Bi-Xenon Headlights - Worth it?
#21
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My Ride: '05 545i, silver gray, black leather with anthracite maple wood, sport package, premium sound, navigation, cold weather package, electric rear sunshade, folding rear seat, satellite radio prep, PIAA 4150K fogs, red rear reflectors, hardwired Valentine One
Xenons are a must. I've had them on my last 6 cars, and they really make a difference. And the E60 xenons are bi-xenon (both low and high beams) and (at least in the US) are adaptive, meaning they turn left or right as you go into curves. I recently borrowed a friend's car to move a few items, and driving at night without xenons was was like driving with half the light. Xenons are so much brighter, and cast the light much farther ahead of the car.
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My Ride: '05 545i, silver gray, black leather with anthracite maple wood, sport package, premium sound, navigation, cold weather package, electric rear sunshade, folding rear seat, satellite radio prep, PIAA 4150K fogs, red rear reflectors, hardwired Valentine One
Originally Posted by Bunbun' date='Apr 13 2005, 05:10 AM
Quik question, do u also get xenon foglights as well? when u order xenon headlights?? If not, would it look funny with both lights on (given the different tones in color)?
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http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=7232&st=0
#23
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I don't have Xenon and I regret not to have it. It's a must next time.
Incadescent bulb performance will degrade over time and you need to replace it new one every year or two to make headlight bright again. It's not the case for Xenon light.
Incadescent bulb performance will degrade over time and you need to replace it new one every year or two to make headlight bright again. It's not the case for Xenon light.
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My Ride: Now Driving a Freakin' Prius!
Was...
2004 545i | SMG | White/Black | Sport | NAV | Logic 7 | PDC | Fold-down Seats | Adaptive Headlights | Cold Weather Pkg | Clear-again Bra | Mud Flaps | Bluetooth | Coat Hangar | Aux Input | All Weather Mats | 18"X8.5" BBS RK w/ Michelin Pilot Alpin's (winter) | New steering rack @ 1.2K & 17K miles| Software V.19.1 | B&B Exhaust (vrrrroooooommm!) <---Click.
They are a must have IMO! I still can't see how the Xenon Hi-Beams are legal in the US.
#28
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My Ride: 2004 Titanium Gray 545i auto, navigation, premium sound/Logic7, cold weather, adaptive Xenon, Lumbar support, split rear seat, PDC.
You'll kick yourself if you don't get them. Definitely a must.
#29
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My Ride: 2005 545i, Black on black. 6spd MT, Nav, sports package.
Here's how xenon's work (from howstuffowrks.com):
Blue-ish headlights are not very common yet, but they are likely to become the norm because they produce more light than normal headlights while at the same time using less power. This combination is hard to beat!
There are several different articles having to do with light here at How Stuff Works:
Halogen lights
Gas camping lanterns (the kind with mantles)
Lasers
Fluorescent lights
Electroluminescent panels
All of these technologies excite atoms so that they produce photons. In the case of halogen bulbs and gas lanterns, heat is doing the exciting. In other technologies it is various forms of electricity or light that create the excitement.
Most cars currently use halogen bulbs in their headlights. The new blue-ish headlights are using a different technology called High Intensity Discharge (HID). We normally see HID lamps in the form of mercury vapor and sodium vapor lights used as street lamps and as outdoor lighting for stadiums. These lamps are popular because they are efficient. In the case of sodium vapor, they are twice as efficient as normal fluorescent bulbs.
Mercury and sodium vapor lamps produce light using a technique similar to that used in fluorescent lamps. In fluorescent lamps a low-pressure mercury vapor produces lots of ultraviolet light that excites a phosphor coating the tube. In the case of mercury vapor lamps, it is a high-pressure gas, the distance between the electrodes is very short and the light is produced directly without the need for the phosphor.
In the case of HID headlights, the same high-pressure technology is used. The lamp is similar to a mercury vapor lamp. However, designers of the headlights had to solve one problem with normal mercury vapor lamps -- the fact that they have long start-up times. Xenon helps solve the start-up problem, as does a special controller. All of these tricks mean that these headlights are expensive now, but mass production should bring the cost down eventually.
Blue-ish headlights are not very common yet, but they are likely to become the norm because they produce more light than normal headlights while at the same time using less power. This combination is hard to beat!
There are several different articles having to do with light here at How Stuff Works:
Halogen lights
Gas camping lanterns (the kind with mantles)
Lasers
Fluorescent lights
Electroluminescent panels
All of these technologies excite atoms so that they produce photons. In the case of halogen bulbs and gas lanterns, heat is doing the exciting. In other technologies it is various forms of electricity or light that create the excitement.
Most cars currently use halogen bulbs in their headlights. The new blue-ish headlights are using a different technology called High Intensity Discharge (HID). We normally see HID lamps in the form of mercury vapor and sodium vapor lights used as street lamps and as outdoor lighting for stadiums. These lamps are popular because they are efficient. In the case of sodium vapor, they are twice as efficient as normal fluorescent bulbs.
Mercury and sodium vapor lamps produce light using a technique similar to that used in fluorescent lamps. In fluorescent lamps a low-pressure mercury vapor produces lots of ultraviolet light that excites a phosphor coating the tube. In the case of mercury vapor lamps, it is a high-pressure gas, the distance between the electrodes is very short and the light is produced directly without the need for the phosphor.
In the case of HID headlights, the same high-pressure technology is used. The lamp is similar to a mercury vapor lamp. However, designers of the headlights had to solve one problem with normal mercury vapor lamps -- the fact that they have long start-up times. Xenon helps solve the start-up problem, as does a special controller. All of these tricks mean that these headlights are expensive now, but mass production should bring the cost down eventually.
#30
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Originally Posted by mathmos' date='Apr 13 2005, 11:23 AM
Hopefully in the next few days I'm going to be placing my order? ? but one thing I'm umming and arghring over is are the Bi-Xenon headlights worth having?
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I can suggest Adaptive Headlights too another essential option.
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