100 Series - Headlight upgrade possibilities (1 Viewer)

[ELLTEE]

Folks -
The 100 series headlights are a whole 'nother story from the 80s, and I wonder who has tried which upgrades?

IMO, the stock high beams are great, so wide and bright that the low beams seem really anemic by comparison. Keeping the fog lights on all the time helps the low beams a bit, with a nice bright coverage low and close. But I would like to see a low beam that has a brighter and wider (to the right side only, of course) pattern.

I read that the LandPimp measured no drop across the wiring harness, so a new Slee product doesn't seem called for. And the DRL requires a different approach, anyway.

Christo - have you tinkered with the lights on your new "testbed" 100 series? Any early conclusions or ideas for potential new products on the way?

Did the expensive John Deere bulbs really make a difference? Would a simple upgrade be all I need?

thanks
LT
8)

 

[cary]

Actually the 100 series is not different. It still uses the 9005/9006 bulbs. You cannot modify the beam pattern, if you want to do that, you will need to start looking for e-code replacement lamps (and since the 100 is not sold overseas, I don't believe these exist).

Cary

 

[sleeoffroad]

Problem is that the hi beam is also used as the daytime running lights. The harness could be used on the low beam side only. The high beam daytime lights are made by supplying 6v to the high beams (I believe) and this will not trigger the relays. At least that is how it works on the LX470. I will be installing HID bulbs in the low beam side and see how it works. The low beam on the LX470 is projector style so the HID bulbs should work good.

 

[ELLTEE]

Christo -
Don't forget to let us know how the lo-beam HIR replacements work out, and whether or not the 100 needs the harness on the low-beam circuit to use the HIR bulbs.

thanks

LT

 

[Landpimp]

while I am not happy I didn't get what I paid for(ie Hella's) the 80 watt low beams really made a noticilbe difference in the 100, they have been in for almost 2 weeks and I have had no issues, the stock wiring seem to be OK. I also added a set of IPF driving/fog lights to the front(I had a set laying around) I hooked into the wiring for the stock fog lights so that I didn't have to add a switch in the cab, the stock fogs are now disconected.

the HIR's are 55 watt so that should be no issue at all

 

[sleeoffroad]

[quote author=LT link=board=2;threadid=11768;start=msg107770#msg107770 date=1077284762]
Christo -
Don't forget to let us know how the lo-beam HIR replacements work out, and whether or not the 100 needs the harness on the low-beam circuit to use the HIR bulbs.
[/quote]

LT, actually HID's and not HIR's.

 

[ELLTEE]

Ok, I'm getting more confused than usual.
Cary's thread on the 80-series lights suggests a lamp upgrade to HIR, and he mentions John Deere and says Slee carries a similar bulb from IPF. The thread also said (I think) that HID conversion kits are illegal nowadays, and likely to be bait-and-switch marketing.

What's available? What works?
thanks
LT

:-\

 

[uzj100]

LT,

HIRs are available for the 100 series. I have the John Deere low beams and IPF high beams. They both work great. The JD low beams are $28 bucks each from the JD dealership and the IPFs are like $55 each from Slee. The JD bulbs require a little filing to be installed but that is a 30 second filing job. Some Aussie discovered the JD HIRs like 3 years ago, he works at a JD dealership and drives a 100 series.

Regards,

uzj100

 

[cary]

HID= High Intensity Discharge (also known as an arc lamp, no filimant).

HIR= Halogen-InfraRed (a halogen bulb with a infrared coating that causes the bulb to operate more efficiently and generate more lumens from each watt).

Slee is retrofitting an HID bulb to his lights to see how it works. They do not sell HID kits (and it is not legal to sell them in the US as of August 2003). HIR bulbs are legal for use and as mentioned by UZJ 100, the difference between the John Deere bulbs and the IPF bulbs is the IPF bulbs alread have the tabs proper for 9006 fitment (you can also get HIR bulbs for 9005 apps).

Cary

 

[sjcruiser]

One quick mod is to file off the little tab inside the 9005 bulbs' socket & use it in place of the 9006 (low beam). Instant wattage (almost double the lumens) update.

Frank.

 

[ELLTEE]

Thanks, guys. I think I'm getting this now:

100 series low beam stock bulb HB4 or (9006) at 55 watts can be upgraded with an HIR2 (also 55 watts, but far more lumens) from John Deere with a little filing of a tab on the connector.
PIAA has a similar bulb, but more expensive..

100 series high beam stock bulb HB3 or (9005) at 65 watts can be upgraded with an HIR1 (also 65 watts) from John Deere, again with a little connector filing. Piaa has a similar bulb, similarly more expensive.

One remaining question; Does the HIR1 in the high beams work OK with the Daytime Running Lights (DRL) on the 10 series?

thanks, again

LT 8)

 

[cary]

You can use an HIR bulb with the DRL, it is only the IR reflective coating that makes them different from a normal halogen. NOTE, THE PIAA BULBS ARE NOT HIR BULBS, THEY ARE A TINTED BULB WITH LESS OUTPUT THAN STOCK, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. An HIR bulb will be labeled as such and is an HIR1 or HIR2.

