NIGHT DRIVE WITH OSRAM CBI D2S BULBS

[Larz]

Thanks for clarifying that, mate !

[anotheraznguy]

Very nice. was wondering.. did it change the color of the light coming out of the shroud as well?

I haven't replaced mine yet but this yellowish green shroud surround is killing me

[06M4.5]

yup the green is killing me too

[Larz]

It's odd really. While looking at the headlamp in daylight from a normal distance, or even directly head-on ... the shroud seems to have decreased that guacamole hue but it still does NOT match the color of the bulb.
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However, when you walk right up and look very closely in daytime .. the green is obvious.
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At night, the green (even close-up) appears as a light beige hue and the green is gone.

I wonder if it's the lens itself, reflecting into the shroud. Our lenses aren't 100% clear like, say, an Acura. At least to me, it seems ours has a slight frosted surface. Maybe the green is a result of that? No clue what it could be, but this is the third brand of bulb I've used and the green seems to persist in daytime, while the beige seems to persist at night.

[EniGmA1987]

That is true, our lenses are not completely clear.

[TDot]

So I got the morimoto 5k kit (ill do a write up later) and the osram bulbs mainly because I thought my bulbs were getting dim and I wanted more light. To say I was thoroughly disappointed in the osrams can't express it enough...mostly because of the headache I went through to install it which is another story all together.

The osram is a downgrade from the oem bulbs as far as I'm concerned. I put in the hid fogs and then I put in the osram on one side. You can clearly see the oem is a more white/blue matching the hid pretty well, while the osram is a beige/white yellowish...clearly not white, but not yellow. On top of that, it was no brighter than the oem. The light cast by both bulbs seemed the same to me and my boy, nothing spectacular.

Looking at both bulbs you can see the oem is coated with a light blue which I guess helps it shine through with a whiter color than the osram through this greenish shroud we have.

Now I have some osrams sitting down doing nothing. Maybe I'll think about upgrading the low beams to 55k, who knows. I don't know how much oem costs, but if it's the same price and I needed to do this again, I'd defiantly go with oem..even if they were a little more.

[anotheraznguy]

tdot, i also got the osram cbi bulbs and they were night and day difference. Where did you pick yours up? This is the light output i am getting from them



Btw the oem bulbs are perfectly clear and have zero hue.

[TDot]

My oem definitely had a touch of blue. I can't say my oem or osram does/doesn't shine like that because I haven't touched a pitch black stretch like that in a while. Your high beams aren't on in that? The light pattern looks like it a bit. Maybe it's my fault because I compared them at dusk by looking at them directly from a 40ft away, however, I believe if there was a significant difference I should have seen it. So since I didn't see that significant difference, PLUS the color definitely isn't what I wanted or expected, for me it was a disappointment.

[anotheraznguy]

Correct, that is only low beam. the color is more white than blue. Also if you bump up the power from 35 to 55w at the ballast the kelvin rating will go down as well making it more white/yellow.

Where did you buy the bulbs BTW? There is a lot of talk of china fakes and without going through an authorized dealer can be rather sketchy

[TDot]

Retrofitsource

[EniGmA1987]

I don't think the way you are trying to judge bulbs is correct at all. You cant just look at the headlights from 40 ft away, you need to judge what they light up

[Larz]

Enigma is correct. The purpose of the bulbs is to light a path in front of your car, not to 'appear' to have a colured hue viewed from a distance. I saw a night / day difference with my Osram as well not just in the forward distance that was lighted, but also the width of the light beam from side to side. Judge them from the driver's seat coz that is what matters.
Osrams are NOT blue or even blue-ish to my eyes, nor are they supposed to be. They are supposed to light a wide clear path of light as close to daytime as possible, which they do.

The OEM bulbs are 4300k.
Natural mid-day sunlight is about 5800k.
Osram are between 5000k - 5500k - more like natural sunlight than 4300k.

At 6000k and above, the blue hue increases and the distance lighted decreases until you reach those wanna-be goofy purple bulbs that make a purple puddle in front of the bumper, but don't illuminate anything in your forward path.

[CPJ LB]

tdot, i also got the osram cbi bulbs and they were night and day difference. Where did you pick yours up? This is the light output i am getting from them



Btw the oem bulbs are perfectly clear and have zero hue.

Nice!!! I'm saving up for a set...my OEM's are still bright though, so I might just buy the Osram and store them in the garage for the fall...

[TDot]

Can someone post a pic of what their osram looks like with their 5K HID fogs please.
This is what mine looks like with stock HID low beams:

Yet still if I am in person, I would swear the stock is whiter (not as white as the fogs)...and then the osrams looked "beiger" than the stocks. I'm wondering maybe I didn't let the osrams warm up enough (three minutes)? Or maybe because it the sun was just setting? I don't know. Just looking to see someone else's lights from outside against 5K fogs.

