paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

Got some new Osram CBI bulbs on the black friday sale on retrofitsource. Had philips 85122+ bulbs before and decided to have a professional photoshoot comparing the bulbs. I don't think there are any other professional photo comparisons of these 2 bulbs side by side online, so check these out. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

Great comparisson pictures. I seen these in HIDP the other day. You can definitely see how much brighter the hot spot is on the CBI's and the color band looks much better!

Nick216

CBI's for sure.

Joneill44

Thats why their more expensive

mattpete

iTrader: (4)

HOLY CBI, what a big difference in all aspects

Awesome to see these as I just purchased a set.

I'm assuming you have ZKW?

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

Great pictures thanks for taking the time to do this. I do agree that the CBI definitely seems to have a brighter hotspot, but am I the only one that thinks the 85122+ bulb seem to have a slightly brighter and more consistent output on the pavement?
It would be awesome to have a comparison like this with the SVS bulbs as well as that's supposed to be the one with the most lumens of them all. I know there was another thread that had great picture comparing CBI and SVS, but that one was on gravel road with trees in the background so it was a little tough to compare precisely.

Paperboy, I'm curious to get your thoughts and input between those two bulbs since you were there to see them in person. I have been thinking about the CBI or SVS bulbs but undecided between the two. Do the CBI bulbs look way whiter or not really? I don't really want a bulb that's going to look aftermarket to say an oncoming driver. Is that the case or no? Then with the SVS bulbs I was told those are so yellow they look like halogens. So you see why I'm undecided lol. That's why I'm just leaving my headlights alone for now as they have great output as is.

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

The CBI's in the pictures look to have a lot more light emitting the sides of the roads compared to the 85122+. The CBI's don't look aftermarket at all in person they're perfectly white, not bluish white or tinged blue or purple like those aftermarket 6000k + bulbs.

If you don't mind the halogen look I'd say go with the svs bulbs since they are a little easier on the eyes IMO.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

Yep, genuine zkw lens

Definitely a lot of money to spend on bulbs, but it all depends on how much you think lighting matters to you. I got them on black friday so it was "only" $140 instead of the usual $195

At first, the difference wasn't too obvious when the bulbs were side by side. But give it some time to get used to it and the difference will be more noticeable. Once you see the difference, you will always see it. The philips bulbs were not dim by any means, I was able to outshine a good 95% of cars on the road with them. Now I can outshine 99.9% of cars, only way to be brighter than this would be quad projectors or the osram SVS bulbs.
These pics were also taken not too long after the install, so I hear these will get "whiter" after 50 hrs or so of use. In any case these are great and definitely outshine the philips bulbs, most notably on the sides.
IMO, the bulbs dont look aftermarket at all, they are called "cool blue intense" but do not look blue to me whatsoever. It will still look oem compared to any aftermarket 6000k bulbs. I was on the fence between these and the SVS, I honestly don't think you can go wrong with either. I've never seen the SVS in person but from my research, it seems like slightly more people like the CBIs.

Yep, in the middle the difference isn't too much, but on the sides the difference becomes much more apparent.

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

what's the major difference betwwen osram 66240 CBI vs 66240 SVS?

and which one is good/recommended for TL?

Acura_Dude

Color temp. I believe the svs are rated at 4100K or 4200K. OEM is 4300K. CBI's give a more whiter appearance. No yellow-ish color (from looking at pics) compared to lower kelvin rated HID bulbs, but puts out the same amount of lumens or more (same with the SVS bulbs). I believe Osram re-rated them to 5500K (colorshift). I haven't had experience with either, but from research SVS are suppose to be easier on the eyes during night driving, because of the "softer" light.

Paperboy might can chime in and help clarify any questions.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

Yeah that sounds about right. From what I read the SVS is the brightest bulb you can buy right now followed closely by the CBI. SVS has more of a yellowish look that may perform better especially in wet conditions. CBI will have a whiter look.

