2015 EX Headlights - Osram Night Breakers?

0dyfamily · Jan 18, 2016

The X-Treme Vision is same as OEM, just noticeably brighter. Sylvania Silverstar bulbs look "whiter" because of the suppression of output in the red-orange-yellow-green wavelengths to allow the blue wavelengths to have a greater percentage of the output. The blue wavelengths give this illusion of whiter light with a net reduction in total light output; stay away from bulbs that don't have a clear envelope if the intent is road use. Blue lights on a show car? They look cool in that situation. Road use? Nothing cool about decreasing your ability to see further down a dark road.

I will say that both the Philips and Osram bulbs do look a little bit "whiter", but I would think that is a consequence of the specially constructed filament and the pressurized gas mixture they use in the bulb and the resulting visibly higher total lumens output. They do not look at all like the sickly yellowish output from a pair of many-years-old OEM halogen bulbs near the end of their life cycle.

In any event, the Osram & Philips products give you more usable light than OEM. As parmm mentions, maybe 2 to 3 years of use, but I've dodged items in the roadway that I never would have seen with OEM halogen bulbs. These included animal carcasses, luggage that fell off somebody's roof rack, a couple huge pieces of destroyed tractor trailer tires, and most recently some lumber. Blue lights make it really difficult to see this stuff.

My feeling is that the better bulbs, whether Osram Nightbreaker or Philips Xtreme Vision, paid for themselves in safety considerations they offer, no matter if I get only 2 to 3 years out of them.

OF

XenonDepot · Jan 18, 2016

@0dyfamily - are they the +130 bulbs?

Steve

josejoseph · Jan 18, 2016

Can some one please share a video on replacing headlight bulbs for 2011 model? Tried YouTube but couldn't find a relevant one. Thank you!

0dyfamily · Jan 18, 2016

Steve, the Philips Xtreme Vision packaging for the H4/9003 bulbs does not say +130 on it.

OF

XenonDepot · Jan 18, 2016

Hi,

Ok.. I misunderstood your post. I thought you meant that Philips introduced a +130 H11 version -- which I have not seen. We carry the Philips +130 H4 version:

Mind you these H4 Philips LED bulbs have been selling pretty well as well:

H4 Philips X-treme Ultinon LED Bulb | 12953BWX2

Link to review:

H4 Philips LED Headlight Review | H4 LED kit Review | 12953BWX2

Steve

0dyfamily · Jan 19, 2016

Interesting. My purchases have had the generic Philips packaging, without the blue ad copy on the package (or the +130 printing).

OF

parmm · Jan 19, 2016

josejoseph said:
Can some one please share a video on replacing headlight bulbs for 2011 model? Tried YouTube but couldn't find a relevant one. Thank you!

I could not get mine loose, so I had the local body shop do it for me. They said that the connectors were tight too. And there is a video on doing this around here or Youtube somewhere, but don't ask me to find it again. Should have bookmarked it. I looked forever before finding it.

XenonDepot · Jan 19, 2016

@0dyfamily - What was the part number on the packaging?

Steve

manfrotto · Jan 19, 2016

josejoseph said:
Can some one please share a video on replacing headlight bulbs for 2011 model? Tried YouTube but couldn't find a relevant one. Thank you!

Not sure why you need a video as the owner's manual gives you instructions. Also, while it says to remove the electrical connectors first, I've found that it's easier to remove the connector after the bulb has been removed from the housing. Granted, I think they tell you to remove the electrical connector first to reduce the chances of electrical shock. I'm changing out my bulbs later this week; will post a video then if you want.

0dyfamily · Jan 19, 2016

XenonDepot said:
@0dyfamily - What was the part number on the packaging?

Steve

Dunno...don't have the packaging any more. When I buy a new set from Candlepower or Amazon, I'll chime in.

OF

manfrotto · Jan 20, 2016

manfrotto said:
Not sure why you need a video as the owner's manual gives you instructions. Also, while it says to remove the electrical connectors first, I've found that it's easier to remove the connector after the bulb has been removed from the housing. Granted, I think they tell you to remove the electrical connector first to reduce the chances of electrical shock. I'm changing out my bulbs later this week; will post a video then if you want.

View attachment 77001 View attachment 77009

I swapped out my bulbs today. There's a reason there's no video: the space for you to reach into is filled with your whole hand and no photo of video can be taken of you actually doing the bulb removal/replacement. Here's photo which should help, taken of the driver's side bulb replacement.

In the photo — The tab (labeled #2) you need to push down to unlock the electrical connector is located behind tab labeled #1. You can't really even see that tab (#2) when you look into compartment as tab #1 is blocking your view. However, you can use tab #1 to push the electrical down and disconnect it from the bulb after you've unlocked the connector from the bulb. Once you've removed the electrical connector, you can remove the bulb as per the instructions: I've noted the direction of turn (counter-clockwise 1/4 turn) with the blue arrow.