[EniGmA1987]

Pictures are a funny thing too, depending on the camera sensor and various settings the lights can look completely different colors.
Again, if you really are just caring about what the headlights actually look like then buy whatever color spectrum you like best. But comparing how the headlight itself looks has very little bearing on how the bulb actually functions.

[CPJ LB]

Hey Larz,

I'll be picking up a set of HID replacement bulbs and noticed that besides the OSRAM CBI's, there is the 'Night Breaker' by OSRAM... I'm trying to find some info between the two and now it's made my decision a little harder.... by chance, did you compare these two bulbs or compare with the Phillips??

I'm trying to avoid any 'wash out' effect if I'm possibly driving in the rain....

[Larz]

Hey Larz,

I'll be picking up a set of HID replacement bulbs and noticed that besides the OSRAM CBI's, there is the 'Night Breaker' by OSRAM... I'm trying to find some info between the two and now it's made my decision a little harder.... by chance, did you compare these two bulbs or compare with the Phillips??

I'm trying to avoid any 'wash out' effect if I'm possibly driving in the rain....

I use the Nightbreaker Unlimited for my high beams. They are also amazing. When they switch on, the beam lands directly on top of the cut-off point of the low beams and spreads higher in height. They shine much much farther ahead, have a wider spread of light, and are noticeably more white than my OEM high beams. I never used them for low beams, but based on the difference in high beams, I reckon they will be almost as good as the CBIs - making a whiter light and reaching farther than OEM or Phillips Ultinon, but not as good as the CBIs, hence the slightly lower price (although both are pricey bulbs).

http://youtu.be/5bXFtorCI6Q

In fact, they now make an Osram CBI for our high beams as well, and I would have both them but I already bought the Nightbreaker Unlimiteds for the high beams.
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[CPJ LB]

^Thanks Larz!!

I appreciate the info...this really helps. I'll be leaning towards the CBI's...prior to your accident, did you drive in rainy conditions with the CBI's??

My OEM HID bulbs are still working (no burnt bulbs on either side), but I feel that the beam strength has gone down....Matter of fact, I was at traffic light and next to me was a guy in an Audi A4 and the light output was much greater in his car -- being a newer model -- but it made me realize that our OEM HID bulbs do fade in time...

[Larz]

^Thanks Larz!!

I appreciate the info...this really helps. I'll be leaning towards the CBI's...prior to your accident, did you drive in rainy conditions with the CBI's??

My OEM HID bulbs are still working (no burnt bulbs on either side), but I feel that the beam strength has gone down....Matter of fact, I was at traffic light and next to me was a guy in an Audi A4 and the light output was much greater in his car -- being a newer model -- but it made me realize that our OEM HID bulbs do fade in time...

Yes I drove with them in all sorts of weather - heavy driving rain on the motorway, snow in the north, etc. They are most noticeable without the high-power sodium lamps used to light roadways just like any other bulb, but the CBIs colour is still noticeable even under the brightest roadway lights and they work just great in any weather condition. The main difference between these and the nightbreakers seems to be that CBIs are 5,000k while Nightbreakers are 4300K. I believe the OEM bulbs are 4300K so the colour of light should be similar to OEM and both models are nearly the same price.
And you are right - all these bulbs lose brightness and depth over time. My Phillips Ultinon bulbs were also expensive and they faded over time. I reckon about 2-3 years of optimum service for any HID bulb, then a slow decline in performance.
I will be buying a set of CBIs for the new M in the near future soo as I am able to crawl around under the car and install them. BTW, my Infiniti dealer installs them for a labour charge only - like 30min of labour I belive.

[CPJ LB]

thank you very much!!! that's good to hear about the CBI's handling all sorts of weather... it'll be my choice, for sure!!

greatly appreciated!!!

[Larz]

I ordered my Osram 66240 CBI bulbs Friday. They should arrive here Mon - Tues and I will have my guy at Infiniti install them. I'll let you know what they charge me. (I'm not healthy enough to jack up the car, remove the wheels, etc. - still limited to max 10lb carry weight per my ortho specialist).
FYI: there is a discount on right now - not much, about $10. I paid $179 including shipping charges instead of $189.

Enter: trsfblike in the coupon box (or whatever they call it) when you order. You can call them before you order and they will tell you if that code has changed.

[calidoso]

Larz,

How do the CBI's look with the DRLs? pretty close in color?

My stock ones are more white than the DRLs. Want to get them as close in color as possible.

