D2S capsule recommendation

I am looking for a recommendation on new D2S capsules for a 2006 SAAB 9-3 low beam. Stock 85122 ones have color shifted to have a more blue hue. I installed a friend's 85122+ and they had a warmer color and appeared (non-scientifically) brighter. I have tried to find up to date information on what Philips, GE, and Osram are offering these days, but I am having trouble with what is available in the US from a legitimate source. Most of the posts I have been able to find on D2S here are related to spotlight use.

A couple notes on how the vehicle is used: This is my daily driver. I would like to keep the factory appearance, so I'm not terribly interested in the 5000K+ lights. Most of my driving is on rural roads and highways.

Many thanks-
E.

For plain jane 85122, I got mine from hidbulbzrus.com. It doesn't look like they carry 85122+, but the +'s are supposed to resist color shifting as they age.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?328745-Which-D1S-Bulb
Here is a post in which the owner of XeVision and our own Scheinwerfermann talk about the offerings at hidbulbzrus. I have to admit, a 'z' in a website name always throws up a red flag, but I haven't had a problem with them, and received 85122 in great condition.

I'd get the GE-made items from HIDbulbzrus, link here.

That is a good price. What about the GE bulbs makes them "really good?" I liked the warm color of the 85122+ bulbs. Should I expect similar beginning of life performance from the GEs? I had a poor experience with a blue light on an aftermarket radio that has turned me off of blue lights and night driving.

I have seen Osram Xenarc SilverStar D2S bulbs on ebay. These are supposed to have 4100+ lumens. Is that bordering on a dangerous amount of light for those in the beam if I'm cresting a hill? Does the performance warrant the cost?

I lurked on here for quite some time trying to gather information and had come across that thread. I would have been equally wary of the 'z.'

Thanks,
E.

Philips have been making the 85122 with the "+" features but with out the + marking since mid 2010, so if you buy the 85122 from hidbulbzrus you are actually getting the newer tech colorshift resistant bulb, this was posted by the owner of XeVision on another lighting forum

Einarr said:

That is a good price. What about the GE bulbs makes them "really good?"

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Just one of those instances where the maker really nailed it with a very good product.

I have seen Osram Xenarc SilverStar D2S bulbs on ebay. These are supposed to have 4100+ lumens.

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No, they're not. Anybody making that claim is simply lying. Osram's official PR on that bulb does not make any such claim; see here. They make the same kinds of claims ("up to 30% more light") that we see from the performance-optimized halogen bulbs. It comes of improved construction precision. Having not tried them, I have no data or comment as to whether they're substantially better.

I finally found it on their website catalog: 3200 lm. The ebayer may have just put the Kelvin rating as the lumens as well. It seemed a little too good to be true. I'll go with the GE's.

I have read that Philips discontinued ColorMatch in favor of calling it something else, but I can't find anything about automotive on their products website, just the support pages with no technical data. Perhaps I'm doing it wrong.


E.

superjoe83 said:

Philips have been making the 85122 with the "+" features but with out the + marking since mid 2010, so if you buy the 85122 from hidbulbzrus you are actually getting the newer tech colorshift resistant bulb, this was posted by the owner of XeVision on another lighting forum

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Well I'll be! Thanks for that little tidbit

Osram CBIs are officially rated at 3400 lumens and 5000k. OE quality, minimal increase in blueness, and slightly higher lumen rating than all the other OE bulbs save DL50s which if memory serves me, wasn't ever recommended for automotive use.

I have a pair in OEM E46 bixenon projectors. They seem to have gotten brighter after a couple months of use, and it's probably my imagination, but they seem to produce a wider and better focused beam than the old 85122s that they replaced.

GTS Jeff - I hadn't wanted anything that blue. Are the E46 projectors in an E46? I had an E36 with miserable OEM lights.

I did buy the GE's from hidbulbzrus; I put them in last night. The beam pattern appears fuller with more light out to the edges. The color is also warmer, which is easier on my eyes compared to the old 85122s. Satisfied with the purchase and the price.

Thanks for the recommendations.

E.

Einarr said:

GTS Jeff - I hadn't wanted anything that blue. Are the E46 projectors in an E46? I had an E36 with miserable OEM lights.

I did buy the GE's from hidbulbzrus; I put them in last night. The beam pattern appears fuller with more light out to the edges. The color is also warmer, which is easier on my eyes compared to the old 85122s. Satisfied with the purchase and the price.

Thanks for the recommendations.

E.

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This is an entirely subjective observation, but I don't think the Osram CBIs are "that" blue at all. 5000k is well within the realm of OEM and easily less blue than the colourshifted 85122s I had in there before. Think of it as being akin to those Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs that come with the slightest sliver of a blue ring.

Definitely brighter, but then again, anything new will be better than worn out old bulbs. I have these in my M3. Honestly, I don't much care for the projectors...I really prefer the projectors in my previous car, an S2000. I find the fuzzy cutoff aesthetically unappealing, and highbeam too narrow.

Here is a link for a .pdf of the comparisons between real philips and fakes (Counterfeits). The pdf now also includes the HG free (mercury free) Philips bulb versions as well. Also more D1S, D1R and D3S, D3R information. From our detailed research most of the bulbs sold on Ebay and Amazon are fakes. Even found a case where Amazon (itself, shipped from Amazon inventory) was using a photo (D1S Philips) of a counterfeit bulb for their own sales, Likely then also a fake.
http://www.hidbulbzrus.com/vs.pdf for those who hate spellings with a "z" instead of an "s". the domain http://www.hidbulbsrus.com/vs.pdf also works.

That's an excellent comparison document, thanks for posting it. What (if anything) have you seen in fake Osram/Sylvania or GE bulbs?

Scheinwerfermann said:

That's an excellent comparison document, thanks for posting it. What (if anything) have you seen in fake Osram/Sylvania or GE bulbs?

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I have heard nothing on the GE bulbs regarding counterfeiting, There are some Asian companies that have claimed to buy the arc tubes (raw) from GE. This in not very likely, but it is not impossible. I have heard some rumblings out there about fake Osram bulbs, but have not seen any evidence so far. Since Osram converted to using a 4 prong metal bulb support a couple of years ago that looks much like Philips and GE. It would be easier for the Chinese to copy those as well now. The new Osram CBI and SVS are becoming popular so I expect the Chinese will head there next. Where the money is they are quick to follow. Maybe they get ideas here, I hope not. We always keep some cards in our hand (secret) that are additional ways to determine the fakes so that if they make some more (improvements) we can still tell. We dont want to help them excelerate their learning curve any faster.