New Car shopping, want good headlights.

Hi All,

Sadly, the time is come to replace my trusty 02 Alero with the ECE Headlight, Harness, and DRL1 conversion. These mods proved really nice to drive behind, for the record, thanks to those who recommended it.

I have four options I am considering, and am wondering on the stock headlamp quality, and potential for effective and legal upgrades, such as HIR or H11 to H9 as examples. And also whether PWM will thwart attempts at harnesses.

2008 Accord Coupe, EXL V6 (I believe this is a quad reflector setup)

2005-2009 Legacy GT (I believe this is a bi-function projector, I dont know what type light source)

Chevy Cruze (Single reflector with dual filament bulb)

Buick Verano Turbo (Bi-function projector)

As you might recall, I drive across the Canadian prairies at night fairly often, so I like having decent headlights.

Thanks!

Dave (from Calgary)

Get the Subaru...just for the sake of AWD! I would think that being they're projectors, you'd be able to install the 65W H7 bulbs or the H9's in the low beams depending on which year you buy.

Oh, that's sad the Alero has to go away after the work you put into it. Every car has its time, though, and it's gotta be not just snow but also road salt that makes the Great North so white.

The Accord has good headlamps that can easily be upgraded with HIR2 low beam and HIR1 high beam. The Subaru has good headlamps that can be easily upgraded with H9 instead of H11 or the H9-on-H7-base in the low beam (as Lightdoctor says, it depends on the year) and HIR1 high beam. The Verano has reasonably good H9 high beams (nowhere to go up from there) and H11 low beams that might or might not be a reasonable candidate for an H9 upgrade. The Cruze has adequate but not very pleasant H13 high/low beams that can't be upgraded beyond a slightly better (Philips Xtreme) bulb.

As long as we're talking about Subarus, =) would folks know if the 2002 Outback Wagon could be easily upgraded too? My Dad's Outback has split reflector headlamps, and the high beams have never been terribly bright. (Sorry for the temporary hijack, dave b, and good luck with your car purchase!)

Thanks!!

If I go Legacy, I will report back with the year and trim model for specific upgrade info.

Very good news about the Accord, the HIR bulbs seem to be the closest thing to a free lunch available.

Are the Verano low beams adequate with the stock H11, if H9 upgrade isn't viable?

As for the Cruze, the more I look at the Verano, the less the Cruze appeals. I won't go into details of my overall pro/con list here either, to keep to the theme of the forum.

Also, depending on what I do with the Alero, I would be willing to sell some good condition ECE Alero headlamps...though I doubt that's something anyone is clamoring for. Selling the headlights and almost new winter tires would likely beat a trade in, given 293,000 kms and a rebuilt title.

Scheinwerfermann said:

Oh, that's sad the Alero has to go away after the work you put into it. Every car has its time, though, and it's gotta be not just snow but also road salt that makes the Great North so white.

The Accord has good headlamps that can easily be upgraded with HIR2 low beam and HIR1 high beam. The Subaru has good headlamps that can be easily upgraded with H9 instead of H11 or the H9-on-H7-base in the low beam (as Lightdoctor says, it depends on the year) and HIR1 high beam. The Verano has reasonably good H9 high beams (nowhere to go up from there) and H11 low beams that might or might not be a reasonable candidate for an H9 upgrade. The Cruze has adequate but not very pleasant H13 high/low beams that can't be upgraded beyond a slightly better (Philips Xtreme) bulb.

Click to expand...

Per the OP the Accord coupe has H11 low beams in a projector. Would H9 be a safe upgrade there?

Oh, oops, I missed the "coupe". Yes, H9.

Does the Accord having H9 projector low beams change the assessment of "good headlights", upgrade potential not withstanding?

No, the Accord Coupe's headlamps are good.

Cost notwithstanding, is it worth while to source Ecode headlights for the Subaru?

Hi again.

Car search update, the Verano Turbo has leaped to the front runner based on good incentives for 2014 and the notion I should buy a 4 door for my DD. The follow up question, Scheinwerfermann mentioned the Verano low beam *might* be an H11 to H9 candidate. How would we go about determining if that would work? Is that based on the headlight itself and experience, or do we need to do a test once I purchase.

Thanks again!

Looking more closely: It's a projector-type low beam, so the H9 swap should be fine.

Many thanks.

Is there any particular H9 that you would recommend?

Shouldn't you buy the car before you buy the bulbs? ;-)

Seriously, any reputable brand of regular H9 will be fine. GE, Sylvania/Osram, Philips.

Probably, the only reason I asked is because the Accord Coupe, Verano, and Legacy (in some trims) accept the H9, so it could be useful info overall.

Well, placed a factory order for a really cool 2014 Verano Turbo 6MT today.

Any issue with the Narva H9 from candlepower, (says its a 65 watt, 2100 lumen item)?

The listings on amazon seem ludicrously mislabeled, which fills me with trepidation.

I can't think of a good reason to mail-order an H9 bulb. Buy the ordinary version of a reputable brand (Philips, Osram, Narva, GE) locally and save yourself the shipping cost.

Cheers for buying a 6spd!

dave_b said:

Well, placed a factory order for a really cool 2014 Verano Turbo 6MT today.

Any issue with the Narva H9 from candlepower, (says its a 65 watt, 2100 lumen item)?

The listings on amazon seem ludicrously mislabeled, which fills me with trepidation.

Click to expand...

Hey there,

Congrats on your order. I have a 2014 Verano Turbo myself, which I really enjoy. I found the stock H11 projectors on the Verano to be very dim (compared to the standard projector HIDs on my Mazda3 w/ Tech Pkg. I had previously), so a couple of days ago I replaced the standard Sylvania/Osram H11 bulbs with trimmed standard Sylvania/Osram H9 bulbs that I bought from Advance Auto.

I haven't done a ton of night driving yet, but it seems to me on first glance that they ARE brighter, but not "OMG amazing"ly so. The H9's do not have a glare cap (that little tip of grey paint on the glass) that the H11's have. You will also need to not only trim the little plastic key on the inside of the plug but also round down one of the metal tabs (compare to H11 bulb, you'll see which one) to get the bulb to fit properly.

I'll be driving at night tonight for about half an hour, so I'll try and report back with additional musings.

-John