OEM Xenon lighting systems/bulbs I've seen (not those halogen bulbs touted to contain xenon gas) are pretty much standardized at 35W consumption.

When you talk about melting wiring harnesses and popping fuses, you may be talking about halogen bulbs. OEM halogen headlamp bulbs are around 50-55W. It's true higher wattage halogen bulbs produce more light, but as you suggest, the added accompanying heat can (and does) melt/damage wiring and switches that were only designed to handle lower wattage bulbs. (One way around this is to run a relay set-up, but that's another story).

When you say "8K," you're talking about a specified range of color for that bulb (light source), in this case, 8000K degrees Kelvin (K). The Kelvin scale is not based on the actual temperature at which a bulb filament (if a halogen bulb) or a discharge arc (if a xenon bulb) burns or the power it draws, i.e., wattage (W). Think of the Kelvin scale as a gradient of color hues rather than a unit of electrical power (wattage).

 

Isopropyl alcohol. Better to use 99% - available on Amazon.

Preferred to the 70% you'd find at RightAid, especially near anything electrical.

30% water is 30% water. 99% evaporates almost instantly, is stronger, and no streaks, etc.

 

Yes, I was after 8K colour but to allow for the drop in brightness, go higher in wattage, but apparently as you say 35W is the standard.

 

I am **** enough to want to have spare lamps. These work without issue for both low/high beams?

 

The high-low beam is the same lamp (one bulb for both, at least on the 2016 US R model I have). An internal baffle is moved for the high-beam pattern. So, yes - mine work great for high/low. I really like the whiter lamps.

I think I had to use a 10mm socket to temporarily remove a terminal block on the passenger side to get that one installed.

 

i decided to try the philips ultinon 6000k again, bought a set from TRS

they arrived in different packaging from my first set, and they clipped in easily this time

the colour has a light blue tinge, it actually looks like the exact same colour as osram cbi in a d2s (ie: with mercury) - these mercury free d3s bulbs just lack colour at all kelvins. the led side light that illuminates with steering angle/indicators actually matches the colour output of the bulbs now

i'm driving around with my headlights on all the time, hoping they burn in and lose the blue tinge for more of a pure white - what i do like is the purple cut-off, and haven't really noticed any significant drop off in lumens compared to the cbi

 

Domino, sorry for bothering, but how on earth did you replace the passenger side bulb? I have it, am able to take out the rubber cover, but the electrical box does not seem to give space to replace the old bulb with a new one.
And I do not have Hulk-hands, sadly.