Philips HIR bulbs

[C5Shark]

I just installed the Philips take on the since retired Toshiba 9011/9012 HIR bulbs. (With slight trimming of the bulb a 9012 can install into a 9006 socket and 9011 can install into a 9005 socket)

For those who don't know, HIR stands for Halogen Infrared Reflecting. Basically, the bulbs have a special coating applied to them (NOT like ricer blue bulbs) which is designed to reflect infrared light waves back onto the filament of the bulb, causing it to burn hotter and brighter.

Since HID retrofit kits have drastically come down in price over the last few years, most people wouldn't bother to consider HIR bulbs as an alternative. And I agree, it's hard to argue with the price since HIR's cost about the same as a cheap HID kit.

But, the advantage to HIR bulbs is that no additional wiring is required (some vehicles will need an upgraded wiring harness to prevent HIDs from flickering on startup), they draw the same amount of current as a stock 9005/9006 bulb, and they're actually LEGAL unlike any HID retrofit kit.

I've done the HID retrofit kit setup before. I've also had the original Toshiba HIR bulbs. The Philips are definitely light years better than a stock 9005/9006. While they're not quite as bright as HIDs they are incredibly close.

Those looking to improve your ability to SEE and are less concerned with being seen, Philips HIRs are the way to go, hands down. Color is whiter than a conventional 9005/6 but more yellow than a 4300k HID kit.

For comparison
A stock 9006 bulb is rated at ~1000 lumens
A Philips 9012 bulb is rated at ~1800 lumens
Both are rated at 55w current draw
I believe expected life of the new Philips 9012 is slightly less than that of a convention bulb, but only slightly.

I could post pics, but a picture will not give an accurate representation of just how great of an improvement these bulbs are. I have an upgraded headlight harness which I built a few years back that I also plan on installing to see if further gains can be made with better wiring, but the wiring on the third gen X seems to be substantially better than that of my '99 Regal so I'm not expecting a large gain.

Incase anyone is interested in HIR bulbs, this site has LOTS of info about them and explains in better detail. http://hirheadlights.com/

 

[kylecolb]

I just installed the Philips take on the since retired Toshiba 9011/9012 HIR bulbs. (With slight trimming of the bulb a 9012 can install into a 9006 socket and 9011 can install into a 9005 socket)

For those who don't know, HIR stands for Halogen Infrared Reflecting. Basically, the bulbs have a special coating applied to them (NOT like ricer blue bulbs) which is designed to reflect infrared light waves back onto the filament of the bulb, causing it to burn hotter and brighter.

Since HID retrofit kits have drastically come down in price over the last few years, most people wouldn't bother to consider HIR bulbs as an alternative. And I agree, it's hard to argue with the price since HIR's cost about the same as a cheap HID kit.

But, the advantage to HIR bulbs is that no additional wiring is required (some vehicles will need an upgraded wiring harness to prevent HIDs from flickering on startup), they draw the same amount of current as a stock 9005/9006 bulb, and they're actually LEGAL unlike any HID retrofit kit.

I've done the HID retrofit kit setup before. I've also had the original Toshiba HIR bulbs. The Philips are definitely light years better than a stock 9005/9006. While they're not quite as bright as HIDs they are incredibly close.

Those looking to improve your ability to SEE and are less concerned with being seen, Philips HIRs are the way to go, hands down. Color is whiter than a conventional 9005/6 but more yellow than a 4300k HID kit.

For comparison
A stock 9006 bulb is rated at ~1000 lumens
A Philips 9012 bulb is rated at ~1800 lumens
Both are rated at 55w current draw
I believe expected life of the new Philips 9012 is slightly less than that of a convention bulb, but only slightly.

I could post pics, but a picture will not give an accurate representation of just how great of an improvement these bulbs are. I have an upgraded headlight harness which I built a few years back that I also plan on installing to see if further gains can be made with better wiring, but the wiring on the third gen X seems to be substantially better than that of my '99 Regal so I'm not expecting a large gain.

Incase anyone is interested in HIR bulbs, this site has LOTS of info about them and explains in better detail. http://hirheadlights.com/

I was looking at putting these in my 02 XLT since I do not want to deal with rewiring and such for HID's. Any clue on lifetime of these bulbs? I was looking into the sylvania silverstar ultras but i read they only last about a year.

 

[ericautopart]

I've had silverstar ultras on a couple of my vehicles for more than a year and they were fine. I put them on my father's flex as well and they are also fine. Typically internet reviews will be harsh on a product..no issues w/ silverstars.

