headlamp/fog lamp bulb recommendations please

GoMango

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new to forum and you guys helped me with some knowledge on another car of mine recently. Can you rec. some bulb options for my 06 Focus for the 9007 and H11 bulbs. We are in rural virginia and just looking for better down road options. I keep my lamp assys ground (down to 3000), buffed and polished and work at a shop with a headlamp machine (which I know how to operate) so my lamps are adjusted properly to begin with and very clean faces...thanks in advance
 

desmobob

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I can't help you specifically, but I'll share an observation: I find that my warmer color temperature LED flashlights seem to have much less reflection/backscatter/whatever it's called when used in foggy or misty conditions. If I was going to buy fog lamps myself, I'd look for the ones with the lower/lowest Kelvin numbers...
 

John_Galt

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We have a thread on some different products for re-coating and protecting plastic headlamp lenses if you're interested. Much better to polish once, re-seal and go from there than to be constantly polishing your lenses thinner and thinner.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...7-Headlight-Restoration-Kit-Review-Good-Price

I'm sure either -Virgil-or AlaricDarconville wilk be able to gove you some more specific pointers for your particular vehicles headlamps, but I'll post a link to tacomaworld where there has been some testing/comparison of different H11 bulbs.


Moderator Edit
Removed links to "tests/reviews" of illegal LED drop-in bulbs. Removed link to tests discussing the H9, and discussions of the H9, which is not appropriate for this vehicle.
I posted links to testing that demonstrates that LED bulbs are a Poor choice, with a tester that shows the decrease in effectiveness and drastic increases in glare. A handy demonstration that shows the points people make when they say they are inneffective.

I also stated that I Was Deferring to you guys whether or not the H9->H7 was appropriate For This Application.

I also posted links to various tests of H11 bulbs, which, again numerically demonstrate that there are indeed reasons to shell out for expensive "+" rated bulbs.

I did misread 9007 as H7, so apologies for any confusion there.
 
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Alaric Darconville

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Can you rec. some bulb options for my 06 Focus for the 9007 and H11 bulbs. We are in rural virginia and just looking for better down road options. I keep my lamp assys ground (down to 3000), buffed and polished and work at a shop with a headlamp machine (which I know how to operate) so my lamps are adjusted properly to begin with and very clean faces...thanks in advance

For the headlamps, these would be a good pick. You could always do a voltage drop test to see if you might need to install relays; details here.

As far as fog lamps, just leave them off anyway. They do not provide much of a benefit at all even in those conditions that fog lamps are designed for (extremely heavy fog, very low speeds). They let you stay in your lane in heavy fog and rain at a crawl, not cruise down the interstate at high speed in clear weather. More information is here.

I find that my warmer color temperature LED flashlights seem to have much less reflection/backscatter/whatever it's called when used in foggy or misty condition.
They have the same amount of backscatter as higher color temperature lights; it's just less aggravating and interferes less with your ability to see.
Halogen bulbs, unless tinted, have pretty much the same color temperature as each other, although higher performance bulbs do have a slightly higher color temperature because the optimizations in the filament mean a slightly hotter hotspot. That hotspot is also smaller and more precisely placed at the lamp's focal point, meaning a beam with better focus and more punch to go down the road.
 

GoMango

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if this car was a daily, i would resurface the lamps on the car, pull them and have our paint shop clear but this car isn't a daily and I might have to do them once a year

still trying to figure my way around the forum...there is so much information I need to learn...just goes to show that I'm an auto industry guy for 35 years and how much I don't know about lighting/modern lighting when it comes to bulbs. I can program/initialize headlamp modules but I have a long way to go to get to where you guys are with bulbs...I'll figure it out though...
 
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Alaric Darconville

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if this car was a daily, i would resurface the lamps on the car, pull them and have our paint shop clear but this car isn't a daily and I might have to do them once a year
Every time you sand them down you weaken them and they may break from the same rock they would have shrugged off before if you do it too many times.

still trying to figure my way around the forum...there is so much information I need to learn...just goes to show that I'm an auto industry guy for 35 years and how much I don't know about lighting/modern lighting when it comes to bulbs. I can program/initialize headlamp modules but I have a long way to go to get to where you guys are with bulbs...I'll figure it out though...
It takes more than reading these forums to get a real level of expertise, but it can at least help keep you from making really bad decisions.
 

Buck91

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Best return I've gotten has been by building a large gauge relay harness. I also find the philips extreme line to be among the best out there.
 

Alaric Darconville

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I also stated that I Was Deferring to you guys whether or not the H9->H7 was appropriate For This Application.

There is no H7-to-H9 swap, nor is there a 9007 (HB5) to H9 swap. In both cases, they are mechanically and optically incompatible (and even more so optically incompatible as the HB5 is a dual-filament bulb). There is no other headlamp or fog lamp bulb swap that is applicable to this car.
 

John_Galt

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There is no H7-to-H9 swap, nor is there a 9007 (HB5) to H9 swap. In both cases, they are mechanically and optically incompatible (and even more so optically incompatible as the HB5 is a dual-filament bulb). There is no other headlamp or fog lamp bulb swap that is applicable to this car.

Again: I misread 9007 for H7, sue me.

-Virgil- has recommended a certain Osram super H7 from our favorite guy, which has been referred to on this forum as being effectively an H9 rebased to H7. Having misread the OP, I stated that this may be a recommendation, and that I was going to throw it out there, but defer to either yourself or -Virgil- for confirmation if that was an acceptable option for this persons vehicle.

You removed my links to other places with testing of various H11 bulbs, both on tacomaworld (where the thread author specifically discusses the failings of almost every single LED bulb he has tested), and HID planet, where various other H11 bulbs were tested. You also removed my commentary to the effect that I appreciated the other thread authors testing methods, as they used various test points within a beam to show the improvements of different bulbs in terms of intensity, but also the issues with increased glare. Such testing can demonstrate that there is a reason for aomeone to shell out extra $$$ for high performance bulbs, rather than just take someones word. Is it application specific for this guys vehicle? No, but it does show that there are performance gains to be had from a lamp by purchasing high quality halogen bulbs.

This sub-forum should juat be renamed

Edited to remove Rule 8 violation
 
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-Virgil-

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Can you rec. some bulb options for my 06 Focus for the 9007 and H11 bulbs

The best 9007 is this kind; likewise, the best H11 is this kind. Don't fall for the various scams out there ("HID kits", "LED bulbs", "Whiter light" bulbs with blue glass, etc).

I keep my lamp assys ground (down to 3000), buffed and polished

If you're at the stage where you're having to "keep" them "polished", they're past the end of their useful life; their UV-blocking/anti-abrasion hard coat is long since gone. The lens also isn't the only part of the lamp that deteriorates; pretty safe bet your reflectors, even if they look good, are way down on efficiency. It looks like you can get genuine Ford replacement headlamps for very af-FORD-able money (see here and here), and the real ones are very, very superior to all the aftermarket non-Ford lamps, so pick up a pair while you still can.

Sounds like you're well situated to aim the lamps correctly, which puts you well ahead of most people.

The fog lamps, too, should be aimed correctly...and then turned off more or less permanently. They're not helping; it only feels like they are. Good writeup on the subject here.

That said, these headlamps are not very strong performers for high beam seeing distance. The good bulbs will help out a bit primarily on low beam. If you want a big boost in high beam seeing, get this driving lamp (this one in particular, not another kind that looks like it).
 
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