Pelican Parts is known reputable retailer in the Porsche world for restoration as well as OEM and aftermarket replacement parts. I got an email about Phillips LEDs bulbs they have for the Porsches, so I decided to check out what they had for the Boxster since it uses the same H7s that the Kizashi does.
And I ran into this interesting bulb. It's Halogen, but 70w! Made in Germany by a company called 'Flosser':
http://www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/2 ... VSVSI=1055
Pelican also seems to carry LED retrofit kits from 'Dapper Lighting' but they seem like they're more for older car conversions, and didn't seem as nice as some of the other kits available out there.
70w Headlight Bulbs?!
Got to be careful with high wattage halogens. They create extra heat which damages harnesses, wires, and the headlight housing. I've even seen some start damaging the plastic lens of headlights. They also don't last very long as they are made for performance over longevity.
I'd only entertain them for use in auxiliary driving lights for offroad use but LED light bars have made these obsolete too.
I'd only entertain them for use in auxiliary driving lights for offroad use but LED light bars have made these obsolete too.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
As a high beam that's not often used, yeah, not so much of an issue. However, run them for hours at a time as low beams and you'll likely have heat-related issues over time. Also, in the US and Canada, the high beam bulbs are used as Daytime Running Lights with a pulsed width modulation. Basically, they are always on at a low power mode when the car is driven without the low beams on. This then can promote the wear of high performance bulbs that already have a short lifespan as is.gobster wrote:I use a cheap 100w bulb in my high beam and haven't had an issue.
The picture below depicts the DRLs in action.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
If you want a lighting upgrade, I'd suggest the Osram (62261SBP) or Flosser (12070) "80W" bulb. Last I knew, these are both an H9 bulb on an H7 base. This means you get about 2100 lumens as opposed to the 1400 from a standard H7. In spite of the "80W" labeling these are really a 65W H9 bulb, and the modest extra current is no danger to the factory wiring, nor is the small amount of additional heat a problem for the housings. This style "off road use only" bulb was previously sold as the 65W Osram Rallye H7, which I've run for tens of thousands of mile without issue.
As a rule of thumb, any halogen bulb with colored glass is generally just a style gimmick that just reduces the light output compared to the same design with clear glass.
As a rule of thumb, any halogen bulb with colored glass is generally just a style gimmick that just reduces the light output compared to the same design with clear glass.
Agreed. They are tinted to give off a whiter light but in the process are actually reducing their brightness. I believe if you want the look of HID, then get HID or LED instead of tinted halogens.bdleonard wrote: As a rule of thumb, any halogen bulb with colored glass is generally just a style gimmick that just reduces the light output compared to the same design with clear glass.
Before my LED high beams, I had the Osram Rallye H7s. These are certainly high performance halogens with an intense hot spot for superior high beam performance. Even in DRL mode, they were noticeably brighter than standard or other "high performance" halogens. However, I noticed that they did give off more heat than standard H7 halogens. One day, one of them stopped working so I looked into replacing them with an LED kit. However, when I actually got to replacing them, I noticed the high temperature harness to the bulb was just loose and the Rallye H7 bulb was actually fine. Nonetheless, I replaced the halogens with the LED kit.
High performance H7s like the Rallyes certainly are more focused and work better as long-range high beams but don't have the life of LEDs. Given I wanted a long-lasting solution running them as DRLs, I opted to go with LEDs. The LEDs are good as high beams, but don't have that focused and narrow long range throw of light like halogens.
I don't blame you given Kizashis down under not only have different wiring set-ups, it looks like the headlights are slightly different. I recall an Aussie member once posting a picture of his headlight and it was actually different in design than US models. We also never got factory HIDs while they were offered in other countries. It's been reported that Australian models can run their fog lights and high beams simultaneously. US models can't and the fog lights automatically turn off when high beams are on.gobster wrote:Yeah, I forgot that American cars have the DRL low beam.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
From what I recall, I think the NA model is the only one with halogens while all other regions got HIDs for the low beams. Hence why I eventually want to do a full factory headlight and front bumper swap to get factor HIDs on a NA car. It's been a long time since I've looked into this, but the parts might be more available now.
I think they were an option for other markets. Maybe the UK had them standard given they only got AWD models. However, halogens were the standard in Japan and I think Australia. North America was simply a market that never offered factory HIDs for the Kizashi.SamirD wrote:From what I recall, I think the NA model is the only one with halogens while all other regions got HIDs for the low beams. Hence why I eventually want to do a full factory headlight and front bumper swap to get factor HIDs on a NA car. It's been a long time since I've looked into this, but the parts might be more available now.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)