Peaty
02-17-2004, 07:25 PM
First off let me get a disclaimer out of the way, for off-road use only. OK now then:
HIR bulbs are a relatively new bulb found in limited OEM applications currently, the Dodge Viper is the only official one I've seen listed.
Here is a PDF with some info:
http://www.gelighting.com/na/downloads/hir1techsheet1.pdf
More info here:
http://bmwz.org/articles/lighting/0506trick/
Additional information I was able to get regarding the bulbs:
The new bulbs are not some tinted or overwattage version of 9005, but rather employ a relatively new technology called HIR, Halogen Infrared. The mechanical dimensions of the bulb are all virtually identical to the 9005 bulbs, but the bulb glass is spherical instead of tubular, with the sphere centered around the filament. There is a "Durable IR Reflective" coating on the spherical glass. Infrared = heat, so the coating causes heat to be reflected back to the filament at the center of the sphere. This causes the filament to become much hotter (producing more light) than it can by passing electricity through it, *without* the shorter life or greater heat production that comes with overwattage bulbs (to say nothing of overwattage bulbs' incompatibility with stock wiring.)
Here's the comparison:
High beam:
stock: 9005, 12.8V, 65W, 1700 lumens
new: HIR1, 12.8V, 65W, 2530 lumens
The beam pattern will not change, but there will be considerably more light within the beam pattern.
There is an application for the 9006:
stock: 9006, 12.8V, 55W, 1000 lumens
new: HIR2, 12.8V, 55W, 1875 lumens
However my OB has an H1 in the low beam, and 9006's are in the fog lamps. I'm not sure which Subaru's take 9006 in the low beams too but I will investigate. I have the Narva All Weather bulbs in the OB's fogs which I think will be a better choice for bad that application.
Please keep in mind, these are street legal bulbs, but only in headlights originally designed for them, If you order them the person will probably ask you what you're putting them in when you request these bulbs and might not sell them to you if you answer with a vehicle they don't originally fit, so remember they only fit a Dodge Viper ;)
The only place that I know these are available are Candlepower, Inc:
http://www.candlepowerinc.com/
Contact info:
sales@candlepowerinc.com
They carry a lot of bulbs some of which aren't listed on his site, it's best to e-mail and ask for what you are interested in. For instance a new bulb for your Viper maybe? Just a heads up he cost of these bulbs are quite spendy at almost 40 USD each.
As for the modding part, the difference in the HIR bulb compared to the standard 9005 or 9006 is one of the locating tabs on the base. There is one that is 4mm wider than the standard tab. 12mm VS the standard 8mm. I used a hack saw blade to carefully remove 4mm from one side to make the bulb fit the headlamp. After doing that I removed a few mm off the top too. It was very simple and only took a few minutes to do. During the operation be sure not to touch the bulb at all. The oil from your hands will get on the bulb and make a hot spot and shorten the life of the bulb.
Installing the bulb itself was no different than the OEM bulb, remove the big cover by rotating it to the right then take the bulb out w/ a 1/4 turn unplug the harness from the bulb. Put the new one in the same way the old one came out. It should fit no problem. Both of mine did first time. If you have problems re-check your modification dimensions. You may need to take a little more off.
Look here for some more info on getting to the bulbs:
http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=4305#post4305
Note: As with all Halogen bulbs, never touch the bulb itself. Handle it by the base. The oil from your skin will get on the bulb and make a hot spot which will shorten the life of the bulb. If you accidently touch the bulb, clean it off with some alcohol and a lint free cloth. Not to mention halogen bulbs have a fair amount of pressure in them, if they burst you could get hurt. It's not a bad idea to wear some safety goggles.
Below are some comparison pics:
HIR bulbs are a relatively new bulb found in limited OEM applications currently, the Dodge Viper is the only official one I've seen listed.
Here is a PDF with some info:
http://www.gelighting.com/na/downloads/hir1techsheet1.pdf
More info here:
http://bmwz.org/articles/lighting/0506trick/
Additional information I was able to get regarding the bulbs:
The new bulbs are not some tinted or overwattage version of 9005, but rather employ a relatively new technology called HIR, Halogen Infrared. The mechanical dimensions of the bulb are all virtually identical to the 9005 bulbs, but the bulb glass is spherical instead of tubular, with the sphere centered around the filament. There is a "Durable IR Reflective" coating on the spherical glass. Infrared = heat, so the coating causes heat to be reflected back to the filament at the center of the sphere. This causes the filament to become much hotter (producing more light) than it can by passing electricity through it, *without* the shorter life or greater heat production that comes with overwattage bulbs (to say nothing of overwattage bulbs' incompatibility with stock wiring.)
Here's the comparison:
High beam:
stock: 9005, 12.8V, 65W, 1700 lumens
new: HIR1, 12.8V, 65W, 2530 lumens
The beam pattern will not change, but there will be considerably more light within the beam pattern.
There is an application for the 9006:
stock: 9006, 12.8V, 55W, 1000 lumens
new: HIR2, 12.8V, 55W, 1875 lumens
However my OB has an H1 in the low beam, and 9006's are in the fog lamps. I'm not sure which Subaru's take 9006 in the low beams too but I will investigate. I have the Narva All Weather bulbs in the OB's fogs which I think will be a better choice for bad that application.
Please keep in mind, these are street legal bulbs, but only in headlights originally designed for them, If you order them the person will probably ask you what you're putting them in when you request these bulbs and might not sell them to you if you answer with a vehicle they don't originally fit, so remember they only fit a Dodge Viper ;)
The only place that I know these are available are Candlepower, Inc:
http://www.candlepowerinc.com/
Contact info:
sales@candlepowerinc.com
They carry a lot of bulbs some of which aren't listed on his site, it's best to e-mail and ask for what you are interested in. For instance a new bulb for your Viper maybe? Just a heads up he cost of these bulbs are quite spendy at almost 40 USD each.
As for the modding part, the difference in the HIR bulb compared to the standard 9005 or 9006 is one of the locating tabs on the base. There is one that is 4mm wider than the standard tab. 12mm VS the standard 8mm. I used a hack saw blade to carefully remove 4mm from one side to make the bulb fit the headlamp. After doing that I removed a few mm off the top too. It was very simple and only took a few minutes to do. During the operation be sure not to touch the bulb at all. The oil from your hands will get on the bulb and make a hot spot and shorten the life of the bulb.
Installing the bulb itself was no different than the OEM bulb, remove the big cover by rotating it to the right then take the bulb out w/ a 1/4 turn unplug the harness from the bulb. Put the new one in the same way the old one came out. It should fit no problem. Both of mine did first time. If you have problems re-check your modification dimensions. You may need to take a little more off.
Look here for some more info on getting to the bulbs:
http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=4305#post4305
Note: As with all Halogen bulbs, never touch the bulb itself. Handle it by the base. The oil from your skin will get on the bulb and make a hot spot which will shorten the life of the bulb. If you accidently touch the bulb, clean it off with some alcohol and a lint free cloth. Not to mention halogen bulbs have a fair amount of pressure in them, if they burst you could get hurt. It's not a bad idea to wear some safety goggles.
Below are some comparison pics: