Hello All,

Sorry if this is a redundant post, but I was wondering what type of a headlight socket fits the TC? I was looking to install the xenon lights but didnt know what type of bulb to get. Is it the 9600 like the camry? Please help.

Thanks.

 

The correct bulb size for the low beams is 9006. High beams are 9005 sized.

Don't convert to HID lamps in a standard reflector. HID lamps source the light differently than a halogen bulb. The optics were designed with a halogen bulb in mind. When you switch to a HID bulb, the light is in the wrong spot, and so when it reflects off the reflector, the beam distribution is all messed up.

If you must get upgraded headlight bulbs, try using Sylvania Xtravision bulbs (Silverstars have a coating on them that reduces output. The coating that makes them look "white" blocks out certain colors which reduces total light output).

Another bulb option is to use HIR2 bulbs. They can be used in the tC, but you have to modify the tab on the base of the bulb to fit. HIR2 bulbs are the only significant light upgrade you can safely perform in a stock headlight housing.

 

Thank you very much for your input. Will look into the sylvania ones. Is it just a "plug and play" type of attachment or do I need to make any modifications? Thanks.

 

plug and play if you get the 9006 for the lowbeam, there is also a trick where you can put a high beam 9005 in the 9006 socket after sanding the tabs in the bulb base. I did this on my integra and saw a huge improvement in light output, and they have lasted over a year, but some people will say they don't, but they do in my experience. That would be the chapest and most effective light upgrade.

 

Would the 9005 be a direct fit for the low beam socket? How would I go about sanding the tab into the bulb base? Caould u give me more info?

How much fwould the bulbs cost? The sylvania ones? What would you recommend?

Thanks for your inputs.

 

i heard that if you do that, you might fry/melt the wiring harness... i told my friend about putting 9005 into the lowbeams... and a few days later read about it doing something with the wiring harness and he got scared... he also has an integra

 

You could use high beam bulbs in the low beam socket. The bulbs themselves have a circular base with tabs along the edges. The arrangement of the tabs differs from the high beam bulb to the low beam bulb. You can sand down the tabs on the high beam bulb to fit it in the low beam bulb socket. The plugs on the end remain the same.

However, to do this safely, you might need to upgrade the wiring to the headlights. A higher wattage headlight will demand more current through the wires and if the wires are too small, they can overheat and eventually catch on fire. It is not that hard to put in thicker wiring as all you have to do is splice in a relay from the factory wiring and use that relay to control the upgraded lines running directly from your battery or alternator to your headlight. Use an inline fuse as an adding measure of safety on the thicker power cable running to the lights.

Another thing that you can do is to run HIR2 bulbs. The wattage remains the same, so you don't have to cut up your wiring, but the bulbs output much much more light. The bulbs run about $30 apiece, but they are even brighter than the high beam bulb. You still have to file down the tabs though like puting in a high beam bulb. Since the tC's headlight is VOL, which means that there is a sharp horizontal cut off of the beam pattern on the left, you won't blind oncoming traffic. However, you have to make sure your headlights are properly aimed or it can glare other traffic. Remember, having bright headlights is great, until other drivers lose their night vision and careen into your lane.

If you don't want to be bothered with all this, I would just get a pair of Sylvania Xtravisions and call it a day. They don't last as long as stock bulbs, but they are about 15 to 20% brighter. If you can live with that, I would get them. Silverstars are just Xtravisions with a blue coating on the bulb. That blue coating means that the increased output is pretty much negated. Silverstars are a lose-lose situation. Light output at or below stock levels, need to be replaced more often, and are more expensive to do so. I can't see why people keep on buying them.

 

Wow... thanks a lot for explaining all those things. Really appreciate it. I will try to figure out something and will surely let you know how it went.

Thanks again.

 

I'm a true noob driver. Well I'm 17 so..
Anyway.. I got a question about head light. When I'm getting my tC, first thing I would be doing is adding silverstars on my tC. Should I change both the low beam AND high beam. My friends said that he only changed 1 bulb for his civic, but i believe civic has only one socket(I could be wrong).
And isn't driving with high beam illegal?
PLZ help

 

Don't install Silverstars. You pay $50 for a set of ____ poor headlight bulbs. They look brighter, but that is an optical illusion. Tests with a light meter have shown that Silverstars will produce less light than stock.