[Larz]

In a word: NO. The Phillips DRLs use what Phillips call: Luxeon 6000k LEDs. The Osram CBIs are between 5000-5500k. If you want the DRLs and headlights to match, I reckon get 6000k headlamps like the Phillips Ultinon 6000k. They are still an absolutely brilliant bulb that shines farther than OEM and the colour should be pretty close to the DRLs. The only car I recall that has close-matching DRLs / headlamps are Mercedes. On other cars, the DRL is always either whiter, or blue compared to the headlamps.

[Larz]

I ordered another set of Osram 66240 CBI bulbs from The Retrofit Source on Friday 11/07. They arrived today 11/10 !
AND ... I didn't do this on the last set but I decided to check the authenticity of this set. The Retrofit Source goes on and on about how they are one of VERY few places to buy authentic bulbs. A mate of mine has a gizmo and software that checks the barcode or EAN code of a product to see where it came from and what the item is. I was sure he was having a laugh, but when he scanned it into his computer, this is what came back:

Typ: Autolampe Osram • Lampentyp: Gasentladung • Verwendung: Scheinwerfer • ECE: D2S • Sockel: P32d-2 • Nennleistung: 35W • Spannung: 85V • Lichtstrom: 3200lm • Farbtemperatur: 5000K • Lebensdauer: 1500/2000 Stunden (B3/Tc) • Leistungsaufnahme: 35W • Testspannung: 13.5V • Abmessungen (Durchmesser x Länge): 9x77mm
EAN-Codes: 4008321588883, 4008321532343, 4050300947259, 66240CBI P32d-2

No clue what most of that means, but I DO know what "66240CBI" means. It means they really DO sell the real thing and it really IS from Germany and not from China like the copies.

[TDot]

To the guys who have had the osrams burnt in for 100+ hrs, can you take a pic and show it against 5k fogs if you have them? I just spoke to retrofit for another reason and told them my issue with the osrams and they told me my issue was mainly because i hadnt burnt them in for at least 75hrs. Id like to see what anyone of yours looks like since you've had them.

[Larz]

My fogs are used as, well ... fog lamps so they are the recommended 3000k. I have DRLs so no need to use the fogs for reg driving. The Osrams on my 07 were about 2 years old and on my 09 are over 1 year old. Per the calculations in my head just now (2 hrs daily x at least 5 days, x 52 weeks) I have over 500 hours on this set. I am still using the OEM ballasts (using 55w ballasts will change the color and cut the lifespan). They appear to be the exact same shade of white daytime, still light up more of the road in front and sides than OEM or the Sylvania 85122.
What issue are you having with yours?
I don't expect that Osrams will match any other bulb perfectly. The Osrams are 'Xenarc' 5500k. I don't remember seeing any fogs that are 5500k.

[CPJ LB]

^ Hey Larz! It's been awhile, but it appears you're doing well after your accident. I stop in from time to time and lurk thru the posts LOL...

Anyway, I ended up pulling the trigger on a pair of CBI's....got them delivered last week before the rains hit over here in CT. I took out the Miromoto XB 5500K that I installed when I bought my G37 this past June.

both D2S bulbs Osram CBI's & Miromoto XB 5500K have good white light output and gives the car a classy luxury look. Having had the Miromoto 5500K on my prior M35 and current G37, I was very impressed with the look and function compared to the OE D2S bulbs. The turning point for me to change out the Miromoto's to the Osram's was after riding in my brother-in-law's car. He upgraded to the CBI's after his OE HID bulbs went out earlier this year. WOW! I was impressed with the amount of light output compared to the Miromotos - and we were driving in the rain. I knew I had to make the change prior to the bad weather and snow begins here in CT.

I've only had the CBI's for just over 4 days and have only put approx 2 hours on them and immediately noticed the difference in the strength of the light output....I know they will break in more and get even brighter... I still have my OE bulbs and now my Miromoto's as back up sets or to use during the spring/summer months, but these CBI's will work well in the upcoming months.

Thanks again for your prior review/video/insight on the CBI's ..... anyone that is still on the fence about the CBI's, this is a great investment. I got mine at a reduced price on the Retrofitsource site.... Too bad the Osram Night Breakers aren't made in the H8 size for my fogs, so I'll keep my HOEN yellow fogs for now.....

[Larz]

Hello CPJ!
Glad to see you're still about the place. I had the same reaction to the CBIs that you had. The length and width of the low beams is absolutely amazing. Mine are still working just as well as the day I installed them - no change whatsoever. And, as you know, I only use my fogs for actual fog or heavy weather and the 3000k bulbs are best for that so I'd leave your fogs as they are.