2013 S and SV headlight H9

I want to get new headlight bulbs for my 2013 Leaf SV. They use a single H9 bulb for daytime running lights, night light low beam and high beam. When looking at it, there are 2 coils inside the bulb.

I'm looking for a pure white/blue hue to them, instead of the stock yellowish bulb colour.

I can't find those anywhere. They are either low beam or high beam H9 bulbs. Not dual beam.

Can anyone help me???

The manual is WRONG.

They are H13 dual beam headlights.

Is there any option to get them brighter. They are pathetic and dangerous

The low beams are fine. I wouldn't call the high beams "dangerous" but they could indeed be brighter. The holes for the "fog" lights (which aren't actually fog lights, in any case) should also accept some sort of projector driving lights.

cossie1600 said:

Is there any option to get them brighter. They are pathetic and dangerous

Click to expand...

I'm fairly convinced it's a voltage problem. Either from insufficient wiring, or possibly because the DC-DC converter voltage output is less than a typical alternator. Wiring can be solved by running heavier wiring and relays. If it's the converter output, then maybe an additional DC-DC converter would be needed to boost voltage to the lights. Since all automotive bulbs assume a standard voltage, different bulbs aren't likely to be completely satisfying, though you might find some that are designed to be "overvolted" at standard auto voltages, that might at least boost output somewhat (but still not as good as they would be in other cars). Silverstars come to mind.

LED and HID are not subject to these voltage concerns so conversion would be a 3rd option. These have to be approached knowledgeably to avoid creating illegal and dangerous beam patterns.

I'd suggest sending this fellow an email to see what your best options might be:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hi,
I wanted to chime in here on this subject. I have a 2013 Leaf S. As Cossie1600 said the headlights on this car are pathetic and dangerous. I was driving to work one morning a couple months ago and it was raining and dark. I couldn't see the curb at a turn and hit it busting my tire and bending the wheel beyond repair. That cost me $600. Just the basic steel wheel that comes on the S is $260. This was all because I couldn't see the curb because of the horrible halogen lights on this model. I did contact Daniel Stern and he quickly replied back. I have posted his reply below. At first he thought all models came with the LED's standard and I replied back that they didn't and then he remembered they didn't. Read his reply below. Seems there isn't much we can do. I just got the car in September, otherwise I would trade it for a model with the LED's. These lights are extremely dangerous and are my only real complaint about this car. Otherwise it is great. I checked into getting the LED lights from Nissan and you're looking at over $600 for each light. I have done extensive research on the internet and have not found anybody making a decent aftermarket headlight replacement which surprises me considering the Leaf has been out for over 3 years. If I had test driven this car at night I would have never gotten this model.
Regards,
Mike

Daniels reply:
Oh, _that's_ right. Sorry, the arrival of LED headlamps on the Leaf was such big news that I forgot about the existence of the halogens; now that you mention it, it comes back to memory. Those headlamps take an H13 bulb. There isn't a whole lot that can be done to improve them. The best H13 bulbs presently on the market are the Philips Xtreme Vision items:

http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/739636.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
A close second preference would be the Philips Xtreme Power
items: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00480KPLW" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Do not buy blue or "extra white" bulbs (Silver Star, Crystal Vision, Hoen, PIAA, etc.); despite the heavy advertising push and claims of "brighter and whiter" light, they actually produce _less_ light due to the blue glass they use.

And DEFINITELY do not install an "HID kit". "HID kits" in halogen-bulb headlamps or fog/auxiliary lamps (any kit, any lamp, any vehicle no matter whether it's a car, truck, motorcycle, etc.) do not work safely or effectively, which is why they are illegal. See http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .

The same holds true for "LED bulbs" claimed to replace filament bulbs in any of the vehicle's exterior lighting functions -- not safe, not legal.

As far as replacing the halogen headlamps with LED's: Yes, the Leaf's LED headlamps are considerably better than the Leaf's halogen headlamps. Neither is a very high-performance headlamp, but the LED is definitely the better of the two. They are probably hideously expensive bought new from the dealership, but fortunately for your purposes people do get into crashes even with new cars, so hit http://www.car-part.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (searchable used auto parts nationwide) and you'll find excellent used ones. The dealer service department ought to be able to install them to an "as factory" standard; here again, make certain to quiz them on their headlamp aim procedure because even many dealerships use sloppy "shine it on the wall" methods which are just not adequate.

Best DS

So has anyone tried the extremevision bulbs and noted a difference?

Sorry. I Don't buy the articles. I have the led bulbs in my 13 SV and a Kensun HID xenon kit in my 09 ford Escape for over a year. Both offer significant lighting improvements, require less energy, and offer more visibility. In my leaf I consider myself safer.

Kensun - over 1000 reviews 4.3 of 5 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050Z9WL8/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1#productDetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So would you recommend the xenons or the LEDs for a 13 leaf S. Was the install of the xenons similar to the leds?

Pros and cons to both, but I'd lean towards the LEDs as they are about twice as bright, consume 1/2 the power and are easier to install.

Other pros for LED:
1) Smaller ballasts
2) Less wiring
3) Should last even longer (beyond life of car)
4) 2x Brighter than halogens

HID observations:
1) Hardwired to battery as they require a large power spike once turned on.
2) Additional power harness needs to be run including grounding at each headlight
3) Larger ballasts
4) 3x brighter compared to halogens
5) shorter life

Other notes:
If you have DRL then you may have issues.
The LEDs are much cheaper on ebay $80 vs $130 on Amazon. (search for cree led h13)
The LED bulbs come with fans which is worrisome as they could be a point of failure. Marketing material I've read said that they should outlast the life of the bulb - time will tell.