Replacing factory OSRAM XENARC 66340HBI D3S 35W HID lightbulbs with LED lights on 2017 Yukon XL Denali

[Marissa Danielle Greer]

I have a 2017 Yukon XL Denali and it came with HID bulbs for the Low Beam. They...are... TERRIBLE at night. They are OSRAM XENARC 66340HBI D3S 35W and I can't see more than a few feet in front of me and barley at all if its raining. I want to replace the low beams with LEDs ( Already replaced the high beams with LEDs). The issue I am running into is that the wiring harness is not the same for the HID and the LED. Is there a conversion kit I can get to make them work? I have H11 LEDs that are plug and play (as that was it said was correct for my low beams, but realized when I got in that they were HID and not halogen. Any help would be appreciated. 

[jpzimm44]

I have the same issue and am in the same predicament. Have you had any luck with a conversion?

[CMoore711]

Double Post...  

Edited August 10, 2020 by CMoore711

[CMoore711]

That's because in a lot of ways converting from HID to LED is a downgrade.

 

Is it doable? Sure I suppose. How far back in the headlight wiring system do you plan to replace?  The factory lighting has an OSRAM D3S HID ballast in-line.  There aren’t many LED bulb options in the D1S, D2S, or D3S size variant. This is because converting from HID to LED is not a conversion many people are interested in doing.  Quick search shows there are some LED to HID “kits” available; some apparently just plug into an HID ballast while others somehow bypass the HID ballast? Or don’t use it?  The thought of popping in an LED Bulb into a HID projector powered by an HID ballast or some sort of HID ballast LED Driver bypass “kit” just does not seem like a great solution nor a reliable one.

 

To be honest swapping from HID to LED in our GM trucks isn’t going to really solve your problem with light output either.  The problem isn’t really the type of bulb, sure some can offer slight improvements, but the major issue is the GM bulb projector itself.

 

The pics below are not my vehicle, they were pulled from the GMfullsize.com forum. Although, this vehicle is a 2015 GMC Sierra, knowing GM, I’m confident that the type of projector is very similar to the ones in our Yukon’s.  Sure there are probably some slight differences between the Yukon SLT Halogen projectors and the Denali HID projectors, but knowing GM I also wouldn’t be surprised if the only difference was the bulb socket. I only say this because of the clarity and still obvious projector cut-off Yukon SLT (and Tahoe owners with halogen projectors) are achieving by just swapping from factory halogen bulbs to LED or HID into their factory halogen projectors.  The light pattern and cut-off typically remains the same just brighter.   Definitely an improvement over stock, but only addresses part of the issue.

 

Let me show you what I mean...  For all intensive purposes the pics from this 2015 GMC Sierra will show what I’m referring to.

 

Here is a photo comparison when the factory halogen bulbs in this 2015 GMC Sierra were upgraded to HID bulbs:

 

 

Sure the light is brighter, but look at the light output and beam pattern closely. See how there is a dark spot right in the middle of the light output and beam pattern and other random dark spots. Those same dark spots are there with the halogen bulb and the HID bulb. Swapping from an HID to an LED will be no different in your ‘18 Denali.  Because the headlight projector and lens omitting the light output has remained the same.

 

Now this photo shows going from an HID bulb in the factory projector to the same style (35W 5000K) HID bulb into a Lexus RX350 projector retrofit:

 

 

Dramatically different isn’t it?  No more dark spots, the light output is consistent and the same brightness is throughout the entire beam pattern. They’re both Morimoto 35W 5000K HID bulbs, the difference is the projector not the bulb. 

 

Sure there is an upgrade in light output going from halogen to HID or LED.  I don’t think swapping bulbs from HID to LED, and vice versa for that matter, in our GM factory projector headlights is going to make that much of a difference. You want to fix the light output change the projector and do a retrofit.  Sure it’s a lot more involved and more expensive. But it’s clear from these images the weak point of our headlights is the GM factory projector in our headlights, regardless of what bulb you use.

