Fresh Xenon bulbs after 4 yrs makes difference

[scottm]

If you've been running on original bulbs you may not have noticed the degradation over time. I only learned Xenon's decay over time with quite a bit in the first couple years. I probably had about 85% brightness on the originals.

I pulled out the originals after 160,000 km and installed new .. and are noticeably brighter.

Mind you, I picked top end bulbs that are also known for their brightness Osram Night Breaker Laser Xenarc D3S.. these are drop in replacements. Careful buying on Amazon - there are lots of faked name-brand bulbs on there, if price is too good to be true, they are fake.

Actually I wish it was that easy to change them out... had to go in through the fender by taking the liner out. But whatever, car has never been so bright at night!

I was tempted to get whiter light, but I decided to keep to the original 4300K color and not go for the steps up to whiter or even bluer light heading into 6000K. Turns out whiter light is a bit a of deception to the eye.. it seems brighter but in fact does not light up down the road as well. Which is my main concern: seeing distant objects at speed (read: deer in the headlights, we have lots of deer).

 

[nguyentoogood]

i plan on changing out my oem bulbs. Are the Osram Night Breaker Laser Xenarc D3S really the best? I just want the best output without changing the optics or projector in general.

 

[scottm]

Well, I think they are obviously much brighter than originals.

I read tons of reviews about xenons and this particular one rates pretty consistently in the top 2 everywhere, and top 1 on some... "is the one to beat" kind of thing

What impressed me was the meaured lumens at 30 foot or whatever... where they showed the 4300 color has more light output landing there than the 6000 next cooler "whiter light" choice was for this same bulb

So I learned, white does not equal bright.

These aren't the cheapest, but I wasn't after that...

 

[timvracer]

I tried to find these on Amazon, and when I set the filter to Tesla Model S (2017), it says there are no results found. Which SKU did you purchase?

 

[nguyentoogood]

careful when buying on amazon, there are a lot of fakes.

were the nightbreaker color temperature cooler than oems? (even if its just a little bit)?

 

[NoirMS]

i plan on changing out my oem bulbs. Are the Osram Night Breaker Laser Xenarc D3S really the best? I just want the best output without changing the optics or projector in general.

I went with Philip gen2 ... strong lumens
Watch "PHILIPS BULB SHOOTOUT + XTREME VISION GEN2 OR OSRAM CBB?" on YouTube

 

[NoirMS]

yes, 100% agree... pita but doable... I tried at first by just having the wheel turned, but ended up on a jack stand - wheel off - and pulled out a solid dozen clips to be able to peel back enough for bulb access....

 

[SSedan]

Thank you for sharing. I asked about this a month ago and got little response, then did nothing about it myself since this time of year I drive after dark very rarely.

Good headlights are worth the money, new bulbs is a lot less than a deductible.

 

[scottm]

I was motivated to refresh my model S bulbs after seeing the model 3 at night... which seems so bright and white with its LEDs.

I haven't done a head-to-head of which car actually illuminates better (into the distance) with high beams yet.

But these bulbs in my S might actually give it the advantage over the 3.

It's just that model 3 appears brighter but might not actually have the same reach.

 

[scottm]

Ya these Philips and the Osram in this thread are "top 2" so I'd say getting either would be a good bet.

 

[nguyentoogood]

i was going to get the night breakers laser from osram but opted for the CBB. Hopefully the color matches the drl led closely.

 

[Evee]

just bought the Osram lasers will get them installed soon

 

[Evee]

They are awesome. Super super bright.