[firetruck41]

FYI- My original HIRs from post #1 are still going strong, it's been over two years now.

[83bj60]

firetruck41, have you noticed any reduction in output compared to when you first installed them? Can you compare with a fresh bulb? As for durabilitty, it's excellent! Of course OEMs can last many years, but this at least tells us the brightness increase is not made at the expense of durability...

As a side note, those bulbs are available in H4 format in 60/80W with both low and high beams HIR in the same bulb, for those who have combination setups such as the JDMs and older landcruisers, but the price is quite steep at between $50 and $60 a bulb in sets of 2...

As for myself I just installed standard type (halogen) overwattage H4 bulbs when one of my orginal Japanese bulbs failed and at 100W these replacements, which cost me only something like $10 a set when I got them on special from Princess Auto last year, are visibly better than the regular 55W bulbs and silverstars and work perfectly well in the standard wire harness and 15 amp fuse (which can sustain 15Ax14.4V or a bit more than 200W).

When installing replacement bulbs we often hear about the necessity to install relays, thicker wire.... But the limiting factor reducing voltage is NOT the wire gauge, but the cleanliness of the connections, and, what is often forgotten, the cleanliness of the reflector housing itself! In other words, the condition of the connections in the circuit and a clean reflector and lens is more improtant than upgrading your wires and installing relays...

[IdahoDoug]

I've put a fresh HIR bulb on one side and been unable to distinguish any output difference compared to the old one on the other side. Anyone know of good pricing online of these bulbs at the moment - the Toshiba version?

DougM

[83bj60]

Great! Certainly impressive, Doug! As I live in the boonies with a daily commute through a very rough stetch of road, my light bulbs usually don't last very long (neither do my springs and shock absorbers BTW) and dust and salt tends to get inside the housing... I'm at the point where I should take the lens apart for a good cleaning of the interior... I wish they were not glued on but used gaskets instead, would make my job much easier, instead I'll have to put the assembly in the oven to soften the glue prior to removal...

As for pricing, considering this is a hot item to all lighting afficionados, I don't think it'll be easy to get a better price!

[mot]

Originally Posted by 83bj60

As a side note, those bulbs are available in H4 format in 60/80W with both low and high beams HIR in the same bulb...

IIRC, the IPF's are not HIR's, or at least that's not what they say on their Japanese web site. Again, going from memory, so I'll try looking it up later...

That said, I've had their blue bulbs in my headlights for a while now and have been fairly happy with them. I've posted pics and stuff, but too lazy to look up the thread.

I think the JDM PS/US DS headlight in this picture is the IPF and the other side is the regular, no frills H4, fwiw.

I've used PIAA's for the JDM fog spots and one of them has burned out already (Put them in much later than the IPF's). I'm not knocking PIAA's, and it may not be a fair comparison since they were not used the same way and they were not in the same housings, etc...

Anyway, just my 2 yen...


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[cary]

Originally Posted by 83bj60

firetruck41, have you noticed any reduction in output compared to when you first installed them? Can you compare with a fresh bulb? As for durabilitty, it's excellent! Of course OEMs can last many years, but this at least tells us the brightness increase is not made at the expense of durability...

As a side note, those bulbs are available in H4 format in 60/80W with both low and high beams HIR in the same bulb, for those who have combination setups such as the JDMs and older landcruisers, but the price is quite steep at between $50 and $60 a bulb in sets of 2...

The HIR's have the same life as a stock bulb, the GE versions were rated at a 1000 hour life expectancy (same as a standard 9006).


The bulbs you posted a link to are not a HIR bulb, they do not have the coating on them. If you have a truck that takes the H4 bulbs, there are now slight overwatt bulbs from Hella (Osram) that use a more efficient design and do not require wiring and harness upgrades. The bulbs are Hella Hyper bulbs:

65/70 watt 1350/2000 lumens
80/85 watt 1750/2400 lumens
55/60 watt- Standard 1000/1650 lumens
55/60 watt- high efficiency 1148/1895 lumens

For comparison the old overwatt H4 outputs are:

90/100 watt 1620/2400 lumens
100/130 watt 1820/3250 lumens

These big overwatt lamps should not be run in the 80, they will melt the housings.

The 65/70 and 80/85 bulbs are available from rallylights.com and daniel stern lighting. They run about $20 each.

