Best 9003 bulbs?

[ukiltmybrutha]

Just wondering what the best 9003 bulbs available are today. I bit the bullet on my 04 Forester XT and ordered new OEM headlamps so I might as well order the best.

I used the 9003 NHX for a while but life was relatively short especially with the DRLs.

I guess that I could do that again but I remember asking the same about 9007 NHX not too long ago and received info about potential quality control issues.

Any thoughts suggestions on the brightest bulbs as of early 2022?

Thank you again...and again!

 

[-Virgil-]

You can't get something for nothing, so there is always going to be a trade-off between lifetime and performance. The factory bulbs last a very long time, but give performance that starts out poor (low flux, low luminance) and gets much worse over time (even lower flux and luminance). The '04 Forester headlamps are not an especially high performance design even when they're new, and so you benefit in terms of safety by choosing higher-performance bulbs. The Tungsram NHX / Megalight+120 is still my top go-to for the H4-9003-HB2 bulb type. Strategies for increasing bulb life include:

1) Don't use Subaru's "convenience" feature that lets you leave the headlight switch on all the time and have the car's full lights come on and off with the ignition switch. It is really rough on filaments for them to be lit during engine startup and shutdown.

2) If you're concerned about the DRLs eating up your bulb life, you can disable the headlight DRLs and enable turn signal DRLs -- which use much cheaper, longer-life bulbs -- with one of these modules.

 

[John_Galt]

The philips racingvision +150 9003 bulb has a 400hr rated lifespan, in comparison to the 250hrs of a typical high performance bulb. The high beam will be lower performing than the Tungsram/GE nighthawk bulb, as it has a heavier blue tint band, so keep that tradeoff in mind. I agree with -Virgil- about disabling the headlight DRL's and mininizing the automatic-on to maximize their useful life.

 

[-Virgil-]

The philips racingvision +150 9003 bulb has a 400hr rated lifespan, in comparison to the 250hrs of a typical high performance bulb.

Gotta compare apples to apples, though. Just what lifespan figure is Philips claiming? B3, B50, Tc, something else? And at what voltage? Keep in mind we are talking about companies that lately have dropped any qualms and scruples they used to have about bending the truth to sell product. Philips knows how to make good bulbs, but there's no special magic only Philips has that lets them make a bulb that lasts 60% longer than a comparable bulb from Osram or Tungsram.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

Thanks guys. Something for nothing. I appreciate the reminder on the tradeoffs.

Where can I get the Tungsram NHX / Megalight+120 bulbs? I tried the Tungsram catalog and it gives me a headache. Maybe it's just me. I just don't want to end up with fakes!

 

[Mr. Merk]

You can get them from Daniel Stern Lighting

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

@Mr. Merk

Thanks.

 

[TechGuru]

Philips VisionPlus https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6319278
and
Philips X-Treme Vision: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6319281

I personally prefer the VisionPlus because they last longer and are cheaper.

 

[-Virgil-]

If you're buying Philips, skip the VisionPlus. They cost less, perhaps, but they also don't provide much of an improvement over a regular bulb, and especially with a 9003 headlamp, with its inherent efficiency disadvantage on low beam, you really want as much of a boost as you can get.

 

[Zac88]

Osram night breaker 200 comes in H4

 

[-Virgil-]

Yes, it does, but that's one of the bulbs with a large proportion of the capsule coated with a pretty deep blue coating. That cuts down on output to a degree I'm not comfortable with, especially on high beam, without any accordant benefit. Remember, a higher number in the bulb's marketing name and on the package doesn't necessarily mean it's a better bulb.

 

[TechGuru]

If you're buying Philips, skip the VisionPlus. They cost less, perhaps, but they also don't provide much of an improvement over a regular bulb, and especially with a 9003 headlamp, with its inherent efficiency disadvantage on low beam, you really want as much of a boost as you can get.

What do you think of the new Philips NightGuide Platinum?

More Information for PHILIPS 9003NGP

 

[-Virgil-]

Same thing: too much blue blocking too much light from reaching the road.

 

[Zac88]

Same thing: too much blue blocking too much light from reaching the road.

Although I respect your knowledge and information on most lighting subjects.
I have a hard time believing this statement over the myriad of engineers and R/D money put behind these new bulbs.

 

[TechGuru]

Same thing: too much blue blocking too much light from reaching the road.

Oddly the blue is mainly on the high beam...

