65W H9 in 55W H11 ... any cause for concern, or send it?

[elbarto2996]

Hi, long time lighting enthusiast, Im maybe finally getting the hang of it? (In the past vehicles Ive done aftermarket HID with projector upgrades, aftermarket LED fog lamp assemblies, and HIR high beams...in retrospect, maybe some of these were less than ideal. But we learn and we live)

Anyways, looking to upgrade the bulbs in my 2018 Grand Cherokee. Stock set up is H11 Projector Low, H9 Reflector High, H11 Projector Fog. Looking to replace the H11 Fog and Low bulbs with H9 bulbs. My only concern is the additional heat from a 65W bulb in 55W position. Just looking for some reassurance its all good... its only 10W more (about 1amp per side at 12V), nothing to worry about, right?

 

[EJR]

H9 is fine for the low beams. Buy the Philips brand. These tend to do a smidge better than the rest of the brands.

For the fog lamps, usually the H9 would not be suitable for a H11 reflector fog lamp due to excessive glare from the bulb not having a blacktop (filament exposed from the front). But your lamps are projectors and they do a better job at controlling glare because of shield inside.

Instead of a typical H9 that doesn't have a blacktop on the glass, pick up a pair of THESE custom Vosla H11 bulbs. They have H9 burners inside. And since they have the blacktop, just like a H11 should, they'll keep that forward glare to a minimum.

Just know that fog lamps are not low beam helpers. They are not designed to help you see farther downroad, or help you see better in the ditches, or help you spot animals. They are SHORT RANGE lamps designed specifically to add foreground illumination and spread a wide beam to see the edges of the road during severe inclement weather. They don't do really do much in normal, dry conditions, which is how most people misuse them.

 

[elbarto2996]

Since they are going into projectors, there's not really any benefit to the blacktop bulbs vs regular H9 bulb though, right? The glare reduction from the blacktop when it's behind a projector is basically null?

Yes, I understand and agree that the purpose of fog lamps is fog/inclement weather. A hill in willing to die on is that they add value as a cornering lamp for low speed, sharp corners (switchbacks) due to their wider beam. I used to live in the mountains, the road to my home had about switchbacks/sharp corners…fog lamps were super useful for illuminating towards the inside of the corner where your turning. Many OEMs (including my truck) now use the fog lamps as cornering lights as well, illuminating below a certain speed and steering angle.

 

[alpg88]

I used h9 in my pilot instead of h11, no heat issues, but those were low beam projectors, your fogs look like projectors too, it may work fine, or it may not, but then no one will answer 100% unless they tried, Try jeep forums, you'll definitely find more people with jeeps there than here, someone may have tried it

 

[elbarto2996]

The Jeep forums a sadly quite devoid of activity in the grand Cherokee sections.

But yes, they are projectors in both low beam and fog lamp positions (both using h11 bulbs). I mostly only have concern about the wiring and the connectors. I'm sure the actual housings are ok