Susquehanna MotorSports - Detail

[cary]

Originally Posted by 83bj60

When installing replacement bulbs we often hear about the necessity to install relays, thicker wire.... But the limiting factor reducing voltage is NOT the wire gauge, but the cleanliness of the connections, and, what is often forgotten, the cleanliness of the reflector housing itself! In other words, the condition of the connections in the circuit and a clean reflector and lens is more improtant than upgrading your wires and installing relays...

All of it matters, including wiring. Small wires cause more voltage drop than big wires, and incandescent bulbs are very sensitive to voltage drop, a 10% drop in voltage leads to an approximately 33% drop in output. When you go to higher wattage draw bulbs, you may see an increase in brightness using the stock harness, but not near what they can put out as the voltage drop is increased by as you try to draw more current through the stock wires.

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

[83bj60]

Originally Posted by cary

The HIR's have the same life as a stock bulb, the GE versions were rated at a 1000 hour life expectancy (same as a standard 9006).


The bulbs you posted a link to are not a HIR bulb, they do not have the coating on them.

Good to know, in any case that's not what the OP of that thread believed it was. I guess the globular shape is quite deceptive then.

Originally Posted by cary

If you have a truck that takes the H4 bulbs, there are now slight overwatt bulbs from Hella (Osram) that use a more efficient design and do not require wiring and harness upgrades. The bulbs are Hella Hyper bulbs:

65/70 watt 1350/2000 lumens
80/85 watt 1750/2400 lumens
55/60 watt- Standard 1000/1650 lumens
55/60 watt- high efficiency 1148/1895 lumens

For comparison the old overwatt H4 outputs are:

90/100 watt 1620/2400 lumens
100/130 watt 1820/3250 lumens

These big overwatt lamps should not be run in the 80, they will melt the housings.

I'm running the 90/100W 'old overwatt H4s' and didn't notice any problems. Of course, it's winter, and I haven't run them for hours on end. As a matter of fact, the housings still have frozen droplets of water in them from last week, when I literally had to 'ford' rivers of meltwater accumulating in between snowbanks from the recent thaw. i was surprised to find that ther are no drain holes in the lamps, as these headlights aren't really sealed (however, I believe it should be fairly simple to design some sort of rubber boot around the connector that could fit on the rear housing hole lip, and a self-sealing weeping tube at the low part to evacuate any infiltration)

Anyway thanks for the heads up, I'll monitor the situation closely.

Originally Posted by cary

The 65/70 and 80/85 bulbs are available from rallylights.com and daniel stern lighting. They run about $20 each.

Susquehanna MotorSports - Detail

Good to know! I'll check it out.

[83bj60]

Originally Posted by cary

The 65/70 and 80/85 bulbs are available from rallylights.com and daniel stern lighting. They run about $20 each.

Susquehanna MotorSports - Detail

Unfortunatley, the 80/85w at least, are not street legal. My 90/100s are, presumably because they have a lumen output that is within legal limits. (Anyone know what it is?)

[83bj60]

Originally Posted by cary

All of it matters, including wiring. Small wires cause more voltage drop than big wires, and incandescent bulbs are very sensitive to voltage drop, a 10% drop in voltage leads to an approximately 33% drop in output. When you go to higher wattage draw bulbs, you may see an increase in brightness using the stock harness, but not near what they can put out as the voltage drop is increased by as you try to draw more current through the stock wires.

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

Assuming the stock wiring is 16 gauge, which has a resistance of 0.00473 ohms per foot, and a length of cable of 6 feet, an amperage draw at 100 watts under 14.4 volts of 100/14/4 of 6.9 A, we get a total voltage drop in the wire of 6x0.00473x6.9 which is 0.19V or approximately 1.3%, not nearly as close to the 10% you quote.

Even assuming 18 gauge you still don't get above 2% drop in voltage, which translates to a drop of no more than 1.02^2 or 1.04 which means a 4% drop in luminous output (output is pretty much proportional to square of voltage).

IMO it's more important to make sure your voltage supply is proprerly regulated for the light bulb type you are using (standard running voltage is 14.4V, voltage with engone stopped is around 12V, depending on load), and that the connectors aren't corroded and well protected. That menas every connection between the battery and the light socket. Granted, if you measure voltage at the socket you will probably see a significant drop in use, on the order of one volt or so.

Using gold connectors and spotwelds between wire and connector, with dielectric lubricant, would ceratinly help make the connections truly low loss.

