9004 to 9007 headlight bulbs | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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9004 to 9007 headlight bulbs

hunt4lif3

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November 13, 2012
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City, State
Roanoke, Virginia
Year, Model & Trim Level
1994 Explorer Sport
I read a thread on here the other day about converting your stock 9004 bulbs to the brighter 9007 bulbs. I got some really cheap bulbs off ebay to try it with to see if it would be worth an investment of some quality bulbs. I also bought a set of wiring adapters that switch the wires over for the conversion, so all i have to do is plug it in and go. After reading some other headlight threads, i wonder if i need to wire some kind of relay in to make the conversion work. I want to get it right the first time so i dont burn anything up.
 



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X2, going without the relay will be just fine. Remember, you'll be comparing cheapo new bulbs to (probably) better brand old bulbs that will be dimmer with age. So brightness would be a secondary consideration to light scattering and beam pattern.

Whether you decide to stick with 9004 or go with 9007, relays will make the bulb brighter, so I would vote do it after you pick a bulb, then you can quantify the difference.

Are you planning on posting up some pics?
 






Get some good quality 9004 bulbs instead. It will give you much better lighting, and won't require modification to your headlamp or wiring.
 






Get some good quality 9004 bulbs instead.
That's what I choose to do. I have had some bad experiences burning wires/housings with headlight mods on other cars....I didn't want to chance it.
 






I'll definitely post some pictures if i can figure out how to...I'm new to this forum and haven't figured it out yet.
 






there is a difference in the 9004 to 9007. I used Silverstars 9004 and a friend gave me some cheap 9007, so I did the mod and it is much better. I told myself that if I like them I would get the in the Silverstars, but I haven't needed to yet.

I did not use a relay, but I did upgrade the ground. I have had no troubles.
 






Does anyone have beam pattern pictures between the two? After doing more night driving I've come to find my low beams to be less than desirable.
 






Basically, the filament position of the 9007 bulb lights up the high beam portion of your headlamp reflector, making anyone who does this mod as big of a ****** as idiots who use HID bulbs in their headlamps.
 






So your saying that everyone that wants brighter headlights so they can safely see the road at night is a ******?

I have to disagree. Not only because I've done this mod, but because your wrong about the filament, 9007 is nothing like HID in the wrong reflector. After I did this, I had to aim the lights up a little. If they took the high beam area I would have had to move them down. I never get flashed by drivers.

And don't call strangers names. It's not nice.
 






Technical bulletin: 9004 & 9007 bulbs.

9004 and 9007 Bulbs
What are the differences? They look interchangeable— but they’re not.

When should I use 9007 bulbs?
Use 9007 bulbs in headlamps marked “DOT HR HB5” and wherever a 9007 was the original bulb.

When should I use 9004 bulbs?
Use 9004 bulbs in headlamps marked “DOT HR HB1” or “DOT HR” and wherever a 9004 was the original bulb.

The 9004 (HB1) bulb, introduced in 1983, was the first halogen replaceable
headlight bulb available for use in North America. It uses 12 Volts, has a
45 Watt low beam filament producing 700 lumens, and a 65 Watt high beam
filament producing 1200 lumens. These filaments are transverse—if you hold the
bulb upright, they run across the bulb from side to side.

The 9007 (HB5) bulb, introduced in 1992, uses 12 Volts, has a 55 Watt low beam filament
producing 1000 lumens, and a 65 Watt high beam filament producing 1350
lumens. These filaments are axial—if you hold the bulb upright, they run along the
bulb from top to bottom.

9004 and 9007 bulbs are keyed differently, so they can’t be interchanged, but
the higher light output of the 9007 tempts some people to try making 9007 bulbs fit
in headlamps designed for 9004 bulbs
.

This is not an upgrade, and it’s unsafe.

It’s important to use the specified bulb.

Each headlamp is designed to use only one type of headlamp bulb. It may be a
9004, a 9007, or some other type. Headlamps are optical instruments, and they
depend on the filament being very precisely oriented and placed exactly how
and where it’s supposed to be, in order to form a beam pattern with the right
amounts of light in the right places.


If the filament is improperly oriented or placed because the wrong kind of bulb
is used, the headlamp’s optics won’t see what they’re expecting to see, and they
won’t be able to do their job. The result will be a damaged beam pattern that
won’t provide safe seeing light for the driver, and
will cause blinding glare for other road users.

www.candlepowerinc.com/pdfs/9004_9007.pdf



Please don't use 9007 bulbs in housings designed for 9004 bulbs.
 






This has become quite the contentious topic, as such I will get a hold of the same brand and style of bulb in both the 9004 and the 9007 flavor, then I will do my best to take comparative beam pics and an analysis.

Then we can all be friends and calm the hell down.
 






This has become quite the contentious topic, as such I will get a hold of the same brand and style of bulb in both the 9004 and the 9007 flavor, then I will do my best to take comparative beam pics and an analysis.

Then we can all be friends and calm the hell down.

Thank you. This will certainly help put this issue to rest. If its crappy I will retrofit projectors.
 






Thank you. This will certainly help put this issue to rest. If its crappy I will retrofit projectors.

Then it'll be up to you to post some comparitave photos between ye 9004 and projectors. Not same night, but maybe same location and so forth?
 






Finished the swap, and even with crappy ebay bulbs i can see way more than with my 9004 silverstars. I did have to adjust my lights down a little, but it was well worth the swap.I still cant figure out how to post the pictures I took...
 






Hey guys. I have a 93 xlt and the previous owner did a 9007 swap. I am now having an issue where my highs dim and the dash high indicator stays on 24/7. Any advice? Or ideas? Thanks.
 






Hey guys. I have a 93 xlt and the previous owner did a 9007 swap. I am now having an issue where my highs dim and the dash high indicator stays on 24/7. Any advice? Or ideas? Thanks.

(CORRECT ANSWER) Change the bulbs to the correct 9004.

(MY EXPLANATION) The wiring difference between the 9004 and the 9007 is a power and ground. when a 9007 bulb is installed in a 9004 equipped truck, it trips the high beam indicator all the time.

My info may not be 100% spot on, but it is what I recall from when I did the bulb swap and asked the same question a couple years ago.
 






That might do it, but mine sure didn't behave that way after the swap.
 






I know I am going to lose some respect from some members for admitting this, but I just did the 9007 swap in my explorer recently. I had to swap all three wires around in the harness (which should be the case for everybody doing the swap), and it isn't that difficult as long as you know what you are doing. Removing the bottom two locator tabs was also easy. My beam pattern only changed slightly, to be brighter, a bit more focused, and also higher. All I had to do was aim my headlights down a bit so I don't blind other drivers, which is difficult enough already since I have a total of about 8" of lift (susp+tires). The other members speak the truth when they say it lights up the high beam portion of the reflector, which is the reason you must aim your headlights lower. This also means you no longer have high beams, just brighter low beams. This does not affect me, because I have a brush guard on the front I will be installing some spotlights on, which will be aimed higher for offroading.

This mod works in my case, but is not recommended for people who have no other option for high beams. I for one am enjoying my much brighter lights. I could barely see my beams on the ground before, and now I have approximately the same beam pattern, but brighter. This is also due to the fact that I did a bit of research and chose the bulbs that I feel have the best reviews on various forums around the internet. The bulbs I went with are the Phillips X-treme Power 9007 bulbs. I got them from amazon for about $28 and they also have a $10 mail in rebate. I would recommend these over the sylvania bulbs you find at auto parts stores any day.
 



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