Are these Bosch 9012 HIR bulbs real HIR ??

Alaric Darconville

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Are these bulbs the real deal as in they have the reflective metal inside to generate more light??
If the bulb meets the standard for the HIR1 or HIR2 (filament size, position, precision, filament luminance, luminous flux and all those things), the bulb *IS* by definition an HIR bulb. The infrared reflective coating is not part of that specification.

The ones that use the HIR coating require incredibly tight tolerances to manufacture-- the slightest misplacement of the filament can result in the infrared not bouncing back to the filament properly, even if the filament is otherwise precise enough to preserve the lamp's light distribution.

I have a 9006 and modified to use 9012 Sylvania xtra Vision which were quite good but pricey.
You can get the Vosla +30 bulbs here and save a little money vs. the packaged-by-Sylvania Vosla bulbs.
Depending on what you drive and/or your lamps' condition and aim, the HIR2 may not be a the best option.
 

-Virgil-

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Bosch does not make bulbs. They sell bulbs, but who made them (and at what quality level) is anybody's guess. The Vosla HIR2+30 is available in a GM box at a good price, and that's a dependably good quality, good performing bulb.
 

weedkill3

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Bosch does not make bulbs. They sell bulbs, but who made them (and at what quality level) is anybody's guess. The Vosla HIR2+30 is available in a GM box at a good price, and that's a dependably good quality, good performing bulb.


I drive a 2002 Toyota Avalon. The lenses are clear. The Xtravision 9012s were great but lasted less than a year!!! Was going to order the Volsas 30+ but I read in another thread here Volsa has a 120% one coming out so I'll wait.

Going to powerbulbs.com, Osram has a new line of Laser Night breakers, but I believe they are not HIR.
 
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Alaric Darconville

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I drive a 2002 Toyota Avalon. The lenses are clear. The Xtravision 9012s were great but lasted less than a year!!!
Unless you drive primarily at night, that sounds like a rather short lifespan, even for a +30 HIR2.

Going to powerbulbs.com, Osram has a new line of Laser Night breakers, but I believe they are not HIR.
They aren't. The Night Breaker Laser bulbs I see there are H1, H3, H4, H7, H8, H11, HB3, and HB4. None of those bulbs are HIR1 or HIR2 bulbs.

Note that an HIRx bulb need not have the Halogen Infrared coating to be an HIRx bulb. Rather, it must meet a physical, optical, and electrical specification to be such a bulb.
 

Alaric Darconville

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Well, just looked at the datasheet for the +30
From Vosla https://www.vosla.com/wp-content/uploads/datasheets/28432 - HIR2 +30 12V 55W PX22d.100.pdfDatasheet
B3: 300h @13.2V
B3: 150h @14.0V
B10: 360h @13.2V
B10: 180h @14.0V
Tc: 500h @13.2V
Tc: 250h @14.0V

Compared to their datasheet for the standard HIR2:
B3: 500h @13.2V
B3: 250h @14.0V
Tc: 900h @13.2V
Tc: 450h @14.0V

and "Long Lifetime"
B3: 900h @13.2V
B3: 600h @14.0V
B10: 680h @14.0V
Tc: 1300h @13.2V
Tc: 830h @14.0V

There's also a +120. Very short life:
B3: 150h @13.2V
B3: 75h @14.0V
B10: 200h @13.2V
B10: 100h @14.0V
Tc: 300h @13.2V
Tc: 150h @14.0V

All this is consistent with the optimizations meant to put a smaller, hotter, more intense hotspot in the center of the filament. It improves beam focus and 'punch' for that extra light in the hotspot, and it shortens filament life dramatically.
 

Sadden

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And mine are seeing 14.8v via some 10awg and a relay harness lol!

I probably wont go to the +120 when they become available unless i can get them cheap, I basically do my lowbeams spring and fall, i dont want too be changing them twice a winter.
 

weedkill3

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And mine are seeing 14.8v via some 10awg and a relay harness lol!

I probably wont go to the +120 when they become available unless i can get them cheap, I basically do my low beams spring and fall, i dont want too be changing them twice a winter.


