Light Output (Lumen) VS Longevity?

[icqboy51]

was going to do HID in a halogen housing (reflector) but did a search on here and understood how bad that can bad to other drivers on the road.

so keeping my 9006 halogen bulbs for now.

as many suggested on here that there is a tradeoff between Light output/ brightness (Lumen) VS Longevity.

my question is, is there a halogen bulb out there that is brighter than OEM 9006 (>1000) AND STILL last almost as long as OEM 9006?

I searched and found a comparison that Sylvania Ultra are brighter but have short life.

had the OEMs for 6 years and still going.

[darksparkz]

Look at Toshiba HIR bulbs.

They are supposed to output the most lumens for a halogen bulb without going HID. Not exactly sure on life span though.

I rather pay for good visibility, which means higher lumen bulbs, then something that has a long life, especially if you do lots of night driving or anything like that, it is safer.

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

Silverstar Ultra..had them in my last car, for 3 years (sold the car, were still running strong)...and i have them in my Camry, 2 years now.

[Yazovets]

For some reason, lots of the aftermarket bulbs don't last too long (for instance, PIAA bulbs usually don't last past 9 months max). However, as others mentioned you should be concerned with maximum light output. If you want longevity, just retain your OEM bulbs.

[MrSo0h0o]

go with Toshiba HIR's and do the 9006 to 9005 conversion. This is the closest you can get to HID brightness without all the glare. They are a bit pricey (only a few places sell them online) but they are well worth it. As for longevity, they are rated only a tad bit lower than OEM bulbs.

[icqboy51]

3 years for ultras?? thats good enough in my books. they are like $ 50 each aren't they?

read about 9005 -> 9006 conversion, but some warn that the wires might melt due to heat?

but aren't the wiring for the low beams same as the high beam? if yes, then if high beam wires can take 65w, shouldn't the low beam wires also able to take 65w?

[MrSo0h0o]

Originally Posted by icqboy51

3 years for ultras?? thats good enough in my books. they are like $ 50 each aren't they?

read about 9005 -> 9006 conversion, but some warn that the wires might melt due to heat?

but aren't the wiring for the low beams same as the high beam? if yes, then if high beam wires can take 65w, shouldn't the low beam wires also able to take 65w?

In my old camry, I went through 3-4 sets in a 2-3 year span, so I personally wouldnt say they can last 3 yrs.

As for the conversion, I have not had any problems with the converted HIR's. I recently switched to my second set in the 3.5 years I have had my new Camry.

[icqboy51]

Originally Posted by MrSo0h0o

As for the conversion, I have not had any problems with the converted HIR's. I recently switched to my second set in the 3.5 years I have had my new Camry.

but doesn't HIR 9005 have 55w? so it would be fine in terms of heat?

compare to regular 9005 65w? 10 extra watt, where it might lead to overheating?

i might have got the HIR facts wrong though...

[MrSo0h0o]

Originally Posted by icqboy51

but doesn't HIR 9005 have 55w? so it would be fine in terms of heat?

compare to regular 9005 65w? 10 extra watt, where it might lead to overheating?

i might have got the HIR facts wrong though...

the 10 watt difference will not cause overheating.

[icqboy51]

^ cool, thanx, will give 9006 to 9005 a try. cause liked how bright 9005s are.

[lowincash]

yup the toshiba HIR are brighter than stock and lasts almost as long as stock ones...since these bulbs do come stock on some cars like the maxima and corvette or something. i bought a pair from nissan that was for the maximas that uses halogen projectors. i'm selling them if you want

[icqboy51]

^ HIR are out of my price range @ the moment.

i might just do a halogen bulb 9006 - 9005 conversion.

thanx though

[MrSo0h0o]

Originally Posted by icqboy51

^ HIR are out of my price range @ the moment.

i might just do a halogen bulb 9006 - 9005 conversion.

thanx though

if that is the case, I would recommend getting some GE nighthawks. They are not tinted like the silverstar ultra's so there is no loss in output. They may have the same white/yellowish color as the OEM headlights, but you will be able to see better!

[xpeed]

Originally Posted by Yazovets

For some reason, lots of the aftermarket bulbs don't last too long (for instance, PIAA bulbs usually don't last past 9 months max). However, as others mentioned you should be concerned with maximum light output. If you want longevity, just retain your OEM bulbs.

I don't know what you did with your PIAAs in the past but mine lasted a bit over 3 years and they still haven't blown out.

I currently have 9006 Koito Whitebeam II on my Camry and had them for over 3 years and still haven't blown out, but I recently bought a pair of PIAA GT-X Plasmas and well...I'm kind of disappointed at the output because it advertised they'll be a bit brighter and a bit of blue tint (About 5300k) , but compared to my Koitos (4100k), they're actually dimmer.

[aznlunatic206]

not to thread-jack or anything, but ive been looking into toshiba hir bulbs too, cant find a decent photo of them on at night, are they still yellow looking or white?