H9 bulbs - what are my options?

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Klutch9

Klutch9

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Jan 7, 2009
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Rochester, MI, US, World
I'm considering replacing the h11 bulbs in our Fusion sometime soon with the h9's. Problem is, they're hard to come by around here. The h11's come in all sorts of brands, including the XtraVisions I like. The h9's however, not so much. The only ones I found were the regular OE Sylvania replacements for $15 a pop. I've seen some options online, but most are blue coated or other eBay garbage. Any recommendations?
 
I did the same in my Camry, and let me offer you my thoughts on it. First, they do run noticeably hotter. Especially within the confines of a projector housing like my Camry has (and like your Fusion has), I didn't like that. Secondly, if your Fusion has "squirrel spotters" in the projectors, which intentionally provide light above the horizontal cut-off to illuminate reflecting signs, use caution. The H9 bulbs will cast more light through the squirrel spotters and reflective signs will be extremely bright/dazzling in your eyes. I took them back out of my Camry after one night with them. They were far too bright back in my eyes.
 
Thanks for that info Hokiefyd. That is definitely something to keep in mind. Added heat is not something I want to deal with, as I have seen it do some ugly things to headlamps. I think (not sure) our car has the 'squirrel spotters' like most cars do. Since we often drive in rural areas with lots of deer and other critters, the last thing I'd want is added glare to myself or others. Maybe I'll just go with some XtraVisions in the H11 size...
 
This is the beam pattern from my former Camry.

camry_beam.jpg


The main beam's cut-off is clearly defined. The more dimly-lit "boxes" above the main beam are from the squirrel spotters. This is what lights up road signs that appear above the beam (which is almost all of them).
 
Thanks for the picture. Our Fusion definitely does not have squirrel spotters then. I though those were more so a few stray beams of light that shot off to the right side of the road (like controlled glare). The beam on our Fusion is flat and uniform the whole way accross.
 
If it doesn't have the squirrel spotters, you may be okay.

Different projector designs handle upward glare differently. You want SOME upward light, so you can see road signs. The Camry's squirrel spotters have a relatively uniform field of light in them. The projectors on our MDX (below, but not my photo) have a bright spot at the very top of the squirrel spotter field, with a gradual lessening of the light as you work your way down to where the main beam's cut-off is.

IMG_1863.jpg
 
I emailed Daniel Stern earlier, and he already replied! He said that it would be safe and easy to put the H9 bulb in our Fusion, and would produce good results. He also cautioned that the H11 to H9 conversion does not work in low-beam reflector housings, and some projectors. But as for the Fusion, I'm good to go. He even mentioned a car that uses an H9 bulb as a factory bulb so I can easily look one up. Looks like I'll be going this route in the future!
 
It sounds for sure that the Fusion does not use squirrel spotters at all, or at least very weak ones, making this swap doable. You can get H9 bulbs from most any auto retailer. As you note, they're not all that cheap (and they won't last as long).
 
The only H9 bulbs I can readily find online that any autoparts store has in stock is O'Reilly's for $15 EACH. They don't sell them in double blister packs, unfortunately. Meijer usually has a good selection of Philips bulbs, but I can't view their inventory online. Maybe I'll swing by to see what they have. For those who are curious, the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu uses the H9 bulb for its high beam (for some reason, some websites like AutoZone and O'Reilly's make you select a car before it will show any parts).

My wife and I are planning a road trip down to Florida this winter, and if it works out, I'll definitely swap the H9's in before then. It'll make night driving a whole lot safer.
 
I bought the H9s I modified from Pep Boys. I'm sure that Advance and AutoZone stock them as well, but maybe not.

Does your Fusion use H11 in the high beam as well? I think the current Fusion does. I can't figure that out...the H9 is the high-powered (and non-capped) twin of the H11...why would anyone use the H11 as a high beam? That's like using the HB4 (9006) for both low and high.

That would also be a good mod for you: replace your H11 high beams (if they are H11) with H9s. No worries about heat or glare with high beams.
 
The high beams on the new model Fusion are H7's (1450 lumens). The high beams on this car are quite sufficient, if I'm honest, even considering that the lumen output is somewhat low for a high-beam bulb. They produce very bright and white light, and a very usable beam pattern. But the Fusion does use the H11 for the projector fog lamps also. These do a sufficient job, but I need to aim them higher. I can see the cutoff line on the ground about 8 feet in front of the car. I'd like it to reach out a little farther.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I've read that the Fusion projector fog lamps are superb.


They probably are. The patch of light in front of the car is very bright and wide with a nice cutoff. I just think they're aimed too low from the factory. If I raise them up a bit, I'm sure I'll see their true potential.
 
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