Wow forget the Volsas, I'll stick with the Philips LLs.
 

TechGuru

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Are these bulbs the real deal as in they have the reflective metal inside to generate more light??

The price seems great.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LGT85G/?tag=cpf0b6-20

I have a 9006 and modified to use 9012 Sylvania xtra Vision which were quite good but pricey.

I get my Philips 9011's from RockAuto for $9.12 each (order the Wagner and you get Philips (https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=574139)) and I get my Philips 9012's from a EBay seller that sells them for $11.24 a pair. I'll message you the ebay link since the staff don't want ebay links posted. They are the real deal, I've even sent photos to Philips for verification.
 
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-Virgil-

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I get my Philips 9011's from RockAuto for $9.12 each (order the Wagner and you get Philips

If you buy Wagner you get Philips rejects, is what you get. Not worth the "savings".

Also, Philips doesn't offer the really good HIR2 (9012) bulbs. Those come from Vosla, either in an expensive Vosla box or an affordable GM box.
 

TechGuru

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If you buy Wagner you get Philips rejects, is what you get. Not worth the "savings".

Also, Philips doesn't offer the really good HIR2 (9012) bulbs. Those come from Vosla, either in an expensive Vosla box or an affordable GM box.

What is your information source on that? If they don't meet HIR2 spec they should be destroyed not sold for resell. Even Sylvania's for $29.99 each from AutoZone say Philips on the bulb. Are those rejects also?

Sylvania BasicHeadlight says Philips HIR2LL on them
Sylvania XtraVision says Vosla HIR2+30 on them
Sylvania SilverStar says Vosla HIR2 Blue on them
Sylvania SilverStar Ultra actually says Sylvania on it, same with ZXE.

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I realize because the Philips are "LL" (LongLife) they may not be as bright as regular 9012 and especially the Vosla 9012+30 but since they're being modified to go into a 9006 lamp housing they're certainly "bright enough". If they were going in a actual 9012 housing I'd certainly consider opting for the Vosla +30 but their life expectancy is a bit concerning.
 
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-Virgil-

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What is your information source on that?
The primary source for this info is not public information, but is quite reliable -- and it shows up in the much-vaunted real world, too; see threads like this one. Beyond that, Wagner's entire lighting line has prioritized low price rather than high quality for many years. And beyond that, the proof is right there in the RockAuto listing, where the Philips-made bulb sold by Wagner is half the price of the Philips-made bulb sold by Philips. They're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.

If they don't meet HIR2 spec they should be destroyed not sold for resell.

I'm sure they'll get right on that. :)

Here is a quick lesson in how this actually works: bulbs that meet all the legal specs and meet an automaker's internal spec, which is virtually always stricter than the legal spec, get sold to the automaker for use as original equipment. Bulbs that meet all the legal specs get sold to the automaker for use as original replacement parts, and get sold as premium aftermarket parts. Bulbs that come pretty close to meeting all the legal specs get sold as standard aftermarket parts. Bulbs that come pretty close to meeting most of the legal specs get sold as economy aftermarket parts (Wagner tends to sit right about here). Bulbs that light up get sold as generics and off-brands. This is not unique to light bulbs; it works the same way for wiper blades, brake pads and rotors...really, almost any kind of auto parts you might want to name. And it's not unique to the US market, either. There is an enormous auto parts manufacturing industry in China, for example. They send their best parts to Europe and other markets where ECE type-approval applies. The parts that won't pass the Conformity of Production requirements in the ECE regulations, they send to the US market. Our system sets up a situation where faulty parts are very unlikely to be looked for, very unlikely to be found, very unlikely to spark a recall order, and if one is issued it's easy for an importer to slink out of reach (bankruptcy, etc) and evade the recall. And yes, there are second-line (and even third-line) parts from Japan, from Germany, and from pretty much every other country that manufactures items.

