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Headlights Misaligned/Dim

18K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  BDE 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,

I think my headlines don't shine as far as they should. I heard there is a way to "align" them with some screws, etc. Anyone ever tried to do this themselves and if so how did it turn out?

Also, I'm wondering if I can also (or instead) get brighter headlight bulbs, but I am not sure if the wiring will allow for it. Anyone have any experience/good experiences using brighter lights in the headlights than what the OEMs come with? Assuming my bulbs are even OEMs here :)

Thanks,
BDE
 
#2 ·
There are bulbs that are brighter like Sylvania Silver Star you can buy. There are of course HID (proper retrofit required). Also you can get Philips 9012LL/HIR2 for the low beams. (must do a simple mod trimming the plastic with nail clipper or snips to get the bulbs to fit). There are pros and cons for each so do your research and decide what is best.
 
#10 ·
You're not gonna get any real increase in usable light by swapping in these types of bulbs and if you do they will only burn out faster...just replace your current bulbs with 9006 low beam and 9005 high beam...now if that light is not enough for you then you need to ask yourself some questions...is it you?...do you need glasses to drive and if so maybe a checkup is needed...if you really need brighter lights then the best option is to do a proper retrofit...it's not cheap, but the results are fantastic...
 
#18 ·
Aren't the 9006 and the 9005 standard though, why replace my current bulbs with those?

Also, my eyes are fine. I notice the high-beams don't shine nearly as far as my limited v8 4runner but that would be height and HID at play there at least.

My wife does wear glasses (we check our vision annually) and she finds the lighting a bit low. I found it low but not to a point where it was a problem, just that it's cooler to have further-reaching lights. :)
 
#13 ·
#15 ·
So the bulbs themselves won't work in the OEM assembly, huh? Did you need to increase wire thickness or anything like that, or just change the projector/housing?

Which specific 9012s did you do? I notice the HIR2 has good ratings: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-9012-Standard-Halogen-Headlight/dp/B00U32DG4C

Whereas the LLC has horrific ratings: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-9012LLC1-Light-Bulb/dp/B00P8FPULG
If you are installing 9012 bulbs you don't need to change the wires because wattage is ok for the stock wire.

The first link will fit with some modification to the bulb plastic base. The Amazon listing is for 1 bulb as you can see in the picture.

The second link has bad reviews because the seller has a misleading ad and most of them complain they got 1 bulb and not 2.

I got the Philips 9012 for $25 (pair) but the Ebay seller ad is sold out now. I haven't installed them yet.
 
#16 ·
For those who want pure white light with more vision, and quality for a few buck's only, I advise GP Thunder H11 halogen bulbs in 5800K.
Last week I changed mine after two years of day and night usage. Now I installed the 8500K version, better traffic sign reflection, but quite a bit less lumen output. The light is to blue-ish. Will go back to 5800K again.
In The Netherlands it's advised by the traffic government to use dim lights day and night for better visability, so two year burning time for the GP Thunder lights is perfect to me. Especially the pure white color with high vision.

In the EU it's also normal to have an electronic dim light high/low control in the dash, it's a small rotary switch which highers/lowers the light beam by turning it up or down. Handy when towing a caravan or high balast.
Strange to read in this topic that this dim light high/low control is not allowed in the US. When turning the high/low wheel in highest position you get the standard angle evey car has, not higher than allowed. You can only correct the beam downwards when pulling high ballast, just to prevent upcoming traffic blinding.
 
#21 ·
I don't think anyone makes HIR bulbs any more. They're all HIR2 now but everyone still refers to them as HIR. A way to tell them apart visually is that the HIR bulbs have shorter glass envelopes around the filament than a standard bulb while the HIR2 bulb looks exactly like a standard 9006 with the exception of no opaque shield on the tip. I wouldn't buy them from Ebay right now anyway because there's a lot of the first generation stock floating around there. The Philips come in what they call "Generation 3" now with longer life. From the Philips charts, they supposedly last longer than OEM bulbs and with less fade over time too. I have a set of those in my RAV but I forgot to get a reading on the light output when I put them in so I can't tell if they're following the published charts or not. I DO know they made a marked improvement in drivability.

I prefer to buy them from candlepower.com. Here's a link to more info about these bulbs from their web pages.
http://store.candlepower.com/hirlighting.html
 
#24 ·
I have the OEM fog lights. Aside from plugging up the holes they make in the front cowl, they don't seem to be very useful for anything. Don't confuse FOG lights with the illegal "driving" lights you see sold everywhere AS fog lights. You can't drive with those turned on without blinding oncoming drivers.
 
#25 ·
When I bought my Rav4.3 it had aftermarket fogs installed and they lit up both sides of the road and caused people to flash me regularly. It's hard to say for sure but I felt like the beam angled outward 60 degrees left / right and upward about the same. Really increased my peripheral lighting and I could see much easier when animals were in the bushes near the roadside or even birds up in the trees. I would say they lit up left and right all the way past my A-pillar a bit. I doubt they were approved for city driving.

I could turn off my headlights and drive with just the fogs on completely dark streets and it would be brighter than my headlights like have a wider beam but not illuminate directly in front or as far ahead as much as headlights do.

I bought Oem fogs but kept the old non-OEM wiring, relay, switch. Bcs these are activated with a switch from the accessory slot and not an Oem steering wheel switch, they can come on and off regardless of whether high beams are on or not which isn't allowed with the OEMs and the regular switcher.

Now I agree they seem to do almost nothing.
 
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