HIR2/9012 How good is Sylvania basic compared to 9006?

[passive101]

I upgraded the lights in my Honda civic to 9012. My options were Sylvania Basic and Xtravision. I'm not sure how much better Xtravision is, but on the back of the box it said the life of them was around 1/2 of the basic. I don't know how accurate the packaging is. The 9012 does seem like it's putting more light where I need it compared to the Xtravision 9006 bulbs I was using before. I went with the longer life bulbs, because I hate changing them in the cold. They were also a little cheaper. If there are others that are significantly better, maybe I'd upgrade to those as long as they don't have a really short bulb life.

Is it just my mind wanting to think it's better, or are the basic 9012s still significantly better than the higher end 9006 bulbs?

 

[EJR]

The best 9006 will never have more output than the worst 9012.

 

[passive101]

That's good to know. Do you have any idea how good the Sylvania basic ones are supposed to be for their lumens?

 

[EJR]

That's good to know. Do you have any idea how good the Sylvania basic ones are supposed to be for their lumens?

Around the nominal spec.

But I would not be worried about stuffing in the one with the "brightest lumens". The 9012 is already a significant boost from a standard 9006. Its likely that you are already pushing the limits of the optics, particularly its ability to control glare.

 

[passive101]

Around the nominal spec.

But I would not be worried about stuffing in the one with the "brightest lumens". The 9012 is already a significant boost from a standard 9006. Its likely that you are already pushing the limits of the optics, particularly its ability to control glare.

Thanks. I think I'll keep using these. I'm happy with the current upgrade and the beam pattern is the same without any more glare. This way I'll be replacing bulbs less.

 

[TechGuru]

But I would not be worried about stuffing in the one with the "brightest lumens". The 9012 is already a significant boost from a standard 9006. Its likely that you are already pushing the limits of the optics, particularly its ability to control glare.

I actually tried Sylvania 9006 "XtraVision" and started getting flashed often, switched to 9012 and didn't get flashed anymore even though they're significantly more lumens. They're obviously better focused from being more precisely made.

The best 9006 will never have more output than the worst 9012.

Yep.

That's good to know. Do you have any idea how good the Sylvania basic ones are supposed to be for their lumens?

Sylvania does not make 9012/9011's. You are actually buying a repackaged Philips and at quite a markup if you're buying them for the $25 the brick and mortar stores charge for them.

You'd be better off buying them from RockAuto. Philips 9012's are currently $6.80 each there. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6319368

 

[EJR]

Sylvania does not make 9012/9011's. You are actually buying a repackaged Philips and at quite a markup if you're buying them for the $25 the brick and mortar stores charge for them.

You'd be better off buying them from RockAuto. Philips 9012's are currently $6.80 each there. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6319368

This is NOT true. Not entirely though.

Osram/Sylvania and Philips both offer 9011 bulbs. They both use the same Korean supplier. Their performance is relatively the same for the most part. Sylvanias are sold at most local auto parts stores where as Philips are not.

The newest Osram/Sylvania 9012 bulbs are also sourced from Korea. While the latest Philips are made by Philips in their Poland plant.

Really depends on the available stock of where you buy these bulbs. Older ones were made in Germany or possibly other countries at one point in time.

 

[TechGuru]

All my 9011/9012's say made in Germany. I'd try to find a Toshiba if I can't get a German Philips anymore.