HB3 (9005) Bulbs (Halogen, LED & Xenon)

Does your car headlight use an 9005 bulb? Then this guide will help you make the right choice among 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.

HB3 9005 Bulbs Guide

Types of bulbs HB3
HB3 Bulbs Review
HB3 Bulbs Buying Guide

What is a 9005 bulb?

9005 (HB3) lamps are fairly versatile, such lamps are installed in the headlamps and fog lights of the car.

9005 lamps are currently one of the most popular bulbs on the market due to their design and good sealing.

Variety of 9005 HB3 car bulbs

HB3 bulbs are most commonly installed in dipped beams and fog lights. Depending on the light source, HB3 dipped-beam bulbs are available in different versions:

• Halogen bulbs
• LED bulbs

Best HB3 9005 Bulb (Editor’s Choice)

Types of HB3 bulbs

1. HB3 Halogen Bulbs
2. HB3 LED Bulbs

HB3 Halogen Bulbs

The halogen HB3 bulb is arranged as follows: the filament is located in a bulb, the material of which is carbide or quartz glass.

Halogen HB3 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 HB3 bulbs have a good price to quality ratio, which is the reason for their frequent use. Currently, among the manufacturers of HB3 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 HB3 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 HB3 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 HB3 halogen bulbs is their lifespan.

The brighter the light, the shorter the life of the HB3 bulb. This is because there is a filament inside the HB3 bulb, which burns out quickly. If you want a long life, use LED bulbs.

Best HB3 Halogen Bulb

Best HB3 LED Bulbs

LED HB3 bulbs are usually brighter than halogen bulbs. They last much longer, use less energy, and are easy to install.

The HB3 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 HB3 bulbs 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 HB3 LED bulbs manufacturers: OSRAM, Philips, BEAMTECH, HIKARI, Fahren, Cougar Motor, NINEO, Aukee, AUTO ONE, CAR ROVER, and others.

Best HB3 LED Headlight Bulbs

HB3 Bulbs Review

What does the brightness of a 9005 light bulb depend on?

When describing HB3 auto bulbs, a significant number of terms are used, from which it is not always possible to understand what characterizes the brightness level of the element. Accustomed to many in everyday life, the power indicator is not identical to the brightness, but only characterizes the energy consumption.

To determine how strong the light beam from the HB3 bulb is, you can use the luminance or intensity index. It is measured in Lumen (Lm). And it depends on the number of these units, how bright the light bulb will be.

Illumination of a relatively small area of the web is obtained at 1000-1500 Lm. A clear light at a long distance is possible at 3000 Lm. The best indicators of aperture ratio among existing auto lighting elements are 5000-6000 Lm.

It is worth noting that the visual perception of the brightness of the lamp affects the color temperature index of the beam. Color temperature (measured in Kelvin, K) and divides the color of light into three spectra: warm, neutral, cold. The warm spectrum refers to the yellow color rays. The colors of the neutral spectrum are as close to daylight as possible (a pure white hue). And the cold spectrum is characterized by a bluish and blue glow.

At the same time, the rays of the warm spectrum color temperature (2000-3000 K) seem dimmer in relation to the neutral spectrum (4000-5000 K). Due to the fact that daylight is more easily perceived by the human eye and better outlines objects, beams with the same level of luminosity look different.

HB3 9005 Car Bulbs

Now the industry for the production of lighting elements produces several types of car bulbs. Classification of car bulbs is carried out on several grounds. This is the functional purpose of light bulbs (headlight, brake lights, lights and so on), and the division of the type of transport (make, model auto/motorcycle). But the main feature of division, which depends on the quality of the resulting light – the principle of operation of the lamp.

Types of HB3 bulbs

In this direction, the bulbs are divided into:

• HB3 halogen bulbs
• Xenon HB3 bulbs
• LED HB3 bulbs

Halogen HB3 Halogen Lamps 9005

Automotive halogen lamps are a classic principle of operation. It is the glow of a tungsten filament in a bulb filled with a mixture of gases. A halogen bulb usually has a wattage of 33 or 55 W for cars and from 55 W and higher for trucks, operates for several hundred hours and is low in cost.

Optimal brightness of such lamps for safe driving is 800-1500 Lm (on average). There are models in which the brightness indicator is increased by adding xenon gas to the bulb. However, in addition to brighter light, it gives more wear and tear of the filament.

