crbnfbr

iTrader: (1)

I'm contemplating getting a pair of the Xenarc 66240 CBI. I was just wondering what you guys that have them think about them? I already know they're 5000k and 3400 lumens, but my main question is are they worth the $185? Or, is there a cheaper place to purchase them?

I'm also trying to get my friend to get them for his 335i, but he thinks $128 is too pricey. So, he wants to get some $60 8000k "Bosch" bulbs, but as I'm sure most of you know Bosch doesn't even make HID bulbs only projectors. I just don't understand buying a near $30k car and not willing to spend $138 for arguably the best HID bulbs made.

Sorry, for for getting off topic, but if any of you have the Xenarc bulbs in your TL and you can give me your opinion on them I'd appreciate it.

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

tell your friend stop being cheap and don't be a ricer.

crbnfbr

iTrader: (1)

You took the words right out of my mouth the words Bimmer and 8000k HID don't belong in the same sentence let alone the same paragraph. I mean it's not a 93 Civic for Christ's sake.

350

iTrader: (4)

How did you come up with 3 different prices?

crbnfbr

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for pointing out my misprint. The the D1S bulbs are $135 a pair. I don't know where I came up with $128. Another thing I don't understand is why the D2S bulbs are $185, but I know if I could get the Xenarc CBI bulbs for $135 I'd snap them up in a heartbeat.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

I havent paid much attention to whats out there lately for HID bulbs. I just always assumed the OEM 4300K was the highest quality and produced the most lumens. Has this changed? why would you say these are argueably the best bulbs out there? Just curious because if they are infact better than the OEM phillips bulbs I would be interested.

thanks,
james

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

^ james- the OEM are Osram not Phillips.

this is a great thread- not sure if you've seen it:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...highlight=nate

crbnfbr

iTrader: (1)

The Osram Xenarc CBI are 5000k and they're 3500 lumens as opposed to the SVS which are 4200k but also 3500 lumens. I personally prefer the 5000k of the CBI. Plus they're the exact same lumens. It's more of a personal preference as to whether you want the "warm" 4200k or the "cool" 5000k considering they both have the same lumen output.

The Machine

iTrader: (8)

I have the Osram 5k CBI bulbs paired with the ZKW-R lens' and they are awesome. I think I paid $200 for my bulbs, but they are now down to $185 at theretrofitsource.com

crbnfbr

iTrader: (1)

How hard was it installing the ZKW lenses? Did you have to take the headlamps completely apart? Because, I've done that already to black them out and I really don't want to do that again.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^yes, you do.
as you're switching out the projectors or lenses.

The Machine

iTrader: (8)

Yes, unfortunately you will have to take the headlights completely apart again to install the lens'. My headlights were done by AckTL05 so I'm really not sure how difficult it is to change out the lens, but I'm sure it isn't very difficult to figure out once the headlight is opened up.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

I have done multiple lens swaps on the TL and its kind of a pain. Lots of work, and I have also found out that the lenses need to be "tuned". If you simply put the clear lens in and do nothing else the two sides will likely differ significantly. You will need to rotate the lenses to get the best cutoff line, then use custom made spacers to get the correct (and consistent) color between the two sides. I have used approx 3 sets of lenses from retrofit source and I had to tune all of them. I eventually got the look I wanted, but I wont be doing this mod to my newest TL. Not only that but I have found it incredibly hard not to break atleast one metal tab that holds the lens onto the projector. They will still hold, but I much prefer to have it untampered with. The good thing for me is my 08 Type S has a surprisingly nice purple cutoff as is and relativly sharp for the stock fresnel lenses. So im just going to leave it as is.

Thanks for the info on the Xenarc bulbs I might look into those.

james

crbnfbr

iTrader: (1)

Damn, I was afraid of that. In your opinion are the ZKW lenses really worth it? I mean is the cutoff significantly sharper?

The Machine

iTrader: (8)

The cutoff is much nicer but the clarity is also better than the stock lens. The stock lens almost looks hazy when you see it out of the housing, while the ZKW lens is crystal clear.

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

ZKW-r lenses are worth it definitely. They make the cutoff much more defined while adding more color to the color band also more intensity than the OEM fresnel lenses. I've done quite a few lens swaps. Most if not all will require spacing. Most are going to tell you to only space the lense, do not bend the shield that will alter the cut off and make it slope on each side.
I haven't had any problems doing the lens swap. I hear a lot of people braking the metal reating clip, but I haven't and hope it doens't happen lol.

PICS FROM TRS
Stock:


ZKW:


MY PICS:
stock:


ZKW-r


Color in the snow:



Also, check out this thread. This guy does most of all our comparisons over at HIDplanet.
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?31817-TL-Lens-Swap-Comparison-Oem-vs-ZKW-vs-ZKW-R

Aretardedorange

iTrader: (2)

8000k aren't rice.......10000k+is rice.

Anyway, those CBI are great bulbs. Pure white light with ho hint of blue or yellow. My next mod will be those!

