OEM 5000K HID Replacement (Osram Xenarc CBI)
 

Hi All,

I'll admit it, I'm obsessed with vehicle headlights. LED Designs, bulbs used, etc. Which is why the OEM 4300K Osram Xenarcs that the stock BRZ have aren't cutting it for me. I'm about to jump into the 5000K Osram Xenarc CBIs - has anyone made this switch and if so, what are your thoughts on it?

It is roughly $180 a pair...

Hey, I am on the same page as you. I know you wanted help, but I need help for the same issue. I want 5000-5500k

Whats the difference between these and LED bulbs such as XML2 5000k?

I have these D4S 5000k CBIs (bought from TRS) and they seem a tiny bit brighter than the stock D4S bulbs that came with the 2015 RS 1.0. They're also a tiny bit whiter. They take about 5 seconds longer to warm up compared to the the OEM bulbs.

Given my unprofessional, untrained eye (who has used other 5000k and 6000k bulbs), these bulbs look closer to 4500k than 5000k. I've had friends look at my output and thought they were just the stock 4300k bulbs.

Compared to Morimoto 5000k HID bulbs that I've used my other cars, these look like OEM 4300k bulbs. Compared to OEM 4300k bulbs, the 5000k CBIs they're maybe 4500k to 4750k.

Overall, I didn't think it was worth $190 (that's what I paid for them a year ago) and probably would've just went for some Morimoto 5000k bulbs for a whiter color temp.

These are the specific ones I ordered:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...l#.VR4XIeFo-u8
Not really sure why they're advertised at 5000k or even 5500k.. they're definitely not 5500k and I'd barely call them 5000k.

I just dug through my garage to find the original boxes the CBIs came in and they advertise as "Up to 5000k" so :iono: maybe that's why mine aren't quite as white as I wanted them to be. Output is good though, but not a huge upgrade over stock.

Hmm interesting. I did some research; originally I purchased 5000K bulbs from a vendor here but they were more purplish than pure white. The worst part was that it was noticeably dimmer than the stock 4300K - it did not light up road reflectors and was constantly outshone by your regular yellowish halogen lights which drove me nuts. I've heard a lot about the Morimoto 5000K bulbs, but I'm questioning whether or not it has the same lumens output as a stock quality 5000k bulb.

The ultimate goal here is for cosmetic purposes that rival German OEM HIDs that are not LEDs, but I'm adamant about safety as well. :iono:

Testing by TRS has shown that their Morimoto XB35 bulbs produce comparable output to OEM standards bulbs. There might be some bias as Morimoto is TRS' in house brand though.. You can read about it here:

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/show...-D2S-Bulb-Test

When I was shopping for the CBIs, I emailed TRS about what they recommended (the Morimoto XB35s or CBIs) and here's what Zach @ TRS had to say (direct quote from my email inbox):

"Those bulbs would be better in every way than the Morimoto's, but don't let that fool you! Our Morimoto bulbs will certainly be the best bang for the buck! The D4S CBI bulbs have been incredibly difficult to source, and since we started carrying them they're flying off the shelves! If it were my vehicle i'd run the CBIs, hands down. I do actually run the CBI bulbs in my vehicle, just the D2S version.The Morimoto bulbs are an excellent choice if you're looking for comparable brightness to stock, but with the option of the different kelvin ratings. The CBI bulb will undoubtedly be brighter than your stock bulbs as well as our Morimoto ones though (once broken in especially)."


From my understanding, the XB35s are basically same output as stock bulbs but looks better (5000k, 6000k, or 3000k options). CBIs are slightly higher output than stock and XB35s, this is something I do notice in my day-to-day driving. However, IMHO, the output of the CBIs isn't high enough to justify the cost and the fact Morimotos probably would look better (more white). The Morimotos would be basically be stock D4S bulb output anyway (good enough for me), and definitely safe enough for street use.

Hope that all helps you. Personally, if I didn't drop nearly $200 on these CBIs I would've picked up a set of Morimotos already but I feel like I need to get the most out of my money.. probably will replace the CBIs with XB35s after 4-5 years when the CBI output drops significantly.

What bulbs are you trying to replace? The headlights or the fog lights? As far as I know the XML2 bulbs are generally meant for fog lights application. Yes, there are H11 XML2 bulbs that can fit in your headlights but I would strongly recommend NOT to put XML2 LED bulbs in yoour headlights.

XML2 LED bulbs would be great for the fogs though, though I personally went for XP80 LEDs for the fogs instead.

Only higher Kelvin bulbs I know of with decent output other than CBI's are the Ultinons.

Are you meaning color comparison to LED or output? Color wise is going to depend entirely on the quality of the LED.

Keep in mind HID bulbs need to break in AND 99% of aftermarket "5000K" bulbs are closer to 6000K.

Could always try the Ultinons if you want bluer without killing output...

Thanks for your input, wow this actually tipped me over to buy the CBIs from Amazon. Seeing as how there's a 30 lumens increase from OEM stock HIDs to CBIs, I can justify the spending (also I had an Amazon gift card so hey why not)

Are you still using the Osram Xenarc CBI's? If so, how areyou liking them now after having "burned them in"? $150-190 is quite abit to replace bulbs that are working just fine now, and if the difference isn't dramatic, I'll just hold off.

Yep still using the CBI's. Compared to my other friend's RS 1.0 who is still running the stock HID bulbs, mine are definitely whiter and a smidge brighter. The white color enough for me to notice no matter the situation, while the brightness you kinda have to sit in each car right after each other or have them side by side to really see the difference. It's a subtle improvement, not that dramatic. If I had to do it again, I'd prboably wait a few years at least for the stock bulbs to lose brightness, then get the CBIs or even maybe the Morimoto 5000ks.