Any H4 better than Philips 9003 XVB2?

[69sixpackbee]

Greetings y'all!
I have been running Philips Xtreme Vision 9003's in my Hella E code 6054 housings and they have been pretty good. These were recommended to me by this forum back in 2016. I was inquiring if there is an upgraded bulb worthwhile that might be a bit brighter without adding any bluish hue to these that are newer tech.?

Thanx!

Bud

 

[John_Galt]

Thats about the best stock wattage 9003/H4 available. Philips offers higher "+Focus" rated bulbs, but they have more and more blue tinting over the highbeam filament in addition to just the tip over the low beam.

Are you willing to consider overwattage/non street legal options? If so, the Osram rallye 100/90w is the highest output high wattage 9003/H4 on the market. Their older, now discontinued 85/80w rallye bulb was a better performer, but hasn't been available for years.

I ran various bulbs in my old 3rd gen 4runner for years, the best stock wattage lamo I found without enough blue tint to limit the high beam was the xtremevision +100/XVB2, but the osram rallye 100/90w with a relay harness blew that out of the water (especially the highbeam).

 

[EJR]

Greetings y'all!
I have been running Philips Xtreme Vision 9003's in my Hella E code 6054 housings and they have been pretty good. These were recommended to me by this forum back in 2016. I was inquiring if there is an upgraded bulb worthwhile that might be a bit brighter without adding any bluish hue to these that are newer tech.?

Thanx!

Bud

Contact lighting expert Daniel Stern to purchase a pair of his custom spec Osram 9003 bulbs which are designed to be very much like the discontinued high performance Osram 64205 bulb.

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

Cibie, Hella, Marchal, Carello stockists. E-code headlamps, fog lamps, driving lamp, bulbs, and full technical support and assistance

www.danielsternlighting.com

 

[John_Galt]

I had no idea stern stocked items like that. Good to know.

 

[F89]

My choice would be Osram Night breaker +200.
I have some (H7) in a pair of small Hella driving lights (FF75) and they're excellent.
I prefer Osram over Philips in all the globes I've tried.

 

[69sixpackbee]

Thats about the best stock wattage 9003/H4 available. Philips offers higher "+Focus" rated bulbs, but they have more and more blue tinting over the highbeam filament in addition to just the tip over the low beam.

Are you willing to consider overwattage/non street legal options? If so, the Osram rallye 100/90w is the highest output high wattage 9003/H4 on the market. Their older, now discontinued 85/80w rallye bulb was a better performer, but hasn't been available for years.

I ran various bulbs in my old 3rd gen 4runner for years, the best stock wattage lamo I found without enough blue tint to limit the high beam was the xtremevision +100/XVB2, but the osram rallye 100/90w with a relay harness blew that out of the water (especially the highbeam).

Thanx! These are in my '90 Toyota 4x4 SR5 (similar to yours). I had upgraded wiring and relays so I get full voltage too. I like the low-wide beam spread and that little "kick" up and to the right, with these E codes make it nice. I just need all the lighting I can get out here in the dark, rural roads of South Texas. 👍🏻

 

[EJR]

My choice would be Osram Night breaker +200.
I have some (H7) in a pair of small Hella driving lights (FF75) and they're excellent.
I prefer Osram over Philips in all the globes I've tried.

Osram and Philips are both top tier light source manufacturers but that doesn't necessarily mean that one brand is better for ALL bulb applications. It really depends on the bulb type because there are particular characteristics such as luminance, flux, focal position, gas fill/pressure mix, etc, that can give the edge of one model over the other.

For example, a Philips H9 is better than a Osram H9. Not subjectively (using eyeballs) but objectively when measuring intensity in various lamps.

Another example, the Osram Night Breaker Laser H11 is better than a Philips Nightguide Platinum H11. Better performance, better output.

The Osram NB200 is a very solid choice in H7 but NOT in 9003/H4/HB2. That's because of the blue banding on the glass. There is a small window that allows the low beam filament to light freely but the high beam filament is covered by the blue glass which blocks light and reduces output. The NB200 is not the best option here.

So as you can see, choosing the right bulb for maximum performance really depends on what type of bulb it is. It could be Osram or Philips or Vosla or Tungsram.

 

[F89]

Osram and Philips are both top tier light source manufacturers but that doesn't necessarily mean that one brand is better for ALL bulb applications. It really depends on the bulb type because there are particular characteristics such as luminance, flux, focal position, gas fill/pressure mix, etc, that can give the edge of one model over the other.

For example, a Philips H9 is better than a Osram H9. Not subjectively (using eyeballs) but objectively when measuring intensity in various lamps.

Another example, the Osram Night Breaker Laser H11 is better than a Philips Nightguide Platinum H11. Better performance, better output.

The Osram NB200 is a very solid choice in H7 but NOT in 9003/H4/HB2. That's because of the blue banding on the glass. There is a small window that allows the low beam filament to light freely but the high beam filament is covered by the blue glass which blocks light and reduces output. The NB200 is not the best option here.

So as you can see, choosing the right bulb for maximum performance really depends on what type of bulb it is. It could be Osram or Philips or Vosla or Tungsram.

I agree.

The H4 seems like a bit of a compromise generally, I'm not a fan and would prefer separate bulbs and optics for high and low beam. But that doesn't help with the question, and you've got to work with whatever bulbs your car takes.

While it's not particularly relevant to the question; the night breaker H7 paired with a reflector really is quite impressive. They seem to work pretty well behind a projector also.