 

[kylecolb]

I've had silverstar ultras on a couple of my vehicles for more than a year and they were fine. I put them on my father's flex as well and they are also fine. Typically internet reviews will be harsh on a product..no issues w/ silverstars.

thanks, when my autozone rewards point gift card comes in the mail im going to install some.

 

[C5Shark]

Osram Sylvania, one of the better manufacturers of bulbs, rates their standard 9006 bulb at 1000 hours and their Long Life bulbs at 1500 hours. IIRC Philips rates their 9012 HIRs at 1400 hours.

A friend of mine has SS Ultras in his car and the HIRs in my X are definitely brighter, although the SS Ultras may appear slightly whiter.

I haven't had them long enough to comment on how that relates to real world life, but I believe that real world life is generally longer than rated life.

 

[Anime]

I haven't had them long enough to comment on how that relates to real world life, but I believe that real world life is generally longer than rated life.

Except when it comes to Silverstars. Lots of reports on the internet of them NOT lasting very long, some as little as a few months. Of course, this may be from people using them in vehicles with DRL. Sylvania is a little shy about their exact lifespan, but pretty much says they can be expected to have a life shorter than that of regular bulbs due to the filament having to burn so bright to get enough useful light through the blue coating.

Too bad the HIR bulbs haven't made it onto other bases. I'd love some 9004's. Beats me why this design never made it to 9003/H4's, either.

 

[C5Shark]

Except when it comes to Silverstars. Lots of reports on the internet of them NOT lasting very long, some as little as a few months. Of course, this may be from people using them in vehicles with DRL. Sylvania is a little shy about their exact lifespan, but pretty much says they can be expected to have a life shorter than that of regular bulbs due to the filament having to burn so bright to get enough useful light through the blue coating.

Too bad the HIR bulbs haven't made it onto other bases. I'd love some 9004's. Beats me why this design never made it to 9003/H4's, either.

Yes I agree, I've also seen that about the Silverstars when researching bulbs. Fortunately the X has decent lights and we have an excellent option for replacement bulbs.

 

[OneLever]

This coating ... reflects a portion of the infrared energy emitted by the filament back onto the filament, causing it to glow brighter and emit more light from the uncoated forward portion of the bulb.

Take a look at the stock halogen bulbs. They are coated on the forward portion of the bulb. The stock housings are designed to reflect light emitted from the sides of the bulb. If there is no forward coating of course they will appear brighter because that light is just shooting out in an undirected fashion from the filament to your eyes. That doesn't mean the light is being placed on the road where you need it though.

My own informal testing...The HIR 9012 bulb recorded a light intensity of 35! That's 75% brighter than stock

Which explains this statement. If testing the intensity directly in front through the uncoated portion it would be higher. A more accurate reading would be in an arc from left to right across the entire beam width. This is like comparing the brightness of a spot beam and a flood beam. The flood beam will read a lower intensity, but it puts the light where you need it.

Although the filament gets hotter, the glass does not.

This is not physically possible. The filament and glass are linked by the halogen gas. Though they may not be in thermal equilibrium there is no way to create that heat and contain it on the filament. Unless an extensive heat sink apparatus is attached to the filament and routes the heat out before it reaches the glass which there is not.

IT DRAWS THE SAME WATTAGE AND AMPERAGE AS THE STOCK 9006 BULB IT REPLACES

This could be true if the mechanism described for its operation is correct.


I will say that the idea behind these bulbs is clever and I'm glad to see innovation. These things don't look like complete snake oil, but some of that page does. The real question is: If this was such a great product then why isn't it on the market anymore? The market tends to do a good job of weeding out failures and rewarding good ideas.

 

[Bill Kemp]

Well, whatever and however they do it the HIR bulbs are very bright.I had the Toshibas in the STS high beams and transfered them to the MKX high beams. They have lasted over 4 years. Best high beam bulb I have had.
I needed a real bright high beam bulb to visibly put out more light than the HID low beam which stays on when the high beams are on.
It seems that the Phillips are now brighter so I guess I"ll have to get some. They sound/read like a real good bulb.
I"ll let you know. Just ordered some.....

 

[C5Shark]

Take a look at the stock halogen bulbs. They are coated on the forward portion of the bulb. The stock housings are designed to reflect light emitted from the sides of the bulb. If there is no forward coating of course they will appear brighter because that light is just shooting out in an undirected fashion from the filament to your eyes. That doesn't mean the light is being placed on the road where you need it though.



