rmarin2

I'm torn between getting the D2R or D2S 6000k bulbs. Can anyone shed some light. (NO PUN INTENDED )
I want the D2S but don't know if the glare will be a problem!


Thanks

rockinTLS

What are you going to use them for, fogs?

The D2R that the TLs use is designed for a reflector type housing and is actually painted in areas to eliminate glare. As you probably know, the D2S has no such paint and so light will be emitted from that area of the bulb. In our headlight housing, the light from that area will then be reflected off the lower portion of the reflector housing and be pointed upward into the face of oncoming motorists and beyond.

However, since you probably just wanted a short answer , I would stick with the manufacturers recommendation and use the bulbs for the housing they were designed for. That glare would probably get you some unwanted attention.

asiankidd

that is totally true but being me i would go d2s cus light output is simply amazing..and the glare from what i heard and seen isnt that much more....since our cars have a glare shield already and the auto leveling system.....but thats me....so yeah hope that helps

Jon Lerd

daverman

We neither have a glare shield nor a self-leveling system. The headlight housing is designed for D2R bulbs, and putting D2S bulbs in will do nothing but shine more lights in the eyes of oncoming cars.

There will be no more light output on the road, where you need it most. It'll just annoy oncoming motorists.

NighthawkBlack

I posted this in the TL forum but here it is again

Glare will be a problem and they will not be as bright because the light will scatter. I believe the D2R like the TL base model uses, has a metal stripe above the lens that keeps the light focused donward. The D2S is used in say a projecter lens setup where the light is all over the plase but focused through the lens of the projector. I think Audis use this type.

Click here for FAQ D2S D2R

asiankidd

actually the excess glare does help...more than you think...i personally swaped out in my sisters clk 320 the d2r with d2s....and the color temp is a lil more whitter according to the specs on the box....plus...the lumens are off the chart...and the road signs light up so much better....

just my 2 cents

Jon Lerd

daverman

Yeah, the excess glare helps you, the driver, but not others on the road. The headlight housing has been designed to direct a limited amount of light upwards so that other drivers on the road don't get blinded by your glare.

Remember the golden rule: do unto others...

FYI, the color temperature is determined by the bulb's gaseous composition, not the D2R or D2S design. Lumens are determined by each bulb type, and again, has nothing to do with the D2R or D2S designs.

Speaking of lumens, all headlight housings are designed for a certain lumen rating. Putting high lumen bulbs into a low-lumen housing (like those HID retrofits for halogen headlights) tend to "overload" the reflector, making for an indistinct and poorly-aimed beam pattern.

pianoman41

This is a good point. Automotive companies have engineers designing the headlights for a reason. I read recently that engineers are having a harder and harder time designing functional, effective headlamps because the styling designers incorporate the outer lens into the overall design of the nose of the car. It used to be no matter what the front of the car looked like, you got square, sealed halogen beams--no engineering needed. But now you have curved, angled and odd-shaped exterior glass (and plastic). And with the advent of clear crystal headlamps, the interior now has to be not only functional but attractive as well.

In order to get a focused, useful beam of light three things have to work in conjunction with one another: the bulb, the reflective housing, and the lens(es). The bulb has a transmission pattern inherent in its design. The engineers must then design the interior reflective housing to focus that pattern into a useful beam out front of the vehicle at a certain distance. The problem is, when light passes through any kind of material (like a glass lens), one of three things happens: it's either reflected, refracted or absorbed. So now the engineers need to get the focused light inside the housing through the lens to the outisde without dispersing the light or wrecking the focus. They may intentionally disrupt the beam pattern/focus inside the housing because they design the outside lens as a final focusing element for the end product.

Engineers rarely under-design a product. The light beam must conform to DOT standards (in the US anyway) and that is usually their utlimate goal. Most of the time, they will design the headlamp to meet DOT specs *and* provide the most efficient light output for that particular design. Because all components work in harmony, changing any one thing can really mess up the final product. Even changing a bulb can cause this to happen. If the new bulb doesn't project light with the same nodes and antinodes as the OEM one, the final beam of light is going to be adversly affected. Likewise, those people that have blacked out or otherwise modified the interiors of their headlamps do so at a serious penalty to effective light.

Now I'm not trying to tell anyone not to modify their lights--just realize that if you do, you are messing with an integrally engineered piece of the optics in your vehicle and in almost all cases, it will make visibility (from your vantage point) worse.