Anyone else tried these bulbs?

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Rodewaryer

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I'm really happy with the H-9 Halogens in place of the H-11 low beams as suggested by Daniel Stern Lighting. Along with a really good aux lamp bulb upgrade (only used when no opposing traffic is in view) the low beam performance is wicked. Stock, the car had around 12-1300 lumens, the lows now have over 2,000. From that same site, the suggestion was made to upgrade the highs from 1700 lumen 9005's to 2500 lumen 9011's (HIR1's). I can't report the performance of the highs yet as the bulbs are in the post but judging by the numbers, they will be a pretty significant improvement. The H-9's have been in the car 2 years with a lot of night use, and show no compromises. No short bulb life issues, no heat issues, just significantly better performance.

I didn't think this was mainstream info, just thought I'd throw it out there.
 
I was really thinking about trying the HIR 9011 for my high beams. I've already got LS430 projectors retro'ed in for the low beams, so I'm good there. :D I've asked about the 9011 HIR bulbs on HIDPlanet, and the response was that they're pretty much the best performing bulbs for high-beams, aside from OEM HID. I think the only official HIR bulbs out there are the Toshiba's. I found them on ebay for $24.95 each, which isn't bad, considering the lumen increase over 9005. The 9011 is rated at 2500 lumens @ 13.2 V.
 
link please? I didn't see the specific bulb on danielsternlighting.com
 
Were there any special adaptors requred to make the H9 fit into the low beam H11 slot?
Was the higher output achieved with the same (as OEM) wattage bulb? or did you purchase wiring harnasses to handle the upgraded current for the higher wattage bulb? Same question applies to the high beams...

Looking for a cheaper solution than HID to more light output,
Nate
 
I can't answer about the H9 vs. H11, but the HIR bulbs do not pull any more amps than the stock bulbs; they are the same wattage. That's also good from a heat standpoint, as you're probably going to have issues if you try to use those 100+ watt bulbs. :D

IMHO, HIR is the way to go, short of going with HIDs, if you're looking for more light output. I don't think you can go wrong with HIR, and I'll probably order my 9011's this week. There's also a 9006 replacement, the 9012. From the instructions I read on these bulbs, you just have to trim the corner of a tab to get either to fit. Here's the link on trimming:

http://shnu.us/HIR%20Trimming%20Stock.htm
 
After looking at the H9 vs. H11, I'm not sure that you'd want to use the H11 for your low-beam bulbs. Daniel Stern knows his stuff, but for some reason, he doesn't mention that the H9 is a 65-watt high-beam bulb, and the H11 is a 55-watt low-beam. Obviously the H9 is going to produce more light, but it will also produce a lot more glare. The H11 has a coated tip, as do mostly all low-beam bulbs, to reduce glare. The H9 obviously doesn't have this as it's a high-beam bulb. Just something to keep in mind when using the H9 over the H11.

I'm sure many people probably already know this as well, but I thought I'd list it on this thread anyways for reference. These are the bulb types for the '00-'02 and '03-'06 LS:

'00-'02
Low-beam: 9006
High-beam: 9005

'03-'06 (non-factory HID)
Low-beam: H11
High-beam: 9005

And here are pictures of the H9 vs. H11

H9:
H9.jpg


H11:
H11.jpg
 
I think you just missed it on Daniel Stern Lightings site. It's mentioned in the H-11 bulb description:

"H11 bulbs
These new single-filament 55w bulbs are quickly supplanting HB4/9006 in new low-beam headlamp and fog lamp designs. (They are not physically interchangeable with any 9000-series bulb!) As is the case with other bulb families—such as 9004/9007, 9005/9006, etc.—the H11 has different base keys than its H9 high-beam and H8 fog lamp counterparts. Somebody goofed on the spec, though, for the difference between H11 and H9 base keys is insufficient; it's too easy to install an H9 bulb where an H11 belongs. The difference in light output between these two designs is enormous (1350 lumens from the H11, 2100 from the H9), so putting an H9 in place of an H11 will obviously cause the lamp to produce a lot more light. Some lamps are designed such that the optics would handle the extra light well, without creating excessive glare for other road users. Many, however, are not. As with H8 and H9, H11 bulbs are not widely available in the aftermarket."