My JDM still has shiny brass surfaces visible in the connectors. Not too shabby after 17.5 years...

Anyway I'm going to measure these voltage drops tonight, check housing temperature and come back with real life figures.

[cary]

Originally Posted by 83bj60

Unfortunatley, the 80/85w at least, are not street legal. My 90/100s are, presumably because they have a lumen output that is within legal limits. (Anyone know what it is?)

Why do you think that your 90/100 bulbs are street legal? In nearly every country overwatt bulbs are illegal, as the HIR conversion that many of us are running. By maintaining the proper focal point and filament length in overwatt or HIR bulbs we are minimizing any glare or other type of stray light to other drivers. As a result these upgrades are safe, but still not legal.

[cary]

Originally Posted by 83bj60

Anyway I'm going to measure these voltage drops tonight, check housing temperature and come back with real life figures.

I think the actual runs are longer, as they have run from the main line, to the relay, then to the bulbs, then through the ground wire.

Your proposed measurement of the voltage cuts right through the chase and will will give us an accurate idea of the voltage drop with over watt bulbs. Thank you for undertaking to perform the measurements.

[firetruck41]

BTW, I forgot to mention that I run with my headlights on at all times, though that only equals about 6-7k miles a year, they seem to be lasting as long or longer than I would normally experience sith stock type bulbs.

I have noticed no degradation, but that would be hard to notice over two years. I do know that I am still very happy with the light output I have at night, and am still impressed with the HIRs, every time I am driving at night. Glad to have Doug's experiment (mentioned in a post above) show, he couldn't see a difference between a new and old HIR.

[UCBerzerkeley]

Originally Posted by firetruck41

BTW, I forgot to mention that I run with my headlights on at all times, though that only equals about 6-7k miles a year, they seem to be lasting as long or longer than I would normally experience sith stock type bulbs.

I have noticed no degradation, but that would be hard to notice over two years. I do know that I am still very happy with the light output I have at night, and am still impressed with the HIRs, every time I am driving at night. Glad to have Doug's experiment (mentioned in a post above) show, he couldn't see a difference between a new and old HIR.

Isn't it great to smile every time you turn on your head lights (and especially high beams!)

I am still considering the Slee harness, just to broaden that smile - though I know the HIRs + stock wiring are MORE than enough for daily (nightly) driving

[ShawnTRD]

Having a hard time finding these. Where the best place to get them? And it looks like I want HIR9012 for low beam and HIR9011 for high beam?

[corsair23]

Originally Posted by ShawnTRD

Having a hard time finding these. Where the best place to get them? And it looks like I want HIR9012 for low beam and HIR9011 for high beam?

Ebay --> through seller hir_headlights

Direct site (same seller) --> Fine Motoring

Be prepared to give your first born - Low beams (HIR9012s) are $37 each, high beams (HIR9011s) are $22.50 each

He has the high beams on ebay right now for $19.95/bulb but shipping charges on ebay are ridiculous ($10 for the first bulb, $5 for each additional bulb )

Through the direct site the bulbs (high beams) are $2.50 more each but shipping is only $8 for up to 8 bulbs.

I'm sure there are other sources but this is the route I took back when...Although back then the cost was much better, even on ebay

[Ebag333]

I got mine (low beams only) from my local dealer.

They charged me list price, no shipping (though they had to order them in).

[ShawnTRD]

I'm not paying no $30+ a bulb. F that

[Ebag333]

Originally Posted by ShawnTRD

I'm not paying no $30+ a bulb. F that

You get what you pay for.

In this case, these bulbs are significantly brighter than stock. They are way brighter than several sets of after market ones I've used.

I hate the 80's low beams. The highs are awsome and light up the night, but the low's make things difficult to see. The John Deere bulbs help with that a lot. What price can you put on safety?

[corsair23]

Some people report that going with the Slee headlight harness alone will net you good results, even with stock bulbs. I did both at the same time so I can't say but those I've talked to said it was hard to tell the difference between a stock bulb with the Slee harness and the HIR with the Slee harness after having a HIR go out and sticking a stock bulb in.

Slee's harness is less than the cost of two HIR9012s --> Slee - Light Harness

And if you don't live in an area where they salt the road or use mag-chloride etc. you shouldn't have any electrical issues with the harness long term

I can tell you that having the harness and the HIRs on the LX is night and day compared to my stock 80 with neither. I really should upgrade the 's headlights

[firetruck41]

Having had the HIRs for several years (significant improvement), and then adding the Slee Harness this summer, I didn't notice a difference with the Slee Harness. Based on my experience, if you could only do one or the other, I would go with the HIRs. They have held up for for 3 years and about 20k mi, and I always drive with headlights on day or night.

