Arvin

Hi guys,

Im new to this forum. Im a 350z driver but my dad recently bought himself a 2008 535 (with the LCI). The car had yellow angel eyes, and i wanted to upgrade them to the newer bright white look for him (Hes a hardcore BMW guy, owned only beemers for the last 20+ years). So i searched around on this forum and found a couple threads (particularly this one - https://5series.net/forums/topic/592..._1#entry636357 by Geneatals )that suggested replacing the oem bulbs with GP Thunder Xenon/Plasma Super White 8500K "Quartz" Bulbs w/Ion Coating Standard Wattage.

So i followed the guides posted. Ordered two sets of those bulbs (4 bulbs total). I have never changed the bulbs on any of his previous models so i didnt realize that BOTH angel eyes are lit by only 1 bulb. So i put them in today, no problems. Only thing is i find that they are not very bright. Kind of dull. And when the projector headlight is on, you can barely see the angel eye around that light. However they are better looking than the yellow, but not bright like the new BMW Corona Rings or like any of the pictures that have been posted on this forum.

So i had a couple questions. I tried to PM Geneatals, but i guess im not allowed to pm anyone till i get a couple posts in on the forum.

First things first, and this is generally directed at Geneatals if he reads this, What is the second pair of H8 bulbs for? I read in your fogs thread that you used a different set of bulbs.

1)Is there anything i can do to make this current set up brighter/intense? (apart from tearing the light housing apart, i refuse to open them up)
2)Perhaps the newer Corona Rings bulbs are able to fit the 2008 535 LCI model? Can anyone confirm or deny this for me?


Thanks
P.S i really love the drive of these newer models. I think it might to time to trade up.

Gene

the second set of h8 bulbs was for the fog lights...as both LCI xenon headlight ae and fog bulbs are h8 bulbs..

there are a few more brighter options now than when I posted in the link you provided...try researching lux led ae's, or HID ae's...both will be brighter than the gp thunders, but will cost a bit more. since you stated you wanted to avoid opening up your headlights to install led rings/orion rings...the led or hid ae's will be your best option...


both led and hid set-ups will come with some extra parts as they are not direct bulb swaps like the gp thunders. a quick search thru the vendor section can get you more info and choices of products....

regarding pm's: you need to be a member for 10 days or need 5+ posts to activate your pm function...


I'm sure other members will chime in, best advice I can suggest is for you to try and see all types in person rather than online/pictures, as it's hard to capture "brightness" on camera....

Arvin

Alright. Thanks for the information and the help. Appreciate it.

tonyb635

I went with the GP Thunders as well. They are not the brightest but best bang for your buck. I tried several other lights and was able to return them. These were all LED's and nothing worked properly in my 2008 LCI without getting the annoying errors. Eventually, I received a pair of LED as a gift from a vendor when I had made a large purchase. These came with resistors and when I tested the lights there were no errors. I didn't see a big difference in brightness in comparison to the GP Thunders, however, these LED's has a light position adjustment and perhaps I didn't set them correctly. I just put the GP's back in and maybe have a go at it another day...

Arvin

Hey,

So i am not happy with the GP thunders, im prepared to get the LED or HID set up but am wondering whether theres much of a difference and whether one option may be better than the other?


I saw these posted by one vendor
http://www.umnitza.com/umnitza-ice-v...wl-p-6041.html

And then i saw John @ motorcepts HID set up
He stated that his was as close to plug and play as it can get, i sent him a question about that but was hoping someone might be able to chime in with a bit more info on that.

bimmerboyali

Definately go with John at Motorcepts. He is great guy and has the best product. He will probably be doing a Black Friday Sale so what a day or so and see. Also I saw a used set in the Classifieds for sale about 3 weeks ago. Do a search, they might be avail. The guy wasnt that much cheaper than a new set, so maybe the Black Friday Deal will be worth the wait. GL

sachal007

try the lux h8 LED, my friend just installed it on his e90 and it looks GREAT!!

umnitza

come take a look at our black friday special!!

https://5series.net/forums/topic/119...yweekend-2011/

G530

Go straight to the best you can afford and cut all the middle ground. I"ve tried so many ebay bulbs, even with LCI AE 35W + etc...gonna put a smile on ya for couple of weeks.

Get the best, HID AE or Orions. To give you an idea how BRIGHT HID AE's are. They will drown out your (8000k) HID lowbeams!!! But I love 'em day or night. In fact at dusk and dawn, they are abnoxiously bright that I had to turn them off using iDrive if I see a cop car before they see me

John@Motorcepts

We have HID angel eyes for $230 and MTEC V3 LED angel eyes for $240.