TXSTYLE

iTrader: (1)

Except NO substitute!
I have had the German-Spec Phillips Ultinins 6000k D2S 'conversion' (pictured below) in my Z probably longer than anyone (back in September) and they work and look AWESOME! When I say D2S conversion, I mean that the little metal strip that is on the D2R (which is for reflector type setups such as the 350Z) is not on the D2S.......BUT it has to be MODIFIED/KNOTCHED to fit in a D2R socket!
The Korean ones are NOT of good quality/craftmanship!

At any rate, be sure the BULBS you buy look and read like this:



If not............You are being ripped.

micky

I have also phillips. it looks great and runs great.

Everybody should have... ^^

Good product

nello

Hi TXSTYLE just wanted to let you know that I have Korean 6000K on and there just as good as Philips, quality and construction is very good, had them on for a while now and no negative issues to say about them. Did you have a pair on your car before? How can you justify such a statement? Its like me saying "Buy a Ferrari don't buy a Nissan" Nissan does the job!

TXSTYLE

iTrader: (1)

How can I say that? Well you are correct when you say that I have NOT had the Korean pair on my car.........BUT! According to more than Two (2) persons that I know that are in the 'aftermarket lighting' business, they have purchased products from all over Asia, Germany and the US. They both have experienced returns and/or problems with Korean bulbs (the 2 are NOT affiliated) so I go on the word of retailers who make their livelyhood in this market industry. If they are working well for you my friend, then like I always say: "It's All Good!"

3rdpower

Hey TX did u get these modified or did you do it yourself? I have seen some information on how to Modify a D2S to fit D2R housings...

nello

Hi TX No bad bllod bro its just my 2 senses I have a pair and they are awesome Thanks

old_s13

iTrader: (1)

Why put a D2S bulb in a headlight which is designed for a D2R? Why go with a 6000K bulb when it emits less light than the OEM bulb?

Hmmm...

Nocturnal

iTrader: (2)

My question is if the housing was designed for a D2R bulb...why not just put a D2R bulb in? Or does phillip did not make any 6000K D2R bulb?

I don't get it, is there an advantage? It is like putting in a modified H4 bulb when you are suppose to put in an H7 bulb.

Is there an advantage that I don't get some where?

Also, where can you get those bulb?

old_s13

iTrader: (1)

The main differences between the D2S and D2R is the high-temp coating that is sprayed on a portion of the capsule. This coating restricts light from being emitted out of designated areas of the reflector headlamp's lighting pattern. Without that, there is a good chance the lighting pattern will be changed and not conform to DOT-spec.

Is it super important, let alone noticeable? I dont know. The result would be more glare, I guess. Theres no way to know without some fun testing equipment.

TXSTYLE

iTrader: (1)

I bought em' already knotched, but I was prepared to do it myself.

Nocturnal,
The 'coating' that old_s13 reffered to, is ACTUALLY a very thin metal bar that is designed to direct the light output accordingly in a reflector housing type setup. Obviously remove the bar = More Light and yes more glare too, ALTHOUGH...the way that the Z's housing is setup and light output is directed, to the eye it is virtually unnoticiable! What is noticiable is MORE LIGHT than would be on a D2R.

old_s13,
Yes, technically the higher the number on the "Kelvan Scale" (4300k, 6000k, etc.) the less 'brighter' the light is due to the color temperature...BUT, from my personal comparissons side-by-side with factory equipped 4300k, mine appear to put out more light to the eye, but with the added 'violet-blue' color! This could and probably is due to the fact that the bar I mentioned above is removed.

Below you can see the main differences between the D2R and D2S and how the 'light ouput' is directed.

Sanderman

Light pattern IS changed. I tried the Philips D2S bulbs and several things happen with them. The cut-off goes to h*ll as the light pattern gets much more diffuse and spreads upwards. The hard edges cut-off completly disappears as the glow of the headlights simply continues upwards above the stock cut-off line. This combined with the higher kelvin light cuts light output on the road and reduces the headlights range, I drive in the woods around my house on winding country roads and I noticed a significant drop in headlight range. I found myself outdriving the lamps with the 6000ks installed. While the purple hue looks cool from the outside I hated what these lights did to the view from the drivers seat. Again, driving on dark country roads I found that everything took on an unnatural purple tint. Trees, grass, etc, just looked downright odd compared to the truer pure white illumination of the stock bulbs.

