D25 Xenon HID Replacement

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Our trusty 2006 TSX (195K) has the original headlight bulbs. I think they are dimming; not 100% sure.
It seems like Xenon HID bulbs are pretty pricey; off brands not so much...

Please post your real world experience with these bulbs.
What would you replace them with?
I am open to any suggestions but no Mickey Mouse please.

Thanks in advance.
 
Any major brand D2S will be just fine, be it Philips, Osram, GE, or Sylvania. Check Amazon instead of going to parts stores unless you like paying double the price for a basic D2S bulb.
 
HID bulbs do dim. It's interesting to note that they also use up the "additives" that provide good color temperature. So not only do they visibly dim in about 1500 hours of use, but the color changes.

I prefer bulbs in the mid 4000K color temp range. It's common for the OEM replacement bulbs to be 4300K, which is very pleasing to drive behind. Going up towards 6000K and the light becomes blue (ish) in color and while it appears to illuminate better, it does not. Especially noticeable on wet roads. The higher color temperatures may not illuminate a black, wet road.
 
I have a 2008 G35 and it was on the original bulbs (10+ years !!) and the driver's side recently went out. Then it started working again. Then quit again. I bought these D2S HID Xenon bulbs and they're $15 for two of them. Yeah, I doubt they'll last anywhere near the length of time that the OEM Koito bulbs lasted but we'll see. Color-wise, these do look great though. I'd read that Xenon bulbs will take a while (hours of use) to get to their 'normal' color but I can't see any changes since installing them. These are supposed to be 6000k while the OEM bulbs are 4300k but I don't see any difference.... I will look for KOITO D2S bulbs in the meantime but the ones I've ran across don't give much info on their color (their "K" value).

Turns out the original bulb might have been okay after all too. It was the ballast/igniter that failed.
 
Headlight Revolution did a comparison of various different bulbs. The generic bulbs put out the least amount of light. Be aware of fakes on Amazon and eBay though.

[Linked Image]
 
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Osram Nightbreaker Laser if you want the absolute brightest and don't mind the yellow factory HID color temp. Or Osram Cool Blue Boost if you want both performance and looks of a whiter color light.

The Retrofit Source also has a BF/Cyber Monday sale right now but I believe Amazon may be slightly cheaper. If you order from Amazon or Ebay, you can check for authenticity on their website by typing in a barcode off the packaging.
 
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Headlight Revolution did a comparison of various different bulbs.

Are those D2S bulbs ?
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
OE (Whatever supplier Honda used)

With standard halogen bulbs, I believe it's typically Stanley (not the same as the hand tool manufacturer). Not sure if Stanley makes HID D2S bulbs so Koito might be a good alternative as they supply Nissan/Infiniti (and probably others).
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Headlight Revolution did a comparison of various different bulbs.

Are those D2S bulbs ?


D3S, they put out the same amount of light though.
 
I stick to real Philips/Osram/Koito bulbs. If you buy off Amazon, the risk of getting a fake is high but all Philips and Osram bulbs have a authenticity code on them and you can usually tell real from fake on the bulbs somewhat easily.
 
Put in Philips Crystal Vision Ultra on the Fusion Hybrid - for sure whiter and brighter than the OEM's I took out.
I stayed away from Silverstar since these lights are hard to change on that car - and SS burn out sooner
Pay attention to estimated life - it can be pretty darn short on some of these.
If they are easy to change and you don't drive that vehicle often - Silverstar Ultra is easy to find and powerful
 
I am a fan of the Retrofit Source offerings. They offer lower-temp D2S bulbs which I prefer because they have the same color as halogen - less white-hot and less blue. I find that to be less fatiguing at night in the darkest of areas. Their customer support is top-notch.
 
I swapped out the original bulbs with the Philips Crystal Vision Ultra as recommended by 4WD.
I was expection an explosion of light; didn't get quite that far...
They are better; I will give 'em a test when it gets dark.
The headlight surface probablt needs work.
Installing these in a 1st gen TSX is a PITA.

Thanks to all who posted.
 
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Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
I swapped out the original bulbs with the Philips Crystal Vision Ultra as recommended by 4WD.
I was expection an explosion of light; didn't get quite that far...
They are better; I will give 'em a test when it gets dark.



Well, yeah, I mean the Philips Crystal Vision Ultra (BlueVision in the attached chart) doesn't even approach 70% of the intensity (cd) of the test winner. Test done by a German magazine, Auto Bild, in a light tunnel. Below graphic is a Romanian reprint of Auto Bild's results.

[Linked Image from carlightblog.ro]
 
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Below is my post - they were not the light in the chart and not the light in Jeff's link. I found them on a US ranking site that considered service life as I mentioned. They were indeed brighter and whiter than stock - but not as bright as Silverstar Ultra.
I had to pull the bumper cover off that car, not enough hours in some of the Autozone offerings. Changed 10 bulbs.
As for a German ranking site - I would not even know how to figure which ones are legal - and I'm not going to be that _____ blinding everyone else on the road.

============================================================================================================================
Put in Philips Crystal Vision Ultra on the Fusion Hybrid - for sure whiter and brighter than the OEM's I took out.
I stayed away from Silverstar since these lights are hard to change on that car - and SS burn out sooner
Pay attention to estimated life - it can be pretty darn short on some of these.
If they are easy to change and you don't drive that vehicle often - Silverstar Ultra is easy to find and powerful
 
I just tested the bulbs at night... Much better; I am very happy with the result.
Nice and bright; whiter than the OEMs.
There are gains to be made in refinishing the headlamp surface.

Thanks for the advice Cujet.
Our GS is next to the TSX...


IMG_20191211_191443.jpg


IMG_20191211_191419.jpg
 
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