Welcome to the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club Thursday March 28, 2024
Home Forums Images WikiNASIOC Products Store Modifications Upgrade Garage
NASIOC
Go Back   NASIOC > NASIOC Technical > Electrical & Lighting

Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!
Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.







* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads. 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-05-2017, 01:28 AM   #1
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default 2015 light output upgrades

So I have a 2015 WRX premium, and one big gripe I have since coming from retrofitted HIDs is the terrible light output in these cars. Looking for opinions on easy PNP products to give ample light output improvements in the low beams and fogs. Really not interested at this point in doing a retrofit again or hacking open the housings to put in different projectors, so looking for more PNP options to keep it simple yet effective. Too many bulbs on the market now, and just need concise answers.
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

Last edited by striktlysubie; 07-19-2018 at 02:43 AM.
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
Old 01-05-2017, 05:27 AM   #2
Mulder
Trust no one
Moderator
 
Member#: 11170
Join Date: Oct 2001
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: NYC
Vehicle:
02 RAV4 MT
15 WRX/11 CRZ

Default

Mulder is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2017, 01:47 AM   #3
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

Custom bulb swap? Hmmm... any of the Subispeed products stand out for anyone?
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2017, 02:28 AM   #4
mmhdavid
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 456346
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Inland Empire
Vehicle:
2015 wrx

Default

Im running olms headlight lowbeam leds, light output isnt the best but its not that bad either
mmhdavid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2017, 08:51 AM   #5
subydrivor
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 191755
Join Date: Oct 2008
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: Bakersfield
Vehicle:
2004 Forester XT
Black

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by striktlysubie View Post
Custom bulb swap? Hmmm... any of the Subispeed products stand out for anyone?
I am running the subispeed olm hid kit on my car. They are way brighter than stock.
subydrivor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2017, 04:55 PM   #6
wrbrexx
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 461037
Join Date: Jan 2017
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: SoCal
Vehicle:
2016 Subaru
World Rally Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by subydrivor View Post
I am running the subispeed olm hid kit on my car. They are way brighter than stock.


Hids are bright, I had them on my stock projectors and they glared (not as much as reflector hids) had people drive my car while I was in front and it's annoying so I did a retrofit. Led bulbs don't glare as much but arent as bright.
wrbrexx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2017, 04:29 PM   #7
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

Can the projectors in the premium trim headlights handle LEDs, or are HIDs safer and wiser?
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2017, 07:12 PM   #8
Mulder
Trust no one
Moderator
 
Member#: 11170
Join Date: Oct 2001
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: NYC
Vehicle:
02 RAV4 MT
15 WRX/11 CRZ

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by striktlysubie View Post
Can the projectors in the premium trim headlights handle LEDs, or are HIDs safer and wiser?
Neither, the OEM projectors can only properly "handle" the type of bulbs they were designed for, i.e. halogens. That's why the H9 upgrade works, because it's basically the same bulb with a higher light output but the identical filament type and optical characteristics.
No plug-and-play LED's are going to give proper output in the stock projectors, the only valid LED upgrade is a set of OEM LED light assemblies from a Limited or STi.
As for HID's, a full projector retrofit is the right way to do those.
I still recommend you try the H9 mod as I linked to in post #2.
Mulder is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-22-2017, 03:31 PM   #9
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

Thanks for the info Mulder. I'll see what I can do with the H9s.

In layman's terms, can anyone explain the big differences between the projectors in the base/premium models versus the limited/STI?

Maybe once the 2018 models come out, the price for the Limited oem headlight housings will go down a bit... maybe.
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-22-2017, 03:36 PM   #10
Mulder
Trust no one
Moderator
 
Member#: 11170
Join Date: Oct 2001
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: NYC
Vehicle:
02 RAV4 MT
15 WRX/11 CRZ

Default

The Limited/STi low beams are LED projector assemblies. All other trim levels are standard halogen projectors. There is no way to "retrofit" or "plug-and-play" any kind of LED bulbs into the standard projectors and get the same results as the factory LED lights.
Mulder is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2017, 09:16 PM   #11
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

^ ok.
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-23-2017, 12:20 PM   #12
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

