It was done a few times years ago, reviews were mixed but in many cases nothing good came of it. That’s why better harnesses exist today.

 

They pull no more current then a standard bulb since they are designed to OEM specs so they will work just fine. If you want to see a major difference in the amount of light on the road upgrade your headlight harness.

 

uhh the same current??? P=IV, since these new bulbs are higher Wattage (P) and the car's system still puts out the same voltage (V) that means the current (I) has to go up. Bigger bulbs will pull need more current. This is what has the potential to kill stock wiring.

Even brand new stock wiring was barely enough to handle the stock wattage. (Save a couple cents per foot of wire and it adds up for a company.)
Now consider that that wire is 16+ years old and what its ability to carry current is.

Can you do it? Yes. Could it hurt? Maybe. Is it worth the risk? That's up to you. I wouldn't. I'd recommend the Innovative Wiring harness and 100/80 bulbs.

 

I just put some 45/65's in until i get Gary's harness in march.

 

Claimed light output is equilivant to 100/140 but they are still only 45/55w.

 

Ok that makes more sense then. I actually run treu 100/80 Hella's in mine but I have the upgraded harness too. I will admit the capsule's tend to get a little warm. Espcially during August when the nighttime low temp is 90.

-Brian

 

I've also running high amperage bulbs not high wattage bulbs but built my own harness with 10ga. wire.

 

Again I understand the improved harness but while following the laws of physics how can you increase the amperage while using the same voltage and not increase the wattage?

-Brian

 

I am going to answer your rhetorical question......... It's NOT POSSIBLE.

 

Wattage output of my bulbs are not equilivent but actual thus higher current requirements and larger ga. wiring harness required.

 

Wattage output of the bulbs are not equilivent but actual thus higher current requirements and larger ga. wiring harness required.

Bulb OUTPUT is measured in "Lumens" or Candle Power. Wattage is a measure of the bulbs current CONSUMPTION, not OUTPUT.

 

The bulbs that are rated to the equivilant of XX watt bulbs are worthless. They're jut increasing the color temperatue to appear brighter.

True 80/100 watt bulbs yes draw more power and will not play well with the stock harness. Hell the insulation on my stock wiring and stock bulbs was starting to melt to the copper core..

A harness is a wise choice on these cars. Even a harness alone on stock wattage bulbs will increase output because you're providing more (13.5-14v) voltage to the bulb over the OEM harness.

 

Listen to Buffman, good advice. Get a HD harness. Gary's, painless or make your own. 80/100 bulbs are sold all over. Those like PIAA that say they are equivalent to higher wattage are IMO not any better.

 

Upgrading your headlights is dependent on the quality of the parts used and the quality of the installation. You need to use high-quality automotive parts that are designed to stand up to the rigors of automotive usage. These components must be resistant to chemicals (oil, gas and solvents) found under the hood of every car, a wide range of temperatures (underhood and ambient), weather (rain, sleet, snow, salt, etc.), severe and prolonged vibration, etc. It will pay you in the long run to select only products from companies with well established reputations for quality and durability; a bargain no-name relay could easily fail you when it decides to die on a dark road somewhere, leaving you with no lights. Do not purchase vehicle safety components based solely on price! The cost of premium hardware is offset by the fact that this will be a one time purchase and you may never need to upgrade in the future. I recommend Gary's Quad Harness with four isolated circuits - one for each filament. He has based this harness on the best components that he could find. For 9004 bulbs, the very best lamp is the Autoram 80/100 watt bulb. For H4 bulbs, the very best lamp is the NARVA or Candlepower 100/130 watt "Scorcher" bulb.

The stock headlamp electrical circuit, using lightweight, high resistance contacts in the switch, 18AWG wire to complete the circuits, and excessively long wire lengths (running from the battery to the dashboard and all the way out to the headlamps), creates excessive voltage drop. These wires are inadequate even for the stock headlamp capsule, much less for higher wattage. Headlight bulb light output is compromised with lower voltage. For example, normal engine-running voltage in a "12-volt" automotive electrical system is around 13.5 volts. At this voltage, halogen headlamp bulbs achieve 100 percent of their design luminous output. When operating voltage drops to 95 percent (12.825v), headlamp bulbs produce only 83 percent of their rated light output. When voltage drops to 90 percent (12.15v), bulb output is only 67 percent of what it should be. And when voltage drops to 85 percent (11.475v), bulb output is a paltry 53 percent of normal! [Source: Hella KG Hueck AG, Germany].

