Osram NB+

[Marc07]

Hi

I was recently planning to upgrade my headlights to HiD, but when I read that they are road illegal I started to look for good halogen H7 bulbs which would give a clear white light, not blue
Also '06 plate Audi's had Can-bus wiring installed as well so another matter was to get the right product without messing around with cables, ballast, resistors etc and still getting a NO BULB error as this system is quiet sensitive.

After reading reviews online and getting some advice, Osram Night Breakers+ were (I thought) the product which will offer what I was looking for.

Same time I have ordered and replaced both headlight side light to white LEDs 501 W5W Error Free can-bus which I got from a big retailer for 17.00 /pair, and what a disappointment that was, one bulb was weak and white, 2nd one was blue and very strong, and both produced an ERROR on the dashboard, great stuff

In regards to Osram's NB+, judge for your self.
I've installed them in main/low beam headlight and fog lights as well.

BEFORE:



AFTER (night shots):



both beams, original high beam and new low beam NB+



AFTER (day shots):



My verdict:
They do seems to be stronger and could give you the advertised extra 35m of the beam light especially if you can install them on headlights and fog lights as well.
Comparing to H7s which Audi puts to own cars NB+ is up to 10% brighter then my stock bulb, but no more than 10%.
Obviously if you have a bad quality bulbs on your car, you will see significant difference when you change them to Osrams, but if you have a quality already installed then do not expect a lot from them.

Price: 14.00 - 25.00 GBP per pair

[waynne]

Good review, nice to see you are happy with them.

[pgarner]

i switched to the NBs a few years ago and was shocked at the difference

[Marc07]

Originally Posted by pgarner

i switched to the NBs a few years ago and was shocked at the difference

Well, if you look at the stock bulbs (first 2 top pictures/day light) and the NB+ (last 2 bottom pictures/day light) there is very little difference, almost nothing, so it's hard to say if I'm shocked, I would say not impressed as they are still yellow.
In your example it depends what sort of bulb quality you had before you switched to NB+.

Color, nothing special, still yellow.
But light range is very good

[pgarner]

standard VAG H4s, they really were terrible, i could pretty much drive around in full beam and few would flash me
any roads i didnt know i would have to drive like a granny on a sunday.
they still are poor as the wifes golf runs the H7 H1s same as your audi with the standard bulbs still in it and again mines on full are only just brighter than hers on dipped

[Marc07]

Originally Posted by pgarner

standard VAG H4s, they really were terrible, i could pretty much drive around in full beam and few would flash me
any roads i didnt know i would have to drive like a granny on a sunday.

Nice one
Now I understand why you've noticed significant difference.

Just came back now from a 3hour drive across the London, and as always with headlights on so all thick drivers can see me coming for sure, and I'm coming fast , and can confirm from reflection in other cars etc that they are 10% brighter, lets say less yellowish than the quality bulb.

So not bad, but I will keep searching for something better, brighter, whiter if there is something.
May decide to order Hoen's from US as I read that they are really good and still can't justify why PIAA ultra white pair of bulbs cost 50-70 pounds, do you know anything about them , are they really really white for a halogen bulb ????

[T9 man]

Well it is possible that the Osrams perform better on some cars due to the reflective quality of the headlights? At the end of the day, I have not heard one negative thing about the Osram NB's with the one exception of their operational life! but this seem's to have been addressed since the last negative feedback in 2009.

[Prince]

I was thinking about a set of these instead of HIDs. My E36 uses H1s iirc so they should be an improvement.

Nice review.

[Marc07]

Originally Posted by Prince

I was thinking about a set of these instead of HIDs. My E36 uses H1s iirc so they should be an improvement.

Nice review.

Cheers
You can get a pair of them on ebay for 13-14 quid or from autobulbsdirect.co.uk for around 24-27quid, so decide for your self. If you want to upgrade your fogs as well then from ebay you can get 2pairs for the cost of 1pair from a online retailer

A spare cash is the wallet is always a good thing

[Prince]

Originally Posted by Marc07

Cheers
You can get a pair of them on ebay for 13-14 quid or from autobulbsdirect.co.uk for around 24-27quid, so decide for your self. If you want to upgrade your fogs as well then from ebay you can get 2pairs for the cost of 1pair from a online retailer

A spare cash is the wallet is always a good thing

Sounds good! Got a link to the eBay seller? I won't bother with the fogs though as I rarely use them. They're there purely for looks lol.

[Marc07]

Thats the same seller I got them from

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Osram-Nigh...#ht_1150wt_905

Takes some pictures before and after and post in here so we can see how do they improve on different cars

[Prince]

Originally Posted by Marc07

Thats the same seller I got them from

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Osram-Nigh...#ht_1150wt_905

Takes some pictures before and after and post in here so we can see how do they improve on different cars

Thanks mate. Will do!

[jarrus]

I did look at some of these for all the motors as the 306 and 205 seem to have kind of a "candle in a jam jar" affair when it comes to head lights, they become even worse if I haven't washed the car in a while,

Also I would have thought that Audi offers HID lamps on the A8 so if you still wanted to look into that then I suggest looking for some on ebay, are your lights self leveling or do you have to use a switch to dip the lights the the back is loaded up?

