factory lights
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: FL
factory lights
hello. i was wondering if anyone has changed out the factory crap lights and put in a xenon looking type of bulb. if so, was it easy to do? what brand and type of bulb? thanks, adam
Pole Position
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: UT
Hi there - welcome to the forums. Yes, a few on this board have done replacment bulbs and also full HID retrofits. I personally did the 6000k XenonDepot H11 retrofit kit. Did it myself (took an hour or so) and it works great. Much improved over the standard halogens.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: FL
thanks for the info. if i wanted to go a less expensive route, being that i am unsure how much longer i will be keeping the gx, are there any particular "xenon" style light bulbs that i could purchase that are of good quality and relatively easy to install?
thanks
thanks
A real HId kit is not that much. Many here like the XenonDepot HID set. I just picked up the McCulloch set for under $250.00 shipped. I have read about failures with both and also the McCulloch are supposed to have a nicer light pattern. Neither appears to be as reliable as OEM from what I have read.
Last edited by Pearlpower; Apr 16, 2007 at 05:31 PM.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: illinois
HID look
Installed bulbs from Hoen (http://www.hoen-usa.com/). While they are not full fledged HID's, they have a very similar look. You can do both high and low beams for about $86.00. Again, while they are not true HID's, they do look good. Install time took about 30 minutes.
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Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: FL
I appreciate the knowledge, but if you couldn't tell, I know very little when it comes to technical terms pertaining to these lights. I got the Hoen link and I want to order bulbs, but I have no idea what size (2004 GX470) and what style. I am looking for something that is comparable to the blueish xenon look that is good quality but I dont want to switch out my lighting system and actually put xenons in. Can anyone recommend what Hoen style I should get and what size bulb?
Thanks
Thanks
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: illinois
On the Hoen site, there is a link to contact them via email. I did that and they responded very quickly with bulb sizes and lighting recommendations. Also, the person at Hoen that responded to me has a GX and indicated what he had put in his vehicle and why.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 8,790
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From: MA
The low beam on the GX is a H11 bulb, high beam is 9005 and fog lights are H3. I have tried the Hoen xenonmatch, xenrange and the PIAA extreme white. The xenonmatch is the whitest but has very poor light light output. The PIAA is not as white, about the same as factory as far as brightest but very expensive. The xenrange is on the yellow side and its just a little whiter than factory but has better light output.
When it comes to these kind of tinted bulbs, the whiter it is, the more tint it has, therefore less light output. Most of these bulb compensate for that with higher wattage, thus, shortening the life of the bulb. I have heard some good things about the new Sylvania Silverstar ultra bulbs, they are price about the same as the Hoen and you can buy them at pepboys. I might try out a set of those when my Hoen burns out or I might just bite the bullet and go for a HID kit. In the end, these kind of bulbs will only look like HIDs, but their light output is 3 times less than the real thing.
When it comes to these kind of tinted bulbs, the whiter it is, the more tint it has, therefore less light output. Most of these bulb compensate for that with higher wattage, thus, shortening the life of the bulb. I have heard some good things about the new Sylvania Silverstar ultra bulbs, they are price about the same as the Hoen and you can buy them at pepboys. I might try out a set of those when my Hoen burns out or I might just bite the bullet and go for a HID kit. In the end, these kind of bulbs will only look like HIDs, but their light output is 3 times less than the real thing.
Pole Position
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 219
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From: UT
If you are still in the market and decide not to do a true HID retrofit, my vote is for the Sylvania Silver Stars. I have had very good luck in the past with these bulbs. I used them on four prior vehicles. They are not going to mimic the blue/purplish look of a real HID, but they are much whiter than standard halogens and I believe it was achieved with no noticeable light output loss.
Plus, they are pretty economical (street price = $35-$45 per pair) as far as xenon "look" aftermarket bulbs go and I trust the Sylvania brand much more than I do some of the lesser known boutique brands (Sylvania is an OEM bulb supplier for several makes).
As a matter of fact, I have 9005 Silverstars in my GX for the high beams to complement my H11 low beam HIDs. Again, they don't look like true HID, but you do get a better light output.
Plus, they are pretty economical (street price = $35-$45 per pair) as far as xenon "look" aftermarket bulbs go and I trust the Sylvania brand much more than I do some of the lesser known boutique brands (Sylvania is an OEM bulb supplier for several makes).
As a matter of fact, I have 9005 Silverstars in my GX for the high beams to complement my H11 low beam HIDs. Again, they don't look like true HID, but you do get a better light output.
