Replacing bulb on stock headlights?

[Chosen86]

Originally Posted by Fizz

If you have the GT spec (like me) the bulbs in your headlamps are just your regular halogen type. The GTS spec however comes with HID lamps with built in DRL's. And no, the bulbs on the 2014 GT spec models are no different to the years before.

HID lights naturally has a "white-ish" look due to the way it works (i.e. Gas discharge instead of filament). Feel free to google for more technical explanation. The "white" lights you have seen on other GT specs are simply aftermarket bulbs or HID conversion kits.

If you want yours to look white, the simplest way is just replace your bulbs to something like the Philips Crystal Vision. Technically this is not ADR approved. There are others which are ADR approved (i.e. Blue Vision) but they hardly look white so don't bother. Do your research.

Getting a HID conversion installed is slightly more involved than simply swapping the bulbs. Again, they are not legal. Others may disagree, but I think this option is also a hazard to other road users as they can dazzle oncoming vehicles. To me, if you really want HID, make sure your car came that way from the factory or forget it. Oh...and if you thought about buying used GTS headlamps for your car.....still illegal because no washers and auto levelling. Not to mention major PITA to retrofit.

TLDR; just get the aftermarket bulbs if you really want a whiter light...and be done with it. And just so you know, by increasing the Kelvin rating of the bulbs (more white) you actually decrease the Lumen output....or something to that effect.

Do research and make an informed decision instead of simply wanting them to look cool....as they can have road safety and roadworthy implications.

If you look at the road safety data (I worked in the auto safety industry researching headlights at one point), those bright headlights themselves aren’t the hazard at all. The problem is headlights set incorrectly when they’re installed. The luxury brands aren’t investing the money in tech like insanely intense laser headlights to cause others accidents.

[Bonburner]

I've had the Phillips and they were barely better than stock.

As other people already mentioned, Halogens don't get a cool white.

I ended up going down the HID route and I'm very happy with my results.
I didn't need to readjust anything in the projector (identical beam pattern .. if anything it was a cleaner cut off than the old halogens) and I see significantly better.

That said, I got some Nokya 7000K 65W HB3's for the DRL/High Beams (I like DRL and I wanted to keep high beam function) - USA spec
I'll be trying out these bulbs later tonight when it gets darker to compare.

[Bonburner]

Just got around to throwing in the Nokya NOK7411 in, they made a pretty big difference over my prior Philips Crystal Vision (rated 4000K).

(I completely forgot that DRL won't turn on until I lower the hand brake, but still you can see the inside corner differences)





Just need to take care of the ugly headlight oxidation (most obvious in the top corners).

[wil5bart]

Nice upgrade. They are pretty bright.

[sygfrid]

NOTE: this is for the older models pre '17+

Here are the bulbs I've tried:

LOW BEAM:
Right: GTR Lighting Ultra Series 2 LED H11

Left (Top to Bottom):
GTR Lighting Ultra Series 2 LED (950 lux, 9150 lumens/kit, 5450 kelvin)
Diode Dynamics SL1 LED (577 lux, 2455 lumens/kit, 5200 kelvin)
Philips X-Treme Vision Halogen (334 lux, 1586 lumens, 3500 kelvin)
Osram OEM Halogen (284 lux, 1328 lumens, 3425 kelvin)
(the white cut-off line below the left light's coming from the misaligned left fog light)

HIGH BEAM/DRL: Philips Diamond Vision 9005

FOG LAMPS:
Diode Dynamics Luxeon LED, White (600 lumens, 5000 kelvin)
Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro LED, Amber (5200 lumens, 10900 candelas, 109 lux at 10 meters, 3000 kelvin)

As of now, HID is still a bit brighter than LED. HOWEVER, HID has already reached its technological prime & there's not been any new developments. LED, on the other hand, is still evolving & will later on outshine HID. HID's & LED's are compatible with PROJECTORS like our low beams as the projectors have already a set cut-off line to prevent glare. Hence, you can install the brightest bulb you can find & still be street legal (except if you use amber colour or some non-white colour which are usually not legal for street use).

Halogens that produce "white" light are usually tinted blue & are often dimmer than the yellowish 3500k. Primarily, these halogens are just for aesthetics. There are many tests on YouTube & other sites that show this. If you really want a white light that can really illuminate the road, you have to go either LED or HID. However, be careful as only high-quality LED's will create a proper usable beam & will last so much longer than the cheap Amazon ones.

Most of our high beams are reflectors. Though you can switch to HID/LED's, it's usually illegal for street use as they are have a different beam pattern as the reflectors were designed to throw the pattern emitted from halogens.



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