Upgraded lighting questions for 09 Pontiac Vibe GT & 15 Chevy Trax

[vibenvy]

Hey everyone! I've spent the last couple hours reading through posts on here and was just wanting to get some further clarification on a few things...

My mom and I both have 2009 Pontiac Vibe GTs (headlights are in excellent condition because I keep them waxed) which use #9006 low beams (with glare shields), #9005 high beams and #9145/H10 fog lights. I am planning on getting the Philips HIRs for the low and high beams. How do I ensure I get the "good" ones?

As for the fog lights (again, in excellent shape), I've read on here about only using them when it's foggy, so for those rare occasions, what would be a good bulb to use?

Now, for interior (#194 & #31mm festoon), license plate (#194) & reverse (#921) lights, are there any recommended bulbs or should I just stick with the OEM halogens?

My dad recently got a new 2015 Chevy Trax LT which uses #H11 low beams (with glare shields) and #9005 high beams. I'm planning on Philips X-treme Powers for the low beams and HIRs for the high beams. Does this sound like a decent setup?

One last question, are there any decent #44mm festoon bulb upgrades?

Sorry for the long post, but I am wanting to get everything figured out so I can order everything at once. Thanks in advance!

 

[-Virgil-]

Welcome to the board. Your plans all sound reasonable and realistic, except for trying to upgrade the fog lamps -- there is no legitimate upgrade for them, and they should almost never be turned on anyway, see here.

Good Philips HIR2 is this one

Good Philips HIR1 is this one.

Good Philips H11 Xtreme Vision is this one.

Make sure all the headlamps and fog lamps are correctly aimed. Find a shop that has (and correctly uses) an optical headlamp aiming machine, rather than settling for a "shine on the wall" method.

For the 921 reversing lamps, try out these.

For the 194 bulbs, use these or these.

If a 42mm festoon will fit in place of your 44mm, and you have the width available in the lamp housing, nothing's better than this.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

Hey everyone! I've spent the last couple hours reading through posts on here and was just wanting to get some further clarification on a few things...

Welcome to the CandlePowerForums!

It looks like -Virgil-'s gotten you the clarification you need-- and it does sound like your plans are reasonable, especially that you're not trying to 'upgrade' the Trax' low beams with the wrong bulb type. I definitely also am with -Virgil- on leaving the fog lamps "as is" and turned off most of the time.

Those Philips 921 White Vision LED are just the trick for my '01 Corolla; I think you'll be happy with them. And that's an excellent price, too-- I may end up ordering some as a present for a co-worker and another friend.

 

[vibenvy]

Thanks again for all the help and info! I really appreciate it! I just want to verify that I'm looking at all the correct bulbs to order...

After doing some more reading on here, I've actually decided to give the HIR2 +30 bulbs from GM a chance in the low beams of my 09 Vibe. GMPartsCenter.net has them for $14.21 a piece and says they're in stock.

So, I am looking at these for the high beams of the Vibe and Trax.

I am looking at these for the fog lights (to only use when it's really foggy of course!).

And I am looking at these for the low beams of the Trax.

As far as the LED lights go, I think I'm just going to stick with the halogen bulbs for now. I'm very picky when it comes to things on my car not matching, so I know the difference in the colors of the lights would drive me nuts!

 

[-Virgil-]

Buying on Ebay isn't a 100% reliable way of getting counterfeit or otherwise undesirable bulbs...but it's pretty close. Not that Amazon is perfect on that front, but it's a lot better.

 

[vibenvy]

Well, I've bought stuff from the seller that lists the bulbs I linked before, so I know his stuff is legit...

 

[vibenvy]

So, my HIRs from GM arrived today! They're the Voslas which from some quick reading on here I've gathered are currently the "best" 9012 bulb available. I trimmed them and put them in. I can't wait to drive to work tomorrow morning. I also have an appointment with a local body shop to have the headlight aim checked for $25.00. I'll post back with my opinions on the Voslas. Thanks again for all the help and info.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I also have an appointment with a local body shop to have the headlight aim checked for $25.00.

For $25.00, they either just go "yarp, it's good" -- or they've got an actual headlamp aiming machine and know how to use it quickly and effectively. I hope it's the latter. My reasoning is that the "tape on the wall" method requires a new setup for each vehicle, the machine just rolls right up to the vehicle and a skilled user should be able to make short work of it.

 

[vibenvy]

It's a machine.

 

[Qship1996]

well, how were the new bulbs?????

 

[Alaric Darconville]

It's a machine.

Excellent. $25.00 well spent.

 

[vibenvy]

The Voslas are great! I still need to order the X-treme Visions for the Trax low beams and the HIR1s for the high beams of the Trax and both Vibes. I'm also considering the Philips 4000k LED bulbs for interior lights and license plate lights. I want the color of these lights to match the Voslas and HIRs, but if they don't, I'll just stick with regular halogens.

 

[vibenvy]

Are these any good or should I just stick with these?

 

[-Virgil-]

Those first ones you link are a very old design that tends to be physically very fragile. Get these.

 

[vibenvy]

That's pretty much what I figured. I just ordered 3 pairs of the ones you linked. Thanks again!

 

[vibenvy]

So, the Philips HIR1s arrived yesterday. They are legitimate Philips bulbs with the green plastic part on the backside. The Philips X-treme Visions arrived today. I have yet to drive either of the Vibes since installing the HIR1s in the high beams, however I did drive the Trax tonight. There was definitely a noticeable change in both the low and high beams. My dad was in the passenger seat and said he noticed the difference too. I am so glad I did my research and got the HIRs and X-treme Visions for all three vehicles! Thanks again for all the excellent information and advice!