 

[-Virgil-]

Although I respect your knowledge and information on most lighting subjects.
I have a hard time believing this statement over the myriad of engineers and R/D money put behind these new bulbs.

What conflict do you perceive? There isn't one.

Keep in mind there are many definitions of good/superior/better. It's a matter of perspective. Philips obviously thinks this brand refresh will goose sales, and they're probably right, so in that sense these bulbs are better...for the company and its share holders. That doesn't automatically mean they're better for night drivers.

A product isn't necessarily a good (or superior, or better...) performer because it is new, or because that's the promotional claim. Putting a tint on the bulb capsule will reduce the amount of light reaching the road. There is no way around that; it's what a filter does. The darker the tint, and the more capsule area it covers, the more light is blocked/less light reaches the road, and no amount of R&D changes that. If you have a hard time believing this, your argument isn't with me; take it up with the laws of physics.

 

[Zac88]

What conflict do you perceive? There isn't one.

Keep in mind there are many definitions of good/superior/better. It's a matter of perspective. Philips obviously thinks this brand refresh will goose sales, and they're probably right, so in that sense these bulbs are better...for the company and its share holders. That doesn't automatically mean they're better for night drivers.

A product isn't necessarily a good (or superior, or better...) performer because it is new, or because that's the promotional claim. Putting a tint on the bulb capsule will reduce the amount of light reaching the road. There is no way around that; it's what a filter does. The darker the tint, and the more capsule area it covers, the more light is blocked/less light reaches the road, and no amount of R&D changes that. If you have a hard time believing this, your argument isn't with me; take it up with the laws of physics.

Considering the lawsuit Sylvania just went through, I doubt OSRAM would be doing something similar with false advertising or purposely hindering their bulbs performances. Not to mention one company owns the other so that would just be plain stupid in my opinion.

Now I have not tested these bulbs personally so I cannot say from experience but I would love to if I owned a vehicle with H4 bulbs.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

Considering the lawsuit Sylvania just went through, I doubt OSRAM would be doing something similar with false advertising or purposely hindering their bulbs performances.

The criticism of that OSRAM bulb isn't based on corporate psychology, marketing, or the frequency at which my cat knocks things off the nightstand. It's based on the heavy blue banding over the high beam filament, which strips out red/orange/yellow light while leaving behind blue/indigo/violet light.

This banding not only reduces the output a huge amount (because B/I/V light is a very small portion of a halogen filament's output), it generates more glaring light, because the light it DOES let through is in the shorter wavelengths, which is hard for our optical system to process and focus with. Our own ability to see is reduced, and any driver unfortunate to get a glimpse of those high beams will be subject to extreme glare.
This bulb is highly optimized for low beam performance, but low beams are only good up to about 45mph. At higher speeds, you need high beams and you need them to perform well.

All the testing I need to do of those bulbs is to look at the tinting on the envelope. Even if the high beam filament were very well optimized, there's no overcoming the drawbacks induced by the blue coating.

 

[kerneldrop]

This bulb is highly optimized for low beam performance, but low beams are only good up to about 45mph. At higher speeds, you need high beams and you need them to perform well.

I need to use my high-beams when traveling faster than 45mph?

 

[Zac88]

The criticism of that OSRAM bulb isn't based on corporate psychology, marketing, or the frequency at which my cat knocks things off the nightstand. It's based on the heavy blue banding over the high beam filament, which strips out red/orange/yellow light while leaving behind blue/indigo/violet light.

This banding not only reduces the output a huge amount (because B/I/V light is a very small portion of a halogen filament's output), it generates more glaring light, because the light it DOES let through is in the shorter wavelengths, which is hard for our optical system to process and focus with. Our own ability to see is reduced, and any driver unfortunate to get a glimpse of those high beams will be subject to extreme glare.
This bulb is highly optimized for low beam performance, but low beams are only good up to about 45mph. At higher speeds, you need high beams and you need them to perform well.

All the testing I need to do of those bulbs is to look at the tinting on the envelope. Even if the high beam filament were very well optimized, there's no overcoming the drawbacks induced by the blue coating.

You can't look at a bulb and determine what type of filtering the blue on the bulbs are doing.
Most high quality bulbs use that blue as an interference style filter as to actually remove the blue wavelengths thus making the bulb "brighter" by only projecting desirable wavelengths.

If what you're saying is true, than the light would be perfectly white, which it's not.