Awesome HID alternative: HIR

[bhrm]

http://hirheadlights.com/

!!!Halogen Infrared Reflecting bulbs!!

So I was chatting with a Product person at work and said we're rolling out several new products some time including household LED bulbs and HIR automotive lights.

HIR looks awesome!

Something worth considering as an alternative to HIDs or crappy halogens.

[Thrizzl3]

how bright are these?? theres different temperatures of H.I.D so how can these be better?

[kevcol74]

Says " These bulbs attain light levels 75% to 110% brighter than stock"... ,
"It was GE's goal to create a bulb that produced 75% of the light output of HID headlights at 25% of the cost."

Not bad.... Isn't that "SilverStar"? :chuckle

[bhrm]

Says " These bulbs attain light levels 75% to 110% brighter than stock"... ,
"It was GE's goal to create a bulb that produced 75% of the light output of HID headlights at 25% of the cost."

Not bad.... Isn't that "SilverStar"? :chuckle

SilverStars have the highest output of halogens however they last half the life of NightHawks. GE Nighthawks are almost as bright in terms of distance as the SilverStars.

If you google, you'll find many reviews that SilverStars burn out fast.

[yearoftherat]

There was a thread on the Mz3 forum and I think that some guys felt the bulbs were not as bright as advertised

[Pimpin_29y]

There are only two sizes on the website none of which fit the Mazda (9011 and 9012)

The prices of HID bulbs and HID kits have dropped tremendously..

I can get replacement bulbs for less than $30 CDN shipped to my door....

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-BULBS-XENON-HID-CONVERSION-H1-H3-H4-H7-D2S-9006-6000K_W0QQitemZ190283695445QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCar_ Electronics_Parts_Accessories?hash=item19028369544 5&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A15%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308

A full hid kit for $50 USD shipped to my door

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CAR-HID-XENON-conversion-KIT-H7-H1-H3-6000K-8000K-4300K_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a15 Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1308QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQ hashZitem250347325089QQitemZ250347325089QQptZMotor sQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Sure these aren't a name brand but I'd rather go HID all the way.....

[kLuMzi]

A full hid kit for $50 USD shipped to my door

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CAR-HID-XENON-conversion-KIT-H7-H1-H3-6000K-8000K-4300K_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a15 Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1308QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQ hashZitem250347325089QQitemZ250347325089QQptZMotor sQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Sure these aren't a name brand but I'd rather go HID all the way.....

Hi,

wow i was surprised w/ the price of those HID kit! they're definitely a good deal! just a question have you tried using these no brand HIDs? im planning to get one too.

thanks,
kLuMzi

[kLuMzi]

Hi,

wow i was surprised w/ the price of those HID kit! they're definitely a good deal! just a question have you tried using these no brand HIDs? im planning to get one too.

thanks,
kLuMzi

oh fark, that was supposed to be a PM to Pimpin_29y :loco

oh well :chuckle anyone else have tried no name HIDs? :)

[mdass52]

Im using no name HIDs. so far so good. I've had them about 6 mths now, no problems at all. I got mine from ebay. The same seller has a website: www.mydepots.com. They have it for $41.99 for a 35 watt kit, $66.99 for a 55 watt kit, and $56.99 for a 35 watt slim kit. They come with a 14 mth warranty as well. However you have to ship it back to china.

[Pimpin_29y]

oh fark, that was supposed to be a PM to Pimpin_29y :loco

oh well :chuckle anyone else have tried no name HIDs? :)

I've never used the no name HIDs but several members have used them without problems. If budget was the issue I'd probably choose the no name HIDs over bulbs.

[Darkfrosty7]

I've never used the no name HIDs but several members have used them without problems. If budget was the issue I'd probably choose the no name HIDs over bulbs.

are there any noticable differences?

[Harbour Rat]

I've had 9011 HIR bulbs in my high beams for almost a year. They are brighter and whiter than than the factory 9005s but not as bright or white as 55 watt HIDs.

[Darkfrosty7]

I've had 9011 HIR bulbs in my high beams for almost a year. They are brighter and whiter than than the factory 9005s but not as bright or white as 55 watt HIDs.

you like the 35 watts? would you've picked the 55 watts if you had another chance?

