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189 views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  This Is Not Mike  
#1 ·
Folks, trying to find a conclusive answer to this.

I swapped out the High beam bulbs with LEDs. As with all the info I can find on the internet, the DRLs are blinding. They do drop in intensity some (compared to the High Beams) but they’re still pretty bright.

2 questions:

1. Where is the DRL resistor on the 17 STi? If I can add some more resistance to that circuit, I may be able to dim the LEDs.

2. Is there someone in Northern Virginia who fixes / mods lights? I’d like to swap out the C lights from Diode Dynamics and make those DRLs instead of all the other stuff.

3. Separately I’m not entirely opposed to the idea of swapping the whole assembly out and putting in an aftermarket unit. Recommendations for an after market LED headlight? VLand / Spyder / Something else?

Cheers
 
#2 ·
On my GR, I think I pulled the DRL relay and just disabled them.
 
owns 2019 Subaru WRX STI Base FP Green Flex Fuel
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#3 ·
I like having some lights in the front during the day. I did think about disabling them but then I’d have to turn on the headlights and then adjust the brightness of the instrument cluster. Not a big deal but I’m trying to figure out a way to make it work as is. Don’t have spare time right now to play with it
 
#4 · (Edited)
An aftermarket headlamp assembly, especially VLAND / Spyder / Amazon stuff is going to be a serious downgrade in lighting compared to the OEM units.

Honestly, the LED bulb you swapped in is likely a downgrade from a good quality halogen unit.

I'm a member of TacomaWorld which has a member that has done pretty exhaustive testing on LED headlamp bulbs and none of them have been able to best a quality H9 as seen here.

I know that the STI uses a 9005, not an H9, but most, if not all of the data will be comparable.

Rather than mess with your DRL circuit, something like a high quality 9011 HIR bulb will be a great upgrade as it uses the correct halogen optics to match your existing headlights which means you should not have the blinding issues you will have with LEDs, but still benefit from an upgraded bulb when you want your high beams. The only downfall is that using the bulb as a DRL will ultimately shorten bulb life.

Edit, cleaned up formatting.
 
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