low beam globes

[George43]

Can any one tell me if you can use other stronger globes than H11 for low beam
finding it hard to see the Road at night with out street lights special on wet roads nearly had smash in Colac due to Roadwork's
was thinking about putting 80mm driving lights in Bulbar instead of Fog light
any advice greatly appreciated
George

[Merts]

Easiest improvement is to replace the standard bulbs with one of the higher efficiency bulbs such as the Philips X-TremeVision +100. They are the same H11 size and still use 55 watts, but poke out roughly twice the light. Narva and Osram also make similar high output bulbs.

[old Jack]

Can any one tell me if you can use other stronger globes than H11 for low beam
finding it hard to see the Road at night with out street lights special on wet roads nearly had smash in Colac due to Roadwork's
was thinking about putting 80mm driving lights in Bulbar instead of Fog light
any advice greatly appreciated
George

There is a selection of high performance H11 low beam globes available but they come at a premium price and have a short life. Typically these give a whiter light, slightly more distance but a significant increase in light intensity.

Best I have found is Osram Silver from Powerbulbs online, at $60 a pair they are the best balance or performance, longevity and value for money;

https://www.powerbulbs.com/au/product/osram-night-breaker-silver-h11-twin

If you are tempted to go for higher performance then they have a significantly shorter life especially if they are used daily for all driving.


OJ.

[Merts]

One other bit of advice I'd offer is don't be tempted to opt for the extremely white (blue) variants. The ones both OJ and I mentioned are somewhat whiter than standard bulbs, but not significantly. The very blue ones tend to be glary for other drivers and for you when they reflect off roadside furniture and signs.

[paceman]

i recently bought these ones and they did not impress me at all...

https://www.powerbulbs.com/au/product/osram-night-breaker-unlimited-h11-twin

i'll be looking at a pair of these very soon:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Philips-H11-100-xtreme-X-treme-Vision-Halogen-Bulbs-T10-matching-Parkers/121265665021

[erad]

The big problem with putting brighter globes in low beams is that they have a finite throw, so you have white, then dark. The change of intensity is more marked when you have brighter beams. You cannot extend the throw of the beams without inducing glare into oncoming drivers. And if they are dazzled, there is an increased risk that they will crash into something (and that could be you). Super sophisticated systems such as in modern OEM LEDs may have 9 separate LEDs. They selectively look at oncoming bright spots and if they see a bright light source within that sector of their own lights, they black out that sector, thereby still allowing the remaining LEDs to keep operating and illuminating the rest of the area ahead. But with the existing reflectors, more light means more splat of light everywhere, causing oncoming blinded drivers to be potentially blinded by your lights.

[nj swb]

i recently bought these ones and they did not impress me at all...

https://www.powerbulbs.com/au/product/osram-night-breaker-unlimited-h11-twin

I've been using these, and not happy with the reduction in life - so after the last one died I reverted to the original bulb that was in my NT when I bought it. Definitely a colour change looking from outside the vehicle, can't say I've really noticed any difference from inside - but I rarely drive at night, and less frequently away from street lights.

I've just ordered a genuine factory DRL kit from Eagle Autoparts. If I can get that working OK perhaps I won't have my headlights on so often, and I'll be able to live with the reduced life of brighter globes.

[Kingbrown]

A few pointers that I have picked up from NFT5 over the years:

a) Are your headlights aimed properly ?
It's worth spending time to get this right.
b) Are your lenses clean of grime and are they clear of scratches & discolouration ?
c) H9 bulb is superior to H11 but it requires modification to make it fit the vehicle plug.

[Merts]

c) H9 bulb is superior to H11 but it requires modification to make it fit the vehicle plug.

It's designed for high beam use so has no glare cap, is 10 watts higher in power use and has a lower filament resistance (which means they are brighter but don't last as long as H11s).
Using them in your low beam lights is illegal (for good reason).

[nj swb]

So I've just put my other original low beam bulb back in.

I've checked my emails. I ordered a pair of Osram Night Breaker Unlimited H11 in October 2017, and another pair in June 2018. That's four bulbs (two per side) blown in under two years.

I won't be ordering those again.

[NFT5]

The big problem with putting brighter globes in low beams is that they have a finite throw, so you have white, then dark. The change of intensity is more marked when you have brighter beams. You cannot extend the throw of the beams without inducing glare into oncoming drivers.

Not quite. The "throw" as you call it is unlimited. Light travels essentially forever in perfect conditions, i.e. a vacuum. What is much more important is the amount of light that is projected at the end of the beam, which is determined by the aim of the light and which should terminate on the road surface at a given distance from the vehicle. This distance is specified as an angle of declination, but this angle may need to be adjusted slightly if the vehicle is lifted.


The big difference between Gen4 low beams and the more conventional reflector type is that our vehicles use projectors. In a projector the cutoff line is determined mechanically, by a shield that stops light being emitted above the cutoff line. So, yes, the different intensities below and above this line are more marked. However, most projectors are designed to "leak" a small amount of light above the cutoff line, to illuminate street and road signs. While this amount of "leaked" light is greater when a bulb capable of higher output is more, it isn't enough to induce glare to any degree that may be considered objectionable, or even non compliant with the ADRs which are set to allow much more light above the line.



