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Does your PDLS not look pure white? Easy DIY fix with pics
With the way the Auto headlights work with the car shut off I never really get to see what the headlights look like on from the front. The other day I left the car running to get something at the front of the car and was surprised at how much of a color tint difference exists between the headlights and the DRLs. It immediately reminded me of the occasional cheaply optioned MB you will see with pure white DRLs and yellow halogen headlights (amazing you can still buy a premium car without xenons!). Anyway, not a good look at all IMO.
Now there is nothing wrong with the light as to how it looks from the drivers seat. Looks white enough but definitely a bit more yellow tinted compared to my other car with xenons (RR).
So I set out to see if there was a bulb replacement that would give me a bit more of a "pure white" look. Stock bulbs are 4300k which was the best compromise between color and brightness. I definitely did not want to go 6000k+ and have blue headlights or sacrifice too many lumens. My internet research brought me to Osram CBI bulbs. Most higher kelvin bulbs use a coating on a 4300k bulb to filter out the more yellow tones for a whiter/bluer tint at the sacrifice of lumens. Osram somehow figured out a way to make the bulb have up to 5500k without a coating and most importantly without sacrificing lumens. Sweet!
I ordered 2 bulbs off amazon for about $95 a piece. They arrived in one day and I went to work on the swap.
Much to my surprise the stock bulb was also made by Osram! Sweet!
Stock bulb on left and new bulb on right.
There are many guides on headlight removal so I won't go into that. Once the headlight is out, just unscrew the bulb cover plate (the piece with the warning sticker - 4 screws) and you will have access to the bulb.
Next you just squeeze the metal clip holding the bulb in and rotate it away. There is one plug to the bulb that you pull out and the bulb should come right out.
That's it. About as easy as swapping to LED side markers. Here are some comparison photos after swapping the drivers side bulb. Pictures are from an IPhone 6 so their color rendition is limited but I think it serves the purpose for comparisons sake.
The shots from far away make it look like my old headlight is yellow which it is not. Just not a pure white that the new bulb grants. Goal achieved!
Glad you were able to achieve the look you wanted.
I'm not sure I would call the change a "fix". I think it's important to balance lighting performance/optimal visibility with appearance. Personally, I prioritize lighting performance over "whiteness". If somebody can show me data that demonstrate that a whiter light provides better visibility, then count me in. If not, then I'll stick with 4,300K. We each have our own priorities, and I'm glad you achieved the look you want.
Good question but a difficult one to answer. Our eyes are very adaptive so what looks like "pure white" light at one moment can look yellow or blue in comparison to another light source. Play with some flashlights (especially LED ones) and you will know what I mean. Or if you have an iPhone turn on "Night shift" and look how yellow the screen appears. Leave it like that for a few minutes for your eyes to adjust and you will perceive the screen to be white again. Then turn it off...the screen will appear to turn blue but after a few minutes your eyes will adjust and it will appear pure white again.
I think we can agree our eyes have evolved to be most sensitive to the only light source that is constant...the sun. With an average wavelength of 550nm, this translates to approximately 5272k. So in theory our eyes should be most sensitive to this wavelength. That said, it's not that easy to say what wavelength we see best at because of how much our eyes can adapt.
4300k has been the gold standard for the brightest lumen output available for automotive HIDs for years. Going to a colder temp typically meant sacrificing lumens for a higher k temp. 4300k was not developed with the intent to optimize our vision...it was just the best trade off the technology allowed between color temp and lumens. If you look up the spec sheet of the Osram bulbs you will see both the factory HBI and newer CBI output 3200 lumens. So in this case you can get the same lumen output with a higher kelvin rating that is in theory closer to the sun with the new bulb.
Bottom line, your factory lights will look white. My new bulbs will look white. If we put the cars side by side the new bulbs would have less of a yellow tint and appear to be a "truer" white. Whether that makes me see better than you is debatable (unlikely since my vision is -5.5...thank god for contact lenses)
Same lumen output, same bulb (designed to work with this specific projector system by Porsche engineers), properly adjusted. Please tell me how this would have any affect on oncoming traffic.
Its not not like I put a projector bulb in a reflector housing creating all kinds of unwanted glare.
This morning it was still dark when I left for work so I was able to drive a bit with them on. I've always been impressed with the PDLS and how well it lights up the road. It definitely seems like a more "pure" white. Definitely not blue or even any blue tint...just looks noticibly less yellow than before. I can't say it's any better in regards to light performance but it is definitely not worse. Overall very pleased with how easy it was to do and how the headlights don't have a yellow tint anymore.
03-21-2017, 01:09 AM
Does your PDLS not look pure white? Easy DIY fix with pics
