Hi all! I wanna get new cheap bulbs soon. Napa brand..not the nightvision..theirs cheaper ones. Pro formers. I've noticed,high beam bulbs don't have that black coating on t hem,on top the bulb. Could I run those in place of lowbeams,for regular night driving? More light.output thatway?
Use high beams inplace of lowbeams,bulbs?
- Thread starter ziggy
- Start date
The placement of the filament is different in respects to the mirror for high beams vs low beams. You can't turn a high beam into a low beam just by swapping another bulb in.
I understand it's not the best attitude but it seems like everyone else's beams are brighter than mine anyway so why worry? All these new SUV's, pick up's and whatnot's have their guns blazing with the new lighting technologies in vehicles these days. I feel I need to use high beams just to be in the game but I'm still not coming even remotely close to putting out the blinding light levels that they are. It's just ridiculous, so why not keep your brights on, those guys don't give a **** about anyone else unless someone else's lights are even brighter than theirs. Once in a while they get a dose of their own medicine. Nice!
I don’t recall exactly which bulbs but there is at least once case where the filaments do line up and the bulbs fits with minimal snipping of plastic. If the vehicle has a bulb shield it can be a decent mod. If it doesn’t, it will puke uncontrolled light and that becomes counterproductive. if you identify your bulb type you can find more info. Note, high bulbs typically have a much shorter operating life. Also consider an HIR swap if you can. Basically the same thing.
one other note. If you have long life low beam bulbs, switch them out for non long life. LL bulbs run a thicker, and cooler filament. In some housings, this puts some of the light source outside the focal point of the housings, resulting in some of the light not going where it’s needed. Using a standard, basic, cheap, non long life bulb can be an improvement in this case as more light gets on the road.
one other note. If you have long life low beam bulbs, switch them out for non long life. LL bulbs run a thicker, and cooler filament. In some housings, this puts some of the light source outside the focal point of the housings, resulting in some of the light not going where it’s needed. Using a standard, basic, cheap, non long life bulb can be an improvement in this case as more light gets on the road.
The bulbs that you are referring-to are substituting a 9005 high beam bulb for a 9006 low beam bulb in a 4 bulb headlamp system. A 9005 can be modified to fit where the 9006 goes by removing a few mm off one of the plastic retainer tabs. For this to work the low beam housing must have a bulb shield in front of the bulb and can't be a projector style headlamp. You must also install a larger diameter O-ring on the barrel of the 9005 bulb's mount where it goes through the headlamp housing because the barrel of the 9005 is slightly smaller in diameter than the barrel of the 9006 and the 9005 won't seal to the housing or center properly in the low beam position unless you do this (the actual bulb and filament positions are the same so the lighting pattern is the same). You gain some brightness because the 9005 is 65 watts verses the 9006's 55 watts. It does make a noticable difference but it isn't enough to blind oncoming traffic. The added 10 watts does not burden the electrical system or wiring harness because both circuits use the same gauge wires and the same relays.
Thanks!wow,the gasket is different,between the 2. Didn't know that!I'll just keep it reg low beams.many years ago,I had a 85 Isuzu I mark hatchback.fun tough car! This was 1992_95. I put high beam bulbs in,much brighter! Also,then,tried napa xenon bulbs.liked them!..
The bulbs may be keyed differently to fit into the housing.... I assume you're talking about 9005 vs 9006 bulbs. In this case, look at the HiR bulb modifications many people do for 9006 bulbs.
Some european cars uses H7 bulbs for both the low beam and high beam.
The 9012 mod has improved many a person's low beam and or fog light
You mean why not make the problem even worse?
It's a criminal disregard for fellow motorists, pedestrians, and animals. Don't be that guy.
What are people supposed to do that buy a newer vehicle, put tape over the headlight lens to not hurt your precious eyes? You get the lights you get when you buy a new car/truck/suv.
make sure they are aimed properly to start
If you have 9005/9006, go to 9011/9012.
If you use high beam bulbs in low beam positions, you will be changing them FREQUENTLY.
If you use high beam bulbs in low beam positions, you will be changing them FREQUENTLY.
I think high beams are aimed differently as well as how their reflectors are designed as to why they are "brighter". Yes, they're 10w higher but I'm not sure how much brighter that really is in the real world. Anyway, as you've found out, it's just as simple as putting a 9005 into a 9006 location.
One reason truck/SUV lights seem brighter is because of the height of the vehicle thus the light beam is higher. I've noticed 99% of the time when there are bright lights hitting my mirrors from a vehicle following me that it's a truck or SUV.
Bingo.
The current modern brightness of lights is at times LITERALLY blinding.
I also find it ironic and a bit funny when, at times, I am driving an older car with dimmer lights on the high beams, and someone in a lifted truck or semi truck, with floodlights sitting 5' off the ground for headlights, flashes his lights at me as though I"m the problem...
OP should polish their lenses as I'm confident they scatter the light everywhere except where it's needed.
My prius LED lights have a very sharp cutoff, and are piercing when I meet someone cresting a hill or whatever. Sorry, world. I didn't design 'em.
My prius LED lights have a very sharp cutoff, and are piercing when I meet someone cresting a hill or whatever. Sorry, world. I didn't design 'em.
High beams tend to be a bit narrower, but punch down the road further. A standard 9005 bulb is rated at ~1,700 lumens, a standard 9006 is rated at ~1,000. 9011’s are rated at ~2,300 lumens and 9012 is rated at ~1,870.
I ran with high beam bulbs in my Tractor-trailer rig. (free bulbs) for years. I just aimed them down a bit. I only had one person on the CB tell me my lights were really bright. Yeah, some new vehicles have crazy bright lights. I have a 300 watt light bar on my pickup and used it the other night to see if it still worked. (no traffic) Very bright!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2021
- Messages
- 109
What difference does it make, people drive around all the time with their high beams on all the time and are either too stupid or indifferent to care about other drivers. The same goes for the morons who park in the fast lane and force everyone who wants to pass to go around them on the right.
(This observation is from the NYC area, of course ymmv).
(This observation is from the NYC area, of course ymmv).
