What's the best Halogen upgrade for Non-Tech high and low beams???

[kdaug]

I've been reviewing most of the threads on halogen upgrades (for us Non-Tech owners) to LED or HID. It would seem that LED is definitely a no go and HID not much better. So, my last resort is a halogen upgrade to ensure proper beam spread. I've read reviews on the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra's, Philips Crystal/White/Xtreme Vision models and Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited. There is no consensus and several have said that to get a whiter light from a halogen a thinner filament is used which in turn lowers the longevity of the bulb(supported by those who have tried them). I can't see myself wanting to replace one of these bulbs every 1-2 years, BUT, there has to be one of these that stands out as lasting the longest and having a definitively whiter light than oem. I'm not necessarily looking for more beam distance than OEM, just a whiter light with the correct beam spread. At least for my high beams I'm sure an ugraded halogen would last longer than 1-2 years for me as I have added LED fog light surround bezel's and disconnected the fuse to operate my current oem halogen DRL's, thereby using my LED's as DRL's. This would extend the life of a DRL/Highbeam bulb replacement I would think.

 

[runtohell121]

9011 bulbs would be the alternative; brighter and higher wattage, burns faster though.

 

[PatrickGSR94]

Why do you think HID's are a no-go? Some halogen projectors are crap when used with HID, while other halogen projectors work pretty well. I saw a write-up/thread for installing a TRS (The Retrofit Source) HID kit and it looked like it works pretty well. I'm planning on going that route on our CX-5 non-tech eventually.

Back in the day I put an HID kit into my Integra's stock halogen projectors, and it was terrible, so I eventually did an HID projector retrofit. Later on, I helped a friend put an HID kit into his 99.5 B5 Audi A4, and that kit worked out great.

 

[paris1]

kdaug: I came to pretty much the same conclusions you have a couple of years ago and replaced my stock bulbs with Sylvania Silverstar Ultras and have not regretted it. Much better quality of light, though they don't project any further down the road, as you noted. I've also adjusted my lights up a couple of klicks because Mazda aims them with load considerations in mind and my car is virtually always unloaded.

 

[PatrickGSR94]

I just saw a thread over on HID Planet where someone did an S2000 HID projector retrofit into some TYC headlights for a CX-5 (so as to not crack open his factory original lights, smart). He said he felt the TRS kit in the stock headlights actually put out more light where he needed it than the S2000 projector retrofit did, and those projectors are known among enthusiasts to be some of the best HID projectors ever made. Maybe he didn't do a good job with the retrofit, maybe the TYC lenses were different than stock and hindering the light output from the S2K projectors, who knows.

 

[fdew]

I'xe had 9011 in my high beams for 18 mts They work well.

 

[vroom]

I've been reviewing most of the threads on halogen upgrades (for us Non-Tech owners) to LED or HID. It would seem that LED is definitely a no go and HID not much better.

Why do you say HID are not much better? Have you looked at my review (click link)?

There are a few down sides, but they are MUCH better than LED, have an almost perfect beam spread (look at my pictures), and last a whole lot longer than high intensity halogens.