[edog's 80]

They are very expensive now, which is too bad. I was just about ready to do this upgrade when I thought I had a bulb out, but I wiggled the bulb/connecter and voila, it works again. I hope to do this upgrade when I get some money freed up, but it's super expensive for simple bulbs.

[arndog123]

I was very happy w/ the difference in light output on both 80's so I installed 'em into my Integra too.

[ShawnTRD]

Originally Posted by Ebag333

You get what you pay for.

In this case, these bulbs are significantly brighter than stock. They are way brighter than several sets of after market ones I've used.

I hate the 80's low beams. The highs are awsome and light up the night, but the low's make things difficult to see. The John Deere bulbs help with that a lot. What price can you put on safety?

Anyone done the 9011 in the Hi's?

I know I get what I pay for. I can't can't believe they went from $10 a bulb to $30 a bulb. I'm sure I will end up getting them someday. Just not anytime soon.

Anyone done the 9011 in the Hi's?

[Ebag333]

Originally Posted by ShawnTRD

I know I get what I pay for. I can't can't believe they went from $10 a bulb to $30 a bulb. I'm sure I will end up getting them someday. Just not anytime soon.

Supply and demand.

Supply stayed the same, and demand went up....

[lndcruz]

Originally Posted by mot

IIRC, the IPF's are not HIR's, or at least that's not what they say on their Japanese web site. Again, going from memory, so I'll try looking it up later...

That said, I've had their blue bulbs in my headlights for a while now and have been fairly happy with them. I've posted pics and stuff, but too lazy to look up the thread.

I think the JDM PS/US DS headlight in this picture is the IPF and the other side is the regular, no frills H4, fwiw.

I've used PIAA's for the JDM fog spots and one of them has burned out already (Put them in much later than the IPF's). I'm not knocking PIAA's, and it may not be a fair comparison since they were not used the same way and they were not in the same housings, etc...

Anyway, just my 2 yen...


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So these over a good set of H4 12v Osram Hyper Bulb 80/85w?

The lumens look good at 2400/1750 and I will only be using them as low beams, but im kinda worried that it will melt my depo lamps.

Originally Posted by Ebag333

You get what you pay for.

In this case, these bulbs are significantly brighter than stock. They are way brighter than several sets of after market ones I've used.

I hate the 80's low beams. The highs are awsome and light up the night, but the low's make things difficult to see. The John Deere bulbs help with that a lot. What price can you put on safety?

If your really disappointed in the lows like i was try a set of depo headlights if they ever are available again, they throw out much more light that the stock housings.

[mot]

Originally Posted by lndcruz

So these over a good set of H4 12v Osram Hyper Bulb 80/85w?

The lumens look good at 2400/1750 and I will only be using them as low beams, but im kinda worried that it will melt my depo lamps.

Not sure if you're talking about the funny-shaped IPF bulbs that I had posted pics of above or the JD HIR's, but I'm guessing it's the former.

Both Toyota and DEPO lenses are glass.
And both Toyota and DEPO reflectors are plastic (ABS?).

I have not had any problems with my IPF's and I would not worry about using them on the DEPO's, either.

I think when you get to 100w and beyond in the regular headlight assys, you're asking for trouble, but anything below that it "should" be OK. (YMMV).

[lndcruz]

Originally Posted by mot

Not sure if you're talking about the funny-shaped IPF bulbs that I had posted pics of above or the JD HIR's, but I'm guessing it's the former.

Both Toyota and DEPO lenses are glass.
And both Toyota and DEPO reflectors are plastic (ABS?).

I have not had any problems with my IPF's and I would not worry about using them on the DEPO's, either.

I think when you get to 100w and beyond in the regular headlight assys, you're asking for trouble, but anything below that it "should" be OK. (YMMV).

Yeah I was talking about the ipf's, I think ill try the Osram's just because the price is much lower.

[mot]

I'd probably do the same!

G'luck!!

[elprup87]

Found my set (last year though) for $15 a pop at RDO. They are a local John Deere and etc vendor. They have other locations throughout the US. Maybe they are still decently priced.