What low beam bulb size does the 2009 TCH have from the factory?

Does this size differ from earlier models like 2007 or 2008?

Novice Questioning!

 

2007, 2008 and 2009 Camrys have H11 55 watt Halogen bulbs for the low beams.

 

In many states, almost every modification to the lights is illegal. It isn't just a matter of how well can I see. It is also a matter of not blinding the other driver by projecting too much light into his/her eyes.

When you buy replacement lights, you have to look for labeling on the package that says it meets "DOT" requirements or standards. If the light does not meet DOT standards, it is illegal in every state. If the package says anything along the lines of "for show or off-road use" or "check state and local laws before use" it is almost certainly not DOT approved, and not legal for street use.

In Florida, where I live, almost any modification to lighting is illegal. This includes smoked lense covers, different colored lighting, and aftermarket headlights that are not identical to the original. Any light source that is not DOT approved is prohibited. Other states have similar laws.

The level of enforcement, of course, is variable. In many places, the police are too busy with "real" problems to spend time on silly things like lights. But if you do something that the officer doesn't like, he/she can decide to use that excuse to pull you over and write a ticket.

And of course, if you have a collision, the presence of illegal equipment on your car will very likely be detected. The illegal equipment can be a factor in deciding liability.

 

Oh, there is one other DISADVANTAGE to LED bulbs, or in some cases even HID headlight bulbs. The HEAT/cooling cycling of the on/off periods of high(er) wattage incandescent bulbs will have a greater effect in moving airflow in and out (HEAT expands, coolling contracts the air) of the light assembly and thereby helping to remove any moisture incidentally entering the assembly.

 

Back to the OP, has anyone seen the Sylvania SilverStar H11 in stores in the US? They are listed on their site as being recommended for the TCH, but I can't find any evidence anyone sells them online and don't want to drive around to every store in town. Thanks.

 

I saw on osram.com (European parent company of Sylvania) that the OSRAM Night Breaker is up to 90% brighter than a standard bulb, which whereas the European SilverStar is 50% brighter than a standard bulb. note, the European Silverstar is equivalent to the SilverStar Ultra in the US, which is also marketed as up to 50% brighter than a standard bulb. Presumably the reason the Night Breaker isn't available in the US is due to stricter laws in the US, which may be why we haven't seen the SilverStar H11 since a SilverStar H11 doesn't exist in Europe, so they would have to engineer one to meet the US specs. The OSRAM Night Breaker H11 is available online with free shipping to the US for around $35 a pair. So, no sense waiting for the US approved version of the SilverStar when there is already something better available today.

 

Has anyone used MTEC H11 Golden bulbs in their fog lights?

 

On the other hand MOST modern day halogen bulb projector beam assemblies make use of the same apperture shading design as HID projectors have always used.

If so then your primary low beam problem, complaint, is the VERY sharp upper beam pattern cutoff provided by that apperture. Most newer bi-xenon systems have a way to "flip" this apperture out of the beam path in high beam mode.

So, using a higher wattage, brighter, bulb may not have the result you would expect.

 

Willard,

Give it a rest. This thread is almost a year old, I have been using H9 bulbs for 18 months, have never had anyone complain and they throw a lot more light, low on the road than the stock H11 bubs.

If you want to run gas lighting from the 1890's and warn people to get out of your way with an old squeeze bulb horn, go for it, as that is YOUR choice to make. Like I said in an earlier post, we will just agree to disagree on this. You are not going to change my mind and it looks like I will not be able to change yours. We do agree that HID's in the stock halogen projectors are not the way to go. Let's leave it at that.