If you want to truly upgrade your lighting, go get a set of Sylvania Xtravision bulbs. They will actually output more light than stock. Not much, only about 15%, but it is still more light.

Silverstars have a filter on the bulb. This filter will reduce your light output. There is no way a bulb with a filter can perform better than a bulb without one.

Here's a picture (click for larger):



Now which bulb do you think will output more light? The normal bulb without a filter on the left or a Silverstar with that dark filter on the right? (hint: it's not the Silverstar)

 

Yeah, in retrospect, the filter on the bulb increases the "temperature" of the light, which has to do with the COLOR of the light being emitted. Color temperature has nothing to do with light output, or lumens. Higher temp bulbs usually have a lower lumen rating.

 

dude, wut r u talking about.....installed HID kit on my tC, no distortion, no wrong displacement of the light, nothing wrong at all....looks perfectly fine, bright as can be, looks like the car was made with HID's in mind

 

where can you get thise HIR2 bulbs? i have the silverstars got them for nothing so why not lol but i am looking for a better bulb

 

You can get them from http://www.danielsternlighting.com/ Just email them and they'll give you a price. Ebay also has them on occasion.

 

He knows what he's talking about, because what he is saying is correct. The light source is completely different from what the halogen housing was designed for(HID uses an arc while halogen uses a filament). I'll point you to this link for further explanation: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html

This is why the only way to do it (and the proper way) is through retrofitting.

 

Yep, you can also get them from Candlepower. Strangely enough, it was Stern himself who sold me the bulbs at Candlepower so I guess he works there and also runs his own website, or maybe they are one in the same.... or he probably just gets em from Candlepower and resells them I dunno(who cares, right?) But remember, you're ordering for a Viper! (If you don't know what I mean by this, read my post I had on HIR2 bulbs)

People say that my lights are really bright and comment how well it lights up the road, and I've had no one flash me telling me they're too bright. Nevertheless, they're still nowhere near D2S and D2R territory.

 

So silverstar sux?
I heard they were the best white light bulbs.

 

No, you don't have to lie to Daniel Stern. I asked him over email if HIR2 bulbs were acceptable in the tC headlight. He said that since the beam patter of the tC is VOL, that is, it has a sharp horizontal cutoff on the left side of the beam, it would be okay to run HIR2 bulbs on the tC as long as the headlights are properly aimed.

To get a better idea of what I mean by the sharp beam cutoff on the left, go drive up next to a wall and turn on your lights. If look at the very top part of the beam, you'll note that it is shaped like this: ____/

With this sharp cutoff on the left, the chance of glaring other drivers is greatly reduced.

Futher, the HIR2 bulb in the tC headlight does not pose as great of a risk of glaring others because of the outer headlight lens. Stern has said that the lens uses GE's "edge glow" polycarbonate. This plastic is like a very low filter on the headlight housing. The net result of this lens material is that there is unfortunately less light output over clear material. There are four different types of edge-glow plastics that could be used and it is impossible to tell which one Toyota choose to employ in the tC. However, from GE's own testing of a headlight using these different materials, this is what they found:

Clear: 413 lumens
Blue 1: 398 lumens = 3.6% loss
Blue 2: 346 lumens = 16.2% loss
Blue 3: 293 lumens = 29.1% loss
Blue 4: 259 lumens = 37.3% loss

So, no matter what we do, the output of our light is going to be slightly decreased due to the use of the edge glow lens on the headlight. This also reduces the output of the HIR2 bulb. So while the HIR2 is a much more powerful bulb, the sharp cut off point and the light reducing headlight lens will make the HIR2 an acceptable choice.

However, no matter what, you cannot safely replace the headlight with an HID system. Unless there will be a direct factory option for HID lamps, I recommend that you save your money rather than risk glaring other people.

 

Nope, they are pretty bad. At best they are at about stock levels, at the worst they are far below what you can find stock. The whole white light being seen as brighter is an optical illusion. Independent tests with a photometer showing specific lumen output has shown that bulbs such as Silverstars and PIAA perform pretty badly.

 

LOL Well, he said to me "I'm not gonna sell 'em to you if they're not for a Viper" so I said to him they were for one. Well, guess when I decide to get replacement bulbs I won't have to lie! I did feel a little guilty lying, wishing I really did have a Viper (wouldn't we all..)

Anyhow, excellent information you've posted up above. Amazing how much loss is resulted from Blue 4...I never knew it was that much.