Headlight bulb information

[michael hurd]

After reading the evidence and seeing the advantages I like the led conversion. But I am having a hard time with about $200.00 bucks apiece for head lights. Then I think of the lights I buy for customers when doing collision repair these days and they start to look cheap. I will admit that one night last week when it was raining out I was driving down a street with a 35 mph speed limit doing about 30 and had two people cross the street with dark clothing. I thought to myself if I had been doing 35 or 40 It may have been too late to stop for these dummies

Just hard to make them fit with my retro theme.

There are always options. If you desire to keep a similar look, then you can always replace them with a set of Bosch housings that take a H4 replaceable bulb. Cibie is another company making 6054 replacements that use a H4 as well. I would skip the Hella H4 units.

Of course, if you must have a disposable integrated headlamp unit, the GE nighthawks are the best of the bunch.

Relays will boost the voltage to the headlights, and give you all of the light you should get out of them. A relay harness that pulls power from the battery, and simply plugs into the factory plugs is about as easy as it gets.

 

[michael hurd]

Link to the Vosla +30 .PDF on the 9012 Low beam bulb sold as GM # 23342527, also known as HIR2.

http://www.vosla-german-lighting.com/upload/products/pdf/de/28432.pdf

From the specifications:

1875 lumens at 13.2V, + - 15%.

If replacing a 9006 low beam on the low end of the spec, and poor focusing, which may be down to around 930 lumens, or less, and you have a 9012 that delivers the full 1875 lumens, this is basically DOUBLE the amount of light on low beam.

Assuming the same amount of transmission loss through the lens and identical DOI of the reflector, you still end up with double the amount of light in the pattern, on the road.

With the 9011 high beam ( 9005 replacement ) at 2500 lumens + - 15%, compared to the 1860 of a new, out of the box 9005, you are still at 34.4 percent more light on the road.

 

[michael hurd]

" Where else can I get 9011 high beam bulbs? "

Rockauto has 9011's for a decent price, both Wagner and Phillips.

Wagner, allegedly a Philips, made in Germany unit in the Wagner box, sells for about $ 11 CDN as of 01/28/17

Phillips 9011, around $ 22 CDN as of 01/28/17.

 

[michael hurd]

" Can I purchase 9012 low beams other than my dealer? "

Sure you can... if you have a John Deere equipment place nearby, try John Deere AH211917 HIR.

Rockauto also sells GE 9012's for about $ 18 CDN as of 01/28/17.

 

[LMB1500]

Lot's of older semis running around with LEDs that don't look half bad now.

 

[michael hurd]

Lot's of older semis running around with LEDs that don't look half bad now.

Unfortunately, it matters little what the headlamp looks like, it is not a fashion show. Blue, green, red, yellow, or other colors do not make a headlight system perform.

Headlights are life safety equipment, and not an optional appearance item. Items like halos, LED strips, painted reflectors, tinted lenses have no business being used on or in headlamps.

 

[shovelbill]

Unfortunately, it matters little what the headlamp looks like, it is not a fashion show. Blue, green, red, yellow, or other colors do not make a headlight system perform.

Headlights are life safety equipment, and not an optional appearance item. Items like halos, LED strips, painted reflectors, tinted lenses have no business being used on or in headlamps.

i relly wish the police around here would start ticketing these people.....hit em hard and make them not wantto do it......NO accountability.

 

[someotherguy]

" Can I purchase 9012 low beams other than my dealer? "

Sure you can... if you have a John Deere equipment place nearby, try John Deere AH211917 HIR.

Rockauto also sells GE 9012's for about $ 18 CDN as of 01/28/17.

Also at a decent local price at Home Depot, around $20 or so, if you need one -right now-

Hey Michael, is this something you have considered about HIR conversions? Notice how a 9006 as you would normally use in the low beam position of a GMT400 truck - has a black painted tip so that no light exits the front of the capsule. When we replace these with a 9012, there is no black painted tip. The OEM (and most aftermarket) housings for a GMT400 have no "glare cap" (for lack of the technical term of that piece) like some more modern vehicles do...so, what's the downside, if any?

Richard

 

[someotherguy]

I actually think the Trucklites would look really good on your truck. I'm considering a round set of them for my '70 Monte Carlo.

Maxxima has also jumped into the drop-in LED replacement game. Though I think they look a little bit ricey compared to Truck-Lite, they may be an option for some.

Richard

 

[michael hurd]

Also at a decent local price at Home Depot, around $20 or so, if you need one -right now-

Hey Michael, is this something you have considered about HIR conversions? Notice how a 9006 as you would normally use in the low beam position of a GMT400 truck - has a black painted tip so that no light exits the front of the capsule. When we replace these with a 9012, there is no black painted tip. The OEM (and most aftermarket) housings for a GMT400 have no "glare cap" (for lack of the technical term of that piece) like some more modern vehicles do...so, what's the downside, if any?

Richard

The downside, is that without a shield on the tip of the bulb, it allows direct viewing of the filament. With the OEM light housings I see this as a non issue. With some clear aftermarket housings, you may be able to view the filament directly at certain angles.