How To: Headlight Bulb Conversion (H11 to H9 & 9005 to 9011)
- Thread starter eddiebx
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XenonDepot
New member
To be clear, do you have LED or Xenon (HID)? If you have LED then, unfortunately, the 9012 and H11 kits would not be compatible so you'll need to get a new H11 LED kit.
Danny
H9 is convertible to H11 for your low beams. 9011 is convertible to 9005 for your high beams. Both will yield higher output versus stock when converted properly. HIDs for lowbeams will yield even higher output when choosing the correct color bulb (4300k - 6000k).
I just got done doing the H11 to H9 conversion with new PIAA Extreme bulbs. I was quite surprised, and impressed, on the increased light. It works out very well. I'd highly recommend the modification. Paired with my Rigid SAE/DOT fog lights in the fog openings, it makes an amazing difference. I just added the Aiden James 9005 50w LED high-beams... now I'm happy with the lighting.
XenonDepot
New member
Take a look at this comparison done by hidplanet.com member @Haloruler64 between some HID bulbs plus H11 and H9 halogen bulbs:
Link to full review:
https://www.hidplanet.com/forums/fo...ictures/1451111-aftermarket-hid-bulb-shootout
Danny
Link to full review:
https://www.hidplanet.com/forums/fo...ictures/1451111-aftermarket-hid-bulb-shootout
Danny
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Crapola.
I ordered the h9 and 9011s from Amazon back in December, and did a cursory look at the box/lights when they came in, then stuck them on my shelf.
Went to do the upgrade today, and noticed that someone put H11s in the 9011 packages before Amazon sent them to me. :mad2:
On the positive side, the H9 mod went very smoothly. Used side cutters and a small file for the metal tab on the light ring, and found that if you grab the plastic tab with a small pair of needle nose pliers and twist slightly, it breaks right off
I ordered the h9 and 9011s from Amazon back in December, and did a cursory look at the box/lights when they came in, then stuck them on my shelf.
Went to do the upgrade today, and noticed that someone put H11s in the 9011 packages before Amazon sent them to me. :mad2:
On the positive side, the H9 mod went very smoothly. Used side cutters and a small file for the metal tab on the light ring, and found that if you grab the plastic tab with a small pair of needle nose pliers and twist slightly, it breaks right off
Magnetic
New member
Both of my bulbs (H9 and 9011 HIR) came in from amazon last week.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00480J5CW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00480KOP4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I wanted to do a before and after picture to document what,
if any, significant improvement can be had by doing this upgrade...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00480J5CW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00480KOP4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I wanted to do a before and after picture to document what,
if any, significant improvement can be had by doing this upgrade...
I just did this and used a H11 to H9 adapter kit, so the only trimming I needed was on the bulbs. They are much brighter, and since my bulbs were aimed properly before I've had no issues after several nights of driving. Best upgrade to the T4R yet, by far. Not having to use garbage after markets that only last 120hrs is worth it. The Osram bulbs from candlepower will do 350hrs+ easy.
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mountainair26
New member
Do you have any before and after beamshots maybe? Did the new lowbeam bulbs cause any glare without re-aiming the headlights? Thanks
I plan on this being my next mod. Is there any reason in the world to use the PIAA Xtreme White Plus over the Phillips Standard?
Aside from the benefit of lightening my wallet by $50 by going with the PIAA, of course.
https://www.amazon.com/19665-Xtreme...089&sr=1-4&keywords=h9+halogen+headlight+bulb
Aside from the benefit of lightening my wallet by $50 by going with the PIAA, of course.
https://www.amazon.com/19665-Xtreme...089&sr=1-4&keywords=h9+halogen+headlight+bulb
Angelo
Member
Unless you need the color temp or the low beams to match your fogs or high beams, then no. I use the Philips Standards and have had great results. Everyone should be aware that dues to the higher wattage of these bulbs, they generally tend to burn out faster than an H11. I have heard and experienced about a 2 year life from an H9, depending on usage of course.
Still the best low beam mod bang for your buck...
H9 bulb
I changed to the H9 low beam on a 2015 and just installed bulbs on a 2018. Has anyone had any wiring or heat issues? Mine seem fine. This seems to be a great upgrade with the poor light from stock. I also have never been flash from on coming traffic.
My bigger question is anyone using the H11 bulb in the fog lights. Or what Led are you using. Most test show the Led with less distance on light output.
I changed to the H9 low beam on a 2015 and just installed bulbs on a 2018. Has anyone had any wiring or heat issues? Mine seem fine. This seems to be a great upgrade with the poor light from stock. I also have never been flash from on coming traffic.
My bigger question is anyone using the H11 bulb in the fog lights. Or what Led are you using. Most test show the Led with less distance on light output.
pjbrownva
New member
I had the low beam connector melt where it connects to the light bulb.
