Hi all. First post for me, but I've been a reader of the boards here for a couple years now. I have an 05 WRX Wagon and night driving on dark roads just seems like a pain due to the short distance of visability. Does anyone else think the headlights just don't project far enough? I've done some searches and looked at reviews, but I just wanted to see if I could get some opinions on what some of you might have done to either replace the bulbs, full headlights, etc. Thank you very much in advance.

 

depends on how much you want to spend..Some may suggest going to a full STi set up... or merely getting brighter bulbs

 

Do brighter bulbs make much of a difference in the stock headlight setup? I didn't know the STI headlights were that much better. I will check those out. Thanks for the quick response.

 

Your headlights are halogens, the STi lights are HIDs.
You can try replacing the low beam H1 bulbs with upgraded ones, but for truly improved lighting performance don't buy the ones at the store (i.e. Sylvania Silverstars) which have a blue coating and do not really give better lighting. Look online for Osram Silverstars or Philips Vision Plus, these bulbs will provide more usable light with the stock wattage. If you're still not happy after replacing the bulbs start shopping for a set of the STi lights, used ones turn up occasionally in the Private Classifieds here and at NASIOC. They won't be cheap though.

 

I went with PIAA bulbs in both my low beams and my fogs, I love em, they are a definite improvement, a whole lot whiter/brighter...A little pricey as far as bulbs go (about 70-80 a pair), but cheaper than going with the HIDs

 

I agree, the stock lights just don't project very far. I'm looking to upgrade them asap, but kinda lost as to what to do.

I have been looking into different types of bulbs, but I know that HID will be just about right.

I'm willing to take the time to put the STi HID setup in the car, but I don't see anyone selling them.

I'd like to be able to put in a HID kit in the stock housings but with mixed reviews I don't want to make the mistake of wasting money on something that does not work. Has anyone put a HID kit in the stock 05 housing?

For now I think I'll upgrade the fog lightbulbs to these:

Opti-Blue H3 Hyper Gold 12V 100 Watt Output
Description: Opti-Blue H3 Hyper Gold 12V 100 Watt Output Sale Price: $20.00

and maybe the highbeam bulbs to these:

OptiBlue 9005 Super White Xenon 12V True 100 Watt Output
Description: OptiBlue 9005 12V True 100 Watt Output Sale Price: $25.00

And maybe these for the headlights...
OptiBlue H11 12V True 80 Watt Output Super White Xenon Light Bulb 5000k *PAIR*
Description: OptiBlue H11 12V True 80 Watt Output Price: $25.00
Has anyone used higher output headlight bulbs? could you tell me a little about the lighting?

I currently have the Opti-Blue 9005 Hyper Gold 12V 100 Watt Output in my ITR and they are working flawlessly for over a year now and provide plenty of lighting, maybe too much! I fear getting a ticket with them, but on long drives from NY- FL and other long trips they are priceless at night.

If after these are installed I still need light I think I'll go to a optometrist :P

 

Hey for the 9005 (high beam bulbs) you may want to try HIR bulbs too - they're a little more expensive, but are supposed to be quite a bit brighter...

Scroll down half-way to Peaty's post

https://www.i-club.com/forums/showth...&highlight=hir

As for those higher wattage bulbs - you might need to upgrade your wiring harnesses since there are many posts floating around the net about melted wiring and such from using them. I think upgraded harnesses can be found elsewhere though if you're seriously considering this.

As for me, I've done the following - JDM Fogs (PIAA 540's) + Hella 1400 driving lights + stock low and high beams

 

I would NOT recommend installing any higher wattage bulbs in the stock headlights. As mentioned above these can damage the wiring harnesses and connectors due to excess heat. and in addition they can cause the reflectors in the lights to discolor over time. Also the higher wattage bulbs are not known for longevity, you can expect to be replacing them much more frequently than OEM bulbs.
As for the STi HIDs, keep an eye on the classified forums here and at NASIOC. There are usually a few sets of them for sale, I believe there are some on NASIOC currently.

 

thanks for the link and advice.

 

Hey Cannibal,
Where did you get the bezels for the 540's in the '05? I think that looks great and I might be interested in doing that instead of getting the smaller 1100x in the original bezels.

 

huh? The bezels are the OEM Subaru JDM bezels - you can find them at www.japanparts.com under the name "garnish" I think.

The PIAA 540s were bought separately. There is a slight gap at the bottom of the fog lights due to the slight difference in mounting these (i.e. vs a customized mounting plate).

 

sorry to hi-jack... but looking at the 04/05 wrx non hid headlight houseings and the 04/05 sti headlight, i can see that they look the same, part for part. so i'm asking if u can just stick the sti hid bulb balast etc into the wrx housing and have the same look as the sti head lights?

 

No they are not the same. First of all the bulb mounting setups for halogen bulbs and the HID bulbs are totally different, and you can't interchange them or "make them fit". Second, the reflector designs are not the same. They are similar and may appear identical at first glance, but if you compare them closely side-by-side you will see that they are indeed different. The reflector sections are shaped/sized differently for proper light dispersion with the bulbs they are designed for. This is why HID retrofits in the OEM halogen housings do not give the same results as the STi lights.