[Darkfrosty7]

There are only two sizes on the website none of which fit the Mazda (9011 and 9012)

The prices of HID bulbs and HID kits have dropped tremendously..

I can get replacement bulbs for less than $30 CDN shipped to my door....

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-BULBS-XENON-HID-CONVERSION-H1-H3-H4-H7-D2S-9006-6000K_W0QQitemZ190283695445QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCar_ Electronics_Parts_Accessories?hash=item19028369544 5&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A15%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308

A full hid kit for $50 USD shipped to my door

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CAR-HID-XENON-conversion-KIT-H7-H1-H3-6000K-8000K-4300K_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a15 Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1308QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQ hashZitem250347325089QQitemZ250347325089QQptZMotor sQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Sure these aren't a name brand but I'd rather go HID all the way.....

and these will fit the mazda 3 no problem?

[Harbour Rat]

you like the 35 watts? would you've picked the 55 watts if you had another chance?

Sorry, I guess I was a bit muddled there. I have 55 watt, 4500K HIDs in my low beams. They are very bright and white. I drive 30 km on country roads to/from work, at ~5:30 am or pm, depending on which shift I'm on so lots of light is good.

The HIRs in the high beams are brighter and whiter than the the OEM high beam bulbs but they are not as bright or white as the HID low beams. When I turn on the high beams they throw light further than the sharp low beam cut-off but I can still see the low beam cut-off overlaying the high beam pattern and the difference in colour is noticeable, not jarring or anything but it is visible.

I think the HIRs are a good choice for the high beams. They definitely give more light than regular halogens and they light up instantly, not like HIDs which strobe, dim, then take a couple seconds to get up to full power. And no worries about shortening the life of ballasts from turning the high beams on and off for on-coming traffic.

[Noisy Crow]

I've had 9011 HIR bulbs in my high beams for almost a year. They are brighter and whiter than than the factory 9005s but not as bright or white as 55 watt HIDs.

Where did you get them?

[Harbour Rat]

Where did you get them?

I got them from rallylights.com (http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=1414).

[Noisy Crow]

I got them from rallylights.com (http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=1414).

Thank you! :)

[lloydering]

Interestingly enough, the 9011 bulb can be used in a 9005 lamp with a simple modification with a Dremel tool or file.

I'll probably wait until they have an actual 9005 bulb, but this looks like promising technology!:pop

[Noisy Crow]

Well, thanks to you guys my wallet is now thinner :chuckle

I ordered a pair each of highs and fogs from here:
http://store.candlepower.com/hirlighting.html

Oh, and there is this useful bit of information:
http://shnu.us/HIR%20Trimming%20Stock.htm

[yearoftherat]

Well, thanks to you guys my wallet is now thinner :chuckle


Thank god I have H11 for fogs..my wallet isn't any thinner....until I find a new mod.:chuckle

[Noisy Crow]

My HIR bulbs arrived last week. I finally got a chance to put the high-beams 9011 replaces 9005) tonight.

They popped right in, no tweaking of the bulbs required! :) Took all of ten minutes for the pair. And damn are they bright... I tried them in daylight and they were still really bright. Color is a bit yellower than my OEM HIDs, but much better than the 9005s I pulled out.

BTW: I have an '08 sedan with factory HIDs. It is easy to see if you will need to trim the bulbs: Unlock a stocker and check the centre tab width against the hole it goes in. On mine the hole has the extra width needed for the HIR tab.

Next up: the fogs!

[Noisy Crow]

Did the fogs today. Had to tweak the bulbs to get them to fit. Locking tab need trimming, easy to do with clippers and a file. Edge of the plastic around the lamp above the 0-ring need to be trimmed so it didn't hit the edge of the reflector... did that with my Dremel tool. About 10 minutes of work on each bulb.

Worth it? Well, depends on what you are after. The 9012s are are yellower than HIDs. So if you are after HID-match bulbs, you probably want something different. On the other hand if you are looking for increased light output, they are definitely much brighter. Not as bright as HIDs, but easier to install. Since I was after more light, and that is what I got, I am happy with the result.