H11's Are Terrible - Any Options Available?

[RWEST]

My new Taurus "X" has H11 low beams. An absolute disgrace!!

Grayish/brown beam that illuminates very little. Fortunately, I can use the fog lights to help, but I'd like to do something with those junky H11's. Any ideas?

I read somewhere that H9's can replace the H11's. Anyone know if that will work?

 

[BTLew81]

Any chance of an acceptable HID retrofit kit?

Otherwise, search for some "white" H11 bulbs. Ebay can help here.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Yes, you can use H9 in place of H11. According to Daniel Stern:

"The H11 has different base keys than its H9 high-beam and H8 fog lamp counterparts. Somebody goofed on the spec, though, for the difference between H11 and H9 base keys is insufficient; it's too easy to install an H9 bulb where an H11 belongs. The difference in light output between these two designs is enormous (1350 lumens from the H11, 2100 from the H9), so putting an H9 in place of an H11 will obviously cause the lamp to produce a lot more light."

Very good quality Narva or Osram can be purchased for $12 from danielsternlighting dot com. You can also learn about auto lighting from him too.

 

[UG_Passat]

Originally Posted By: RWEST
My new Taurus "X" has H11 low beams. An absolute disgrace!!

Grayish/brown beam that illuminates very little. Fortunately, I can use the fog lights to help, but I'd like to do something with those junky H11's. Any ideas?

I read somewhere that H9's can replace the H11's. Anyone know if that will work?


....it's an issue more with a [censored] headlight design. Putting a brighter bulb won't fix the primary issue

 

[97prizm]

RWEST,

Have you tried to polish the lenses? I did that and it seemed to help. Secondly I don't know how new your Taurus is, but if it's more than 5 years old or so the wiring harness can corrode causing more electrical resistance thus lowering the voltage that your bulbs will get which significantly lower output. Try ordering a new headlight harness from rallylights.com This should really help you

 

[kkreit01]

^ I'm thinking "new" in his case really means "new" (< 1000 miles). 2008 was the first model year for the "Taurus X" name. As long as the H9s are of the same wattage, I would try them (based on Stern's writing).

 

[bprimerano]

Originally Posted By: 97prizm

RWEST,

Have you tried to polish the lenses? I did that and it seemed to help. Secondly I don't know how new your Taurus is, but if it's more than 5 years old or so the wiring harness can corrode causing more electrical resistance thus lowering the voltage that your bulbs will get which significantly lower output. Try ordering a new headlight harness from rallylights.com This should really help you


Measure your battery voltage and the voltage at the bulb, with the lights on, and you'll know what the drop due to the harness is.

 

[HTSS_TR]

H9 is 65W and H11 is 55W, the difference is only 10W.

Looking at the bases of H9 and H11, you can use H9 in place of H11, but you can not use H11 in place of H9 without modifying the H9 connector.

 

[HTSS_TR]

H9 is 65W and H11 is 55W, the difference is only 10W.

Looking at the bases of H9 and H11, you can use H9 in place of H11, but you can not use H11 in place of H9 without modifying the H9 connector.

For only $12/each (plus shipping) it is not too expensive to try it.

 

[rg200amp]

Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
Originally Posted By: RWEST
My new Taurus "X" has H11 low beams. An absolute disgrace!!

Grayish/brown beam that illuminates very little. Fortunately, I can use the fog lights to help, but I'd like to do something with those junky H11's. Any ideas?

I read somewhere that H9's can replace the H11's. Anyone know if that will work?


....it's an issue more with a [censored] headlight design. Putting a brighter bulb won't fix the primary issue



+1
My lincoln LS has H11 low beams. They are very bright, and very effective.

You should try the H9, it may help some.

I know when my lights dye, im going to try the H9s.

 

[meep]

did this with my 02 accord.

1. trimmed the socket on the bulb with a dremel.

2. the high beam bulb casing is slightly narrower than the low - added a ring of tinfoil around the o-ring for tighter fit.

3. Used in this manner with $8 osram lamps, the bulb life is significantly and consistently shorter. I run lights during the daytime and regularly burnt out every 6 months.

It was not an insignificant increase in lighting, and the bulb cutoff was the same. Note: the honda lamp assy has a built-in bulb shield - the H9s aren't metal-tipped quartz.

M

 

[RWEST]

Stern recommended the H9's, so I'm gonna give 'em a try.

The car's only a couple weeks old, less than 300 miles on it. Really frustrating having to fix an OEM issue. I had the same problem with the previous Feestyle (basically the same vehicle), but there were SilverStars (9007's, if memory serves) available for it.

 

[DaveL]

My V70 has H11 low beams and they seem pretty good, though I do plan to try the H9 upgrade when the current bulbs die.

By way of comparison, I have done various upgrades in all my other cars (04 Accord, 01 Forester, and 98 Sable) before the bulbs died because I was unhappy with the lighting, but I don't feel the need to jump the gun on the V70 with the H11s.