HIR base mods

[builthatch]

first of all...i love HIRs. it is unfortunate the technology is limited to 9011/9012 fitments (9005/9006).

this is more or less a public service announcement for those looking into this technology. might be a repost at this stage, i'm not sure, but the person who i've used over the last few years to get these types of bulbs was not aware of many if any issues where the bulb burner base wouldn't squeeze through on certain applications.

anyway...

In my old 2008 Mazdaspeed3, I couldn't get the old style Toshiba 9012 HIR in the fog lamp housing. The reason was the portion ABOVE THE RUBBER SEALING RING on the bulb was too tall/fat, so I trimmed it and it worked out well for the time I had that car.

I happened to have a set of the old style Toshiba 9011 from the high beams in that car. My new STI uses the same fitment in the highs, so I tried to swap them in but I faced the same issue I had in the fogs of the Mazda. I didn't want to hack them up so I purchased a set of the new style Philips HIR and they fit perfectly.


http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...R/b96b8b00.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...R/48e79666.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...R/d8afe599.jpg


In the pics you'll see a few things -

First pic is the modification I had to make and the other pics are side by sides to show the difference of that particular portion (above the rubber sealing ring) between the new Philips HIR and the old Toshiba HIR.

As you can probably guess, the Philips new style is almost scaled perfectly in those areas vs. the 9005/9006...way better than the globe style Toshibas.


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[Scheinwerfermann]

first of all...i love HIRs.

It is a nifty technology. The GE and Toshiba versions were not very good. The current-production Philips items are quite good.

it is unfortunate the technology is limited to 9011/9012 fitments (9005/9006).

9011 and 9012 are not the same as 9005 and 9006. They are physically and optically compatible (9011 for 9005 and 9012 for 9006) with minor base modifications as you know, but it is definitely not the case that a 9012 can be installed safely in every/any 9006 lamp.

In my old 2008 Mazdaspeed3, I couldn't get the old style Toshiba 9012 HIR in the fog lamp housing.

That's good -- 9012 bulbs are not appropriate or safe for use in most fog lamps; the nearly 90% increase in intensity means very dangerous levels of glare no matter how you aim the lamps.

[builthatch]

thanks for your reply.

It is a nifty technology. The GE and Toshiba versions were not very good. The current-production Philips items are quite good.

they were better than the halogen counterparts at comparable draws though. glad to hear the new ones are measurably better.

9011 and 9012 are not the same as 9005 and 9006. They are physically and optically compatible (9011 for 9005 and 9012 for 9006) with minor base modifications as you know, but it is definitely not the case that a 9012 can be installed safely in every/any 9006 lamp.

i didn't mean for it to be taken so literally. thanks for clarifiying it for those who may.

That's good -- 9012 bulbs are not appropriate or safe for use in most fog lamps; the nearly 90% increase in intensity means very dangerous levels of glare no matter how you aim the lamps.

i did get them in once shaved. i have little experience with them in fogs so it's good to hear this info, but most isn't all so it can't hurt to try since the designs of factory fogs can run from absolutely terrible to fantastic. there were no glare issues in the Mazda fogs with these bulbs because of the poor design and dimensions. honestly, they were relatively poor from the start in terms of a fog pattern and were probably more for aesthetics from FoMoCo than anything else. they threw light almost straight down with a relatively wide pattern but it was just too low with no length. i used them more as another illuminated light on the front of my car for other drivers than anything else. wouldn't have known without trying; all it did was make a brighter glow on the bottom of my bumper in terms of oncoming drivers. i rationalized the waste of money on a slightly increased safety factor.

they (9011) have worked flawlessly in the high beams of both vehicles though...amazing.

[Scheinwerfermann]

i did get them in once shaved. i have little experience with them in fogs so it's good to hear this info, but most isn't all

As a general rule, HIRs are not OK to use in reflector-type fog lamps designed for 9006 bulbs. They work OK in some projector-type fog lamps designed for 9006 bulbs.

it can't hurt to try

But yes, it can, unless you have the expertise and equipment necessary to assess the level of glare produced by your retrofitted fog lamps.

there were no glare issues in the Mazda fogs with these bulbs

Yes, there were. You have just proved my point by claiming, without basis, that they were fine. I had those particular fog lamps in mind when I said "No" the first time in this thread.

honestly, they were relatively poor from the start in terms of a fog pattern and were probably more for aesthetics

Yes, and this is one of the reasons why making them 90% brighter with your bulb swap was not a safe thing to do.

i used them more as another illuminated light on the front of my car for other drivers than anything else.

That is not an appropriate, safe, or legal use of fog lamps.

all it did was make a brighter glow on the bottom of my bumper in terms of oncoming drivers.

That is a pretty fancy way of saying "more glare".

i rationalized the waste of money on a slightly increased safety factor.

There was no increased safety factor. Your modification reduced safety both for yourself and for the other drivers on the road with you. This exact kind of situation (deciding it's "better" or "safer" based on no real understanding of the matter -- or just because one might want to believe it's better) is why lighting standards and regulations are based on objective measurements and not on subjective guesses.