[Apex]

The challenge:

Find a high beam led bulb that also functions as a DRL. Bulb must be bright, have a well controlled beam pattern in a halogen housing and oem level temp (<6500k). It also must dim to oem DRL level in that mode. The bulb type in the 2nd gen ridgeline high beam is 9005. This is used in all trims however, the bulb DOES NOT function as a DRL in the RTL-E trims or above. Those trims use a dedicated DRL light. RTL and lower trims use the high beam as a DRL.

As some of you know, I have actually posted in a few other threads. Now that I have been through several bulbs, I thought it worthwhile to document my experiences considering the search is ongoing. Yep, I have yet to find a bulb that checks all the boxes noted above. Figured I would share what I have learned and as others chime in, we can come up with a 100% solution.

There are countless versions of these kinds of bulbs available. Generally they break down into three categories; very cheap, very expensive and somewhere in between. Virtually all of them provide more light than the oem halogen, but otherwise vary in quality and performance.

Bulbs tried in chronological order.

SEALIGHT S1 9005/HB3 LED Bulbs

Increase your confidence while driving at night Save installation time No more frequent replacements Fanless design Won’t blind other drivers

sealight-led.com

I started here. They looked nice however I never used them. The plastic ring that holds the bulb was loose. It was held by one screw so the led chip would move after installation. Returned.

Wireless 9005 HB3 Led Bulb, 12000LM 60W Per Set Mini Size 6500K

The 9005 led bulb of the M3 series is miniature and fully all in one designed without external driver and connector, 60 watts per pair, 12,000 lumens, 200% brighter than halogen headlights.

auxito.com

Next up, no mounting issues as with the first bulb. Ran these for a while. Very bright, lots of scatter and noticed the difference between DRL and full high beam was very little. This was at the point I realized I would need to spend money on a functional DRL bulb. Returned

https://www.morimotohid.com/morimoto-2stroke-2-stroke-9005-led-bulbs?quantity=1

This is where I stepped up to the big boys. Very bright, perfect OEM beam pattern. However DRL was still bright and there was some interference with the FM radio. More detailed review here.

Led high beam?

Ok, I decided to go with these. It was this or the vleds. I had a discount card from summit so they cost 190 shipped. But, damn. That was more than I wanted to spend originally. Got to pay to play. I hope the Drl functions correctly and they work well overall. Am I doing something wrong...

www.ridgelineownersclub.com

One regret is I wish I tried them with their decoder/resistor to see if that improved DRL performance. Some research I did indicated using the optional resistor module may improve the low voltage DRL. Returned.

DDM Tuning

Next I went with these. Nice quality and I really liked the look and features. I bought them with the optional decoder/resistor. However the bulb did not physically fit in the housing. There was too much material above the o-ring. Returned

DDM Tuning

And that leads us here. This is what I am currently running with the optional resistors. These were a little cheaper because now there is a version 2, but these work really well. They are almost comically bright with a very good beam pattern, and little scatter. There is no FM interference so far. For the price these have been the best value. However the DRL's are still very bright. They will illuminate street signs in the day. They do actually dim in DRL, however IMO they are still too bright. Kept… for now.

So if there is a 100% solution I have not found it yet. Its possible with the right combination of bulb, DRL driver and resistor all goals can be achieved. I really like the high beam performance I have now. I would prefer the DRL to work correctly, but I would also be willing to give up on the DRL and pull the fuse.

Bailing on the DRL aside, the search continues...

 

[Gunny]

I would prefer the DRL to work correctly, but I would also be willing to give up on the DRL and pull the fuse.

Bingo ! I prefer the LED high beams now installed in my '21 Sport but after getting flashed a couple of times during daylight hours, I pulled the DRL fuse. Now I'm searching for an affordable solution that doesn't scream non-OEM. Might try the LED tapes placed next to the "wanna be" eyebrows but skeptical that they will function correctly, much less look OK.

 

[ThunderRidgeline]

I have Phillips Ultinons in my 2021 BE. Philips Ultinon Pro9000 - LED Forward Bulbs . Expensive and not dimmable but they work perfect with a beam pattern is identical to the originals. Not too bright and with a good color temperature. Have had them for about a year and love them. As an added benefit they have cured 90% of the problems I had with my auto high beams.

 

[Apex]

How did new bulbs help your auto high beam?

 

[Kevo]

I'm using Auxito can bus compatible led bulbs. They have a thin copper board that the LEDs are mounted too. They do dim in DRL mode and it's not so bright that you can't look directly at the bulb. I did test that. It's not exactly comfortable to stare at it, but it's not overly bright in that mode IMO. It will still make those nice new highly reflective road signs glow a little during the day. I think the color temperature is probably a little too cool so they stand out. I think I would personally prefer something closer to 5000K, but I couldn't find anything reasonably priced when I bought them.

 

[ThunderRidgeline]

How did new bulbs help your auto high beam?

With the old halogens there was a defined line between where the low beams ended and the highs began due to the color difference. Now you can't tell where the transition from one to the other is, I think this is why the auto high beams work so much better. I took detailed photos of the beam pattern before and after the bulb swap and can tell no difference. The highs are no longer yellow but white at 5000K which is said to be the best for visibility. They are brighter but no overwhelming.