And even if we ignore that hierarchy and pretend we live in a world where all bulbs on the market meet the spec...the spec is really pretty wide. Consider an HIR2, which has an output spec of 1700 lumens +/- 15% at 12.8v. That "+/- 15%" means there is a 30% allowable range in output. 1445 to 1955 lumens, equally as legal. Same applies to HB4 (9006), that is 1000 lumens +/- 15%, so 850 to 1150 lumens, equally as legal. The advantage of being on the higher end of the allowable spec is obvious. And there's a tolerance for each and every dimensional specification, too, for filament size, shape, position, orientation, distortion, etc. A bulb that just barely meets those is going to give much worse headlight performance (poor beam focus = less seeing and more glare) than a bulb that's right smack-dab-on-the-nose to every spec. Both of those bulbs are equally as legal, but it's false economy to buy the $11 bulb that just barely meets the spec instead of the $19 bulb that meets the specs well.

Even Sylvania's for $29.99 each from AutoZone say Philips on the bulb. Are those rejects also?

No.

I realize because the Philips are "LL" (LongLife) they may not be as bright as regular 9012 and especially the Vosla 9012+30

There is no "may" about it.

but since they're being modified to go into a 9006 lamp housing they're certainly "bright enough".

That's a fair point, but why leave potential seeing ability on the table? Most vehicles on the road have a severe deficit between what the driver needs and what they produce in terms of low beam light.

I'd certainly consider opting for the Vosla +30 but their life expectancy is a bit concerning.

Which would you rather buy and pay for? This bulb for under $20? Or crash repairs and medical bills?
 
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Alaric Darconville

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I get my Philips 9011's from RockAuto for $9.12 each (order the Wagner and you get Philips)
You get a Philips-made bulb, but it's a factory second. Sometimes it's hard to see the difference between the two, other times it's rather glaring.
See the images in this post.

The bases still says Philips because they're not going to reprint them-- that just costs more money to do.

They are the real deal, I've even sent photos to Philips for verification.
Genuine Philips factory seconds in many cases.
 

don.gwapo

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Any updates on the Vosla +120? I drive to work 5-6 days a week for around 25 miles early in the morning (I starts at 2:00am). I'm currently using the +30 and would like to use this as a upgrade from the +30's.
 

mikered30

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Any updates on the Vosla +120? I drive to work 5-6 days a week for around 25 miles early in the morning (I starts at 2:00am). I'm currently using the +30 and would like to use this as a upgrade from the +30's.


I have the +120 for about a month, small improvement over the aging +30 I had, but not enough brightness to justify the cost. If they come stateside and way down in price, I would probably get them. I doubt these will last a year with my driving style and DRL usage.
 

430driver

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Which would you rather buy and pay for? This bulb for under $20? Or crash repairs and medical bills?

I notice the local Advance Auto Parts has Sylvania 9012 XtraVision pack of 2 for $47 plus they have 25% coupon. Looking at the back of the bulb it does have "Vosla +30". Can I assume this is the same quality bulb as the GM/AC Delco 23342527? I am thinking that these are the factory reject like the Wagner, right?
 

-Virgil-

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The Sylvania Xtravision-packaged Vosla HIR2 +30 is the same as the GM ACDelco-packaged Vosla HIR2 +30 is the same as the Vosla-packaged Vosla HIR2 +30. Among those three, pick by price.
 

430driver

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Thanks for confirming Virgil!

Just fyi, if you looking at eBay. There are some which has the correct AC Delco part #, but the bulb is the LL (long life) instead of the +30. Just make sure you ask for the picture of the bulb where it shows the label if you decide to buy via eBay (I am not recommending buying at eBay). I was just curious because I see some on eBay which were pretty cheap.

That is one reason I like buying from Advance instead of over internet, I can see the bulb itself before I hand over my money.
 
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mikered30

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I have the +120 for about a month, small improvement over the aging +30 I had, but not enough brightness to justify the cost. If they come stateside and way down in price, I would probably get them. I doubt these will last a year with my driving style and DRL usage.

Update on these, the +120 burned out in about 8 months, which was about 8000 miles, no clue how many hours it was, as the low beam on my vehicle are my DRLs. I replaced the burned out one with a +50, couldn't tell a difference with the aged +120 vs the +50 as they shined on the garage door. I will just stick with the +50 as they are easy to get.
 
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