 

Edited August 10, 2020 by CMoore711

[CMoore711]

Sorry for the double post.  I thought my previous post was just an edit.  (Is there no "Preview Post" option before submitting a post?).

 

Personally I own a ‘15 Yukon XL Denali and decided to just upgrade the factory HID D3S bulbs to OSRAM CBI's.

 

OEM stock HID on the right (passenger side) and OSRAM CBI D3S bulb on the left (drivers side).

 

 

The OSRAM CBI offers a color closer to 5000K more white without decreasing light output. In fact I think they are brighter.

 

This is plug and play as all you have to do is swap the OEM D3S low beam bulbs out for these.  Again these are HID’s and since your Denali already has factory HID system all you need is a whiter bulb.  I feel they are brighter and the color matches the LED DRL strip and my LED fogs nicely.

 

It’s hard to capture headlight photos and color comparisons from in front of the headlight. They never represent the true color in real life.

 

 

 

I would be cautious about purchasing OSRAM bulbs from Amazon or eBay. There have been some counterfeits sold through Amazon, which is represented in the significant price difference of Amazon compared to other legit retrofit headlight sites.  I picked mine up from HID Concept because they had the best coupon code at the time, but also check The Retrofit Source or Lightwerkz.  you should be able to find better deals around the Holidays; Independence Day, Memorial Day, Black Friday, etc. and get about 15-20% off.

[Brian P]

Sorry for the double post.  I thought my previous post was just an edit.  (Is there no "Preview Post" option before submitting a post?).
 
Personally I own a ‘15 Yukon XL Denali and decided to just upgrade the factory HID D3S bulbs to OSRAM CBI's.   OEM stock HID on the right (passenger side) and OSRAM CBI D3S bulb on the left (drivers side).     The OSRAM CBI offers a color closer to 5000K more white without decreasing light output. In fact I think they are brighter.   This is plug and play as all you have to do is swap the OEM D3S low beam bulbs out for these.  Again these are HID’s and since your Denali already has factory HID system all you need is a whiter bulb.  I feel they are brighter and the color matches the LED DRL strip and my LED fogs nicely.   It’s hard to capture headlight photos and color comparisons from in front of the headlight. They never represent the true color in real life.       I would be cautious about purchasing OSRAM bulbs from Amazon or eBay. There have been some counterfeits sold through Amazon, which is represented in the significant price difference of Amazon compared to other legit retrofit headlight sites.  I picked mine up from HID Concept because they had the best coupon code at the time, but also check The Retrofit Source or Lightwerkz.  you should be able to find better deals around the Holidays; Independence Day, Memorial Day, Black Friday, etc. and get about 15-20% off.

Was it a big enough difference to matter with output? Was it worth the money to upgrade?

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[CMoore711]

I would definitely do it again.

 

I think upgrading the factory HID bulbs on the Denali's is the best "bang for your buck" headlight upgrade you can do.  It's a relatively easy and non-invasive upgrade, simply remove and reinstall low beam bulbs.  There a plenty of nice options from OSRAM and Phillips for HID D3S bulbs that offer more lumens, better color, and more light output.

 

Upgrading the headlights further from here would involve a headlight retrofit and that is significantly more costly and time consuming.

[bsprtsgrp]

I had problems with the D3S Morimoto bulbs (twice) in my 17' Yukon Denali. They would flicker because the OEM OSRAM ballast could not keep up with the required output/draw of the Morimoto's.  Tried two sets of D3S Morimoto bulbs and finally pulled them and went with OSRAM Cool Blue Advanced 6000K Lows with Morimoto LED 6000K High Beams and Morimoto LED 5500K Fogs. They all perfectly match in color output

[page1]

I have been running the OSRAM Xenarc Cool Blue Boost D3S Xenon 66340CBB-HCB for six months without any issues. Great light output, color and even distribution. I would recommend


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Edited September 11, 2020 by page1

[EXSlider400]

I just upgraded the lows to Beamtech D3S 6000k. Have had the Beamtech LED 9005 6500k (Highs) and Morimoto XB 5500k fogs for a year and all work great. Colors all look the same.