HID low beam bulb options?

[OregonApe]

So I've never been especially impressed with the low beams on my 2015. Thankfully I saw someone on this board mention adjusting the angle. Like many of you I found that from the factory they were basically pointed straight into the ground. Nothing like having a second of visibility at night at freeway speeds.

Anyway, despite the adjustments I still find them lacking. I've poked around this board and I've seen some people mention OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Laser bulbs and Morimotos but no real comparisons.

Any thoughts? Phillips?

 

[StarPower]

I have the OSRAM Xenarc Light Breaker Laser and I'm very happy with them. HID bulbs gradually dim as they age, so any new bulb will be an improvement if you're still using the original bulbs from 2015. I don't have any comparisons to other bulbs, but a couple of very knowledgeable members (who appear to work in the lighting industry and have access to technical information) on a lighting forum have stated that the Night Breaker Laser of the Philips Xenon X-TremeVision gen 2 are the best HID bulbs on the market right now. With either bulb, I recommend being careful to ensure you get a genuine bulb. I've had good results from PowerBulbs.com.

 

[OregonApe]

Thanks, I went ahead and ordered the night breaker lasers on Amazon. I was about to order them on Amazon because the price dropped today but I noticed that Amazon said there is a newer version. Sure enough, as of last month Osram has a XNN model that replaces the XNL model. The Amazon product page doesn't list any differences and uses all the same photos from the XNL version.

I looked up the tech sheets from Osram and the specs appear identical. The new XNN version does say 220% brighter than normal as compared to the 200% claim from the XNL version. The lumens on the tech specs are the same though so it might just be marketing fluff.

I don't like ordering from 3rd party sellers on Amazon but my normal go to sites didn't have the XNN version. Osram does have an authentication checker on their site. Who knows how reliable it is.

 

[StarPower]

The xxx% brighter doesn't mean the put out more light, but that they're crafted with lower tolerances so the beam is better focused and concentrates that much more light in the hot spot (i.e., down the road).

I don't know how the authentication on the Osram website works or if any counterfeiters have found a way to beat it, but it should at least give you some reasonable assurance that they're genuine.

I don't know if you've seen a writeup on replacing them, but it can be difficult in our car. There are two options, removing the airboxes or removing the bumper cover. I removed the airboxes when I replaced mine, and I still had trouble reaching my hand behind the headlights to remove the bulbs. The bulbs are held in place by a metal bracket with two screws. At best, you'll be able to reach one screw and bend the bracket out of the way (an angled screwdriver will help). If I had to do it again, I would probably remove the bumper cover to remove the headlight housings.