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Hey guys,After looking at the 4th gen 9007 bulb upgrade thread,i decided to make the 3rd gen forum a similar thread with pics to help out..
The 9004/9007 bulbs share the same harness connectors,but the wiring is different..The 9004= high beam/low beam/ground...9007=high beam/ground/low beam...
Also,the 9007 bulbs key slots are different from the 9004 bulb housing..You can either cut the 2 bottom nubs out of your headlight housing,or cut slots in the sides of the 9007 bulbs to match the stock headlight housing nubs..
Instructions The middle wire[red/w yellow stripe] and the black wire need to be swapped Be sure to use solder on the wire connections to ensure a good long lasting connection..Then use electrical tape to shield the wires from each other.. I decided to my dremal tool to cut slots in the sides of the 9007 bulb instead of cutting the nubs out of my stock headlight housing,just incase i want to return to 9004 bulbs in the future,but i guess you could still use the 9004 bulb anyway..
i assume 9007's are brighter hence the need to do this?
Yes,the 9007 is 55 watt low beam/65 watt high beam..Compared to 9004/ 45 watt low beam/65 watt high beam..
But the biggest advantage of the 9007 bulb is how the filament is oriented compared to the 9004 bulb..The 9004 filaments shine from top to bottom of the headlight housing/vs the 9007 filament shines from side to side across the headlight housing..this concentrates more of the light from the bulb on the reflective material in the headlight housing..
So does this upgrade get your seal of approval, Wayne? And more importantly, do the new bulbs blind oncoming traffic, as hinted at in mikekantor's link?
So does this upgrade get your seal of approval, Wayne? And more importantly, do the new bulbs blind oncoming traffic, as hinted at in mikekantor's link?
Yes,it definitely gets a thumbs up from me..
As long as you adjust the headlights[usually down] they do not blind oncoming traffic..
After i done this mod,i drove my car directly to a large high school parking lot near my house to adjust my lights accordingly,that way i did not irritate half the town with my spotlights..
i think some of the other write ups incorporate the use of a relay. is that something unique to the wiring of the 4th gens? can the 3rd gens' harness handle the higher draw?
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October, 2009 - the conversion to electric begins. for sale - anything related to internal combustion is up for sale
I just did this same mod yesterday. Went from 9004 PIAA Star Whites to 9007 Phillips XtraBrights +30 bulbs and the difference is quite noticable. Sure the light is not a clean white like with the PIAA bulbs, but they are a bit brighter. Tonight I'll post a night pic of the adjusted 9007 bulbs in my '91 SE.
i think some of the other write ups incorporate the use of a relay. is that something unique to the wiring of the 4th gens? can the 3rd gens' harness handle the higher draw?
I'm pretty sure the relays allow you to bypass the stock wiring/and draw current directly from the battery,not sure though..
why not try fitting in 9012 HIRs? they're among the brightest halogen bulbs on the market. i don't know how hard it'll be though, since the base of the 9012's are 9006 based.
why not try fitting in 9012 HIRs? they're among the brightest halogen bulbs on the market. i don't know how hard it'll be though, since the base of the 9012's are 9006 based.
9006 bulbs are a completely different design from the 9007/9004 bulbs..
Also,the main point of this mod is it's simplicity to do,it took me all of 30 minutes to do this with marked improvement from the 9004's..In short,lets keep it simple..
Well I didnt read all of this Wayne but I will say that you made one mistake (well not really a mistake but not how I would have done it) by cutting and re soldering the wires.
Its very easy to take the wires out and swap them. Just take the orange locking piece off and remove the pins and swap them around. Thats what I did when I did the swap and it makes it much easier and you dont have to worry about your wires where you cut and reattached.
and also you can still use the 9004 bulb after cutting the nibs out of the housings (you really cant screw up putting the 9004 back in even with the other nibs cut since its pretty much common sense) so no need to really cut the bulb. This is easier because you dont have to cut new bulbs when you blow the old ones.
Just a couple of minor things I would (and actually have) done. I just dont like cutting factory wiring for anything...especially on old Nissans.
Trust me Nforce...even high watt quality 9004s do not match even stock 9007s. Dont believe me ask PA. When he bought my old 92 he said he would probably put his high watt 9004s in until he drove at night with my pretty much stock (cool blues I think) 9007s. They may appear just as bright but the light placement and the way it lights up the road beats the 9004 hands down.
I didn't mean changing the harness to power the bulb correctly, I've read on here about using a larger guage wire to the headlights to get a better output, I wasn't sure if you did that or not...
Its very easy to take the wires out and swap them. Just take the orange locking piece off and remove the pins and swap them around. Thats what I did when I did the swap and it makes it much easier and you dont have to worry about your wires where you cut and reattached.
and also you can still use the 9004 bulb after cutting the nibs out of the housings (you really cant screw up putting the 9004 back in even with the other nibs cut since its pretty much common sense) so no need to really cut the bulb. This is easier because you dont have to cut new bulbs when you blow the old ones.
Nice addition to the thread Michael. I may actually do this if I don't have to cut the harness.
__________________ 92 SE 5-speed - 96 S14 SE 5-speed
Its only like 22% extra, I'm sure its within tolerance considering the heat they get from being near hot engine parts and the radiator in the first place.
I can always count on micheal to critique my work..
sorry I dont mean to...I just dont like cutting the factory wiring on anything and try to find a way around it. I am also lazy and try to find the easy way to do anything
sorry I dont mean to...I just dont like cutting the factory wiring on anything and try to find a way around it. I am also lazy and try to find the easy way to do anything
Hehe..No problem michael,i was just bustin yur chops..
Swapping the wires around is actually the best way,i just never thought about taking the plug apart..
OK so I decided to get the sockets off my parts car in the woods to show how to remove the wires from the socket since it can be tricky.
the first step is to push down and out on one of the tabs that holds the orange clip in:
Next you do the same thing to the other side:
Here is a shot of the back of the socket without the clip in place (its been sitting in the weather for several years...yours will probably not have the junk behind it):
Next you will need a thin piece that comes to a point like a thick needle or something. This is important because you have to get under the clip or you will not be able to lift it...a thumb tack will work if its long enough.
you angle the tip down until you get under the clip that holds the wire in place and then lift up and pull the wire right out:
here is a pic of the wires out of the socket ready to be swapped:
here is a pic looking into the socket to show the clip that has to be raised to get the wire out (not the correct wire out but its just to show how the clip looks to give you a better idea of where it is):
Here are the wires swapped:
Here it is with the cap back on and the socket ready to be used:
96 Green A/T gone
94 Pathfinder POS GONE! | 79 Camaro sold
98 I30t Silver on black A/T gone | 96 Granite Pearl (AKA Purple) A/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 96 I30 Black gone
92 maroon VE A/T gone | 92 white VE M/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 6/84 L24E last of the RWD Maxima gone
has anyone tried the Hella optilux 9007 (apparently they're a 100/80w bulb)?
or would this be the definition of overkill?
I ran 100/80w in my VG for over 4 years without problems. They were noticeably better than stock but not as good as lower wattage 9007s. I used an upgraded headlight harness to avoid electrical malfunctions.
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