It is important to note here that this is dependent on the two bulbs having filaments in exactly the same position. This is the case with H11 and H9 bulbs - the only difference being the output and the base. If you fitted a different light source, for example HID or LED then the position of the source of light within the projector would vary, changing the whole output of the light and likely inducing glare.


Measurement of the output of a headlight is not done by wattage of the bulb, rather by the actual output of the light. So fitting a higher wattage bulb, such as a modified H9, does not make the installation illegal, provided that total lumens of the bulb does not exceed a nominal 2000 lumens. While tolerances within H9 production do range above 2000 lumens they also extend below and so the midpoint, of the range from around 1700 to 2300 is in fact pretty close to that 2000 lumen limit. So, again, the use of an H9 bulb does not make the installation non compliant.

A few pointers that I have picked up from NFT5 over the years:

a) Are your headlights aimed properly ?
It's worth spending time to get this right.
b) Are your lenses clean of grime and are they clear of scratches & discolouration ?
c) H9 bulb is superior to H11 but it requires modification to make it fit the vehicle plug.

Correct. I'm gratified.


Importantly, aim is what it's all about. Most cars have their lights aimed way too low. Mine are set so that the cutoff line hits the road surface at 90 metres.


This is for two reasons.


Firstly I want my lights, even on low beam, to extend far enough ahead that I'm not going to over drive them when travelling at highway speeds. 90m isn't very far at 110km/h but it's a hell of a lot further than the 60m that is a more common setting and light years ahead of some that I see where the cutoff is set only 20m out.



As outlined above, setting them a bit higher is not only possible with a projector but they're still aimed downwards and so glare is no issue for other road users. In terms of safety and increased reaction time there is no comparison.


A further benefit is that the difference above and below the cutoff line isn't quite so marked as what erad mentioned. I'd suggest that re-aiming his lights would solve a good portion of his issue.

It's designed for high beam use so has no glare cap, is 10 watts higher in power use and has a lower filament resistance (which means they are brighter but don't last as long as H11s).
Using them in your low beam lights is illegal (for good reason).

Incorrect, for the reasons I detailed above.


Also the use of a glare cap is only for installation in a reflector housing. In a projector the shape of the beam is determined by the shield as well as optics, rather than just optics in a reflector.


It is true that the filament in an H9 is driven harder than that in an H11, but they are chalk and cheese in terms of content so the relative filament resistance is irrelevant. An H9 might not last as long as a standard H11 but it is likely to be much better than the Plus series type bulbs even though the technology is similar. It will also put out more light than most of the "high output" bulbs.


The 10 watt difference is not going to be of any consequence, even with the minimalist wiring that we have, nor is it going to tax the alternator or battery.

[old Jack]

Thanks for the detailed post Chris (NFT5).
I learnt a few things from you sharing you knowledge.

OJ.

[nj swb]

Hi Chris,

As per my previous post, I've blown four aftermarket H11s in less than 2 years, and just re-installed whatever H11s were in there when I bought my Paj (probably factory - I don't know). Having my lights on pretty much all the time probably hasn't helped with longevity.

Would you recommend making the mod to take H9s? I currently have something PIAA in my high beams, but rarely use them, so I expect them to last a long time.

If I install the factory DRL kit I've just ordered, then put H9s in my low beams, I can get away with carrying two identical spare globes rather than one of each - and worst case, I can take out a high beam globe to restore low beam.

Silly?

[NFT5]

Silly?

Not at all.


As I said, the H9s won't last as long as the H11 bulbs but should give you greater longevity than the plus bulbs you've been using.


While using low beams for increased visibility, i.e. as DRLs, is commendable and certainly does improve your chances of being seen, they are way less effective than proper DRLs. Your proposed move will improve your safety and extend the life of your bulbs significantly.


Just out of curiosity, do you have to switch the headlights on each time you start and then off when you stop? Does that not drive you nuts? One thing I miss from the Triton is the auto off feature. I know the Paj lights turn off, eventually, but it's a long time.

[nj swb]

Just out of curiosity, do you have to switch the headlights on each time you start and then off when you stop?

Yep. I don't always remember to turn them on, and it squeals at me to turn them off. It's almost a habit - but not quite.

Does that not drive you nuts?

Nope - arrived there a long time ago.

One thing I miss from the Triton is the auto off feature. I know the Paj lights turn off, eventually, but it's a long time.

Yep. I had a couple of Commodores as company cars. Turned the headlights on when I first climbed in, never turned them off.

I had a Mk 6 Golf that (from memory) had an "Auto" position, where the switch lived. I don't recall if they were on all the time, or only when some electronic deity decreed it shall be.

My NJ wouldn't turn the lights off - well, not until the battery was dead flat... I know I checked the wiring diagram to figure out an auto-off, but I recall it turned out to be a non-trivial exercise. Maybe as part of the rejuvenation project...