Headlight bulbs

Does anyone have a recommendation for LED low/high beams? I know most will probably point me toward diode dynamics but being a graduate student, I cannot justify $150 on headlights! I have seen options on amazon but am unsure of the quality. I have HIDs in the car (aftermarket) and one is on its way out. So, I figured I’ll try something new and go LED like my girlfriends ‘17 forester has (those lights are great!). Please, leave your suggestions and experiences with the product you recommend! Thank you everyone!

Return it to stock. The rest of us on the road will thank you.

 

That is, unless you did a proper retrofit. Did you?

Return it to stock. The rest of us on the road will thank you.

X2. Stock H11 halogen bulbs are less than $10 each and are 100% legal. H9 halogen bulbs are less than $10 each, put out ~60% more light than H11s, are "almost" plug-and-play, and are otherwise mechanically and optically identical to the OE lamps. H11 bulbs do include a glare cap missing from the H9s, but that's a moot point when they are used in projector housings.

Jdm astar LED bulbs are great. There 6500 k white color and 4000 lumans each. Really good I start on. Had an Impreza with all jdm astar lights and now going to be upgrading the legacy to all jdm astar bulbs. I just bought my wife a set of H4 bulbs for her cube. They run $50-$100 depending on which generation you choose. I've used the older gen 4 bulbs and they are awesome.

gathermewool; no, I did not retrofit for the HIDS. Just threw them in. Never got “high beamed” by anyone (I live in Boston, people will ABSOLUTELY high beam you here LOL) I have passed inspection with them as well just last month. For me, I was pleased with the HID output, just looking for a cheaper alternative without going to halogen. For some reason, my stock halogens were terrible. Hence the upgrade.

 

ammcinnis; Thank you for that information. Very informative! As previously mentioned though, I felt the stock halogens were just super weak in output (I even upgraded to Sylvania Silverstar halogens, to no avail) perhaps it’s just me. I don’t know haha.

 

Chillwill007; if I were to spend $100, I may as well go the extra $50 and get the ones from diode dynamics. Thank you for the input nevertheless. I will look into them!

 

I am very pleased with the factory LEDs on her forester. I assume the only way to get that kind of output would be by doing a retrofit?

gathermewool; no, I did not retrofit for the HIDS. Just threw them in. Never got “high beamed” by anyone (I live in Boston, people will ABSOLUTELY high beam you here LOL) I have passed inspection with them as well just last month. For me, I was pleased with the HID output, just looking for a cheaper alternative without going to halogen. For some reason, my stock halogens were terrible. Hence the upgrade.

 

ammcinnis; Thank you for that information. Very informative! As previously mentioned though, I felt the stock halogens were just super weak in output (I even upgraded to Sylvania Silverstar halogens, to no avail) perhaps it’s just me. I don’t know haha.

 

Chillwill007; if I were to spend $100, I may as well go the extra $50 and get the ones from diode dynamics. Thank you for the input nevertheless. I will look into them!

 

I am very pleased with the factory LEDs on her forester. I assume the only way to get that kind of output would be by doing a retrofit?

X2. Stock H11 halogen bulbs are less than $10 each and are 100% legal. H9 halogen bulbs are less than $10 each, put out ~60% more light than H11s, are "almost" plug-and-play, and are otherwise mechanically and optically identical to the OE lamps. H11 bulbs do include a glare cap missing from the H9s, but that's a moot point when they are used in projector housings.

 

I've done HIR upgrades before and they are 100% worth it. Just enough of an upgrade to make it worthwhile, but not enough to piss everyone else off.

gathermewool; no, I did not retrofit for the HIDS. Just threw them in. Never got “high beamed” by anyone (I live in Boston, people will ABSOLUTELY high beam you here LOL) I have passed inspection with them as well just last month. For me, I was pleased with the HID output, just looking for a cheaper alternative without going to halogen. For some reason, my stock halogens were terrible. Hence the upgrade.

