Discuss your 2000-2005 Bonneville SE, SLE, SSEi, Buick Le Sabre 00-05 and Buick Park Avenue 97-05. Please use General Chat for non-mechanical issues, and Performance and Brainstorming for improvements.
Hi All. I just replaced my stock 9006 low beams with the new Philips HIR2 (halogen infrared 9012) bulbs. Had to trim one of the tabs, but otherwise they are a perfect fit. the bulbs are not blacked out at the tip but my 2001 Bonniville has bulb covers in the light assembly so there is no problem. You can see the difference. The new bulbs are definitely brighter and whiter.
Ryan 2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD! 2002 Bonneville SE - The MuttComplete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD 2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH 1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one
MattStrike wrote:It was the worst week of my life! *pause, drinks beer... smiles* But I'm better now!
You'll like the light output from those. It's a huge improvement over stock. In most cases my high beams don't get used anymore. I've had mine for ~10 months and thoroughly enjoy the added light at night.
2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco - Current car
1999 Buick LeSabre Custom - Former car
Learn from the mistakes of others, that way when you mess up you can do so in new and interesting ways.
I like the difference! I was considering them for our car, and your pics help with the decision.
What is the marketing name for these bulbs? I read the archives on HIR vs. HID vs others, and found them on the internet; but the Philips website doesn't mention them (nor does Toshiba). I found that odd.
These phillips ones supposedly are not actually hir, they are basically a hopped up 9006 but no infared coating at all. I am interested to see the longevity of these however as the toshibas are getting hard to find
2000 ssei gone but not forgotten
Current fleet:
2009 G8 v6, 2009 Avalanche LTZ, 2013 Volt
I haven't looked at headlamps recently as I replaced the original bulbs about 2 years ago because they were dim (16 years old). I purchased Slyvania at that time because they were the only ones made in the USA at the retail outlet where I was. I was surprised when I removed the original lamps. They were the same as the ones I purchased.
Here is a link to the Sylvania web site with their marketing "propaganda". How accurate do you think Sylvania's claims are?
In Memory of Brad - 1/21/1977 .. 10/23/2013 ...... Aaron - 1977 .. 2017 .....
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport ..... 1992 Bonneville SSE 1SB 170 HP L27 4T60E retired/sold to MattStrike ..... 2005 Bonneville SE 1SC 205 HP L36 4T65E - retired/salvage yard ..... PBCF user 2321
swampthing wrote:These phillips ones supposedly are not actually hir, they are basically a hopped up 9006 but no infared coating at all. I am interested to see the longevity of these however as the toshibas are getting hard to find
It's not a "hopped-up 9006". It's technically an H7-based filament and envelope with an IR-reflective coating in a 9012/9006 base. No relation to a 9006 at all. They do have a faint yellow coating on the inside that's nearly impossible to make out with the naked eye.
The Philips 9011 is basically a hopped-up 9005. References in that thread on CandlepowerForums I posted.
I suspect they're not marketed to the general public since most of the folks out there balk at paying $80 for a pair of bulbs they then have to work on to make fit. They'd much rather buy short-lived plug-and-play SilverStars at Wal-Mart for $45 because they're "50% whiter" and can be purchased right from the shelf.
Mine have been going for ~10 months with no noticeable loss in brightness.
2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco - Current car
1999 Buick LeSabre Custom - Former car
Learn from the mistakes of others, that way when you mess up you can do so in new and interesting ways.
Yes. I bought mine from Amazon, Best price I could find. They do have an infrared coating hence the HIR in the designation, And they are standard 55 watt bulbs. Next I am going to disable the DRL so they will last a little longer.
raa1144 wrote:Yes. I bought mine from Amazon, Best price I could find. They do have an infrared coating hence the HIR in the designation, And they are standard 55 watt bulbs. Next I am going to disable the DRL so they will last a little longer.
That's it! Amazing, didn't know they were selling the 9012's now. Steer clear of the 9011's on Amazon, they're no better than 9005's.
Last edited by LeSabre in Buffalo on Tue Feb 15, 2011 8:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco - Current car
1999 Buick LeSabre Custom - Former car
Learn from the mistakes of others, that way when you mess up you can do so in new and interesting ways.
Iirc the toshiba 9011s are the highs to get. For the best performance from either, definately install a relay harness. HIRs respon particularly well to increased voltage.
02 SSEi-Turning money into tire smoke, very efficiently.