If DStern was leary of the swap he'd say so, trust me, the guy isn't afraid to tell you what he thinks and according to the above, other than a little wiggly bit of coaxing to get the H-9 in place of the H-11, there is no modification necessary to the light, wiring etc. I don't remember if there was a tab/guide that might need a quick clip with a pair of wire cutters inside the bulb receptacle or not.....that would be the most you would have to do. The lowbeam output will not disappoint, just make sure you have the lamps properly adjusted or opposing traffic will be very unhappy with you.

Both the H-9 and 9011 can be found at Candlepower's site (associated with Daniel Stern Lighting) by scrolling down this page:

http://store.candlepower.com/numerical-listing-click-to-continue.html
 
Last edited:
Rodewaryer said:
I think you just missed it on Daniel Stern Lightings site. It's mentioned in the H-11 bulb description:

"H11 bulbs
These new single-filament 55w bulbs are quickly supplanting HB4/9006 in new low-beam headlamp and fog lamp designs. (They are not physically interchangeable with any 9000-series bulb!) As is the case with other bulb families—such as 9004/9007, 9005/9006, etc.—the H11 has different base keys than its H9 high-beam and H8 fog lamp counterparts. Somebody goofed on the spec, though, for the difference between H11 and H9 base keys is insufficient; it's too easy to install an H9 bulb where an H11 belongs. The difference in light output between these two designs is enormous (1350 lumens from the H11, 2100 from the H9), so putting an H9 in place of an H11 will obviously cause the lamp to produce a lot more light. Some lamps are designed such that the optics would handle the extra light well, without creating excessive glare for other road users. Many, however, are not. As with H8 and H9, H11 bulbs are not widely available in the aftermarket."

If DStern was leary of the swap he'd say so, trust me, the guy isn't afraid to tell you what he thinks and according to the above, other than a little wiggly bit of coaxing to get the H-9 in place of the H-11, there is no modification necessary to the light, wiring etc. I don't remember if there was a tab/guide that might need a quick clip with a pair of wire cutters inside the bulb receptacle or not.....that would be the most you would have to do. The lowbeam output will not disappoint, just make sure you have the lamps properly adjusted or opposing traffic will be very unhappy with you.
Click to expand...

Why do you think they coat the tip of low-beam bulbs? Why do you think the tip isn't coated on the high-beam bulbs? The reason the tip is coated is to cover the filament so that it's not blinding to oncoming drivers. And given the lumen increase from going to H9 from H11, there's no question in my mind that it will create an excessive amount of glare.

Also, straight from your quote of his quote "Some lamps are designed such that the optics would handle the extra light well, without creating excessive glare for other road users. Many, however, are not." Given that the LS uses a 9006 (which has the coated tip as I've just explained) for its low-beam, I'd say that it's one of the "many" that don't handle it without creating excessive glare. I guess if you don't care about causing excessive glare to oncoming traffic, then go right ahead. And, if that's the case, why not just go with 9011's, as they have even more lumens than the H9.

So, I think you missed it where he said that "Some lamps are designed such that the optics would handle the extra light well, without creating excessive glare for other road users. Many, however, are not." He is somewhat of an expert on the subject, which surprises me that he does not explain the purpose of the coated tip. Maybe you should write him and ask him why he left that out. ;) Also remember, his site is just not an informative site, he sells products on there. So, he will be biased on certain things.

Also, just so you know, glare is defined as "uncontrolled light". So, if you're creating glare with your setup, it doesn't really matter how you aim them, you're still going to annoy other drivers.
 
Also, why don't you ask glanga about putting 9005 (high-beam bulbs without the coating) into his fogs? Here's a quote from him on another thread:

glanga said:
Devils advocate I guess but I put 9005 in my fogs and i got flashed constantly and pulled over once. The glare from them was too much for others I guess.
The 9005 is basically a fog light bulb without the little silver capping on the end to keep oncoming drivers from directly seeing the light filament I think.
Click to expand...

And this is even what you posted in that very same thread:

Rodewaryer said:
When a car or truck (or bike for that matter) is approaching me with distractingly brighter than normal lights and has more than two on (meaning their fogs/driving lights), I turn on my 9005 silverstar fogs. I often get a high beam flash when I do that. I didn't flash them, I simply turned on the same lights they have on and they don't like it. Waaaaaaaaa.
Click to expand...
 
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