If you are driving in an urban environment where street lights and store fronts light the way this would probably be a lot less of an issue, but if you drive on the highway, country or outlying suburban roads that arent quite so well as illuminated at night, or if you go fast in the dark the trade-offs involved here could get you in real trouble sooner or later.

So my take is that if you are buying bulbs for style the 6000k D2Ss might be for you. But if you are buying for road illumination performance they are a clear downgrade from the stock D2Rs.

joe

3rdpower

It's all about style points baby! Performance FIRST, Style witha little performance leeway.. OKAY hehe... as long as it's LITTLE!!

TXSTYLE

iTrader: (1)

Now that's what I'm TALKIN' ABOUT! My sig name says it all baby! Now of course me personally.........They work like a charm! If I felt they "compromised" my personal vision of the road, I'd toss em'. But no way Jose! I "SEE" no need to change up.

old_s13

iTrader: (1)

Joe, thank you for the information. We need more enthusiasts like you in the community -- putting their modifications to the test!

I too drive my car very hard and enjoy driving at night through the local canyons out here in the Hollywood Hills. Good lighting has always been one of the most important things for me. Afterall, I would hate to jeapordize my car, life, and safety of others.. just to "look" cool.

Not saying this to hate on others, because I know some people are more concerned with rolling Sunset Blvd on the weekends and flossing.. its all good. Its just important people understand the differences, pros, cons, and know whats legal. Laws are there for a reason, even though I dont agree with all of them.. its good to know them.

So far, I have only worked with the internals of the Z headlamp assembly.. I have not had the opportunity to do any lighting comparison tests with the two styles of HID bulbs. But, what you said above is indeed believable. Interestingly enough, the Z33 headlamps are the ONLY headlamps I know of that are both projector AND reflector. It seems the majority of the light created by the bulb is dispersed through the projector lens, while the remainder of the light shoots out of the side.. probably in order to widen the beam-pattern. Can you guys imagine just how much nicer the Z would be if it used Q45 projector assemblies -- that would be BLISS.

(...and yes, if you are interested I am sure we can develop such a kit.. he he he!)

- Mike

TXSTYLE

iTrader: (1)

Well Mike,

Let's not forget that is one man's OPINION. As I stated above, I would NOT sacrifice looks for lighting and/or safety. Although it goes without saying that "Presence is important to me" I am still quite the Guru on cars other than appearance. I would offer this suggestion...If you have seen the 6000k's and have wanted them, go for it! You never know until you try.

Here is a comparisson against my Lexus (we ALL know how BRIGHT Lexus headlamps are!) I would say except for color, the INTENSITY is right there!

old_s13

iTrader: (1)

Well, not really, Tex. Its pretty much known that higher kelvin bulbs emit less light and have a shorter lifespan. I respect Joe's opinion, its nice to see there are others here who understand lighting.

So GURU, if you know so much about cars why did you take a picture of your headlights straight-on when that does not do anything other than show us the color of your headlamps. You cannot show light output or intensity without a light meter. You cannot show us the car's lighting pattern without a dark, level, parking lot and a wall to show us the cut-off. Last, the GS headlamps are not brighter than the 350Z's headlamps -- it just happens to be that the car SITS higher and therefor has a longer *range*.

TXSTYLE

iTrader: (1)

Dude....do as you wish my man. All I did was offer my advice/opinion to you. If you want to get ALL ridiculously technical with measurements, kelvin units, light meters etc. you can just stick with stock IMO.

old_s13

iTrader: (1)

TXSTYLE> Dude....do as you wish my man. All I did was offer my advice/opinion to you. If you want to get ALL ridiculously technical with measurements, kelvin units, light meters etc. you can just stick with stock IMO.

Tex, I didnt say the things I said to try to put you down. I just feel that some of your posts have sounded a bit negative and were misinformed.. thats all.

In this business, you have to be technical and gotta walk the walk, if you are going to talk the talk. It doesnt matter if you own a business or are just talking about products on a forum, you've gotta come correct -- thats all I am trying to say.

PS: Nice brakes on your 350Z.

Sanderman

Wanting to drive hard and fast at night in the country where illumination is critical isn't being technical. It's a matter of priorites. Yours are clearly different. That doesn't make them wrong. It's just that people who haven't made the move need to understand the trade-offs before they drop money on a mod. I have two Ultinons with about 3 hours use on them sitting in my garage in a box right now simply because the view from the drivers seat took too much of a hit for me to live with. But my priority is to sacrifice ZERO range and illumination for appearance. If someone is willing to compromise that's their choice - but there IS a compromise.

joe