 

Upgrading your headlights is dependent on the quality of the parts used and the quality of the installation. You need to use high-quality automotive parts that are designed to stand up to the rigors of automotive usage. These components must be resistant to chemicals (oil, gas and solvents) found under the hood of every car, a wide range of temperatures (underhood and ambient), weather (rain, sleet, snow, salt, etc.), severe and prolonged vibration, etc. It will pay you in the long run to select only products from companies with well established reputations for quality and durability; a bargain no-name relay could easily fail you when it decides to die on a dark road somewhere, leaving you with no lights. Do not purchase vehicle safety components based solely on price! The cost of premium hardware is offset by the fact that this will be a one time purchase and you may never need to upgrade in the future. I recommend Gary's Quad Harness with four isolated circuits - one for each filament. He has based this harness on the best components that he could find. For 9004 bulbs, the very best lamp is the Autoram 80/100 watt bulb. For H4 bulbs, the very best lamp is the NARVA or Candlepower 100/130 watt "Scorcher" bulb.

The stock headlamp electrical circuit, using lightweight, high resistance contacts in the switch, 18AWG wire to complete the circuits, and excessively long wire lengths (running from the battery to the dashboard and all the way out to the headlamps), creates excessive voltage drop. These wires are inadequate even for the stock headlamp capsule, much less for higher wattage. Headlight bulb light output is compromised with lower voltage. For example, normal engine-running voltage in a "12-volt" automotive electrical system is around 13.5 volts. At this voltage, halogen headlamp bulbs achieve 100 percent of their design luminous output. When operating voltage drops to 95 percent (12.825v), headlamp bulbs produce only 83 percent of their rated light output. When voltage drops to 90 percent (12.15v), bulb output is only 67 percent of what it should be. And when voltage drops to 85 percent (11.475v), bulb output is a paltry 53 percent of normal! [Source: Hella KG Hueck AG, Germany].

What do y’all recommend if you know anything about h11 &h9
I have a 2013 impala lt not an ss but I’m sure is the same harness? I’m still learning about this car… but looking for h11 and h9s

 

Go with LED bulbs. They use the stock amount of current but put out six times the lumens of halogen bulbs, thus no need to install a wiring harness.

Some folks say the LED bulbs don't have a good light pattern. This was true 4 or 5 years ago, but they have improved since then. I run the LED bulbs in both my cars that came with halogen bulbs, and the light pattern is excellent. And it doesn't blind oncoming motorists, either - I don't remember the last time I was high beam flashed in either of those cars.

One thing to watch out for with the LED bulbs. The bases have some electronics built into them, and thus are a little bulkier than the halogens. Depending on the brand, you might need as much as an extra inch of clearance behind the headlights. Although the bulbs I recently put in my tacoma were nearly the same size as halogen 9006's, so they're gradually solving that problem, too.

 

Great dude thank you. What lumen are yours and color?

 

Have a look at this video. With measurement the LEDs still do not match the correct filament bulb for pattern in a reflector headlamp. What no one talks about is the loss of light output as the LED heats up.
LEDs are not road legal in north america as each bulb must be tested in each reflector for DOT approval. The car manufactures and LED bulb manufactures have not done the certification testing on older cars.

 

Have a look at this video. With measurement the LEDs still do not match the correct filament bulb for pattern in a reflector headlamp. What no one talks about is the loss of light output as the LED heats up.
LEDs are not road legal in north america as each bulb must be tested in each reflector for DOT approval. The car manufactures and LED bulb manufactures have not done the certification testing on older cars.

Who cares? They work great and they don't bother oncoming traffic. Both the 2005 Toyota Matrix and the 2013 Tacoma have passed multiple inspections, so the inspectors obviously don't give a crap about them, either.

 

Take a look at this ad. These are the bulbs I just put in the Tacoma last week. So far they work great, and the photo showing the difference between LED and halogen is pretty realistic.

 

Those aren’t bad . I am actually looking at the ones that are rounded with leds all around. The ones I have been looking at are the x storm brand off of Amazon. They say 20k lumens combined and 6500kelvin but I’m not sure. A lot of people say 20k lumens is too hot and impossible to have run in a headlight. I’ve heard of a lot higher lumen flashlights so …

 

If you go with LED bulbs, make sure the diodes are orientated like the original 9004 bulb filaments- sideways instead of lengthwise. Most LED bulbs sold as 9004 replacements are the same as a 9007 that has the diodes arranged lengthwise. It does make a difference in the focus point on the reflector.

 

I'd have an issue with running LEDs if the newer cars didn't have the same damn problem. Those new toyota corolla's literally blind you and the same for many of the newer cars.

The stock lights on these cars felt like a safety risk driving at night cause I could not see till I swapped them out.

Obviously insurance maybe a problem, but then again so is all the mods done to the car..