Everyone knows the US spec headlamps on '86-'93 240s are terrible. The "real" solution is either installation of ECE headlamps -- either original Cibie units (holy grail) or aftermarket (good but not perfect), which are somewhat expensive. A cheaper solution has been upgraded wiring harness and relays and slightly high wattage bulbs. Unfortunately, this still does not solve the problem of the poor US-spec beam pattern.

For the past 10 years or so, I have been running the Osram/Sylvania Xtravision bulbs (recommended by Daniel Stern of the much-respected Stern Lighting), which slightly increased the quality of the 9004 headlamp beam pattern in both terms of quality of light and beam pattern. These bulbs DID improve the lighting, and they were cheap, so I didn't really give them any more thought.

Well, the other day, while listing a set of unused Silverstar Bulbs on ebay (IMO useless bulbs which I had received as a gift), I got to wondering about 9004 bulbs and if, in fact, someone had taken the Xtravision concept a bit further and improved the 9004 bulb to actually provide a more useable light pattern.

Well, I found these: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-9004XVS2-X-Treme-Vision-Headlight/dp/B00BQWQLOK

Philips "X-treme Vision" 9004 bulbs. Note that I am normal skeptical of anything with "X-treme" printed on the packaging, but after reading reviews I decided to order up a set. It turns out that these bulbs are also recommended by Daniel Stern, which gave me some additional confidence in the selection.

After installation, and a few night drives, I can say that they have dramatically improved the light output from the stock US-spec headlamps. Beam reach and spread is improved, and the lights have a somewhat sharper horizontal cutoff. Don't expect ECE type lighting, but you can expect a noticeable improvement.

If you're looking for a cheap headlamp upgrade for your US-spec '86-93 headlamps, give them a try.