Long-life H11 bulbs?

[Benzadmiral]

When I bought the Regal in early 2014, I wasn't happy with the stock headlight bulbs. On the Regal board on Buickforums.com, someone recommended the Wagner Night Defense bulb, and I thought I'd try 'em. After only a year, one burned out this weekend. I've gone back to the original bulbs, and kept the remaining Wagner as a backup for now.

The Wagners were pretty bright, and they may have cast more light down the street. But changing bulbs on this car is an endurance contest, especially the driver's side. Not only do you have to remove some parts, it's still viciously cramped for an average size hand.

So I'd rather not have to do it again soon. What sort of H11 bulb has a long life and is reasonably bright?

 

[wymi516]

Have had good luck with Philips bulbs.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-H11-12V-55W-PH...0c7&vxp=mtr

 

[901Memphis]

The osram/Sylvania made in Germany H11 long life bulbs are probably what you want.

There seems to be a good deal going on Amazon too. The Phillips long life are good tool but pricey.

http://www.amazon.com/Osram-Sylvania-H11-Headlight-64211L/dp/B007X4FD7Q

 

[Bandito440]

The brighter, fancier bulbs have significantly shorter lifespans. I just buy the standard Sylvania bulbs now. Their lifespan is double or triple what the Silverstars cost. For my 9005, the standard lasts 300 hours, the premium just 100.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: Bandito440
The brighter, fancier bulbs have significantly shorter lifespans. I just buy the standard Sylvania bulbs now. Their lifespan is double or triple what the Silverstars cost. For my 9003 HB2, the standard lasts 300 hours, the premium just 100.


Yes that's true, and the long life bulbs have are slightly less bright but they can have much longer life due to this. It's all a sacrifice between light output and life, and when a bulb is hard to change the long life bulbs are a sure bet.

Here are the Phillips H11, but the Osram are a much better deal.

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-12362llc1-Longlife-Bulbs-55w/dp/B005L9EZX8

$23 for a pair of Osram or $70 a pair for the Phillips.

 

[Bandito440]

I guess it was 9005 Sylvania bulbs that I bought.

Anyhow, I wonder if an LED kit would be beneficial. Superbrightleds.com usually has quality stuff, and they stock H11 LED kits.

I've never used one, but I'd be interested to see how well they work, since quality LEDs would outlast the vehicle.

 

[wrcsixeight]

Please do not put LEDs into incandescent housings on an on road vehicle's forward lighting.

Their glare is obnoxious as the reflector and lens cannot properly do the job with a non filament light source.

No matter how much self important chest thumping the person who does such an illegal unsafe modification does.

I am sick of being blinded by these ignorsnt self important fools for whom rules apparently do not apply. I now have a ghastly amount of optional High beam lumens for retribution, and hope I never use them for such a purpose.

 

[buck91]

best drop-in replacement bulbs I've found are the "Xtreme" line by Philips. There is Extreme Vision and Xtreme Power, but one basically is newer and replaced the other.

I have run them in a number of vehicles with not just improved optics but very good lifespan (though since they are higher output they should not last as long as OEM). In fact, my old '96 Mustang still has the some bulbs from 5+ years ago AFAIK (sold it to family member).

 

[Rand]

Osram night breaker unlimited.

made in germany. Good stuff.

Powerbulbs has a 2 pack for 44$ and they have 20% off frequently.

beware fake bulbs, powerbulbs is a genuine supplier

 

[HTSS_TR]

I bought Phillips Long Life H11 for Volvo V70 but didn't use it yet, waiting for current Osram standard H11 burnt out.

The reason I bought long life bulb is the same as yours. It is very time consuming to replace the low beam bulb on both driver and passenger side. And Volvo' DRL uses low beam at full brightness, therefore the regular bulbs can burnt out after a year or so.

 

[Hokiefyd]

None of the higher power bulbs will be to the OP's liking if "long life" is the priority. In truth, the OEM bulbs are "long life" bulbs, and they should last for many, many years. As noted, long life bulbs aren't generally as bright as aftermarket replacements, but the trade off is, obviously, less frequent replacements.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: buck91
best drop-in replacement bulbs I've found are the "Xtreme" line by Philips. There is Extreme Vision and Xtreme Power, but one basically is newer and replaced the other.

I have run them in a number of vehicles with not just improved optics but very good lifespan (though since they are higher output they should not last as long as OEM). In fact, my old '96 Mustang still has the some bulbs from 5+ years ago AFAIK (sold it to family member).

Ah, if only these were "drop-in" bulbs! They're more like "cramp up while you wiggle them with your fingertips in a tight space, while leaning over to see if you're getting it in place" bulbs.

I guess I'll pick up a pair of the Sylvania OEM-type bulbs as a backup, and stick with the ones that came with the car

 

[caravanmike]

I am changing the H-11's on my brothers 2010 malibu this weekend and eyeing the sylvania standard H-11 with rated life of 270 hours.

Is 270 hrs considered a long time? Like other posters in this thread, this is a difficult to access location with the whole bumper cover needing to come off.

I couldn't find philips hour rating for their standard H-11.

Orielly auto parts does have a brand Eiko H-11 with a rated life of 550 hours.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: caravanmike
Is 270 hrs considered a long time? Like other posters in this thread, this is a difficult to access location with the whole bumper cover needing to come off.


Think about it this way. There are 365 days in a year and about 250 work days.

Do you use your headlights an hour a day? More in Winter and less in Summer?

 

[caravanmike]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Originally Posted By: caravanmike
Is 270 hrs considered a long time? Like other posters in this thread, this is a difficult to access location with the whole bumper cover needing to come off.


Think about it this way. There are 365 days in a year and about 250 work days.

Do you use your headlights an hour a day? More in Winter and less in Summer?

to me that doesn't seem that long?

What came from the gm factory lasted 5 years, and don't forget the H-11's double as drl's at less voltage (malibu model). I was pleased with the factory bulb life!

 

[HangFire]

You're right, it's not that long.

Factory LL bulbs have incredible lifetimes, after 5-7 years then we start replacing at least one bulb a year for the rest of the life of the car.

Of course LL bulbs are available if you look for them. I don't seek them out because they start out a bit dim and the longer any bulb lasts, the weaker it gets. But I don't need something that burns out in 6 months, either.

 

[NYSteve]

If you have halogen projectors with a cutoff shield, you can run H9s. A little trimming of the tabs are needed but a quick google search will show you.

 

[HTSS_TR]

H9 life is much shorter than H11.