Ugly Yellow DRL Questions (5th Gen)

Hey all-

 

So I have been replacing all of the halogen lighting that gives off somewhat of a yellow hue for LED White 5000k around the license plate, dome, door, and back-up lights. I am enjoying the brighter night transformation of my car.

 

There is one light I would like to tackle next and those would be the YELLOW COLORED, DRL (DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS). I have some questions below. If anyone could help me, I would gladly appreciate it!

 

 

1)Does anyone know how to change the color of my "Yellow/Halogen DRL's" that are stock in a 2011 Legacy to a more brighter "white" or "white-blue" look?

 

2)What bulb is used in the headlight fixture to run the DRL's?

 

3) Has anyone replaced them with LED Lights?

 

Any commentary or expertise on the matter is welcome. Thanks!

subscribed.

Isn't your highbeam your DRL on lower wattage?

^^yup.

Really? The DRL's are the same bulb as the high beams on low

Power? Any recommendations on a brighter bulb to swap old ones

Our with? There are a few companies I have seen in these forums

That offer LED ones for the 9005 size bulb. I have also heard about

Of some others that "claim to be bright" but I'm not sure which is best.

 

Oscram Night Breakers?

Oscram Cool Blue?

Phillips 65w 5000k?

 

I have no idea how long the brighter bulbs last...

 

I don't think I'm ready for HID retrofit or conversion because I'm too

Ignorant on the subject and feel a bulb swap might be my easiest bet.

 

Ideas? Comments? What's your take?

Osram nightbreakers. Don't put HID's in your highbeams.

HIDs are not a good solution for high-beams.

 

1) HIDs take several seconds to warm-up before reaching full brightness, this makes them un-suitable for things like flashing your brights

 

2) HID ballasts probably won't work well with the current Subaru DRL implementation, where the DRL is simply driven at a lower voltage.

 

LED lights are unlikely to be able to provide sufficient brightness to act as a true high beam. Sure, you can buy an electrically compatible replacement, but it'll put out less light than the OEM bulb.

I'm pretty sure the DRL is you low beam (9007) run at lower voltage, not your high beam. The high beam is a separate lamp altogether (HB3). Pretty much any 9007 with Blue glass will give you a whiter light. I tried the cheapest thing I could find on Ebay out, and it is much whiter. I would suggest staying away from HID because of the ballast. Just for kicks, I'm actually going to try out some LED's in the High beam since I never use them anyway.

Crap, just noticed you have a newer model. Oh well, what I said doesn't all apply.

^Don't use LED's in your highbeams. The one time you'll need them, you won't even see them.

look up the bulb on your owners manual (9005???) and get something like it in platinum or hyper white from headlightbulbs.com.

 

i just did my fogs and DRL's / hi-beams in 9005 and 9006 yellow bulbs from them.

 

*note: i have a WRX, NOT a Legacy though. you will have to get the bulb numbers and check your wattage because the 5th Gen Legacy is NOT listed. FYI.

Hi all, I just picked up some Philips Crystal Vision Ultras for my DRLs and Low Beams for my 2013 Legacy. I'm looking to get some LED Switchbacks for my Turn Signals, but am wondering if I should bother changing the Parking Lights to LED as well so they're a closer match?

 

Thoughts? I'm looking at the bulbs here, but not sure which ones to get.

 

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/led-vehicle-replacement-bulbs/vehicle/2012-subaru-legacy--parking+light/59-675--526915/

Ordered Osram Nightbreakers 9005 for highbeams

today after reading so much about fake bulbs I decided

To order from what I believe to be a reputable seller.

My order came with free Osram parking lights. Anyone

Ever use powerbulbs.com ? Saw cheaper on eBay but not sure if it's

Reliable.

 

I will update this feed on this

Forum with comments and pics when I get a chance to install them

After I get them. I already know that they won't last a quarter

As long as OEM bulbs but that is the price for fashionable bulbs.

Fashion comes at a price. I just hope the fender is easy to pull out

To install them...

Q: @kfig5:

 

I have a 2011 Legacy 2.5i... Are all the bulbs the same on a 2013?

Just looking for anyone with info on how to turn off the daytime running lights on my 2011 legacy. Any info will be much appreciated.

Just looking for anyone with info on how to turn off the daytime running lights on my 2011 legacy. Any info will be much appreciated.

I think I can add to this topic. I'm a regular at an Outback forum and just joined this forum since Outbacks are extremely similar to Legacies.

 

The DRLs are the high beam 9005 (HB3) bulbs run at a lower power. With the engine running, I measured the high beams at 13.9V. I measured the DRL to be run at 8.6V. This is with the engine running (the only way to test DRLs), so I think these are actually 12V and 6V respectively.