Looking to re-up this topic to see if anyone has any plug and play ideas that may now be available for low-beam headlight upgrades for the halogen-based housings. If not, I can try the H9 conversion, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
Also, are the headlight housings from the Limited/STI pretty easy to swap into a Premium model, or is the wiring way different?
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-23-2017, 12:46 PM   #13
Mulder
Trust no one
Moderator
 
Member#: 11170
Join Date: Oct 2001
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: NYC
Vehicle:
02 RAV4 MT
15 WRX/11 CRZ

Default

Almost 4 months and you still haven't done the H9 mod?
In the time it took you to make that post, you could have snipped the tabs on a pair of H9's and installed them.
The answer hasn't changed, that's still the easiest and cheapest upgrade and also the only one that won't affect the beam pattern or color temp.
Mulder is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-19-2017, 12:08 AM   #14
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

Ordered a set of Philips H9 bulbs from Amazon. En route.
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2018, 05:36 PM   #15
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

I ended up doing the H9 conversion a while back. Moderate light upgrade. But, over time, will still be looking for something more permanent.
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2018, 10:57 AM   #16
amiexploited
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 251061
Join Date: Jul 2010
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: Temecula, CA
Vehicle:
18 Trek 6mt,
garage queen 15 WRX 6mt

Default

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/mo...-2015-wrx.html

This is as permanent as it gets. I know you didn't want to and it seems like you're looking for a quick fix. So when you change your mind look into a proper retrofit.
amiexploited is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2018, 01:02 PM   #17
CRAZYHAWK
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 198067
Join Date: Dec 2008
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: RAMSEY, NJ
Vehicle:
2009 IMPREZA 2.5i 4d
WHITE Premium

Default

If you're not going to do a retrofit, you might try an HID kit.
http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DD...ast-35W-or-55W
H11 35 watt 4300K.
They will produce over twice the light drawing less current. The will not disperse light evenly. Your cutoff will keep the light from going high and to the left. I used a kit on my 2009 for 6 years without problems.
For your highs, replace the 9005s with 9011 from CandlePower;
https://store.candlepower.com/hirlighting.html
The bulbs will need modification;
https://store.candlepower.com/mohirbuba.html

Quote:
Originally Posted by striktlysubie View Post
So I have a 2015 WRX premium, and one big gripe I have since coming from retrofitted HIDs is the terrible light output in these cars. Looking for opinions on easy PNP products to give ample light output improvements in the low beams and fogs. Really not interested at this point in doing a retrofit again or hacking open the housings to put in different projectors, so looking for more PNP options to keep it simple yet effective. Too many bulbs on the market now, and just need concise answers.
CRAZYHAWK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2018, 02:06 PM   #18
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

Thanks guys
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2018, 11:17 AM   #19
CRAZYHAWK
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 198067
Join Date: Dec 2008
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: RAMSEY, NJ
Vehicle:
2009 IMPREZA 2.5i 4d
WHITE Premium

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by striktlysubie View Post
Thanks guys
You're welcome.
CRAZYHAWK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-17-2018, 05:42 PM   #20
Rex109
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 401072
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: City of Angels
Default

The easiest would be to throw a good HID kit into your stock projectors.

Like you, I came from retrofits and weren’t even impressed with the factory Limited LED, so I retrofitted a set of halogens.

I would really look into just buying a set of OEM LED’s in the classifieds or getting the subispeed headlights. Those look pretty sick!
Rex109 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2018, 01:19 PM   #21
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

I have still kept the Philips H9 bulbs in the low beams for now. Starting to upgrade the fogs and high beams to OLM LEDs just to see the difference in color and output.
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2018, 04:57 PM   #22
Syren27
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 432485
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Connecticut
Vehicle:
2015 WRX
Galaxy Blue

Default

I just did the morimoto retroquik system in my car with good results
Syren27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2018, 03:02 PM   #23
striktlysubie
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 423516
Join Date: Jun 2015
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: RI
Vehicle:
2015 WRX Premium
Lightning Red

Default

^ requires opening the headlight housings though, correct?
striktlysubie is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:17 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Copyright ©1999 - 2019, North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, Inc.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission
Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.