IRANDY1948

THE HIGH BEAMS ON MY 2001 LS430 SEEM TO BE SHINING JUST IN FRONT OF THE CAR NOT ILLUMINATING AT A DISTANCE LIKE YOU WOULD THINK A HIGH BEAM SHOULD.

IS THERE AN ADJUSTMENT FOR THE HIGH BEAM ONLY?

ALSO, THE HIGH BEAM IS YELLOW NOT A BRIGHT WHITE, IS THERE A REPLACEMENT BULB THAT WOULD GIVE ME A WHITER LIGHT?

StanVanDam

If you open up the back of your headlight, you'll see that there is a connecting rod between the low beams and high beams, so normally when you adjust your low beams, your high beams move at the same time. If you want to adjust high beams only, remove the connecting rod.

Old bulbs turn yellow and have decreased light output. Try changing with brand new OEM 9005/HB3 bulbs. Most/all aftermarket bulbs burn out in under 2 years, nowhere near OEM bulb life. Look up the lumen rating and nominal rated life hours of the aftermarket bulbs and you will see how none of them are any good.

Aftermarket headlight bulbs claim to provide “up to X percent” greater visibility down the road. That sounds impressive until you read the fine print: “compared with worn standard halogen” bulbs.

Consumer Reports 2013: None of the 8 premium bulbs we tested allowed us to see farther on our headlight test course than the standard or OE bulbs. That’s because distance is determined more by the size and shape of the lamp’s reflector or lens than by the bulb. We also found little difference in light output among the premium bulbs; no more than the differences normally experienced from power fluctuations while driving.

The illumination of any bulb fades with time, so we suggest replacing your bulbs every few years, not waiting until one burns out. Output can also decrease if lamp lenses become hazy or dirty. Have them cleaned by a professional or do it yourself with a product such as the Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit, which costs about $20.

The bulbs tested in that Consumer Reports 2013 article are of size 9003/H7, brands:
GE Nighthawk
GE Nighthawk Platinum
Hella
Philips CrystalVision Ultra
Philips VisionPlus
PIAA Xtreme White Plus
Sylvania SilverStar
Sylvania SilverStar Ultra

I've looked up the specs of some common 9005/HB3 bulbs:
GE NightHawk 9005NH/BP2 25105: 1695 lumens, 800 hour rated life
GE NightHawk 9005NHS/BP 89140: 1695 lumens, 720 hour rated life
Sylvania Basic 9005: 3100 Kelvin, 1700 lumens, 320 hour rated life
Philips X-tremeVision 9005XVB2: 3400 Kelvin, 300+ hours life, "100% more light" - no lumen specifications
Philips VisionPlus 9005VPB2: 3300 Kelvin, 300+ hours life, "60% more light" - no lumen specifications
Philips Vision 9005PRB2: "30% more light" - no real specifications
Philips CrystalVision Ultra 9005CVB2: 4000 Kelvin, no other specifications
XtraVision 9005XV: 3200 Kelvin, 1700 lumens, 150 hour rated life
Osram Night Breaker Unlimited 9005NBU: 3500 Kelvin, 1700 lumens (but a +/- 12% luminous flux tolerance), 110 hour rated life
SilverStar Ultra 9005SU: 4100 Kelvin, 1700 lumens, 100 hour rated life
SilverStar zXe 9005SZ: 4200 Kelvin, 1700 lumens, 100 hour rated life
SilverStar 9005ST 4000 Kelvin, 1700 lumens, 100 hour rated life

IRANDY1948

Very good reply, lots of info, thanks very much.

Randy