Finally, the 9006 to 9005 swap requires 1) the tab be trimmed, and 2) the connector be modified. Also the 9005 bulb is a different diameter and fits loosely in the 9006 slot. It can be done but is not the best. Do a search for BMW e34 headlamp upgrade for specific instructions on this.


Cary

 

[ELLTEE]

[quote author=cary link=board=2;threadid=11768;start=msg108209#msg108209 date=1077377015]
Finally, the 9006 to 9005 swap requires 1) the tab be trimmed, and 2) the connector be modified. Also the 9005 bulb is a different diameter and fits loosely in the 9006 slot. It can be done but is not the best. Do a search for BMW e34 headlamp upgrade for specific instructions on this.
[/quote]

I was following pretty well, until the last paragraph quoted above. Why would I want to swap 9006 to 9005? Isn't the '06 the bulb for low beam? Are you talking about running low beam (or high beam, for that matter) bulbs in both sockets? So the only difference would be in the reflector design?

Oh, and I did try to search the Bimmer upgrade for specific instructions and didn't find anything on this board, and way too much on the BMW boards -- but nothing relevant to a 9006 to 9005 swap.

thanks
LT

 

[shocker]

[quote author=LT link=board=2;threadid=11768;start=msg108305#msg108305 date=1077398510]
I was following pretty well, until the last paragraph quoted above. Why would I want to swap 9006 to 9005? Isn't the '06 the bulb for low beam? Are you talking about running low beam (or high beam, for that matter) bulbs in both sockets? So the only difference would be in the reflector design?

Oh, and I did try to search the Bimmer upgrade for specific instructions and didn't find anything on this board, and way too much on the BMW boards -- but nothing relevant to a 9006 to 9005 swap.

thanks
LT

[/quote]

You need to go back and read the entire thread you started. Just three posts above yours, and the post directly above your second to last post, Frank shot out the idea of using 9005 bulbs in the 9006 sockets for their increased output. Cary was responding to that.

And I'm pretty sure Cary didn't mean for you to search for a BMW upgrade on a Toyota board. If you google BMW e36 headlamp upgrade you get a ton of results, but I assume you wouldn't want to use the high beam bulbs in the low beam location, so reading through all of the search results is a moot point anyway.

Ohh, and I think you are confusing PIAA with IPF. IPF makes the good 9005 and 9006 HIR bulbs. You can also get the 9006 low beams from your local John Deere dealer for a bit cheaper than the IPF bulbs, but I'm not sure if you can get high beam 9005's from John Deere.

PIAA makes crap bulbs. Blue suppositories, if you will, because you take it in the arse if you shell out for them.

 

[cary]

Shocker has it correct. You can adapt a 9005 bulb to work in the 9006 slot to get increased output (1700 v. 1000 lumens) but it is kind of a crummy way to get more light. The 9005 even after the tabs are trimmed, still fits a bit loose in the 9006 slot. If you can only spend $15, it is an option.

Here is a link on how to do it: http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/upgrade/more_light.htm


Cary


P.S. Also see my post on light upgrades for my feedback on HIR bulbs

 

[CDN_Cruiser]

I finally managed to install the Slee harness this weekend. Very simple process - unbolt ~5 12mm bolts and ~6 10mm bolts to free the cross member, pop it off, zip tie the harness under the factory harness, plug it all in and you're done.

My truck (a US import) seemed to have the DRL after market installed - with the harness this no longer works (which I prefer), but everything seems to work properly.

Not ready to comment on the results just yet:

- Still running factory low beams (but have the Korean Hella 80W)
- Need to check the aim of the headlights. I'm running Korean Hella 100W high beams which are throwing a nice amount of light, but seems too low/close to the truck vs. what they should be able to do.
- PS light still has mosture in it...still not willing to drop C$500 for a new lens

 

[cary]

Dump the Korean bulbs and get the HIR bulbs. They last longer and they are properly focused. I ran the Korean bulbs when they were the only thing available. BTW, if you think the HIR's are expensive, you will shocked at how cheap they are after you get through replacing the 80watt bulbs once a month.

Cary

 

[shocker]

Christo, did you ever find an upgrade for the stock LX470 H1 low beams? I thought they were the same as the 100 series (9006) until last week.

 

[hdj105]

Some Aussie discovered the JD HIRs like 3 years ago, he works at a JD dealership and drives a 100 series.

Regards,

uzj100

Thanks UZJ100!

I'm the Aussie, the trucks just gone 4 years old and the lamps are still doing fine

 

[shocker]

I wish that the LX470 used the 9006's for low beams so I could have run the HIR's there as well, just like my 80 series. As it is, I ordered some H1 + 50's (1750 lumens, similar to the HIR's) from Daniel Stern and should be getting them in the next few days. I'll post back with my results once they are installed.