I ordered some high-temp ceramic "pig tails", and used those to replace the pig tail that melted. I'm running a plug-in light harness with relays from the retrofit source that bypasses the stock wiring and gives the headlights power via heavier gauge wires connected directly to the battery through relays.
(I should add, I never contacted the retrofit source about the issue. I don't really view the melting problem as "their fault", and it's not a knock against them. I am running non-standard bulbs, and I presume that these bulbs generated more heat than the spec for the aftermarket connector allows. It's also possible that there was a poor and/or dirty connection at the socket itself which can also generate heat. I've been very happy with the products from TRS, and have no complaints.)
The ceramic connector I purchased wasn't compatible. I had to remove the rubber gasket, and then I used a multi-tool with a cutting blade to open up the gap between the two connectors. Then I put the gasket back and everything worked fine.
Attached is an image of what I ordered on Amazon
I had a small amount of chipping when I tried to "cut" the ceramic, but it was minimal, and didn't have a functional impact on using the modified connector. The cutting blade had small teeth, and my multi-tool was on high speed, and I think that these two factors helped a lot.
Attachments
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nglayton
Senior Member
I've done this. But not with LED, just the brighter bulbs. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/150621-how-headlight-bulb-conversion-h11-h9-9005-9011-a.html
No heat, no flashing, better light. The only issue I have is the brighter bulbs burn out way faster than they should. I ran stock for like 5 years same bulbs. After the mod, I barely get a year out of one. I started carrying the stock bulbs with me to swap in after a failure until I could mod a new set of bulbs. Quite the pita. I also bought a set of new pigtails that I am going mod...hopefully I can make them so they fit either style of light. But haven't had the time to work it out yet.
pjbrownva
New member
So I looked more carefully, and now see that I'm in the 5th gen forum, and my T4R is a 4th Gen. That means my situation isn't 100% applicable, but I *did* have the pigtail melt on my 4th Gen, so I suppose it could happen to a 5th gen too. The ceramic may not be a bad idea if you upgrade your bulbs, especially if you add a relay harness with heavier gauge wire that connects your bulbs to the battery system through heavy gauge wire without the voltage drop often caused by a thinner factory wiring harness.
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pjbrownva
New member
Another update: The 2015 T4R uses the same low beam and high beam bulbs as my 2008 limited.... or more specifically:
STOCK BULBS IN 2015 T4R
Low Beam Headlight H11
High Beam Headlight 9005
(Source: https://www.philipsautolighting.com )
This means that my prior upgrade research should still be applicable (assuming that the bulbs are still available).
Low Beam Stock: H11 bulb, 55-watt, 1250 lumens
Low Beam Upgrade: H9, 65W, 2100 luments
H11 is 55 watts & puts out a maximum of 1400 lumens (although 1200 is more common),
H9 is 65 watts and puts out an average of 2240 lumens.
The Phillips H9 that I used is no longer offered. So someone needs to research current H11 and H9 bulbs and their expected bulb life. I've found Candle Power Inc to be a good source in the past.
I did find this Phillips H9 through a different vendor, but its rated life is only 120 hours, which seems very short to me -- so more research is definitely needed.
Update: I found these Phillips H9 bulbs that are rated at 250 hrs, while the stock Phillips H11 are rated at 500 hrs,
so you get brighter light, but half the bulb life.
It's worth noting that these bulbs sell for around $10 to $15 each, so you're NOT spending a fortune on a pair. Personally, I'm skeptical of the $50+ "magic" light bulbs that make all sorts of amazing claims. I think they're over priced, and have marketing gimmicks that don't improve real, on-road performance -- but I guess that discussion is for a different thread.
It seems like a good LED replacement bulb may be the way to go... assuming that the technology has advanced enough to give you a good, bright, reliable bulb that doesn't require a high speed fan, and doesn't run sooooo hot that it melts everything near it! I haven't looked into that topic lately.
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Phillips HIR2 Notes:
it does not have a blacked-out tip,
which means it should not be used in road going headlamp or fog lamp designs that don't have a bulb shield completely covering at least the top half of the front of the bulb
— a ring-style bulb shield that leaves the front of the bulb exposed to the lens is usually not sufficient.
which means it should not be used in road going headlamp or fog lamp designs that don't have a bulb shield completely covering at least the top half of the front of the bulb
— a ring-style bulb shield that leaves the front of the bulb exposed to the lens is usually not sufficient.
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Hi Beam stock: 9005, 12.8V, 65W, 1700 lumens, 320 hours /
Hi Beam HIR1(9011), 12.8V, 65W, 2530 lumens, 400 hours
9011/HIR1/9005 65W Philips Halogen, 3000 Lumens, 1400 Hours
3000 Lumens, Design life 1400 Hours replacement bulb
Hope this helps.
-Philip
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