Xenon HB3 9005 bulbs

Xenon lamps last dozens of times longer than halogens. Their power consumption is much lower, and the brightness level ranges from 1500-2500Lm. With the same intensity of light xenon usually seems brighter due to the white with a bluish tint of the beam (neutral and cool spectrum of color temperature), and is not afraid of vibration, which is especially important on our roads, so it serves much longer.

LED bulbs HB3 9005

LED bulbs, by far, top the list of the brightest lamps. LEDs, thanks to the advantages of technology, produce the brightest beam of light in various shades with minimal power consumption. The latest generation of this type of bulb has a beam intensity of 4000-6000 Lm. And taking into account the color temperature of 5000K illumination turns out the most effective.

Select the brightness level for your own car, based on the frequency and range of travel at night. After all, driving on lit city streets and long trips out of town require different lighting levels.

A review of HB3 bulbs can boil down to a few parameters

These are the type of HB3 bulbs: halogen bulbs, LED bulbs. The next factors are the brightness of the bulbs and the color of the bulbs.

Lamps with the HB3 socket are used for cars with high mileage, which means that the optics will not be in the best condition: faded reflector, cloudy diffuser. In this case, the most interesting option to buy are lamps with higher light output. Careful when buying lamps with increased brightness need to be and to their light distribution – if they will start to blow on the oncoming lane, the drivers there will be much more visible.

It is common practice among well-known manufacturers – to indicate on the packaging that the lamps are designed for off-road use only (for off-road use): For example, such lamps can be put in the headlight-seeker or headlamp-light of the raid car, but on the road, they really have nothing to do.

As for the color temperature, of course, you can choose any, except white, transitioning to a bright blue. But a saturated yellow glow is still better left for fog lights with transparent diffusers, the main light to make more white: each color has its advantages, and here in this combination they are revealed best.

HB3 Lamp socket

Make sure you buy the right type of bulbs for your car. HB3 bulbs are either headlight or fog light bulbs. You can determine what type of bulb you need for your car by checking this information in your owner’s manual.

You can also find out which bulb you need by using the bulb selection by make and model of your car on our website. You can find out what type of bulb you need on our bulb finder page.

HB3 Bulbs Buying Guide

Once you have determined that HB3 bulbs are what you need, you can begin your search for the brightest HB3 bulbs. The following factors should be considered when choosing an HB3 bulb:

• Light distribution on the road
• Power consumption
• Luminous flux
• Compliance with light distribution with established standards

Power of HB3 bulbs diode

The power of the LED depends on the brightness of the light it emits, and the higher the quality of the diode, the higher its efficiency will be. We do not recommend choosing the most powerful and brightest models for your car.

Dependence of power from the cooling system HB3 bulbs

An LED generates a lot of heat when it emits light, and the higher the wattage of the lamp, the more heat it generates. Poor cooling or low-quality results in the LED not being able to operate at full power.

The noisiness of the HB3 bulbs cooler

If your choice is a powerful HB3 lamp with active cooling, please note that poor-quality lamps with a cooler not only fail more often but also create a certain noise and vibration, which can be heard in the cabin. The constant monotonous barely audible hum will sooner or later drive even the most sedate driver crazy.

The brightness of HB3 bulbs

Lamp brightness is commonly measured in lumens, which is how much light you get from a lamp. Lumens refer to the amount of light distributed by any light source. The more lumens, the brighter the light from the lamp. At the same time, fewer lumens give less light.

Color temperature HB3 bulbs

The most popular HB3 LED bulbs have a color temperature of 5000-6000K, such bulb is suitable for most cars. If you prefer yellow headlights, it is better to choose an HB3 lamp with a 4000K color temperature, such lamp will be less bright, but more natural for your eyes.

Brighter light sources with a temperature of 5000-6000K provide better visibility in rainy weather if the lamp is properly focused than similar yellow light sources. Don’t go too high on the color temperature of the lamp and choose HB3 lamps with a temperature of 7000-8000K, regardless of optics and focus, they will not provide the same quality illumination. Modern HB3 LED lamps are capable of producing light with different color temperatures:

1. Warm white (up to 3500 K)
2. Neutral white (4200 to 5000 K)
3. Cold white (temperature 6000 to 10000 K)

How do I install a 9005 bulb?

To facilitate installation in cramped conditions, the base ring on all lamps is made removable. First, the base ring is installed, clamped by a locking device, then the HB3 diode bulb itself is installed. Sometimes there are problems when installing the bulb in the headlight, the headlight cover does not close when installing the cooling system.

Always remember that the choice of car HB3 bulbs for the dipped beams is a responsible thing because safety on the road depends on them.

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