 

[Apex]

update

I am still using the DDM Tuning ProX 55w LED bulbs. At this point I am addicted to the night time high beam performance. However they are still too bright for daytime use.

I followed a coworker in the other day and they made it a point to complain about my "high beams". Said they were really annoying and had to flip the mirror dimmer on. The conditions were bright sunlight and I usually keep my distance following people, so I was not close.

To me I am coming to the conclusion that the output is not the issue, it is the high beam projection. No led bulb will be able to reduce light output enough to offset the high beam projection. Even the factory Halogen is pointing in a direction that annoys people, however the output is so low it is not consequential. I don't see any LED bulb outputting to that low of a level.

Bottom line is using the high beam for the DRL is a compromise. As I have advocated for the RTL trim in the past, on this one I have to give the nod to the RTL-E/BE headlights. Inherently better design to separate the DRL. However I am willing to trade out the DRL for the better high beam performance. Like I said, now I am hooked.

 

[Kevo]

To me I am coming to the conclusion that the output is not the issue, it is the high beam projection. No led bulb will be able to reduce light output enough to offset the high beam projection.

It's the particular bulb you are using not getting dim enough. As I said just a few posts above the LEDs I am using are dim enough in DRL mode to look at directly. I wouldn't say it's comfortable, but I did test that when I installed them by staring directly into the housing and you can see the emitters glowing. If they blasted my retinas I was going to send them back. I have driven at night with my DRLs on and they are substantially dimmer than the regular low beams so I think if the particular LED you have is designed well it will work fine.

 

[Solo]

It's the particular bulb you are using not getting dim enough. As I said just a few posts above the LEDs I am using are dim enough in DRL mode to look at directly. I wouldn't say it's comfortable, but I did test that when I installed them by staring directly into the housing and you can see the emitters glowing. If they blasted my retinas I was going to send them back. I have driven at night with my DRLs on and they are substantially dimmer than the regular low beams so I think if the particular LED you have is designed well it will work fine.

Can you tell us the exact model/part# of the Auxito bulb you're using?

 

[Apex]

It's the particular bulb you are using not getting dim enough. As I said just a few posts above the LEDs I am using are dim enough in DRL mode to look at directly. I wouldn't say it's comfortable, but I did test that when I installed them by staring directly into the housing and you can see the emitters glowing. If they blasted my retinas I was going to send them back. I have driven at night with my DRLs on and they are substantially dimmer than the regular low beams so I think if the particular LED you have is designed well it will work fine.

I would love it if you were right, but you can see how many bulbs I have been through. Notice the 2nd one is the Auxito. That bulb was far too bright for DRL use. Might just be the difference in model though.

 

[Kevo]

Yeah, they make a bunch of different ones. Ironically when I go to their site as you linked and find the version I ended up buying they actually say they don't work for DRL.

Auxito LEDs

I don't know if that site was live when I ordered mine. They were fairly new at the time and I researched a bunch of different bulbs and somehow came to the conclusion these would work. Not sure where I got that info now. I'm sure I wouldn't have bought them going off their website. Maybe the Ridgeline uses PWM instead of lower voltage or something. I'm sure it's probably posted somewhere in this forum, but I'm too lazy to check atm.

 

[Solo]

Yes, Ridgeline uses PWM for DRL on the lower models
I looked up bulbs for my Sport on their site & it says on the page, "Not for DRL." So there's that.... ?

 

[Apex]

I come back to this.

It will still make those nice new highly reflective road signs glow a little during the day.

To me that's an indication they are too bright. Unless the stock halogens do the same thing on the same signs.

The DDM bulbs I am using dim significantly from high beam to DRL. They are still way too bright for DRL use. Some of this may be subjective.

 

[Kevo]

I come back to this.

To me that's an indication they are too bright. Unless the stock halogens do the same thing on the same signs.

The DDM bulbs I am using dim significantly from high beam to DRL. They are still way too bright for DRL use. Some of this may be subjective.

I think it's more the color temperature. They are quite a bit more white tending toward blue than halogens. In the daylight halogens blend in with the sun much more than the higher color temp LEDs. It's something you notice every now and then, but it's not anything close to what happens if you run the low beams.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend you get the ones I have anyway unless you like that overly white sore of blue look. I think a lower color temperature would probably be better. I suspect they aren't easy to find, but if I could have found something reasonably priced at 5000K I would have gone with that instead.

 

[Kevin_M]

I recently purchased a 2021 Ridgeline Sport and I don't like the dim DRL. My previous vehicle was an Acura TSX and I changed the DRL's to LED. The LED's were so bright that I could run with them even after sundown. Has anyone changed their 2021/22 DRL's to LED's, and if so where did you find the bulbs?

 

[Apex]

I recently purchased a 2021 Ridgeline Sport and I don't like the dim DRL. My previous vehicle was an Acura TSX and I changed the DRL's to LED. The LED's were so bright that I could run with them even after sundown. Has anyone changed their 2021/22 DRL's to LED's, and if so where did you find the bulbs?

If you go to the first post you will see plenty of examples of LED bulbs for the high beam/drl bulb for your Ridgeline. Really any 9005 led replacement bulb will do the job, however I have yet to find one that will dim to the appropriate DRL level.