with HIR's in the High & Low beams & stock 9005 in the fog light is significantly brighter. I haven't been flashed by any oncoming traffice despite the increased light. I doubt I'll consider HID conversions now. Since this is my first new car I was pretty happy even with the stock light output, but I'm easily impressed.

I guess the only comparison I haven't seen is Sylvania Ultra compared with HIRs.

Well, this took a little detective work! Having never heard of these types of bulbs before, I worked Google until it was almost in flames. And the search results were very lacking, with only a couple sites offering this type of bulb - and only as an indoor flood lamp made by GE. I also learned that Halogen Infrared or HIR bulbs use a high-temperature reflective film to coat the inner lamp and trap the otherwise wasted invisible infrared light within. This redirected infrared heats the filament to produce more visible light, resulting in efficiency gains over standard halogen lamps. Mind you, this was on residential lighting for indoor flood lamps.

I then searched by 9005 & 9006 and came up empty again. I reread your post and saw the reference to 9011 and tried again. Finally, a breakthrough on a Honda board post of two years ago! Seems only ONE seller on eBay has them and gets $29.95 shipped for them - EACH! They are indeed Toshiba HIR 9011 (apparently the only manufacturer to whom GE has licensed the technology). And they do need to be modified to fit a 9005 (or 9006) socket.

With those Silverstar Ultras really lighting up the road for me in the Denali, I am a little hesitant to drop another $60 on a pair of these HIR lights to see how they do comparatively. Especially as the seller has a "no return" policy. They sound pretty impressive, but even this seller's feedback when mentioning Silverstars have mixed reactions - and those aren't the newer (and brighter) Silverstar Ultras. Decisions, decisions...

[fanofsteel]

Y2K5SRT,

Words can't describe the thanks we all have for your analysis. Your write-up is truly a testiment to your dedication to the forum and love of your car!!!
Nice!!!

Thank you very much.

FanOfSteel

- BTW, I had previously ordered the Xenon 9005s for the fogs and was considering them for the High Beams... not anymore!!!

[tommyz]

y2k ,

we sell the nokya xenon bulb ?they are 7000k and i think they reall match the HIDs, have u tried any of those , im wondering how it stands up to your garage tests

[Y2K5SRT]

Originally Posted by tommyz

we sell the nokya xenon bulb ?they are 7000k and i think they reall match the HIDs, have u tried any of those , im wondering how it stands up to your garage tests

Tommy -

I did indeed test a 7000K Xenon bulb with a similar brand (HILITE) and almost identical packaging. Assuming your Nokya's are like these:



And I agree that they most closely match the color of the Xenon - which is why I went ahead and put them on my own SRT8. The challenge is that while they appear "brighter" when looking at them from outside the vehicle, they do not offer nearly as much light further out. Even a stock 55W 9005 bulb will have a further "reach" than a 65W Xenon. The reason for this is the heavy blue coating that gives it the 7000K color temperature. A quick lesson on "color temperature" and what it means, borrowed from our friend TByrne's website (http://www.tbyrnemotorsports.com/hids/hids.html):

"Color Temperature is a measurement in Degrees Kelvin that indicates the hue of a specific type of light source. Many people believe the misconception that color temperature is a rating of the brightness of the bulb or HID kit. This belief is completely false. The reality of the matter is that the higher the color temperature, the less useable light output you will obtain. A perfect example would be a black light. This light has a color temperature of approx 12,000k and has almost no useable light or lumens output. Higher K kits such as 7000k, 7500k, etc. have been manufactured for individuals that are more concerned about the actual color output of their lights as opposed to the actual useable light output they produce."

Here is a color chart borrowed from mediacollege.com:



So the bulb coating needed to get that "blue" temperature of 7000K actually reduces light output and also "defuses" the focus of the beam itself. Here are two shots of the Xenon 7000K, switched to either side to be objective, vs. the GE Nighthawk and then the Silverstar Ultra:





You can clearly see that the Xenon bulb puts out less light, despite having the most wattage of the bunch (65W vs. 60W). Now some companies will up the wattage (100W+) to compensate for the blue coating. This higher wattage can often cause troubles with stock wiring rated for half that amount of power. More than a few LX's have melted those wiring harnesses as a result. And even with that higher wattage, that blue coating still dissipates the beam. If you look at the pictures above, you can see the "hot spots" of the non-Xenon bulbs. Like a flashlight beam, those hot spots spread out as they get further from the vehicle. The result is more light and better projection. True HIDs have an even more interesting hot spot, in that they aren't round and are brighter in a more narrow arc:



Notice the fog lights are the Xenon 7000K's, which are considerably dimmer than the LX factory HID. Both light housings have "cut offs" at the top to prevent them from blinding other traffic. The factory fog housings are cut off to light up very low - they barely touch the headlight pattern even on the street. Thus why some people have put HID kits on their fog lights but still don't blind oncoming traffic: They are simply aimed too low.

And that, my friends, is why I went with the 7000K bulbs for my fog lights: They project so low that it doesn't really matter how bright they are other than the peripheral lighting (to the sides). They will always be limited by the housing so that they can't project past even the low beams. So go for style over substance, color over brightness. But only for the fogs. Leave the important lights (those that show that deer before you reach it) with a truly brighter light like the Silverstar Ultra or GE Nighthawk. Safety over style.

[Esmarc]

Great write up with photos to boot. Feel free to edit out the (almost), there isn't a better thread on fogs around! Kudos

Esmarc