NEW MORIMOTO XB35 HID REVIEW
 

Hey S2ki Members,

I was in search of a great HID bulb that can replace the S2000's OEM HID bulbs. A product that projects farther, produce more lumens, and have more of a white output compare to OEM.
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Here are some top performing hid bulbs in the market currently.

lux is the measurement of light

New Philips 85122 - 788lux
New Philips 85122XV - 790lux
New Osram 66240CBI - 788lux
Used Osram 66240CBI - 763lux
New Morimoto XB35 4500K - 815lux
New Morimoto XB35 5500K - 805lux
New Morimoto XB35 6000K - 772lux

Information From: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/

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For 50 U.S. dollars i was surprised the new Morimoto XB35 are out performing the cream of the crop at 1/3 of the price. These bulbs have great value for what they are. OSRAM CBI($~200), the king of hid bulbs, has to step down the throne and pass the crown to XB35s.

I got a pair from theretrofitsource. The package came to my house fairly quick and the packaging held up great. It came with Alcohol wipes, and a two year warranty.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7418/...b6bff7_z_d.jpg
Packaging is fairly simplistic. You can read the "XB35 55k-D2S" labeled on the base of the bulb.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7344/...9a7f4f_z_d.jpg
These are 5,500k. Guess there packaging has caught up quite yet.


Install was simple.

1.) Loosen your lug nuts on your front wheel, jack up the car, and remove the wheel.

2.) This will give us clearance for the fender liner, remove the push clips that hold the fender liner to the car and just pull the liner back.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7434/...6abd0d_z_d.jpg

3.) Once you pull back the liner you will be able to see the back of the headlight. Remove the cover by using a flat head for the security screw then twist counter clockwise. I unplugged the parking light and turn signal to give me more clearance, optional of course.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7454/...d132c4_z_d.jpg

4.) Twist to remove the hid socket from hid bulb.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7328/...38221c_z_d.jpg

5.) Push these metal clips on both ends to loosen the hid bulb you are trying to replace and put in the new ones

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/...7d2a03_z_d.jpg

6.) Make sure everything works, then reassemble and do it to the other side and you are done

Test out the lights!

This is on a 2006 s2000, with the fresnel lens.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/...2526b6_z_d.jpg


Verdict

These bulbs completely changed the way i see at night. It's significantly brighter than my previous 6000k Bulbs. They are also brighter than the OEM bulbs my car original had. The color temperature also makes things easier to see and adds a lot of contrast that i prefer over the 4300k bulbs. Uniform distribution of light and no issues with hotspots is a huge plus over the less expensive HID bulbs. Overall, the best bang for you buck light i ever used, amazing.

10/10

looks nice... :thumbup:

Why do you have those red wire tap clip-on things in there? Just wondering.

And can you explain your opinion on why you prefer the 5500k over the 4500k? My opinion has always been that the "bluer" the light source, the less visibility I had at night, especially if the roads were wet. Also do we know a similar lumen rating on the OEM-supplied bulbs?

Great to know!!!

Hey Coolguy094, generally you can say the higher the color temperature (ie. 4300 and 8000k) the lower the output. However, not all bulbs are created equal. The xb35 5500k have no compromises. They are brighter than the 4300k bulb that comes with our cars and less yellow.

The picture above those wires are tapped into my parking lights for my drl fogs.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3906/...3e67ee_z_d.jpg

Hope this helps everyone. :thumbup:

Thank you for taking the time to write this up.

One thing i've read is that Xenon lights reduce in brightness overtime. so installing a brand new OEM bulb will be more brighter then a older bulb. Which might explain some of what you might see.

I guess the only want to know is with a light meter and brand new bulbs.

I have read that, brand new HID bulb have a break in period. Reading some stuff on hidplanet, they claim that it actually get a bit brighter and colorshift after their break in (20-100 hours).

but yeah the older bulbs will produce a bit less light than how they came out of the factory.

New Osram 66240CBI - 788lux
Used Osram 66240CBI - 763lux

Thanks for the response. Car looks absolutely terrific.

Hey Coolguy094, generally you can say the higher the color temperature (ie. 4300 and 8000k) the lower the output. However, not all bulbs are created equal. The xb35 5500k have no compromises. They are brighter than the 4300k bulb that comes with our cars and less yellow.

The picture above those wires are tapped into my parking lights for my drl fogs.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3906/...3e67ee_z_d.jpg

Hope this helps everyone. :thumbup:
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Damn bro , car looks hella clean. You have any upclose shots of those led fogs? Maybe even links where to purchase?

love my CBI's I bought after my morimotos were two different colors. Glad they worked out for you but I will never buy that brand again.