Which explains this statement. If testing the intensity directly in front through the uncoated portion it would be higher. A more accurate reading would be in an arc from left to right across the entire beam width. This is like comparing the brightness of a spot beam and a flood beam. The flood beam will read a lower intensity, but it puts the light where you need it.



This is not physically possible. The filament and glass are linked by the halogen gas. Though they may not be in thermal equilibrium there is no way to create that heat and contain it on the filament. Unless an extensive heat sink apparatus is attached to the filament and routes the heat out before it reaches the glass which there is not.



This could be true if the mechanism described for its operation is correct.


I will say that the idea behind these bulbs is clever and I'm glad to see innovation. These things don't look like complete snake oil, but some of that page does. The real question is: If this was such a great product then why isn't it on the market anymore? The market tends to do a good job of weeding out failures and rewarding good ideas.

The coating referenced on that page is NOT the same coating found on the forward portion ont he 9006 bulb. The coating is applied to the whole bulb and the bulb does not have the coated "end cap" which is why housings with full glare shields are required when using these bulbs.

I can't say the glass does or doesn't get hotter, but there is not enough of a change to cause damage to factory housings.

These bulbs are still in production, just not by Toshiba anymore. These are the FACTORY bulbs in several models across multiple brands including the Dodge Viper and Chevy Avalanche.

 

[OneLever]

... which is why housings with full glare shields are required when using these bulbs.

Ah, I thought these were being placed in stock housings. Hence the brightness being like a spot light beam instead of the flood light beam of the stock bulbs. But with the money spent on new housings doesn't that negate the savings of HIR over HID?

These bulbs are still in production

A quick search of Advance auto parts, Napa, and Autozone turned up only one result for "HIR" : result. They did turn up on RallyLights.com though with some more useful information. And according to this other forum they were also being used in John Deere tractors awhile back. For another thread with a lot of information on the newer Phillips HIR2 you can check this thread which I've only glanced over.

Given their spotlight behavior in an unshielded housing I might consider using them for the high beams of an HID setup. Thanks for being a guinea pig Bill.

 

[Anime]

The real question is: If this was such a great product then why isn't it on the market anymore? The market tends to do a good job of weeding out failures and rewarding good ideas.

The automotive lighting market is fairly standardized, and so to debut a 'new' bulb on an "old" housing would likely cause too much confusion for it to go mainstream.

The 9011/9012 designation does make it appear to be "new", but it's obviously a redone 9005/9006.

It's confusing enough for people to go into a parts store and find the right bulb as it is, along with the choices between brands and the long-life/standard/brighter/whiter/bluer/etc. options as well. Add in a 9011/9012 HIR option to that (not to mention how similar that sounds to HID) and people would be even more confused.

The performance market where people buy this stuff can handle it just fine, but it's nowhere near the potential of mainstream bulb sales, so it's just not good business for a company like GE, Philips, or even Toshiba. The automotive lighting market is controlled by the big companies like Osram/Sylvania, Philips, GE, etc., so unless there is technology that is vastly superior, and will also net them a handy profit, there is no incentive for them to change over from continuing to produce the same halogen bulbs they have for years.

Though it's a great design and an improvement over halogen bulbs, at least of the single-filament variety, it likely won't replace halogens anytime soon, or at least until it's used on a newer base and some sort of designation makes it an HIR bulb instead of a halogen.

Automotive lighting technology seems to be going to LED anyway, so if anything replaces halogens, it might just be LEDs, skipping over HIR and HID for widespread mainstream use.

 

[Bill Kemp]

As mentioned, I have had the Toshiba bulbs in two cars. Both with HID projectors for the low beams and the Toshiba HIR for the high beams. Same bulbs for about 4 years or so. (I changed the bulbs from one car to the other when I changed cars.)
I ordered and installed the Phillips bulbs with the hope they would be brighter than the older Toshiba bulbs. Well...Not So.
I changed the right side bulb tonight and took the car for a ride. (Right side new Phillips/Left side old Toshiba) Down dark roads..Up against a wall..Looking at the lights from 25' away. I cant see any difference between the Toshiba and the Phillips bulb. They are both bright as can be but neither one is brighter than the other.
The HIR bulbs are definitely/visually brighter than the halogen. Well worth the money. So buy the cheapest Phillips/Toshiba ones you can find for your high beams.
Later....

 

[OneLever]

Thanks for the follow up I'll definitely keep them in mind.