FamilyGuy

Paperboy, what do you mean by "both bulbs on" in the photos?

mattpete

iTrader: (4)

pretty sure he means the philips 85122+ and the osram 66240 cbi simultaneously

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

just the color temperature difference. not much else. lumens rating is the same

^+1

I havent used these CBIs in the rain yet because there hasnt been much rain here in socal but once it does I'll see how it does in the rain compared to the philips bulb

^+1

FamilyGuy

Which is which? Left vs right?

Nick216

Cbi on the left

FamilyGuy

I see it now. Cool

Paperboi do the cbi hurt the eyes if driving past them?

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

what do you mean driving past? if you dont get in the beam path, you won't be blinded. a properly aimed projector wouldn't blind anyone unless you were at a steep hill or something.

350

iTrader: (4)

Great pics, I'm still glad I went with the CBI's, but I do wish I spent a little more time fine tuning my lenses for a better cutoff. I kinda like the purple in the Philips cutoff, I miss my old car's setup with RX projectors/TSX clear lenses, they had a whole prism at the color band.

bla8291

If I get the CBI bulbs to replace my OEM bulbs, is there anything else I have to change? I just take the old bulbs out and put the new ones in, right? These are 35 W bulbs, so I assume it's just a simple swap.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

^^^ on all counts.

bla8291

Awesome. Thanks!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

you're welcome, man.
J.

kocyk123

I recently installed the CBI and maaan - so much light

bla8291

How does it compare to those new Mercedes LED headlights? They put so much light on the ground! It looks like the CBI's can give them a run for their money.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

That's what I want to know. Most ppl automatically assume "newer" led technology must be brighter than HIDs. I personally doubt it, but I'll hold off judgment until I can do a side by side comparison.

I have seen a couple led projectors in person and one thing I noticed was they generally don't have very sharp cutoff lines. However I'm sure that's something 98% of drivers don't really mind.

kocyk123

New MDX LED's seem to have really sharp cutoff line and they are really bright. However I love my headlights with the CBI's!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

One comparison I found between halogen and led, probably still can't out shoot a CBI.
http://priuschat.com/threads/halogen...ictures.66527/

Vlad_Type_S

iTrader: (3)

How do you increase the cutoff sharpness? I always liked a sharp cutoff, looks very well designed and precise.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Well, on the TL, you need to get some spacers for the ZKW lens. It'll sharpen. I threw in 2 IIRC and it made it SUPER sharp on one and kinda sharp on the other...but overall look is very clean and crispy. Like bacon.

bla8291

As far as sharp cutoff lines go, is the choice of lens why the light coming from Cadillac/Lexus OEM HIDs seem so blinding, and those from other brands seem to be sort of smoothed out (like on the TL)? I don't know if I'm describing that well enough, but hopefully you've noticed what I'm trying to say.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

when its blinding it just means they have their projectors aimed too high. simple as that. doesnt mean its bright at all. I can make halogen projectors look "bright" too by aiming it super high

bla8291

I guess blinding wasn't the right word. It just seems like some HID setups have more piercing rays than others. Or it could be that I'm just losing my mind.

Acura_Dude

I think you're talking about the fresnel lens. I know that'll make a difference with the cutoff. Especially on bumps and dips in the road for oncoming drivers.

Still hate how Acura ditched the clear lens for the 2G TSX. 1G TSX has a nice, clean cutoff. When driving towards a 1G TSX and the driver goes over a speed bump or a dip in the road, the light can be extreme and you can clearly see the cut off. Maybe Paperboy can chime in again. He knows his stuff.

bla8291

Oh I see. So the clear lens is what causes the blinding effect when the car goes over a bump or comes up from a hill, and what produces the sharp cutoff. I guess that's the whole point of the ZKW lens.

96SC4

I know what you mean
Those new escalades are blinding!
Prob b/c they're a lot higher than us... Like others have said

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I think you're talking about glare vs properly aiming a projector.

My wife's Cadillac SRX cutoff is actually pretty sharp for being OEM.

bla8291

^^Yes and yes. The Cadillacs are indeed higher and sharper. I just didn't understand what caused the difference, but now I know that the appearance and cutoff are due to lens choice.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

That's it!
You got it

Basically, if you focus the light, it'll shoot further than if you waste the light shooting all over the place and on glare.

Acura_Dude

Helpful members FTW!