Sometimes Aftermark HID Bulbs are better then OEM Bulbs

I recently purchased XenonDepot’s new Xtreme 5000K HID bulbs for my 2007 IS350 and finally got to install them this past weekend. I wanted to post a review for a two reasons: 1) they’re brand new (just recently added to the website) and I think very few if any CL members have them yet, and 2) I know there’s a demand out there for a 5000K bulb as an alternative to the stock bulbs.

When I bought the car, I didn’t really like the stock bulbs; the look and color was a little too dull and yellowish. The dullness I perceived could have been influenced by the fact that these bulbs had been on the car for 4 years and 60k miles, and so they could have been showing some wear in quality and color of output. I wanted to swap them out, so I started looking on CL and it seemed in every thread I read on the subject, the unanimous recommendation was 6000K bulbs. I saw pictures of them and even in person and while they looked good in some applications, they were too blue for my personal taste.

More importantly, however, I worried they could invite some unwanted attention from Maryland’s finest. I did my research and found that most people with 6000K bulbs had no problems, however a few people have gotten tickets for having blue lights. The applicable Maryland statute reads:

Except as required or permitted in § 22-218 of this subtitle or in the rules governing the operation of emergency vehicles and school vehicles, a person may not drive or move any vehicle or equipment on any highway with any lamp or device on it that displays a red or blue light visible from directly in front of its center.

The statutes make no mention of course of temperatures, etc; it leaves the interpretation of what’s red or blue up to the officer and, eventually, judge. I knew most officers wouldn’t bat an eye seeing a car with 6000K low beams pass by, but I could still be exposing myself to a higher risk of getting stopped if an officer was knowledgeable about and/or was specifically looking for vehicle equipment violations (which is very frequent in MD; for example on my last car I got stopped twice for not having a front plate, while I rarely had that problem in other states I lived in that had similar laws). I didn’t need to give anyone an extra reason to single out my car.

I therefore decided I wanted to look for something in between the stock bulbs (which I’ve read are either 4100K or 4300K, doesn’t matter) and the 6000K bulbs. 5000K was the natural choice, and so I started looking for a 5000K D4S bulb (the 2nd-generation IS uses D4S for the low beams, however XenonDepot offers multiple different sizes/bases, see below under the “Price” section). The only option I found by search the threads on CL was the Philips Ultinon, which got great reviews but was over $200 for a pair; I wasn’t looking to spend that kind of money. I tried Google, Amazon, and CL’s vendors’ websites, but pretty much came up empty. The only 5000K D4S bulb I found was on Amazon and it was both expensive and manufactured by a company I couldn’t find a website for (not a good sign).

I reached out to XenonDepot and asked if they had anything. On their website, they didn’t have a 5000K bulb – the offerings jumped from 4300K to 6500K. However when I asked, they said they had just gotten in their first batch of 5000K bulbs, and I decided to try them out.

Before and After Pictures:
Here are some before and after pictures. The before pictures are of my stock 4100-4300K HIDs, while the after pictures are with my new Xtreme 5000K HIDs.

Here is a set of pictures taken from the front of the car:

Review:
While it’s difficult to accurately capture things like headlights in a picture, the pictures above are quite good representations of the difference between the stock and 5000K bulbs. The stock bulbs I found to be mostly white but with a yellowish tinge, and very little if any hint of blue or purple. The 5000K bulbs, on the other hand, are a bright, brilliant, pure white, with a slight but noticeable hint of blue/purple. Obviously with a color temperature difference of less than 1000K, changing the stock 4100-4300K bulbs to 5000K bulbs won’t produce a huge difference, but that’s exactly what I was looking for and these bulbs achieved that. The pureness of the white and the hint of blue are definitely what sets the 5000K bulb apart from the stock bulbs in the eyes of a keen observer. You can definitely tell a difference, and it turns the low beam output to a much nicer, crisper white over stock with an appealing enough hint of blue, but not one that would draw unwanted attention. Another important point is that the 5000K bulbs look like they could be OEM, which is the look I want; I wasn’t looking to have the car stand out as modded in any way.

The 6000K bulbs, in comparison, were a huge jump in color and output. The 6000K were advertised as a pure white with a hint of blue; in my opinion, they were actually almost entirely blue with a hint of white, especially when compared side by side to the stock.

Overall Verdict:
I’m very happy with these bulbs and highly recommend them, especially at the new sale price. Obviously everyone’s tastes and preferences for types and colors of lighting on their car will differ. If you’re happy with your stock HID bulbs, then by all means keep them. If you’re like me, however, and you feel the stock bulbs are a bit dull and the color is too yellow, then I would recommend you consider these bulbs. Compared to the stock bulbs, 6000K will be very blue, and 8000K will be purple. Obviously if you want your headlights to be blue or purple, go with the higher temperatures. However if you’re just looking for a bulb that will produce a cleaner, crisper white with a hint of blue that will still look OEM, go with the 5000K.

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