New Philips HIR2 scrutinized

[-Virgil-]

Looks like you need to make an appointment with a professional to have your headlamps aimed with an optical aiming machine.....may be the best "upgrade" possible for you.

+1!

 

[eydaimon]

yeah, no kidding. But replacing a broken bulb had higher priority.

 

[Qship1996]

What does one have to do with the other????

Did bulb die and magically cause the lamps to be mis-aimed?

operating a vehicle with grossly mis aimed lamps is a serious safety hazard to every motorist you share the road with........

 

[eydaimon]

What does one have to do with the other????

Did bulb die and magically cause the lamps to be mis-aimed?

operating a vehicle with grossly mis aimed lamps is a serious safety hazard to every motorist you share the road with........

When I said higher priority, I didn't mean that I had an option to align the lights. The bulb was broken, so that had to be done first. Furthermore, I almost never drive at night, and didn't even notice until I started comparing the output from the bulbs.

Happy? Feel the need to attack some more? I was already agreeing that they need to be aligned.

 

[terpsmandan]

So I was reading over the EU specs for the HIR and was wondering if it would be worth it to swap my Toshiba HIR bulbs for a new set of Philips bulbs. These are in my wife's Toyota Sienna. Also is that vehicle one that would benefit from a headlight relay kit? Thanks.

 

[teestow]

Excellent thread, answered all questions I have about HIR bulbs and their purpose. Thank You.

 

[-Virgil-]

So I was reading over the EU specs for the HIR and was wondering if it would be worth it to swap my Toshiba HIR bulbs for a new set of Philips bulbs.

The Philips bulbs work better, but I don't know that I would remove working Toshiba bulbs just to switch to the Philips items.

Check the voltage drop in your Sienna's headlamp circuit to determine if a relay system would be beneficial.

 

[-Virgil-]

(thread was veering onto another topic, headlamp aim vs. performance, which I have split and moved to a new thread here)

 

[Elad]

I sure love the older Toshiba 9011 & 9012 HIR's in my 98 Ford Contour and the 04 Impala. Very easy on the eyes.
They were brighter on low beam as well, lighting up signs like high beam would, but they run a warmer color temp. and I never got flashed to my amazement on either car.
High Beams were just plain awesome!
I use to get flashed with the Silverstars. But they only last 9mo max with them.
The HIR never burned out on me yet and they still are working after 6 years. But not been driving that car lately.

Am glad there trying to coming back. Hoping for a H4 now

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I sure love the older Toshiba 9011 & 9012 HIR's in my 98 Ford Contour and the 04 Impala. Very easy on the eyes.
They were brighter on low beam as well, lighting up signs like high beam would, but they run a warmer color temp. and I never got flashed to my amazement on either car.
High Beams were just plain awesome!
I use to get flashed with the Silverstars. But they only last 9mo max with them.
The HIR never burned out on me yet and they still are working after 6 years. But not been driving that car lately.

Am glad there trying to coming back. Hoping for a H4 now

The color temperature of the HIRx bulbs should be pretty much the same as normal halogen bulbs.

You probably got flashed on Silverstars because the blue tint makes the light irritating to other drivers.

There will not be an H4 using HIR technology.

If your wiring can truly handle it, then this might be the a good bulb

http://store.candlepower.com/64205.html

The Philips X-Treme Power would also be an excellent choice:
http://store.candlepower.com/90h4hbxtpo.html

 

[mikered30]

Looks like you will hard pressed to get the Toshiba 9011 bulbs (high) that have the IR coating anymore, looks like buyers will have to settle for the Philips 9011. I assume the 9011 with the non IR coating from Philips is comparable to the Toshiba 9011? Strangely the Philips 9011 are a few dollars cheaper than the Philips 9012 on Amazon.

 

[-Virgil-]

There is no "settling" required; the Philips is the better bulb by a fairly large margin.

 

[Qship1996]

There is no "settling" required; the Philips is the better bulb by a fairly large margin.

Better, meaning what? both bulbs I would assume are similar in lumen output to meet the design specs of their specific type {9011 &9012} if that is true, what makes one "better" than the other? And is the difference noticeable when installed and in use on the road, or only on paper or under a controlled test of some sort?

 

[-Virgil-]

Better meaning more consistently good build quality and filament placement precision and less variable output and lifespan in the Philips bulb vs. the Toshiba. I wouldn't pull a working Toshiba to install a Philips, but neither would I go nuts trying to find and hoard Toshiba bulbs because the Philips ones really are preferable.

 

[Qship1996]

Thanks for the quick reply ! I currently have in use the {made in Japan} toshiba 9012 in the Highlander, and the toshiba 9011 in the q45. Good to know that when the time comes for replacements, the available options {Philips 9011/9012} will be at least as good as whats currently in use, and probably better! I see both the philips 9011 {$17} & 9012 {$20} on Amazon for about 1/2 the cost as most online bulb specialists sites, can we assume they are the exact same product with this huge price difference?

 

[mikered30]

Thanks Scheinwerfermann

 

[-Virgil-]

There's only one kind of Philips 9012 (HIR2) and only one kind of Philips 9011 (HIR1) so yeah, by all means shop for price.

 

[terpsmandan]

Thanks for the info. I got my 9012 bulb from a local John Deere dealer a year ago. However I do not know if they still stock the bulb but it is one place to look if you really want a Toshiba bulb.

 

[teestow]

I put a set of Phillips 9011 and 9012 bulbs in my wife's '06 GMC Envoy. They are noticeably whiter and brighter than the OEM bulbs that were in it. $24 per bulb shipped from WA.