i have full adaptive (beam shaping) led headlights on my F80 M3 - it's a cool trick when following cars to have the beam shape around the car in front, but in terms of actual lumens output they are nowhere near as good as a decent HID/Xenon projector setup

i've now ran the oe osram 4300k, osram cbi 5000k and philips ultinon 6000k in my f-type - unfortunately these latest mercury free bulbs just lack colour at any kelvin

in terms of output, the cbi have been the best

as much as the temptation is there to notch mod a D1S bulb and put in our D3S housing, the oe D3S ballast is only delivering 42 volts and the D1S need 85V, so they would either flicker or not turn on at all

 

What makes the F-Pace and XF LED lights "crappy implementations" as you mention? I just drove from Toronto to Florida, mostly in darkness in driving rain, in an F-Pace with LEDs with adaptive lighting, and they were phenomenal.

 

I wouldn't try to attempt anything like you have. lol I was just hoping there was something fairly easy to change. Have you seen the LED bulbs that don't have heat sinks, or fans? They now have the flexible bands that you "splay" out and move as you need to.

The D1S CBI were pretty nice in the BMW I used to have... I guess I'll try the D3S CBI if all else fails.

 

i just swapped out my philips ultinon 6000k back to osram cbi

the cbi are definitely brighter, it's very obvious, colour (or lack of) is just something we're going to have to live with on these d3s - until someone becomes the guinea pig for an oe led swap

anyone want to try a set of philips ultinon 6000k for cheap now that i've ummm talked them down? pm me

 

Do you think that the Osram CBI are whiter than the stock Osram in our cars? Big difference?

 

4200-5000k is the best range to maximize sight at night in dry conditions. Over that you start loosing lumens fast. Sacrificing vision for coolness (cold light color, that is) just doesn't make much sense on a fast car.

 

the cbi to my eyes is a creamy white in d3s on this car

on other cars I've used them on in d2s, they've been more of a pure white with slight ice blue tinge

 

And what do you think the OEM bulbs look like, compared to the cbi?

 

as yellow as halogens lol

 

I sense the OSRAM CBI is about the best we can expect out of the OEM optics for the D3S application.

Tried the Philips Ultinon 6K bulbs too. Agree. Not as bright. I noticed Philips came out with a European market "White Vision" (WV) bulb which replaces the Ultinon 6K. I don't see that one performing better than the CBI though. (Source: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/co...te-vision.html)

 

I tried with 3 bulbs the CBIs were the best.

 

i just ordered a set of brex d3s 6000k - these are a japanese made bulb
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/c...item/10000433/

as i posted above, the philips ultinon in d3s app had a blue tinge to them which i did not like, and did not match led colour output at all

the brex at 6000k look to have that perfect purple led colour i've been trying to find

pic below is philips 6000k vs brex 6000k in d3s - colour of the philips is pretty much on point with what i saw, and even the hot spot of the brex looks brighter

more pics here
http://www.craftsman-jp.com/blog/sonobe/?p=1786

 

great find, i see they've replaced the first gen ultinon i tried with these

will definitely give them a go too once i've tried the brex 6000k

 

Hey Dom, did you do the bulb replacements yourself or get someone to do them for you?
Coz I'm looking to change the bulbs as well, and I just had a little play around in the engine bay to see how hard or easy it is to do, and I couldn't figure out how to remove the bulbs. Easy enough to get the dust covers off the back of the headlight assemblies, but then not a lot of room to move to get at the bulbs. Easier on the LHS (passenger side on an Oz RHD car) by unbolting the power steering reservoir and pushing it out of the way, but a real PITA on the RHS due to the fuse and charging point box in the way, which even after unbolting is stuck where it is due to the cables in the bottom of it. Do the bulbs just pull straight out or do you need to "twist and pull"? And even if you could get them out this way it looks as though there is little or no slack in the power cable so it could be difficult. It would obviously be a lot easier with the whole headlight assembly removed from the car, but I couldn't see how to do that without dropping the front clip right off the car!

 

+1

 

Dang! Wish I would have seen this before I ordered the OSRAMs today.

 

re removal, this took me a bit of head scratching, as initially the metal plug on the base of the bulb was just not budging - you have to push down on the tab and pull down at same time - an impossible task with the clearance and sharp metal edges

so here's what i do;

i cut a toothpick in half, and wedged it between the tab to hold it open, then i wrapped a mf towel around the edges and pulled the metal tab down while wiggling it. the bulb is held in with a plastic collar with tabs you can feel for, you rotate that collar maybe 1/4 turn anti clockwise and you'll feel it unlock. the bulb is then held in by a series of metal spring loaded fingers, so just grab the base of the bulb by the edges and pull straight out - when replacing make sure it clips all the way in evenly otherwise the plastic collar won't rotate and lock in place

re the drivers side (RHD) fuse box, undo both bolts, and you can rotate it out the way towards the front of the car. also remove the headlight plug, and that gives you enough clearance

 

Dom,
When you say "metal plug" and "tab", do you mean the metal connector which holds the wiring cable onto the base (igniter) of the bulb, at right angles to it?
Coz that makes sense to me as the only way to get the bulb out.
In the past on other cars with HIDs I've been able to "twist and pull" the bulb out without releasing the cable first, and then undo that clip and release the cable.
Regards the fuse box, yes I undid and removed both nuts, and lifted it off the mounting bolts, but the damn thing still wouldn't move more than a cm or so in any direction! Maybe the V8 set-up is different to the V6, but I doubt it.

 

re fuse box, iirc you pull up and rotate it, then move into that nook between headlight and radiator support panel

re metal plug and tab, yes the plug on the end of the bulb

 

Brightness aside, interesting to note your Philips 6000K bulb has a green tinge to it. I catch a hint of that dissatisfying green in my Osram CBI's as well.

I'm puzzled since I've never noticed a green-color in any of the xenon bulbs I've tried in the past (in many different OEM xenon-equipped vehicles). Figure the Jag's OEM projector and the design of the mercury-free D3S bulb (capsule mixture/power requirement) both contribute somehow. In any event, your Brex bulb appears to have eliminated any trace of green.