 

ammcinnis; Thank you for that information. Very informative! As previously mentioned though, I felt the stock halogens were just super weak in output (I even upgraded to Sylvania Silverstar halogens, to no avail) perhaps it’s just me. I don’t know haha.

 

Chillwill007; if I were to spend $100, I may as well go the extra $50 and get the ones from diode dynamics. Thank you for the input nevertheless. I will look into them!

 

I am very pleased with the factory LEDs on her forester. I assume the only way to get that kind of output would be by doing a retrofit?

 

I've made a point of high-beaming vehicles for which I know the make and what the output from each light should be. Why? Because every single forum I've signed up to has guys like you, who say they've never been high-beamed before, so their mod must be fine. It's simply not a valid argument.

I've done HIR upgrades before and they are 100% worth it.

H9s are not HIR, they are standard halogens that trade higher light output for shorter lamp life and slightly higher power consumption, in an identical form factor.

I have regular wattage H9s in my low-beams now. Took about 30 minutes with a dremel and some sandpaper to make them fit. They work great!

 

Note: Please do not try the 100W+ H9s as the wiring is probably not rated for that. Stick to standard 65W bulbs. That is all anyone should need.

 

Anyway, once the H9s wear out, I might try the Diode Dynamics LEDs. Either way, the projector beam housing provides the low-beam cutoff, so you should be find sticking just about anything in there. Just be sure what you buy provides a good hot spot in the center of the beam.

H9s are not HIR, they are standard halogens that trade higher light output for shorter lamp life and slightly higher power consumption, in an identical form factor.

 

Whoops! Thanks for the correction.

I have regular wattage H9s in my low-beams now. Took about 30 minutes with a dremel and some sandpaper to make them fit. They work great!

If you want to avoid the Dremel-and-sandpaper routine and achieve true plug-and-play convenience, I recommend using short (i.e. 6-inch or less) H11-to-H9 adapter harnesses. You can buy them off Amazon.com for less than $10 a pair.

 

Here is a link to the adapter harnesses I've used successfully in both our 2015 Legacy and 2016 Outback: https://www.amazon.com/iJDMTOY-Extension-Harness-Sockets-Headlights/dp/B00TXRWOPA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2. They do require a simple one-time modification to the male connector for true-plug-and-play compatibility with H9 bulbs. Using adapter harnesses also keeps the OE headlight connectors cool, which may help extend their lifetimes.

Running the Carlightdistrict.com Helios H11 in the wifes Legacy Sport low beams. Nice upgrade and maintains a nice clean cut off.

Yeah but like I said I use the gen 4 bulbs which are only $50 and they work great. A friend of mine has a set of gen 2 bulbs from jdm astar and they where only like $30 something. And they looked great too. Just harder to find the gen 2. The $100 ones are gen 8 bulbs. which im to cheap to pay for lol.

If you want to avoid the Dremel-and-sandpaper routine and achieve true plug-and-play convenience, I recommend using short (i.e. 6-inch or less) H11-to-H9 adapter harnesses. You can buy them off Amazon.com for less than $10 a pair.

 

Here is a link to the adapter harnesses I've used successfully in both our 2015 Legacy and 2016 Outback: https://www.amazon.com/iJDMTOY-Extension-Harness-Sockets-Headlights/dp/B00TXRWOPA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2. They do require a simple one-time modification to the male connector for true-plug-and-play compatibility with H9 bulbs. Using adapter harnesses also keeps the OE headlight connectors cool, which may help extend their lifetimes.

 

So, I bought these, and the construction is terrible. I noticed after the fact that getting a good pair is very hit or miss. I'm going to send them back and get some Diode Dynamics LEDs.

Kindly do not put a cheap HID or LED kit from Amazon or Ebay or ultracheapsuperbrightlightsofdeath.china.net in your vehicle unless you want other motorists to justifiably take a sledgehammer and/or flame thrower to your car.

So, I bought these [adapter harnesses], and the construction is terrible.