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

i have the zkw-r but i dont have as much color as those pics...i tried many combos with spacers and rotating the lens

pwr2panda

^^^do they at least seem brighter? is the cutoff sharp still? i've been meaning to do zkw-r swap but as i dont have a way to test/tune the lenses. I was hoping to just drop and pray that it's good.

how are you guys testing the projectors before closing?

IamaTL

I have the CBI and they are amazing paired with a pair of ZKW-R. Well worth the money

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

Well you've got to remember that the pics posted are with just bare projectors. When you put them inside you're headlight, the cutoff and color are going to be a bit different because its passing through the plastic lens.

I'm just connecting from a spare car battery to a ballast connection to ballasts to a bulb. A lot of people on Hidplanet are using modified computer power supplies.

crbnfbr

iTrader: (1)

To each his own, but I drive a TL not a Civic you couldn't pay me to put 8000k bulbs in my car, and the loss of lumens in now way makes up for the cool blue color. I personally prefer 4300k-5000k, you know the color of natural daylight that's why they provide the most lumens.

350

iTrader: (4)

6000K+ is rice.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

When I first picked up my 08 Type S last month I told myself I wasnt going to mess around with tearing the headlights apart again. I have done it countless times, but I just didnt want to take everything apart on this unmolested car lol. Ofcourse the mod bug is hitting me and The retrofit source has 15% off up until today. So if im gonna do it now is the time!!
What im thinking is ZKW-R lenses and the CBI bulbs. From what I have read everyone is pretty impressed with that combo. So far all I have tried was ZKW-R lenses using stock bulbs. I have always spent TONS of timing fine tuning the lenses and even though it took a lot of time and trial, I always ended up getting them just right. Unfortunately I have yet to successfully get the metal lens clip back in place without breaking one. Any tips on doing it without having one split?

james

350

iTrader: (4)

Ha, my clips split too but they still hold the bulb in fine. I forget but I might have put a dab of high temp silicone on where it split.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

Yeah mine always held too when they split, but i would still rather have them go back on perfectly.
I have been doing more research and I saw a great comparison thread and over there people were really leaning toward the SVS bulbs instead of the whiter CBI's. In the pictures the output seemed better with the SVS because of the 4200K compared to the whiter 5000K of the CBI's. Decisions decisions.

James

Cheval

Breaking the clips? I haven't taken the lights apart so am not sure what these clips are. I hit a deer so I told the body shop I wanted the broken light so I now have an extra light that I can practice on without having to experiment on a good one that is currently on the car and end up hosing it. The broken light is fine in front (headlight clear front and seal, HID lens)...what's broke is the DRL reflector and the black housing part on the back of the DRL.

After the deer hit my car the OEM HIDs worked but the bulb that was in the damaged light housing just didn't look right so they were going to buy a replacement one @ $215 for one bulb so I told them I could get the best for under $200/pair shipped so they let me do that so I got the new lights courtesy of my insurance company. I was also debating the CBI/SVS and after looking at the picture over at HDIPlanet I got the SVS and am happy with them. Pretty dang bright! They are slightly more yellow than the OEM OSrams that had about ~1000 hours on them but supposedly they break-in and get whiter over 20-30 hours (I currently have about 4 hours on them). I was just worried that the whiter light of the CBIs would get tough on the eyes after awhile like some of them were talking about. Also, from what they're saying over there the whiter the light the less good they are in the rain....

Seems like the only thing left to do is get the ZKW-r lenses from TRS. Was looking at maybe angel eyes or something but the prospect of part/all of them failing and having to take the lights apart...ugggg Might go with the audi-type LEDs-in-the-bumper so if they break they're easy to get at...

I had HID fogs, and even though they worked after the deer hit, the one on the passenger side made a funny noise and 'shimmered' (that was the bulb the deer hit so hard it actually knocked the light out, but I turned the switch off and on and it came back on) so they let me replace the bulbs so I got the 4300K morimoto 3Fives. Matches the SVS pretty good so I'm happy!

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

^^^ yes, its the metal bracket/clip piece that holds the projector lens glass in place. For some reason once you remove it to take the lens out they are pretty difficult to snap back in place. In my case more often then not it will snap one side of the clip. Its still useable and still holds the lens in, but its always nice for things to stay perfect when putting back together. I just have yet to consistantly get them back together without breaking so any input is appreciated. Maybe the ZKW-R lens is a tad thicker and thats whats causing the issues im not sure, but they sure are tight when trying to snap them back together.

HondaTech85

Check out HIDBulbzrus.com I got my Philips DS2 bulbs for $32 each and $9 shipping. They do not sell fake bulbs and actually have information on how to tell a fake bulb from a real one. I took out the Sylvania bulbs and I personally like the Philips more. The Sylvania bulbs are cooler and the Philips are warmer, but you can't beat genuine Philips of Germany bulbs for under $75. It's all about preference. One of my bulbs was burned out so I had to make a quick decision and I am really happy with the Philips bulbs...

IamaTL

you sure those are the +?

HondaTech85

They are not the + they are just regular DS2 Philips bulbs