Thanks for responding, Bill. I've read a couple of threads by you (and more posts) on this topic, and appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Ultimately, converting to E codes would be the best option, regardless of illumination source. But that's not in the cards at this time.

As far as the stated consumption on my Hikari Thunder Series, they don't state it on the site, or on the packaging, but in the included manual it states "Wattage - 46W/SET (23W/BULB x2)." That's the only spec, no distinction between regular and dipped beam. Now what's especially fuzzy about that is the manual is for all bulb types, and they clearly state in the same Specifications page from which I quoted, that this includes H1, H4, H7, H11, and so on. So even if they are quoting for main beam, that doesn't cover all types. And if dipped, well what's the quote on main? I can say that these Thunders are not only significantly brighter, but significantly higher cutoff as well (as they should be). This is my first experience with a shared main /dipped in the same bulb / reflector setup, and I was pleasantly surprised at the difference.

The skeptic in me agrees with you that the stated specs tend to be optimistic. However, that's not really a concern of mine, as I feel (in this application, and as adjusted) that these may actually be too bright. The Hikari bulbs I used previously were the 2018 or 2019 equivilant, but advertised as 9600lm. Granted those were installed in a different car (7th gen Civic). I thought those exceeded my expectations every time I drove with them. What gets me about the 12,000lm in the 940 is the way the road signs reflect back at me. I feel they are bright enough to stop down my pupils, making these bright lamps actually less effective in practice. Now I have to admit that not only have I not driven far in the dark since the install - probably two miles, but I haven't driven much at all at night since last winter. And then, it was either in our BMW or P3 Volvo, both with factory Xenon projectors. An anecdote: When I had my V50, with halogen projectors, every autumn I'd change the bulbs, and re-aim, somehow hoping to get decent light out of them. Like my eyes forgot just how bad they were. Maybe the opposite is taking place here :-). Anyway, all that to say I think these bulbs are bright enough, and if I could go back to 9600lm, I would.

As far as testing what I have for the sake of science, I have to admit I'm lazy to go out in this cold snap we've had in the northeast. It should get out of freezing tomorrow, but will still be cloudy. I'll see what I can do about getting outside (I have no garage for this car, and the garage space I do have isn't heated). How do you measure the wattage, ammeter in series with the bulb? I have a self-dimming welding mask for Arc - that should work for the visual check.