Sorry to hear that, but thanks for the feedback. The ones I received were acceptable quality, but that was a couple of years ago.

I've been running these for Low:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07545LPH6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Very nice cut-off and they honor their warranty.

 

These for Hi:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07546M96P/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

There's another thread for addressing the DRL issue.

Kindly do not put a cheap HID or LED kit from Amazon or Ebay or ultracheapsuperbrightlightsofdeath.china.net in your vehicle unless you want other motorists to justifiably take a sledgehammer and/or flame thrower to your car.

 

Agreed. These are the ones I was looking at from Diode Dynamics:

 

https://www.diodedynamics.com/h11-sl1-led-headlight-pair.html

 

Someone also mentioned HELIOS which look promising:

 

https://www.carlightingdistrict.com/collections/led-conversion-kit/products/helios-headlight-kit

 

I prefer the lower color temp of the DD, but to each their own.

Sorry to hear that, but thanks for the feedback. The ones I received were acceptable quality, but that was a couple of years ago.

 

Earlier this year I bought a pair of adapters that ammcinnis linked to; no obvious issues upon receipt and have been running them since then w/no issues. This mod was a no-brainer for me; I'm very pleased with the adapters + H9 results.

Mruby87,

 

Being a student myself, I was hesitant to drop the money on Diode Dynamics products (low and high beams for my ‘15 legacy were $298) but I can safely say that it was the best decision. Originally I bought LED’s from XenonHids.com and they flickered like crazy. I immediately returned and purchased the SL1 LED conversion from Diode Dynamics for both low and high beams for my car and could not be happier. Visibility at night has increased ten-fold and the projectors send more light towards the right shoulder so I can spot the deer before they spot me! Would highly recommend them and warranties are fair. Good luck!

 

 

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Mruby87,

 

Being a student myself, I was hesitant to drop the money on Diode Dynamics products (low and high beams for my ‘15 legacy were $298) but I can safely say that it was the best decision. Originally I bought LED’s from XenonHids.com and they flickered like crazy. I immediately returned and purchased the SL1 LED conversion from Diode Dynamics for both low and high beams for my car and could not be happier. Visibility at night has increased ten-fold and the projectors send more light towards the right shoulder so I can spot the deer before they spot me! Would highly recommend them and warranties are fair. Good luck!

 

 

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Awesome! Thanks for the review. It seemed like these would be among the best LEDs for the Legacy's projector beam headlights, but I couldn't find any specific examples of people trying it. Hopefully the headlight design didn't change much from 15 to 18.

Awesome! Thanks for the review. It seemed like these would be among the best LEDs for the Legacy's projector beam headlights, but I couldn't find any specific examples of people trying it. Hopefully the headlight design didn't change much from 15 to 18.

 

 

 

I have a ton of diode products in my legacy at this point but the headlights are by far my favorite. From what I can tell, the design style hasn’t changed and they have continued with the zh11 and 9005 bulbs. You might be able to find someone selling them from this forum or another online marketplace for cheaper.

 

 

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Mruby87,

 

Being a student myself, I was hesitant to drop the money on Diode Dynamics products (low and high beams for my ‘15 legacy were $298) but I can safely say that it was the best decision. Originally I bought LED’s from XenonHids.com and they flickered like crazy. I immediately returned and purchased the SL1 LED conversion from Diode Dynamics for both low and high beams for my car and could not be happier. Visibility at night has increased ten-fold and the projectors send more light towards the right shoulder so I can spot the deer before they spot me! Would highly recommend them and warranties are fair. Good luck!

 

 

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Interested in some night time pics if you don’t mind. I was at a crossroads between morimoto 2.0 2stroke or the diode dynamics... ended up going the morimoto route.

 

 

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Interested in some night time pics if you don’t mind. I was at a crossroads between morimoto 2.0 2stroke or the diode dynamics... ended up going the morimoto route.

 

 

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I’ll try and get some photos tomorrow night after work! Stay tuned...

 

 

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