[Marc07]

Originally Posted by jarrus

I did look at some of these for all the motors as the 306 and 205 seem to have kind of a "candle in a jam jar" affair when it comes to head lights, they become even worse if I haven't washed the car in a while,

Also I would have thought that Audi offers HID lamps on the A8 so if you still wanted to look into that then I suggest looking for some on ebay, are your lights self leveling or do you have to use a switch to dip the lights the the back is loaded up?

Believe or not, but HiDs were still an option when car was bought new which is quiet stupid if they were priced 50k-60k +. It is loaded with almost all the extras, but things which were not taken are sunroof, adaptive cc (just the standard one), tv's in the headrest and the HiD lamps, so unfortunately no.
I did checked with the dealership, and just the standard pair of headlights costs 600quid, so I even didnt asked for the xenons

I never was after xenons so much, just a nice clear white headlights (it doesnt matter if is with a small hint of violet or blue), but I may check eBay once again.

Last time one xenon headlight was priced 300quid, new, so the same cost what standard one from the dealer.

I've ordered new LED sidelights (as they look really nice when are good quality) so will update some pictures later on as soon my new filter arrives as there is so much hassle with changing the bulbs that it is ridiculous, the airbox needs to some out same as few other components. The passenger side can be done by removing the wheel and wheelarch liner, but to do the drivers side you need to remover the airbox, so will do all in one go, lights and filter.

I'm happy with Osrams, but I will keep looking for something else.
As I said before, no one so far can tell if is worth paying 50-60 quid per pair of PIAAs.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PIAA-H7-XT...ht_11996wt_958

I found few positive reviews about HOEN's from US so may try them finally as that was my original idea.

http://hoen-usa.com/index.htm

They will improve your headlights a lot, thats for sure if you saying that they are like a candles
But, if the headlight it self is dirty and yellow inside, that would have to be taken apart and cleaned or refurb as changing just the bulbs and keep the dirty glass will most likely improve just by a bit.

[HDi fun]

Don't fit aftermarket HIDs, anybody. They're not roal legal.

[Marc07]

Just a quick update on Osram NB's+
They do a very good job so far especially at night for a standard H7 bulbs, so they are worth 15quid.
Few shots taken 5min ago after coming back from a trip.
Here they are together with new 5LED side lights




and the vision from inside the car on the road, the actual color is more less 5-10% less whiter so is pretty good


Since HiD are NOT road legal, NB+ seems to be a very good option for the amount of money you pay for them.

[waynne]

That's saved you a small fortune then!

[Marc07]

Just under 200 quid. The HiD from US for A8, high beam, low beam and fog lights inc all the balasts and anti-error moduls were just about 200 quid. But its not as much about money, the drilling and packing it up and being road illegal was the biggest issue. Mods are fine, I would enjoy doing it, but I would rather have at the minute legal NB+ than HiD even if I like them more.

[Prince]

Originally Posted by Marc07

Since HiD are NOT road legal, NB+ seems to be a very good option for the amount of money you pay for them.

Just to clariy this.

HIDs are an MOT fail as of January 2012 on cars not designed to have them from new. This is because modern HIDs use self levelling systems and most modern cars have headlight washers.

Aftermarket HIDs can be adjusted by hand, but often blind (and annoy) other road users. I know of people who have already failed MOTs due to their HIDs.

These NBs look like a very good option for anyone who isn't happy with the amount of light.

[StevieDB9]

i've always used the philips xtreme power and i've found them to be excellent. I cant justify the £45 they're charging for their new version though, the xtreme vision. I am tempted to try the NB+'s though, I reckon they'll be similiar to the xtreme power but a wee bit cheaper. I'll be sure to report back on their performance compared to the philips!

[Marc07]

Originally Posted by StevieDB9

i've always used the philips xtreme power and i've found them to be excellent. I cant justify the £45 they're charging for their new version though, the xtreme vision. I am tempted to try the NB+'s though, I reckon they'll be similiar to the xtreme power but a wee bit cheaper. I'll be sure to report back on their performance compared to the philips!

Hi Stevie
That would be great mate. If you could take some pictures on the same camera settings at the same time of your current philips and then when you put Osrams that would be great. I'm sure that there is something better than Osram NB+.
I really would like to test Hoen or PIAA, but I'm afraid of spending 50pounds for pair of them or even 150 for 3sets to fit high/low/fog beams and notice no difference, but something is telling me that the PIAA are the one to go for, will see, may try them soon.

[Marc07]

Originally Posted by StevieDB9

i've always used the philips xtreme power and i've found them to be excellent. I cant justify the £45 they're charging for their new version though, the xtreme vision. I am tempted to try the NB+'s though, I reckon they'll be similiar to the xtreme power but a wee bit cheaper. I'll be sure to report back on their performance compared to the philips!

Stevie, they are nice touch as well and you should not have any issues on your car whatsoever like me and they will cost you under 10quid

[Marc07]

Sorry...forgot about the link again

http://www.torquecars.com/forums/f9/...-system-21423/