2011 Sienna H11 Low Beam Bulbs

[Lasermn]

I am looking at the 2011 Sienna that uses a projector lamp and an H11 low beam bulb. Are there any upgrades in bulbs for this set-up? Would a 65 watt H9 bulb work in this lamp? Thx.

 

[-Virgil-]

Yup, an H9 is the easy, effective, inexpensive upgrade in a case like that, but you MUST see to it the lamps are aimed correctly and kept that way.

 

[Lasermn]

Since the H9 is 65 watts, and the H11 was 55 watts do you need to upgrade the wiring harness as well? Thx

 

[Alaric Darconville]

Since the H9 is 65 watts, and the H11 was 55 watts do you need to upgrade the wiring harness as well? Thx

If the Sienna has wiring anything like my '86 Corolla had, and like my '01 Corolla and '95 Previa have, you may want to upgrade the wiring. To know with certainty, follow the instructions here. If you're getting a voltage drop with stock bulbs, it'll only be worse on the higher wattage bulbs.

 

[-Virgil-]

A voltage drop check as Alaric suggests is a fine idea to be careful and certain, but you probably will not need to alter the wiring; Toyota's headlamp wiring used to be routinely underdone (marginally or not-so-marginally too thin -- many automakers did this), but recently has been better than it used to be. If you decide not to use an H9, the next preference is the Osram Night Breaker H11.

 

[Lasermn]

Final question on this subject. Which manufacturer makes the best H9 style bulb? Thank you.

 

[-Virgil-]

An Osram/Sylvania or Philips/Narva or GE/Tungsram H9 will be fine, as long as it has colorless glass rather than blue or purple "extra white".

 

[PCHOne]

Scheinwerfermann et al,

If I may ask some additional questions related to the OPs subject. I have a 2012 Mazda5 which also uses a H11 projector for the low beans (and 9005 reflector for high beam).

I had a discussion with a moderator from another lighting forum regarding the cons of putting a HID conversion kit in a halogen projector. Besides the obvious focal point issue of the re-based bulb he also noted that these kits could cause problems such as running too hot or burning the chrome bowl due to higher UV radiation. He did recommend the H11 Osram Nightbreakers or the H9. However, he worried that the H9 at 65W will burn a bit hotter and again may possibly damage the projectors over time.

Is this a valid concern? Thanks.

P.S. I take it you guys would recommend the Philips 9011 HIR1 for the 9005 high beam upgrade?

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I had a discussion with a moderator from another lighting forum regarding the cons of putting a HID conversion kit in a halogen projector. Besides the obvious focal point issue of the re-based bulb he also noted that these kits could cause problems such as running too hot or burning the chrome bowl due to higher UV radiation.

Chrome belongs on the hood ornament, not in a headlight. The reflective surface is vapor-deposited aluminum.

Whether the HID capsule will damage the reflector or the optics is immaterial-- the primary concern is that the projector is designed for a filament light source with one hotspot, not an arc light source with two hotspots. (The HID capsule itself has UV-absorbing glass, anyway, making that a non-issue.)

HIR1 for the high beam would be a good choice-- just be particularly careful about using your high beams.

 

[-Virgil-]

As has been mentioned, it's not chrome. Also, there is no higher UV radiation from legitimate HID bulbs from legitimate manufacturers, but "HID kits" do not contain legitimate bulbs from legitimate makers. "HID kits" in halogen-bulb headlamps or fog/auxiliary lamps (any kit, any lamp, any vehicle no matter whether it's a car, truck, motorcycle, etc.) do not work safely or effectively, which is why they are illegal. See here for detailed info.

H9 will not prematurely "cook" an optic that is designed and built for acceptable lifespan with H11. The heat difference isn't enough greater to cause that problem. Again, this assumes legitimate bulbs from legitimate manufacturers; all bets are off with no-name junk.

I take it you guys would recommend the Philips 9011 HIR1 for the 9005 high beam upgrade?

Yes.

 

[PCHOne]

Thank you for the insight Alaric and Scheinwerfermann. Yes, I'm definitely avoiding the junk Chinese HID kits and concentrate on improving my halogens. I'll get the Narva H9 from CP and Philips HIR1.

In regards to upgraded wiring, are relay kits easy to make? Besides Stern, do anyone else sells them?

 

[-Virgil-]

It's always been relatively difficult to install headlamp relays on a Toyota; they use some really intricate and non-intuitive circuit designs that often don't work correctly when relays are put in. It's grown much harder to do so on many other makes, too, with the advent of body control computers and PWM headlamp control. You may be letting yourself in for a great deal of frustration.

 

[fishx65]

The H9's were a nice upgrade to the factory H11's in my 2010 Ford Edge's lowbeams. I changed out one first so I could do a little comparo and the difference is pretty good. I had to do a little trimming to the H9's tabs to get them to fit the H11's socket. I just went with the cheap Sylvania's ($8.00 each)

 

[PCHOne]

Did you use stock wiring fishx65?