When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
had a bulb go out and need to replace it, thinking about upgrading them. Don't want to go the HID route. just looking for straight replacement with more light output. Anybody have any personal preferences?
Last edited by farmington; 08-29-2016 at 01:36 PM.
I suppose upgrading to flip-up headlights is out of the question?
Speaking from the perspective of someone who switched from a sealed beam headlamp to the 9005/9006 bulb, the bulbs themselves are really good. Moving to a "bluer" light, like the Silverstars (as BrittleSpeed mentions) will help a lot. They probably won't give you "more" light, but the color and intensity change will improve your vision.
Another thing that may help is polishing your lenses. 3M makes a lens polishing kit, which you can buy at any local autoparts store. Shining those up, will scatter your light less and also improve things. I used the kit on my tail lights after one got scuffed by a 16 year old. (Not quite ready to pilot Daddy's car...) After using the kit they look and shine like new.
Go with 9012 (low) and 9011 (high). They are HIR (not HID!) and have a better lumens output than the crappy 9005/9006 bulbs, and they will last a lot longer than those other higher output bulbs that burn out quick. I just upgraded them in my truck (same crap 9006 bulbs) and it made a big difference.
They are the same wattage as stock, and the only modification you have to do for them to fit is trim the top plastic tab, which takes literally 2 seconds with a pair of cutters or nail clippers. I also polished my lenses (as stated above) but went the easy route with a buffer wheel on my drill and some plastic polish. They came out better than I expected.
Very interesting. I believe I will give these a go when my current bulbs die out. If anyone is interested, here's an explanation on HIR and how Halogen Infrared Reflecting bulbs do their magic: http://www.topbulb.com/blog/ir-mean-...ription-codes/
Very interesting. I believe I will give these a go when my current bulbs die out. If anyone is interested, here's an explanation on HIR and how Halogen Infrared Reflecting bulbs do their magic: http://www.topbulb.com/blog/ir-mean-...ription-codes/
Something is wrong with the site's URL functionality. I'll report that to the folks who run the site.
In the meantime, I pasted the link in clear text so you can cut/past it. Just ignore the "don't URL" tags <- that was the only way I could keep the site from automatically tagging the text as a URL, which... isn't working.
The site is working fine. If I create a new thread with the link in it, everything is fine. Something in this particular thread is corrupt and the linking isn't working properly here, for some reason.
Interesting that it cautions against being in a closed fixture. Are the 9012's intended to be in a sealed housing?
Sure, but I think the question is more: Is the sealed housing designed for the particular heat signature of the 9102 bulb? If not, designed for it - can it still withstand the modern bulb temperatures?
Too answer the above, (short of hunting down the 4th Gen Camaro lens engineer) I think you'd have to rely on the experience of people who have these bulbs installed in similar cars/lenses and put some good vampire hours on them.
08-25-2016, 08:36 AM
9005 low beam headlight bulbs 
