H11 to H9 conversion?

[evilmonkey]

Hey guys,

This is my first post on DA, so HI THERE .

I have a 2010 Coupe and I'm interested in upgrading my headlights.

I was originally planning on getting the Phillips 4300K HID conversion kit but grew concerned after reading through the HID debates on the forums; illegal, glare, filament misalignment etc. So I've decided to play it safe for now by getting the H9 bulbs while I do more research on the HIDs.

Since the H9s have a power rating of 65W vs. the H11s' 55W, I was wondering if the extra 10 watts will melt the housing/wiring harness. I've noticed that several DA members have done the conversion; it would be greatly appreciated if I can get some feedbacks/recommendations on the H9s.

Cheers!

[spatel133]

the wiring is only rated for 55W. i havnt tried it but i wouldnt try it unless your willing to put up for getting the wiring redone or have new head lights put in. you may just wana play it safe by getting silverstar ultras..

[evilmonkey]

Originally Posted by spatel133

the wiring is only rated for 55W. i havnt tried it but i wouldnt try it unless your willing to put up for getting the wiring redone or have new head lights put in. you may just wana play it safe by getting silverstar ultras..

Thanks for the info! But don't the Silverstar Ultras have shockingly short lifespans?

[2010couper]

Here read through this. plenty have done this with no issues, this is just one of the recent ones I remember…..


http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=53068

[Sultan]

I believe the glare doesn't apply with projector headlights.

[evilmonkey]

Thanks for the info guys, maybe I will risk the H9s.

Originally Posted by Sultan

I believe the glare doesn't apply with projector headlights.

Apparently that's not the case according to some ppl, because of the positioning of the filaments. I have no experience with this, just repeating what I've read.

[mi08coupe]

Been running the H9s for about 18 months now without problems. No noticeable wiring issues yet. If you're still concerned about the plugs or wiring, get something like these... http://www.automotivelightingusa.com...y-duty-harness
Made with high temp materials and heavier gauge wires.

[coupe09]

Just get the HIDs, no glare. I have 8000K in my coupe and it looks so good. With projectors there is no glare. And HIDs last for so long.

[Sultan]

Originally Posted by coupe09

Just get the HIDs, no glare. I have 8000K in my coupe and it looks so good. With projectors there is no glare. And HIDs last for so long.

I would have to agree with him my friend. I say still go with the HIDs. If a cop gives you any problems tell him to stick a hard one where the sun don't shine because you bough the car like that...which I highly doubt that will happen. As a matter of fact I have 5,000K on my 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee and just yesterday I was behind a cop car...though i was gonna get flicked but nothing happened, and I have no projectors.

[evilmonkey]

Originally Posted by mi08coupe

Been running the H9s for about 18 months now without problems. No noticeable wiring issues yet. If you're still concerned about the plugs or wiring, get something like these... http://www.automotivelightingusa.com...y-duty-harness
Made with high temp materials and heavier gauge wires.

Thanks for the tip, I just saw someone suggesting the same thing on a Civic forum.

Originally Posted by Sultan

I would have to agree with him my friend. I say still go with the HIDs. If a cop gives you any problems tell him to stick a hard one where the sun don't shine because you bough the car like that...which I highly doubt that will happen. As a matter of fact I have 5,000K on my 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee and just yesterday I was behind a cop car...though i was gonna get flicked but nothing happened, and I have no projectors.

Hmm okay, guess it's time for me to look into a good HID brand...

So far I'm thinking of getting either Digital or Philips. But I heard that Philips doesn't make after market HID conversion kits, and those so called "Genuine Made in Germany" kits on eBay are fake. Anyone know if that's true?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I really wanna do this right.
Thanks!

[Markus]

Originally Posted by coupe09

Just get the HIDs, no glare. I have 8000K in my coupe and it looks so good. With projectors there is no glare. And HIDs last for so long.

Of course there's glare. It's simple physics. Read here

The problem with glare is that the human eye is a really poor judge of glare. It simply cannot be trusted to determine safe levels of glare and simply looking at the lights and the beam distribution and saying "meh, there's no glare" is not sufficient. Glare needs to be determined with the proper equipment, not the human eye.

As I wrote above, and as you'll appreciate after reading Stern's article, the glare is there and it's due to the laws of physics (HID burners are not designed for halogen lamps, neither reflector nor projector) and it cannot be avoided. HID kits are unsafe.

[Markus]

Originally Posted by Sultan

I believe the glare doesn't apply with projector headlights.

You believe incorrectly. Projectors glare just as badly as reflectors.

[Markus]

Originally Posted by evilmonkey

Thanks for the tip, I just saw someone suggesting the same thing on a Civic forum.



Hmm okay, guess it's time for me to look into a good HID brand...

So far I'm thinking of getting either Digital or Philips. But I heard that Philips doesn't make after market HID conversion kits, and those so called "Genuine Made in Germany" kits on eBay are fake. Anyone know if that's true?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I really wanna do this right.
Thanks!

Of course they're fake. If you want to do it right then you should avoid HID kits. They're poor quality compared to OEM HID and can have a very short lifespan, some as low as 3-6 months.

H9 bulbs will in no way overtax the wiring of your car.

One forum member recently switched from 4300K HID to H9 and found he had more usable light from H9 rather than from the HID kit. This is because the H9 bulbs put light in the right place, guaranteed.

A wiring harness certainly won't hurt but you need to make sure it's well designed and good quality. This means two relays and two fuses, one per low beam. Relays and connectors should be weather proof and the relays should have back-EMF protection (usually a diode or resistor internal to the relay) to prevent electrical spikes when turning the lights off.

The harness mi08coupe posted a link to is a complete waste of money. It will do nothing to protect the stock wiring from over-wattage bulbs. It has no relays and it doesn't take power for the lights from battery/alternator. It's merely an extension of the factory wiring.

[evilmonkey]

Originally Posted by Markus

Of course they're fake. If you want to do it right then you should avoid HID kits. They're poor quality compared to OEM HID and can have a very short lifespan, some as low as 3-6 months.

H9 bulbs will in no way overtax the wiring of your car.

One forum member recently switched from 4300K HID to H9 and found he had more usable light from H9 rather than from the HID kit. This is because the H9 bulbs put light in the right place, guaranteed.

A wiring harness certainly won't hurt but you need to make sure it's well designed and good quality. This means two relays and two fuses, one per low beam. Relays and connectors should be weather proof and the relays should have back-EMF protection (usually a diode or resistor internal to the relay) to prevent electrical spikes when turning the lights off.

The harness mi08coupe posted a link to is a complete waste of money. It will do nothing to protect the stock wiring from over-wattage bulbs. It has no relays and it doesn't take power for the lights from battery/alternator. It's merely an extension of the factory wiring.

Well I'll proly use the factory harness for now, and check on the wiring/housing very frequently.
Does thisPhilips H9 appears to be a good buy? Despite the fact that it's currently out of stock. Thanks!

[Markus]

Originally Posted by evilmonkey

Well I'll proly use the factory harness for now, and check on the wiring/housing very frequently.
Does thisPhilips H9 appears to be a good buy? Despite the fact that it's currently out of stock. Thanks!

They're decent bulbs. These are just as good