H11 projector bulbs- 35w HID vs LED?

We just bought a 2015 Subaru Outback. It has halogen projectors. I was going drop in a Morimoto 35w 5000k HID kit
http://www.thеrеtrоfitsоurcе.cоm/hid-systеms/mоrimоtо-еlitе-hid-systеm-h11.html#.VImv6clOnxg

But some people are going the fan backed LEDs. Lumens appear close (3400 HID/3200 LED?)


http://www.ѕubіѕpееd.cоm/2015-ѕubar...s-2015-wrx-basе-and-prеmium.html#.VImwH8lOnxi

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?380558-What-s-wrong-with-projector-retrofits

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

Same reasoning applies to LED "bulbs."

However you *may* be able to replace the H11s with H9s for more output. I'll wait for a more informed opinion before calling that factual however as I have no experience with your particular vehicle (Virgil?)

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2083911

That 3200 lumen rating you see is for two bulbs. So, it is only 1600 lumens each. Either way, LED retrofits do not work. HID is your best bet as Subaru has HID headlight housing for your Imprezza. It will not be cheap, but it will be much better as it will be DOT compliant and ECE approved.

^ if there is a HID option available for your car from the factory, and you really want HIDs, that is really the only safe, legal way to go about this - retrofit the entire factory light housings for HID and whatever else is required to make it work.

crassus said:

That 3200 lumen rating you see is for two bulbs. So, it is only 1600 lumens each.

Click to expand...

...which is still a gross overstatement of the amount of light each bulb puts out on initial power-up, let alone after they've run for 10 minutes...or half an hour. All of which is irrelevant, because:

LED retrofits do not work

Click to expand...

Correct. Headlamps are not flood lights. They are precision optical instruments designed around a light source of a particular, specific shape, size, position, etc. Swapping in a different kind of light source (HID or LED instead of filament) destroys the beam pattern, thus destroying the headlamp's safety performance.

HID is your best bet as Subaru has HID headlight housing for your Imprezza

Click to expand...

The original poster has an Outback (a Legacy model), not an Impreza. If HID headlamps are available as an option on the '15 Outback, installing them would be the best possible upgrade, and would unquestionably maintain the vehicle's warranty. An "HID kit" in the halogen headlamps wouldn't, and it would also be unsafe and illegal. An H9 bulb (2100 lumens) in place of the H11 bulb (1350 lumens) in the low beam would be safe, effective and (arguably) legal.

Also, the original poster is in Virginia which has a pretty strict vehicle lighting equipment code, and law officers and vehicle inspectors happily ticket for installing "LED bulbs" or an "HID kit" -- yet another reason why doing so is foolish.

As for the "Morimoto" idea: why would you vandalize your brand-new car with that junk?

Other threads to read about this subject here and here.

Thanks for the inputs, I'll skip the LED. HID's are available, but only the 3.6 limited model, not the 2.5. No information is out yet on the retrofit. I've run HID in halogen projectors before and passed VA safety inspection (they look OEM and had a great cutoff). I would never put HID into a reflector housing.

I'll do some research on the OEM retrofit to see what the parts cost. One issue is that the outback has a mild aftermarket/tinker following compared to WRX or BRZ drivers, so there is little info on it.

After reading about the H9 upgrade, for $20, I'll go that route. I don't do enough night driving to justify the cost of OEM HID, but I want more lighting than stock because my neighborhood is not well lit with lots of people walking dogs, etc.

Well, what are your goals? Better seeing, or do you want the distinctive look of HID? If only the former, try the H9s before dropping big bucks on anything. You might be surprised. Also, remember that HID burners hurt to replace... dropped a lot of money at Powerbulbs a while back when one of mine went from working to purple to completely dead over the course of just a few days

zimm said:

I've run HID in halogen projectors before and passed VA safety inspection (they look OEM and had a great cutoff). I would never put HID into a reflector housing.

Click to expand...

Safety inspections are farcical, being based on the inspector's whim and lack of knowledge. They were more interested in seeing that things lit up, not whether they were compliant or legal.

zimm said:

Thanks for the inputs, I'll skip the LED. HID's are available, but only the 3.6 limited model, not the 2.5. No information is out yet on the retrofit.

Click to expand...

With factory availability, the retrofit is easy: Go to the service department and tell them what you want, or go to the parts department and tell them what you want, depending on whether you want to pay them to do it and keep your warranty unquestionable or do it yourself and risk warranty disqualification.

I've run HID in halogen projectors before and passed VA safety inspection

Click to expand...

Congratulations, but it's still a very unsafe thing to do.

(they look OEM and had a great cutoff)

Click to expand...

Neither of those things means it was safe.

I would never put HID into a reflector housing.

Click to expand...

Good, but it's not safe in a projector, either.

Alaric Darconville said:

Safety inspections are farcical, being based on the inspector's whim and lack of knowledge. They were more interested in seeing that things lit up, not whether they were compliant or legal.

Click to expand...

The guy I take my stuff to would probably say something, but he's never mentioned the E-code Cibies on the Heep... but he also just upgraded from an old 5er to an AMG so we see eye to eye on a lot of things

N8N said:

he's never mentioned the E-code Cibies on the Heep...

Click to expand...

Well, DUH, he was inspecting it for safety!

I'll take an ECE headlamp (for the correct traffic directionality) installed, wired, and aimed properly over an "HID kit" *any* day.

Alaric Darconville said:

Well, DUH, he was inspecting it for safety!

I'll take an ECE headlamp (for the correct traffic directionality) installed, wired, and aimed properly over an "HID kit" *any* day.

Click to expand...

Heck yeah.

I lent it to a friend a month or so ago to move some stuff from PA to VA and he asked if there were any special instructions... I said 'don't use the high beams unless you really mean it.'. Heh heh heh. I think we've got another lighting enthusiast on our hands, he's already asking what to do to his 'teg...

No, the bulbs I am using are not strictly legal anywhere that cares, although the low beam output is pretty close to it

How can people pass inspection with HID kits? After all, the bulb type is written on the headlight itself. I mean a H11 bulb is vastly different than a D2S on a halogen base.

Just a quick note on the LED bulbs. Most of the crap sold uses fan cooling. Fan cooling is very unreliable. Just think of a CPU fan failing, at least there is safety feature to shut off. Those LED bulbs would literally heat up until the plastic surrounding it turn black and the LED themselves fail. If you look at the OEM implementation of LED lights, they use giant heat sinks to cool it.