Time for another update from my side on my 2014 City. The car has covered 13,400 km as of now and its been a good 9.5 months of ownership. I also faced 1 puncture on the rear tyre recently - the first one so far and found it to be a really long nail. Given that they give metal rims for the space, I just refilled the air using the Coido Air Inflator (
URL) that I have and headed to the nearest petrol bunk and got it fixed.
Night Breaker Unlimited
Coming to the main focus of this post, I decided to make changes to the headlight based on what some of the other folks on the Official Thread have done. As I went thru Team BHP threads, it was clear that there are mainly two recommended options in this area if we want to upgrade the stock headlights without affecting warranty.
1. Philips Xtreme Vision
2. Osram NightBreaker Unlimited
After going thru multiple threads and looking at the specifications of each in detail I was a little confused about making this upgrade when I read on one of the posts that these lights have a more whitish color to them and are hence less effective in rains. After additional discussions with other people on the official thread, I decided to go with the NightBreaker Unlimited (NBU). As I write this, I also noticed that Philips seems to have released a newer version of their Xtreme Vision with higher Kelvin rating (3700 K) while the NBU that I added is rated at 3600 K. That is for the information of other BHPians who want to consider the Xtreme Vision.
Here is an informational video on the NBU:
Also, I found this post on the Official Thread, a good explanation of how the Kelvin rating on the bulb can be mapped to the colour:
URL
I ordered the Bulbs from PowerBulbs.com at the following
URL They offer Free Worldwide shipping from this site. I received the Bulbs with good packing in 7 days time. When I ordered there was a discount of 20% at the website.
The Package Arrives...
The Night Breaker Unlimited
A Closer Look
Now, coming to the comparison between the stock bulbs and the Night Breaker Unlimited. I wanted to get a good comparison and also take some shots using the camera for more detailed analysis as well as reference for other BHPians. I started in search of roads without street lights. I realized that Bengaluru has really improved since most of the roads seem to be well lit at 9-30 PM in the night

Finally found a wide road near Ashoka Pillar which seemed to missing a street light and finalized on the place. I then used a stone fence pillar that was on the left as the marker to position the car. Now remember I would have to position the car again at the same spot to be able to capture the picture again once I install the new bulbs. Once this was finalized, I got some pictures with stock headlights. Posted below for reference:
Stock Headlights Provided by Honda
After having captured the reference image, I went back home and fitted the Osram NBUs. The whole process took about 10 minutes and one can do it by opening the bonnet and disconnecting the cable that connects to it which is in the area behind the headlight. The existing Bulb then can be pulled out. It is all plug and play but you would need a torch if you are trying this at night and one more person to shine the light in the correct place for help.
Once I had the new Bulbs fitted, I headed back to the same place and took some shots with newer bulbs. Below is another picture from the NBUs for reference:
Osram Night Breaker Unlimited
Now that we have seen reference pictures of both these, its time now to get to a comparison mode. The picture below should help well with the comparison:
Stock Bulbs Vs Night Breaker Unlimited
My analysis from the picture - it is clear that the light coming from the NBU has a more whiter shade on it as compared to the stock bulbs which are more yellowish. The yellow beam seems to scatter more initially as can be seen in the picture. The nearby tree is more visible in the stock lights as compared the NBUs. However, the strength of the NBU seems to be that throw of the light in a more focused manner on the road. The light seems more whiter and brighter and the intensity is higher than the stock bulbs.
Front Facing View Comaparison of the Two Bulbs
As for the question if the light is going longer distance - this is difficult to comment on since I replaced the low beams and they are focused for the near zone and hence angle at which they seem to be focused is not helping me determine if the longer distance claim is really true form this analysis. Given that the scattering is less, I feel this would be the case if someone were to use these for the High Beam Headlights. I leave it now for the others to decide based on what I have shared.
Thanks for reading my thread - hope you found it useful.