Nespo2330

After searching countless hours on the internet for options to improve the look of my stock HID bulbs, it was time to do an upgrade. My goal was to buy a more crisp and aesthetically pleasing pair of bulbs that would emulate the newer Lexus/Infiniti/luxuryheadlights (despite them being LED). * I REALIZE the higher the kelvin, the less output, but my goal wasn’t 100% output, since I do a lot of city driving. I didn’t want pure blue. I wanted a clean white with a minor hue of ice blue.

It came down to Osram CBI and Philips Ultinon. YouTube was the closest I came to actual comparisons with honest reviews.

Stock are 4300k and to be honest in my opinion mine we’re starting to look more like 4000k.

I finally pulled the trigger on some Philips Ultinon 6000k D4s bulbs. Despite the lack of actual reviews with pictures, the Ultinon’s seemed to match what I wanted. I went out on limb, and it’s for this reason I hope this review can help other members out before they drop 150 on a pair of bulbs.

They were purchased from Xenondepot on Black Friday for a deal I couldn’t pass up. They are 100% authentic which was confirmed by the security ID number on box/ Philips site. It should also be noted they come with a 3 year warranty which says a lot about quality in my book.

Anyway here are the comparison pictures. There is a difference in real life that is noticeable.They were taken on a Nikon DSLR. The settings were adjusted to provide the most true to life colors I could possibly get. My car is a 2012 IS250 with OEM HID (which after taking out the old one realized it was an Osram bulb). These pics are with only ~1 hour of run time on the bulb so they may change in color a little bit yet.

Before (4300k):





Pics of the authentic bulbs in original packaging:



Stock on the left (Osram 4300k) vs Philips on right(6000k)



After (Philips):







It should be noted that I’m in love with them thus far. They do look very very similar to the newer luxury cars on the road with LED headlights without looking cheap or too blue. Upon start up, they turn a beautiful cyan blue then purple then after 3-5 seconds turn into the crisp white light with minor blue hue. Also, the output appears the same as stock maybe a little brighter. It’s hard to tell. They say 2500 lm which is technically less than stock but I’m not convinced the human eye can even find the difference given so many variables/factors. I hope this can help anyone who is on the fence.

It should also be noted the nighttime shots were worthless since I could not capture the true color/output despite playing with the settings

here is from the drivers seat, low beam only, which did capture the color somewhat :



Hope this is beneficial. Feel free to ask any questions. I will update the thread with further pics as they break in or change color anymore

bbaugher47

Nice work!

sinister2c

Nice. I went CBI when it was replacement time and love them. I did do a 40 hour or so burn in by driving with lights on for a few weeks just to get the color shift done.

The biggest change I saw was the better cutoff and just general output of the CBI vs OEM Philips. The output will initially be much better cause you go from a 5 or 6 year worn lamp to brand new lamp with full initial lumens.

One down side side to better and clearer output was that you now can see how poorly designed the side projectors are. I see lots of streaky light distribution now vs the oem Philips which did a good job defusing the steaks.

Wunko

Thanks for sharing the photos, those are helpful. :thumubup: I have a 2011 IS and was thinking about getting Philips Ultinon 6000k (or even the 6200k or 6700k) to replace my stock bulbs when they fail one day. Was it easy to install the replacements bulbs yourself?

Bichon

Me too. Replaced OEM with Osram CBI a bit more than two years ago, and the light output and color temperature are still great.

Access to the passenger side bulb involves unbolting and moving the airbox (where the engine air filter goes) out of the way, and access to the driver side involves removing the windshield washer fluid filler tube and cap.

Nespo2330

yeah the Osram CBI definitely are top notch alongside Philips, but after seeing some videos of both as well as the technical kelvin ratings of each I went with Philips. I would love to do a side by side comparison. How much did your color shift though and was it more white or more blue?

And that’s funny you mentioning the streaky light distribution, because I thought the same, it looks bizarre from up close within 5 feet

Nespo2330

I say go for it. I looked extensively for the 6700k bulbs, but they don’t seem to exist in D4S. Or maybe I was looking in the wrong places idk. Keep me posted if you find them.


Hes right with the access. It’s not hard at all, maybe took 20 min and I was extra cautious and slow. Any pics of the CBI?

sinister2c

Color didn’t really shift but it was more for stabilizing of output as recommended by people on HID Planet.

sleeperlod

just bought from eBay but 6200k
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PHILIPS-HID...53.m1438.l2649

Nespo2330

not saying those are fakes....but those are fakes lol. Any Philips for under $100 let alone $80 are very suspicious. Additionally the item description (not the item title) mentions nothing about genuine Philips bulbs and the return wire is usually blue if i remember correctly in regards to 6000/6200/6700k

keep us posted though

andper10

Amazon Japan has legit 6200k Philips bulb sets for slightly under $100 with quick shipping to the US: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lighting/847345-philips-ultinon-s-6200k-d4s.html

I have had them installed for a few months and their light output seems to be the same as my previous set from Nigel JDM.

langjaykev

iTrader: (1)

Yup, I got mine from Amazon Japan, and the seller was from Amazon themselves. To match your low beams. I suggest getting the 6200k LEDS, which are amazing. They do not blind on coming traffic, and match perfectly. They are about 100-110 bucks on Amazon Japan for both Low beams D4s and LED fog lights.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/PHILIPS-%E3%83%95%E3%82%A3%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%83%97%E3%82%B9-%E3%82%A8%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%8E%E3%83%B3-X-treme-12834UNIX2J/dp/B00YOTEUDG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1513051276&sr=8-3&keywords=philips+6200k



I live in SoCal, and my order came in 3 buisness days


Here's my posting for the Philips D4s!
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...6200k-d4s.html

Nespo2330

Interesting..

DallasLex

iTrader: (1)

That is a nice color temperature. I’ll get them when mine go out.

langjaykev

iTrader: (1)

yup, according to Phillip japan, they no longer make 6000k, just 6200k and 6700k!