bloc
SILVER Star
Hello all,
Recently bought a new (used) daily and it needing a new HID bulb caused me to revisit options in the upgraded HID bulb world.
For starters we use a D4S bulb in the 13-15 Cruiser, and I'd assume the LX570 is the same.
I've been a happy user for a couple years of the Philips 42402XV2C1 X-TremeVision Gen 2 bulbs which claim 150% normal light output. These things are noticeably brighter and get great reviews and on testing show solid improvement over standard D4S bulbs in light output but pretty expensive at around $200 for the pair. Also driving in heavy snow conditions on a recent ski trip I realized the slightly cooler color temp of roughly 4800K may have contributed to some glare issues with all that snow. While nothing will completely reduce the fatigue of driving through a wall of white, my understanding is a warmer color temp will reduce glare significantly and make it less fatiguing. This is the primary reason for many OEM's ~4200K color temp on factory bulbs, despite how visually appealing the cooler temps are.
With a little digging I realized Osram has a bulb called the NightBreaker Laser XENARC that claims 200% light output, and it turns out is a bit warmer at an OEM-like 4200-4300K. This should help a bit in fog and snow. Plus the pair is about $140 for our D4S application.. only $90 for my other car. Testing appears to show they do in fact produce more light than the Philips bulbs.. some tests do show a slightly warmer light color.
Has anyone used these? Or have other D4S bulb options that should be considered?
Am I wrong on the strategy for warmer temps (to a point) for better visibility in inclement conditions? I'm aware cooler temps get closer to the wavelengths of sunlight and can reduce fatigue in other driving conditions.
Note that I am not going for appearance.. I value performance over aesthetics. I'm unlikely to remove the philips unless something is convincingly better. I did order the Osrams for the daily driver though, and will report with my thoughts on that application.
Recently bought a new (used) daily and it needing a new HID bulb caused me to revisit options in the upgraded HID bulb world.
For starters we use a D4S bulb in the 13-15 Cruiser, and I'd assume the LX570 is the same.
I've been a happy user for a couple years of the Philips 42402XV2C1 X-TremeVision Gen 2 bulbs which claim 150% normal light output. These things are noticeably brighter and get great reviews and on testing show solid improvement over standard D4S bulbs in light output but pretty expensive at around $200 for the pair. Also driving in heavy snow conditions on a recent ski trip I realized the slightly cooler color temp of roughly 4800K may have contributed to some glare issues with all that snow. While nothing will completely reduce the fatigue of driving through a wall of white, my understanding is a warmer color temp will reduce glare significantly and make it less fatiguing. This is the primary reason for many OEM's ~4200K color temp on factory bulbs, despite how visually appealing the cooler temps are.
With a little digging I realized Osram has a bulb called the NightBreaker Laser XENARC that claims 200% light output, and it turns out is a bit warmer at an OEM-like 4200-4300K. This should help a bit in fog and snow. Plus the pair is about $140 for our D4S application.. only $90 for my other car. Testing appears to show they do in fact produce more light than the Philips bulbs.. some tests do show a slightly warmer light color.
Has anyone used these? Or have other D4S bulb options that should be considered?
Am I wrong on the strategy for warmer temps (to a point) for better visibility in inclement conditions? I'm aware cooler temps get closer to the wavelengths of sunlight and can reduce fatigue in other driving conditions.
Note that I am not going for appearance.. I value performance over aesthetics. I'm unlikely to remove the philips unless something is convincingly better. I did order the Osrams for the daily driver though, and will report with my thoughts on that application.