Hope this helps.

pg62 · Jan 20, 2016

I was hoping for these bulbs to be whiter... They are pretty close to OEM bulbs just brighter... I think HID's are really my option for a brighter whiter output... :frown:

0dyfamily · Jan 20, 2016

pg62, it's strange the way the human visual system works. We usually associate "whiter" with a higher proportion of blue wavelengths in the light projected by your headlights, or on other items (light sources, or items taking ambient light and displaying that light by luminance or radiance). You see all that foreground lighting with more blue in it, and the first reaction is "Wow, that's brighter, and I'm seeing more." No, it's not brighter, and no, you're not seeing more (especially in the distance), but it's the way our mere human being visual system is wired.

As a strange aside, many years ago (like the early 1900's) when white clothing would turn dingy after much use, stores sold liquid bluing which was essentially very fine iron powder suspended in a pH-adjusted aqueous solution which turned out to be blue. Adding this to the wash water made those dingy white clothes look whiter.

If you're getting brighter light now, your new bulbs are doing their job to contribute to safer night driving. If you're looking for so-called "whiter" light just for the effect, more blue wavelengths at the expense of useful wavelengths is the answer. My TRS D2S HID capsules have pretty much shifted to a bluer color temperature, possibly well over 5000k, after 4 years of use. I see less down the road than I did when they were brand new and in the lower part of the color temperature regime (4300k out-of-the-box), so I'll be replacing them soon.

As well, light output can diminish with years of use with any HID capsule; those with fewer metallic salts deposited in the HID capsule to support the arc discharge will tend to do this quicker (and have a briefer lifetime) than those from name brands like Philips, OSRAM, or even GE.

If you go HID, get a decent projector system. Knowing what I know now, if you can do something simple like bake apart the headlight housings, but do not wish to perform surgery and careful alignment of an OE-style projector (like, say an Acura TL type for example), then a Mini-H1 projector is your best option. They have a better light throw than the Mini-D2S I retro'd into my van, and the Mini-H1 bulb architecture is popular (continued support).

Food for thought.

OF

pg62 · Jan 20, 2016

0dyfamily said:
pg62, it's strange the way the human visual system works. We usually associate "whiter" with a higher proportion of blue wavelengths in the light projected by your headlights, or on other items (light sources, or items taking ambient light and displaying that light by luminance or radiance). You see all that foreground lighting with more blue in it, and the first reaction is "Wow, that's brighter, and I'm seeing more." No, it's not brighter, and no, you're not seeing more (especially in the distance), but it's the way our mere human being visual system is wired.

As a strange aside, many years ago (like the early 1900's) when white clothing would turn dingy after much use, stores sold liquid bluing which was essentially very fine iron powder suspended in a pH-adjusted aqueous solution which turned out to be blue. Adding this to the wash water made those dingy white clothes look whiter.

If you're getting brighter light now, your new bulbs are doing their job to contribute to safer night driving. If you're looking for so-called "whiter" light just for the effect, more blue wavelengths at the expense of useful wavelengths is the answer. My TRS D2S HID capsules have pretty much shifted to a bluer color temperature, possibly well over 5000k, after 4 years of use. I see less down the road than I did when they were brand new and in the lower part of the color temperature regime (4300k out-of-the-box), so I'll be replacing them soon.

As well, light output can diminish with years of use with any HID capsule; those with fewer metallic salts deposited in the HID capsule to support the arc discharge will tend to do this quicker (and have a briefer lifetime) than those from name brands like Philips, OSRAM, or even GE.

If you go HID, get a decent projector system. Knowing what I know now, if you can do something simple like bake apart the headlight housings, but do not wish to perform surgery and careful alignment of an OE-style projector (like, say an Acura TL type for example), then a Mini-H1 projector is your best option. They have a better light throw than the Mini-D2S I retro'd into my van, and the Mini-H1 bulb architecture is popular (continued support).

Food for thought.

OF

I fully understand what you are saying. I personally came from 08 civic with a retrofitted Lexus SC430 projector and G37 that came with HID stock. I also happen to have an 08 Pilot (wifes car) with halogen projectors that I had HIDs on them for a few years until I decided to switch it to regular halogen bulbs.

What I am trying to look for is something that would give me both brighter and whiter output without going to HID. Maybe in the future I will go back to getting a retro or even just purchase TE headlight (Im assuming it should be a straight swap across all trims) and get the DS2 HID kit for it. Less head ache and no need to open up headlight housing.

0dyfamily · Jan 21, 2016

I actually looked at the headlight housings, and it's a straight-across swap as you mention. The big difference is that the TE housings have a quite a bit longer housing for the main bulb to allow for more throw from the HID capsule. They are physically different when it comes to the measured length from the clear portion straight back to where the HID capsule is mounted, but otherwise, as noted by people who've done it on the forum (it's been done), it's a drop-in solution.