 

[EJR]

While it's not particularly relevant to the question; the night breaker H7 paired with a reflector really is quite impressive. They seem to work pretty well behind a projector also.

For a projector, in a H7 application, the best choice is the 65W Vosla H7 not the NB. It has a H9 burner packed in a H7 body - 2100 lumens vs standard 1350 lumens. There isn't a single high-performance 55W H7 that will provide better output than the 65W Vosla H7.

 

[F89]

For a projector, in a H7 application, the best choice is the 65W Vosla H7 not the NB. It has a H9 burner packed in a H7 body - 2100 lumens vs standard 1350 lumens. There isn't a single high-performance 55W H7 that will provide better output than the 65W Vosla H7.

I'm only into stock wattage globes. Granted that 65 isn't much more than 55w. Higher lumen globes aren't always going to provide better performance.

I'm currently using some Bosch globes in my projector low beams (H7) and they work great.
Osram (night breaker laser 150) in my high beams (HB3) and the night breaker 200 (H7) in my driving lights.
This combination is working well for my car.

With so many variables as far as pairing a variety of globes with different reflectors and projectors you can spend a lot on trying different combinations.

Another worthy choice might be the Bosch Gigalight Plus 120 in H4?
I'm using these in my projector low beams (H7). They work really well for me. Obviously a different set up to what 69sixpack is using but these globes don't have any of the blue tinting cover any part of the filaments, only a narrow band at the base of the cap, so they may be of interest.

 

[EJR]

I'm only into stock wattage globes. Granted that 65 isn't much more than 55w. Higher lumen globes aren't always going to provide better performance.

True but in the case of the Vosla 65W H7, it is fact that it will provide better performance. Just as a H9 will provide better performance over any H11. (in projector applications)

I'm currently using some Bosch globes in my projector low beams (H7) and they work great.

Another worthy choice might be the Bosch Gigalight Plus 120 in H4?

Bosch is not a light source manufacturer. Neither is Hella, Piaa, Flosser and many others. These companies get their bulbs from known established bulb manufacturers.

The Bosch Gigalight is made by Tungsram and is a rebranded Megalight Ultra +120. These rebranded bulbs are often times not as "good" as the originals since the manufacturers reserve their 2nd and 3rd best bulbs pulled from the production line to aftermarket suppliers. These are still going to be better than a standard bulb but if we're talking about maximum performance, then those will always come from the top bulb makers.

 

[John_Galt]

I'd second the tungsram megalight +120, it tested very well in crashnburn80s 2nd gen tacoma headlamp testing over on tacomaworld. And I'd suggest sourcing it as the tungsram, for the reasons EJR stated.

He's also correct about the re-based H9 on an H7 base- the 10 extra watts, nominal draw, is going to be handled just fine on newer vehicles OEM wiring (caveat- all halogen bulbs will perform better with higher voltages, testing the voktage your bulbs receive with the vehicle on is always step #1 to determining the need for a relay harness). The filament is going to be higher intensity than the H7 design, in addition to just producing more light output. H8gher filament intensity translates into higher projected intensity. But not every high(er) wattage bulb producing more total lumens will result in higher intensities.

-Virgil- nuked his thread comparing several H4/9003 bulbs in a few different headlamps, but similar testing done on tacomaworld shows his results to be true. Some higher wattage bulbs produce more light but not significantly higher projected intensities, while some stock wattage performance bulbs beat out much higher output bulbs. And none of PIAAs/Hellas bulbs of various flavors and claimed wattages have performed as well as good performance bulbs from phillips or osram

 

[EJR]

-Virgil- nuked his thread comparing several H4/9003 bulbs in a few different headlamps,

See HERE.

 

[F89]

Yes, I'm aware that the Bosch are Tungsram. I can source Bosch quite cheaply, Tungsram are difficult (for me) to get and much more expensive where I'm from. I do have some Tungsram bulbs, but not headlight.
I'd be surprised if the Bosch were inferior quality. The (Gigalight 120) H7 I have say made in Korea if that's of interest.
My Osram H7 are made in Germany.

Just like LEDs the higher the intensity per area, the more throw you can achieve. I can agree with that.
With halogens the higher wattage is also going to create more heat.

The performance of the Gigalight 120 in my projector low beams is very good, whether I could get an increase with a higher wattage isn't something I'm interested in.

When I installed my driving lights I factored for 100W globes knowing that I'll only be using 55W. I wired them as any responsible person should for on road use, using a relay triggered off my high beams and a switch mounted on the dash so I can use my high beams with or without my driving lights but the driving lights cannot operate independently.
Because the car has a heap of electronics onboard I chose a relay with a diode for obvious reasons.

I have to say that the performance of the night breaker 200 H7 is really impressive in my small driving lights.

Whenever I'm driving (at night) I always appreciate halogen lighting. For me it's superior in every way that counts.
I was driving in the rain the other night and every LED headlight had terrible glare.
I got mocked on here a couple of years ago for specifying halogen over LED on my new car.
When you drive in various conditions and locations rather than just city and bright urban areas, the halogen really come into their own for me.

 

[John_Galt]

What driving light are you using? Haven't seen an h7 based lamp.

 

[F89]

What driving light are you using? Haven't seen an h7 based lamp.

I mentioned it above somewhere. Hella FF75.
I needed something compact, and halogen of course.
I got two sets of NOS made in Germany units really cheaply, would have paid more just to get them. I'm only using one set (2x lights).
Using a H7 is a bonus for me also.