HB1 (9004) Bulbs (Halogen, LED & Xenon)

If you are looking for a bright HB1 headlight (9004) for your car? We will give you some tips for choosing a 9004 bulb.

HB1 light socket is a double-ended bulb that is often installed in American car headlights. Conventional headlight bulbs with a 9004 base are a combination of low and high beams.

Do you want to replace your old HB1 bulbs with new, brighter bulbs? Then read this guide to help you choose from the many bulbs that are on the market.

If you need help choosing a bulb for your car, read our guide to choosing a car lamp, or use the lamp selection for each car model on our website.

HB1 Bulbs Guide

HB1 Types of bulbs
HB1 Bulbs Review
HB1 Buying Guide

What is an HB1 bulb?

HB1 lamps are quite versatile, such lamps are installed in the headlights, driving lights and fog lights.

HB1 lamps are currently one of the most popular bulbs on the market due to their design and good sealing.

Best 9004 HB1 Bulb (Editor’s Choice)

Types of HB1 bulbs

HB1 bulbs are most commonly installed in dipped beams and fog lights. Depending on the light source, HB1 dipped-beam bulbs are available in different versions:

1. Halogen HB1 Bulbs
2. LED HB1 Bulbs
3. Xenon HB1 Bulbs

9004 Halogen Bulbs

The halogen HB1 bulb is arranged as follows: the filament is located in a bulb, the material of which is carbide or quartz glass.

Halogen HB1 bulbs are easy to install, inexpensive, and good performance. Along with these advantages, halogen lamps have a disadvantage. During operation, they heat up to a high temperature.

Halogen HB1 bulbs have a good price to quality ratio, which is the reason for their frequent use. Currently, among the manufacturers of HB1 bulbs, there are several leaders in terms of brightness. These brands are OSRAM, Philips, SYLVANIA, the brightness of these lamps is 150% higher than the standard lamp.

Halogen HB1 bulbs are fully approved for on-road use in all states and are warranted by the manufacturer. We have chosen incandescent bulbs with 150% more light, these HB1 halogen bulbs are the brightest on the market.

These bulbs are easy to install because you replace halogen with halogen, and you have no problem installing them. The disadvantage of HB1 halogen bulbs is their lifespan.

The brighter the light, the shorter the life of the HB1 bulb. This is because there is a filament inside the HB1 bulb, which burns out quickly. If you want a long life, use LED bulbs.

Best HB1 (9004) Halogen Bulb

Best HB1 LED Bulbs

LED 9004 bulbs are usually brighter than halogen bulbs. They last much longer, use less energy, and are easy to install.

The 9004 LED lights are often the perfect choice for those looking for clean, bright, white light. Today, they are considered one of the best. This fact is due to their following advantages:

• Low power consumption
• Large operating term
• Resistance to mechanical vibrations

The lighting device based on diodes is suitable for both low and high beams. In addition to the positives, LED 9004 bulbs to have a disadvantage – the high cost. LED-lamps from halogen lamps differ in that the latter are spotlight sources. LED bulbs consist of a cylinder on which LEDs are installed. The most popular 9004 LED bulbs manufacturers: OSRAM, Philips, BEAMTECH, HIKARI, Fahren, Cougar Motor, NINEO, Aukee, AUTO ONE, CAR ROVER, and others.

Best HB1 9004 LED Headlight Bulbs

Best 9004 Xenon Bulbs

The xenon HB1 lamp consists of a bulb containing gases and two electrodes. The 9004 headlight shines due to the electric arc that occurs between the electrodes.

Genuine HB1 Xenon headlights are standard on some vehicles but are often offered as an option when you purchase your car. Xenon 9004 headlights work a little differently than standard halogen bulbs, and actually require two main components to work: ballast and bulb. Compared to other car bulbs, xenon bulbs have the following features:

• white color with a tinge of blue, which does not blind oncoming drivers
• high luminous intensity
• immunity to mechanical vibration

Xenon auto lamp HB1 is not without disadvantages, namely:

1. High price
2. When installing it is required to additionally install the ignition unit (ballast)

The disadvantages are the reason why the xenon bulb is used less often than the halogen bulb. The most popular LED bulb manufacturers: OSRAM, Philips, SYLVANIA, Optilux Hella, Xentec, RCP, and others.

Best HB1 Hid Xenon Bulbs

The color temperature of the 9004 bulb

If you see in the lamp manual such a marking as temperature, it does not mean the healing power of the coil in degrees. In fact, this indicator characterizes the so-called color temperature of electrical products. It is measured by the Kelvin scale and denoted by the letter K. Depending on the values, you can understand what color the light bulb will emit.

• Warm white light has a color temperature below 3500K;
• Neutral white light (daylight) has a color temperature between 3500 and 5500K;

Cold white light is above 5500K and is generally not used in automotive bulbs. It has a bluish tint to it that makes you feel like a UFO is driving down the road.

Color temperature HB1

The closer the color temperature of the light bulb to daylight, the more familiar it is to the eyes of people who are used to seeing things during the day under sunlight. The driver’s eyes are less tired, concentration is lost slower, but this light has a disadvantage. In fog or rain white light is less effective because it is better reflected from the water suspension in the air or raindrops, so fog lights are installed with a color temperature below 3500K, in which the light is more yellow.

Power of HB1 9004 bulbs

Like any electrical appliance, the lamp has its own power. In fact, this parameter does not always indicate the degree of brightness.

The power is somewhat lower for dipped beam lamps, higher for high beam lamps. From the sum of the power of all electrical appliances in the car are the total load on the generator and the battery. It is categorically not recommended to put more powerful bulbs instead of the recommended ones, for example, 100/90 W instead of 60/55 W. Such experiments can cause the most unexpected consequences, from the failure of electronics and the generator to the banal fire.

The luminous flux in lamps is measured in lumens and does not always depend on the power. When choosing between two lighting fixtures of the same power, give preference to the one with more lumens. Average figures for H4 lamps are 1650 lumens for high beams and 1000 for low beams. In many respects, the quality of illumination of the road in front of the car depends not only on the quality of the lamp but also on the design of the headlight itself and the location of the reflectors in it.

What else do you need to know about lamps

Modern manufacturers are looking for ways to improve the light output of their lighting devices. On the market appeared lamps with increased light output. Companies promise a gain of 30%, 50%, and even more. In fact, these claims are not always true, but still, a tangible increase in brightness is. If you do not want to spend on expensive xenon, just buy a “halogen” with a higher light output.

Also, you should follow a simple rule: bulbs in a car are always changed in pairs. Of course, nobody will forbid you to replace a lamp from one side only, but in all probability, the same bulb from the other side will break down soon.

Keep your car’s electrical system in proper condition. No matter how good the bulb is, big spikes in voltage will not end well for it. As a result, additional expenses and fuss with the disassembly of the headlight, and in some cars, it is not an easy thing to do.