I've gotten really great output and throw from Osram Hyper bulbs, but they are not long-lived. They were the single best halogen solution I've ever seen for those who do not mind replacing bulbs almost annually, and I've driven them through rain showers, snow storms, and fog with them. 18-month lifespan (tops), but awesome bulbs.

OF

New Dad New Van · Jan 21, 2016

I am giving the new OSRAM Silverstar 2.0 a try in my Acura. Bought from Powerbulbs for $25 CAD and free shipping (included 20% discount at the time of ordering). Only had them in for a couple of days. Yes, brighter than stock bulbs and hopefully longer life than the previous gen Silverstars.

SILVERSTAR 2.0 | Halogen headlight lamps for cars | OSRAM

OSRAM Silverstar 2.0 9003 (HB2/H4) (Twin) | PowerBulbs

pg62 · Jan 21, 2016

You know they are bright when the oncoming traffic thinks you're using your high beams...

0dyfamily · Jan 22, 2016

pg62 said:
You know they are bright when the oncoming traffic thinks you're using your high beams...

True that, sir. THAT happened with the Osram Hypers. I actually had a long #2 Phillips screwdriver in the door pocket, so I stopped and aimed them down a tad.

OF

manfrotto · Jan 22, 2016

Thanks!

0dyfamily said:
The X-Treme Vision is same as OEM, just noticeably brighter. Sylvania Silverstar bulbs look "whiter" because of the suppression of output in the red-orange-yellow-green wavelengths to allow the blue wavelengths to have a greater percentage of the output. The blue wavelengths give this illusion of whiter light with a net reduction in total light output; stay away from bulbs that don't have a clear envelope if the intent is road use. Blue lights on a show car? They look cool in that situation. Road use? Nothing cool about decreasing your ability to see further down a dark road.

I will say that both the Philips and Osram bulbs do look a little bit "whiter", but I would think that is a consequence of the specially constructed filament and the pressurized gas mixture they use in the bulb and the resulting visibly higher total lumens output. They do not look at all like the sickly yellowish output from a pair of many-years-old OEM halogen bulbs near the end of their life cycle.

In any event, the Osram & Philips products give you more usable light than OEM. As parmm mentions, maybe 2 to 3 years of use, but I've dodged items in the roadway that I never would have seen with OEM halogen bulbs. These included animal carcasses, luggage that fell off somebody's roof rack, a couple huge pieces of destroyed tractor trailer tires, and most recently some lumber. Blue lights make it really difficult to see this stuff.

My feeling is that the better bulbs, whether Osram Nightbreaker or Philips Xtreme Vision, paid for themselves in safety considerations they offer, no matter if I get only 2 to 3 years out of them.

OF

Seriously, thanks Odyfamily for the endorsement. I put in the Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited H11 bulbs yesterday, and I drove with them through varying levels of street lighting last night. What a difference these bulbs make! The throw is noticeably farther down the road than any other bulb I've used in the 2011 projector halogen housing; (2) the beam is wider too, as I noticed significantly more lit up to the left and right of the vehicle; and (3) the light is much brighter and slightly whiter (though not as "white" as the Philips Crystal Vision Ultra I used several years ago) than anything else I've used.

Compared to the hundreds of cars in various level of light on the road last night, the only thing that could beat these was indeed true HID from higher end vehicles. I don't know how Osram was able to achieve this on what would otherwise look like a standard halogen bulb, but BY FAR, it was the brightest, whitest, and had the longest throw of any halogen driven headlight system. Excellent all around.

I'm guessing the whiter color is due to the blue bands at the top and bottom of the glass on the bulb (picture for those interested).

0dyfamily · Jan 22, 2016

There's a little blue band up top, away from the vertical limits of the filament, on the Philips bulb, too.

My observation is that it made the edges of the lighting pattern (in certain places), change color a little. It's weird how the engineers did that. When I was looking at the newly installed bulbs, lights on and aimed against a wall...when I crouched down and my field of view got close to the upper edge of the light throw, it appeared to change color a tiny bit.

Of course, the rest of the light was just bright white; but some of the edges were just plain psychedelic. Makes me wonder if they added that for some sort of edge-of-the-light-envelope "cool effect". However they do it, it sure is pretty neat...

...and, really good light for your viewing needs, too.

OF

2015 EX Headlights - Osram Night Breakers?

0dyfamily

XenonDepot

josejoseph

0dyfamily

XenonDepot

0dyfamily

parmm

XenonDepot

manfrotto

0dyfamily

manfrotto

pg62

0dyfamily

pg62

0dyfamily

New Dad New Van

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manfrotto

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