H9 & 9011 Headlight Bulb Upgrade

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Dad_Jokes

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Did this yesterday based on the instructions from the "other forum"<search Thunderbulb Upgrade>. Was actually super simple and did make a noticeable difference. I thought I took pics before, but I cant find them for compare so guess I'm already off to a 0 for 1 start on mod results. The original thread had lumen measures before and after showing that you'll nearly double your low beam lumens and get a 10-15% bump for your high beams. I didn't measure the lumens, but id believe it based on the naked eye results.

Nutshell version:
Low beams - swap the H11s to H9s(15w increase). This was the most difficult one, but definitely the most noticeable improvement. If you have a newer model 4th gen(i have an 18) you wont do anything to the actual bulb but will instead need to add a slot to your actual harness plug as the H9 has an addition tab/divider(stock only has a top, H9 has a top and bottom). First one i used a file to make a slot down the middle of the harness, on the second one i got smart and used my dremel to cut a slot in about 5 seconds. The original instructions mention needing to trim the metal tri tabs, but all you need to do is angle in the wider one first and the other 2 will twist right in. I promise it makes perfect sense once you look at the bulbs. Still took me all of 15 minutes to swap both bulbs. It seems some older 4th gens have the dual slot harness, if so this is even easier for you.


High Beams - Swap the 9005s for 9011s(5w increase). Super simple. You snip off about a 1/8" of plastic off the wider tab and it fits and plugs right in. Its plastic so i just used a pair of *****. Took a legit 5 minutes to do both.

Took me longer to get the grille and headlights out than to modify the bulbs and reinstall. Well worth an hour of time and ~$40 for a very noticeable improvement.
 

Graygoose

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yup did that on my 2015, huge simple upgrade!
 

Whiskerfish

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Did my 2019 Classic yesterday. Everything was as you described. I used a cutoff wheel in my dremel to make the slot in the connector and that worked perfectly. I used toe nail clippers for the high beam trim job. Easy peasy. Have not had it out at night yet but figure this will be plenty for me. The stock setup was not bad.
 

NH RAM

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Did that to my 2016 when I had it and it made a huge difference. Just make sure they're aimed properly because you're essentially replacing you low beams with high beam bulbs.
 

Slayer1962

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Silly question are there no plug and play upgrades for the standard bulbs? Has to be modified?
 

Hilldweller

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Did my 2019 Classic yesterday. Everything was as you described. I used a cutoff wheel in my dremel to make the slot in the connector and that worked perfectly. I used toe nail clippers for the high beam trim job. Easy peasy. Have not had it out at night yet but figure this will be plenty for me. The stock setup was not bad.
I tried over the weekend and couldn't get the white tab at the back of the lights to pull down ----- I mean, jeez, I yanked and yanked, got my forearms scratched and ****** from the trapdoor-of-doom. I undid the bolts in front and tried to wiggle it looser but no luck. I even took out the bolts by the tab.

What the dip am I doing wrong?
 

Quick_Shifter

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I tried over the weekend and couldn't get the white tab at the back of the lights to pull down ----- I mean, jeez, I yanked and yanked, got my forearms scratched and ****** from the trapdoor-of-doom. I undid the bolts in front and tried to wiggle it looser but no luck. I even took out the bolts by the tab.

What the dip am I doing wrong?

While your one arm is in the trap door of doom use your other arm to apply rearward pressure to the headlight assembly. Also someone could have installed it wrong and you may need to push up and not down. When all else fails use an interior trim tool (plastic) to pry it free
 

NJMOPAR

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I tried over the weekend and couldn't get the white tab at the back of the lights to pull down ----- I mean, jeez, I yanked and yanked, got my forearms scratched and ****** from the trapdoor-of-doom. I undid the bolts in front and tried to wiggle it looser but no luck. I even took out the bolts by the tab.

What the dip am I doing wrong?

You push the white tab UP to free the back tab on the housing. You pull it down to lock the housing in place.
 

kurek

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Silly question are there no plug and play upgrades for the standard bulbs? Has to be modified?

Almost any high performance bulb in the standard sizes are a significant upgrade, the factory bulbs I think are "Long Life" bulbs that run dimmer to run longer - so if you don't want to fool around with anything you can just buy the default size/style of bulb built for higher output and enjoy more light.

Lighting seems to be a personal prerogative topic like motor oil and tires so what you value in particular is subjective. I went with Wagner Night Defense H11 for the low beams and Philips Nightguide 9005 in the high beams, both are reduced glare bulbs but also produce more light than stock. It seems the most popular upgrade for maximum light are the Silverstar Ultras from Sylvania, I have not used that bulb so I cannot offer personal comment.
 

Hilldweller

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Got it done over the weekend ---- significant difference in the dark twisties.

But jeez. Whoever designed that lamp has earned a sharp poke in the eye if I ever meet them. It's a needless hassle to swap bulbs. You can swap the bulbs in my wife's car in under a minute.

It was pretty windy out so, naturally, one of the tabs that holds The Trapdoor Of Doom shut blew away. I found it as I was about to head off to the dealer to buy another one ---- I just happened to see it in the street. Little fella went on an expedition...
 
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