 

I have tried LEDs in there and used them for a couple weeks before I wanted my high beam function back. Sometimes it's good to be able to flash people. The LEDs I use are just like these:

 

http://store.ijdmtoy.com/CREE-High-Power-SMD-9005-9006-LED-Bulbs-p/sku-4n.htm

 

They function just fine as DRLs in my 2012 Outback. But I must warn everybody that the lowest row of LEDs (closest to the plug) on these particular bulbs get partially blocked by the reflective housing of the high beams. They look nice in lower light situations, but aren't too noticeable in bright sun light.

 

I wondered how they'd look at a full 12V (or 13.9 per my measurements). I found these modules that will convert the low voltage DRL to 14V.

http://www.v-leds.com/Exterior-LED/DRL-LED/White-LED/V-LEDS-9005-PLUG-N-PLAY-p6297704-1-3.html#ReviewsTabAnchor

That was just today and I haven't ordered them. Not sure if I will...

 

As a compromise, I am currently using Putco halogen 9005 6000k Nitro Blue as DRLs/high beams. At full brightness, they are more yellow than my 4500k HIDs, so I think 6000k is a bit of a stretch, but they are quite white (maybe 4000k). As DRLs (~8.6V), they are still yellowish - almost not worth it although they are a tad whiter than the stock halogens. I had the same results with Philips Crystal Vision bulbs. The bottom line is that even the blue tinted halogen bulbs at low voltage look yellow. I should also add that they don't throw out as much usable light as the stock halogens, so their use as high beams are compromised for the sake of barely whiter light.

 

So there you have it. Hope that helps. That's where I stand right now with a car whose headlights are identical to the current Legacy. I want to retain high beam functionality, but have white light DRLs. I'm not sure if both can be achieved at the same time.

 

I have subcribed to this thread to see if anything develops.

Ordered Osram Nightbreakers 9005 for highbeams

today after reading so much about fake bulbs I decided

To order from what I believe to be a reputable seller.

My order came with free Osram parking lights. Anyone

Ever use powerbulbs.com ? Saw cheaper on eBay but not sure if it's

Reliable.

 

I will update this feed on this

Forum with comments and pics when I get a chance to install them

After I get them. I already know that they won't last a quarter

As long as OEM bulbs but that is the price for fashionable bulbs.

Fashion comes at a price. I just hope the fender is easy to pull out

To install them...

 

If you have received your bulbs already, I'm sure you've figured this out. You won't have to pull the fender liner to install the high beams. The driver's side is right there, and you'll have to remove the "cold air" part of your intake to access the passenger side.

 

For low beams, you will have to pull the liner and it's no fun. You have very little space to stick your hand in, so you'll have to work blindly. Some people pull the bumper and remove the entire headlight for easier access.

install a CREE LED for the parking lights in the front and disable the DRL - I will be installing new projector fog lights that will have a halo of LEDs around them and I will be linking the LEDs to the parking lamp - picture coming soon..

 

but this should solve the problem.

 

as posted above i would not recommend replacing the HB3 high beam lamp either.

install a CREE LED for the parking lights in the front and disable the DRL - I will be installing new projector fog lights that will have a halo of LEDs around them and I will be linking the LEDs to the parking lamp - picture coming soon..

 

but this should solve the problem.

 

as posted above i would not recommend replacing the HB3 high beam lamp either.

 

Assuming you disabled the DRLs by disconnecting the DRL resistor, you can try this; cut the +V power going to the front parking lights and splice the lead from the bulb into the +V for the high beams. Leave the ground wires alone. Now, your front parking lights will function the same way the stock drl/high beams do with the benefit that they'll always be at full power. Cheap and easy.

Assuming you disabled the DRLs by disconnecting the DRL resistor, you can try this; cut the +V power going to the front parking lights and splice the lead from the bulb into the +V for the high beams. Leave the ground wires alone. Now, your front parking lights will function the same way the stock drl/high beams do with the benefit that they'll always be at full power. Cheap and easy.

 

 

 

since the parking lights are on all the time, you would essentially have HB3 lights/high beams on all the time too -- other cars might not be too happy with you

since the parking lights are on all the time, you would essentially have HB3 lights/high beams on all the time too -- other cars might not be too happy with you

 

No you wouldn't because the ground wire for the HB3's would be left untouched. If the DRL resistor is disconnected then it's circuit isn't grounded (and no light). That's why you tap the power before the headlights and have separate grounds for each creating a parallel circuit. Remember, the DRL relay and resistor is on the ground side (after the bulb) of the circuit.

 

24. Headlight System.pdf

since the parking lights are on all the time, you would essentially have HB3 lights/high beams on all the time too -- other cars might not be too happy with you

 

...unless of course you misunderstood what I wrote. You're not taking the power from the parking lights and applying them to the DRLs, it's the opposite, you're taking the power from the DRLs and applying them to the LED front position lights.

thanks, I'm going to be trying it out this week, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

...unless of course you misunderstood what I wrote. You're not taking the power from the parking lights and applying them to the DRLs, it's the opposite, you're taking the power from the DRLs and applying them to the LED front position lights.

thanks, I'm going to be trying it out this week, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Here's how it looks wired the way I described...

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4438943&postcount=73