nissan decided to give the 6th gen a unique headlight bulb size.....now i cannot find anyone that sells the 9012 bulb size.......when i bought my max i got one of the first 04 on the lot in april of 2003...should have waited and got the DPP...but i didnt...anyways i'm paying for it now but need to change these damn candles that i have now....any ideas or suggestions?????????



6th gen rocks!

 

The 9012 is the OEM spec'd bulb. There is another bulb, 9011 that is the exact same size and has a slightly higher wattage. It should fit with a minimum of modifications to base of the bulb so it plugs into the factory harness. You may find you need a slightly different o-ring at the base of the bulb.

Go buy a couple and be our test pilot for these.

CM.

 

no apollo mission here.....but will keep looking...need something...have the foglight bulb replacement ready but need the headlight to match.......the search continues....

 

Apparantly a 9004 bulb (I may be mistaken) will also fit in the stock location. Some others have done this. The upside is better colour, downside is lower light output. The 9012 HIR bulb that is in there puts out quite a bit more light than most halogens. The 9011 HIR bulb puts out even more, closer to HID numbers. Cost on the 9011 should be around $30-35US per.

CM.

 

so you are saying that a 9011 bulb will fit in the stock housing without any modifications???

 

also, where would i find a 9011 bulb?? who sells them??

thanks

 

The bulb that will replace our 9012 is the 9006. The only thing that needs to be done is to shave one of the tabs down slightly. I found this out while researching which HID kit to purchase.

 

Yes a minimal amount of modifications.

 

You are right the 9006 bulb will fit into our lamp assemblys. However, even the best halogen bulbs will have somewhere around 60%-75% of the light output of the 9012 bulb. If you want to reduce the light output so you can't see as well at night, this would be the mod for that.

CM.

 

My suggestion, check on ebay and get some real Xenon lights. Lots of OEM stuff on there from wrecked Maximas. Just check it from time to time. My stock non-xenon lights seem to work fine for me. I was never into the whole pretty color of the headlights. If you do replace the stock Nissan bulbs for just the pretty color look.....you might be bummed with the output of the illumionation vs the color factor. Again, just check the used bulbs on Ebay for ones that come off as wrecked Max, that is your best bet.

 

I'm not telling the guy to go out and replace the stock bulb with a 9006 for the purposes of better lighting. I only answered the question that was asked.
My only interest in replacing mine were to go HID.
You are correct in saying that the 9006 is a step down from the 9012.

 

I am debating between the stock 9012 ge lamp and the silverstar 9005. They are both pretty close regarding specs. With minor mods will the 9005 fit?

9011-HIR1/9012 - HIR2
Electrical Characteristics
Power (Watts)
12.0 Volts 60/52
12.8 Volts 65/55
13.2 Volts (Max) 73/63
Luminous Flux (Lumens)
12.0 Volts 1840/1355
12.8 Volts (±15%) 2300/1700
13.2 Volts (±15%) 2500/1875
Life*(Hrs.) at 14 Volts
B50 >235 1000


SilverStar High Performance Halogen Lumens Watts Color Temp
9005 SilverStar 1700 (±15%) Max. 70 4000K

 

Any update on this for 2004 Maxima?

My friend needs new headlight bulbs, but from reading this thread, it looks like the light output will be DECREASED?

Has anyone successfully added a new headlight bulb in a 2004 with greater light output?

 

From all the physics i had Lumens is the only physical measurement that determines how bright a light source is. Going off of that the 9011-HIR 1 lamp is the brightest available lamp for the Max. You will have to make mods to the lamp to make it fit in your car. My understanding is that it is a big pain in the A$$ to change out lamps. A lot of work getting them out.

I am debating the whole lumens and color temp issue with my physics professor. The sylvania silverstars have a higher color temp than the 9012 lamp by 400 kelvin (4000K vs 3600K), but put out fewer lumens as noted on my chart.

The life of the 9011 is only around 200 hours~similar to a 9005 lamp. It's up to you how often you want to replace the lamp. After prolonged use a 9005 silverstar will loose color temp and look more like a conventional lamp. The verdict is not in yet, but the 9012 lamps are pretty bright for what they are.

It's a tough sell to go for an aftermarket 9005 or a 9011-HIR1 lamp. If you do upgrade I would consider either the european silverstar or the 9012. Those are the only two lamps I know of that will look "brighter".

 

WOW. This is an old thread I'm on. But like the rest of you guys I'm having the same problems with my driver light now. I also have an 04 Max and I need to change the light. Got the run around from everyone from Auto Zone to Z Best Auto Parts. I swear no one knows what an HIR is... Anyway I found some by Toshiba on Ebay but before ordering them and having to wait a couple of days I figured I could see if I could use the 9006 ultra white silverstar bulb. Im not worried about the length I could use it, I just wanna know if it will fit without having to make extra modifications and if it will show bright (not as bright as 9012 but brighter than conventional halogen bulbs). Also is there an alternative for the front fog lights bulbs also?

 

The 9006 will fit if you shave one of the tabs down like it was stated earlier in this thread. Seriously, stick with the 9012s. You can get them on ebay for like $30. Auto part stores still don't have these bulbs (to my knowledge)

 

Hello. I'v Used 9005 Bulbs On My Max And It Worked Out Fine.

 

Didn't get DPP when buying your max? All is not lost. You can replace your light housing and convert to HID or get a retrofit kit.

 

http://www.finemotoring.com THAT SITE HAS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PURCHASING HIR LIGHTS....

 

You can find the replacement lights on ebay (search hir 9012) for half the price ($30). Dealerships charge $75. I ordered them from ebay and they're the same exact lights. I don't know about you but I could sure use the extra money in my pocket for racing fuel

 

Maxlumens on ebay is a good seller... I have bought from him before A+

 

Found this as well (to replace with stockbulbs)

http://shnu.us/HIR%20Trimming%20Stock.htm

 

I have a 2006 Maxima and put in some HID bulbs and I used the 9006 Kit and I have not had a problem with them yet. To check out my ride got to http://www.cardomain.com/id/cdehdarani