How To: Headlight Bulb Conversion (H11 to H9 & 9005 to 9011)

[Speedy Gomez]

There's only one way to find out op2:

Well if I do, I am going this route.

 

[sandcrawler]

Well if I do, I am going this route.

my 2¢: don't do blue bulbs... Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

also, am i mistaken in thinking that the 2014 uses different bulbs than the '10-13?

 

[Speedy Gomez]

my 2¢: don't do blue bulbs... Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

also, am i mistaken in thinking that the 2014 uses different bulbs than the '10-13?

Thanks for the info sandcrawler! 2014 do take h11 bulbs.

 

[eddiebx]

Thanks for the info sandcrawler! 2014 do take h11 bulbs.

I agree with @sandcarwler...plus PIAA bulbs are kind of way overpriced and longevity is not their strong suit from my experience

You have to consider that the H9 conversion already inherently cuts down on life span (since it's a higher wattage bulb), so I don't know how happy you will be burning through 50-100 dollar bulbs vs. 5-10 dollar bulbs, lol. I would just stick to the cheapest OEM replacement quality bulb you can find, for me those were the Philips H9 on amazon for ~5 bucks a pop.

 

[splash101]

Hat tip to Eddiebx for sharing a simple mod of value.

 

[dekeman]

Another big thanks to [MENTION=85512]eddiebx[/MENTION] - did the H9 upgrade on lows and 9011 highs (+drls) in 2014 LE with projectors - took all of 10 minutes. I kept saying it can't be that easy.
GREAT upgrade and big difference. THANKS!

 

[Whiskytangofoxtrot]

Thx

Great upgrade! Can see a huge difference now that the weather is changing. I didn't do the foglights so they still look on the yellowish side.

 

[Mr.Rogers]

I own a 4th GEN 2006 4runner V8 sport edition. From my research the bulbs are the same as the 5th GEN one, would this light mod be the same?

Thanks, sorry I am a new member here.

 

[Jono.ful]

Won't melt...you would only be increasing the wattage by roughly 18%...
going from 55w to 65w. Equates to around .1 amp. The reason for swapping is the difference in lumen output. There are other threads that discuss in detail, but you end up getting roughly 50% more light output.

not quite.
P=VxIxpf
where P is power in watts, V is your input voltage, I is current, and pf is the power factor.
since bulbs are a resistive load, the pf is 1, so
65w=12VxIx1
I=5.417A

and

55w=12VxIx1
I=4.583A

.833A difference. not huge, but appreciably more than .1 of an amp

 

[Whiskytangofoxtrot]

yes

Works on your 4th and is an easy way to upgrade from stock.

 

[Mr.Rogers]

WhiskeyTango thank you so much. Same modifications and everything that are shown above?

 

[Whiskytangofoxtrot]

yes

Yes follow the pics its a perfect writeup. I didn't trim the metal tabs though i didnt have any snips but it fit just fine.

 

[Go JayBee]

not quite.
P=VxIxpf
where P is power in watts, V is your input voltage, I is current, and pf is the power factor.
since bulbs are a resistive load, the pf is 1, so
65w=12VxIx1
I=5.417A

and

55w=12VxIx1
I=4.583A

.833A difference. not huge, but appreciably more than .1 of an amp

I stand corrected...slipped a decimal point. eace

 

[mugenrios2k]

:jump:

 

[flatspin]

Need this on the modification sticky.

Will do this within the next week and will try and contribute with comparison picts.

 

[Vwright14]

Although the stock lights in my T4R are world's better than even 35 buck Sylvania bulbs in my 2012 wrangler. ..I still plan on doing this mod very soon!

 

[Jono.ful]

I stand corrected...slipped a decimal point. eace

sorry, I'm an electrician.

 

[Go JayBee]

sorry, I'm an electrician.

So am I.......how embarrassing :doh:

 

[flatspin]

So I got the bulbs in this week and it finally stopped raining. I trimmed one H9 bulbs and afterward they plugged in fine to the stock bulb connector and housing. I just replace the passenger side (easiest to get to) and waited for it to get dark to take photos.

Please note I have a 2014 with the projector housing. Below are the results in ISO 200 and 400. Remember, the right side is the H9, left is H11 (stock)

Verdict? At least for the 2014+ with projectors, I can't tell the difference. Not worth the effort at least IMHO.

ISO 200

ISO 400

 

[High_Country]

Verdict? At least for the 2014+ with projectors, I can't tell the difference. Not worth the effort at least IMHO.

Well poop....I JUST TODAY placed my order for these bulbs and was excited to do this mod on my 2015 TE. I got home and thought I'd review the thread again to refresh my memory and then saw this last post about the mod not being that effective on 2014-15's with the projector headlamps.

Now that you've lived with it for a week or so, what are your thoughts of real world use (not just driveway results)? Did it make a difference? Theoretically it would have to given the higher wattage / higher output, but perhaps the design of the newer headlamp housings somehow negate the difference in output. ?????