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Best headlights?
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m78



Joined: 14 Nov 2001
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Location: In the great midwest

PostPosted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:48 pm    Post subject: Best headlights? Reply with quote

What are the best headlights to get right now for E30's?

Any suggestions?

are the halo-angel eyes lights that much better?
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maxinjaxin



Joined: 15 Feb 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great, I was about to ask the same Q.......
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
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Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been using my Hella H4/H1 headlights now, with just the standard headlight bulb, for about 9 months and really like them.
Huge improvement over sealed beam. Put xenon bulbs in these for another improvement.


http://www.unofficialbmw.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=29347

Most of the way down on this post:

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=29048&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30
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m78



Joined: 14 Nov 2001
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What's everyone's opinion of these?



BLACK EURO HALO PROJECTOR ANGEL HEADLIGHT.

Do they provide much better lighting, or are they simply nice to look at?
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peerless



Joined: 12 Nov 2003
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Location: Orange County, Ca

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have installed those (Customers E30) and they are made in China and poor quality. They are not a true angel eye, they have about 4-6 little bulbs behind the angel ring that lights it up.

The ones I installed where blue and they looked cheesy at best. The light pattern was horrible, although they where bright. Then you have a ballast for each set of lights. So when the ballast burns out you toss them out or try and find a replacement, which may not be available. Also the more you use the flash to pass feature the more wear and tear you but on the ballast. I left this feature disable on the customers car.

In my humble opinion if you want 'bling' then go with the 'angel eyes', if you want solid functionality, look into the factory (European) options.

I found a set of the Bosch 'yellow' high beams with 55W H1(?) bulbs. They are very bright and work very well in inclement weather. They also have the added bonus when driving in the fast lane. When you flash your high beams in a steady state people actually move out of the way.

They either see it as a real 'european' sports car and have the respect to get out of the way, or they see the yellow lights flashing and think its a utility vehicle or emergency vehicle. Either way they work. although that might not be legal, but hey it works.

The best part was, I found them in the junkyard on a old Mercedes and picked them up for $5 each! n reality I found 2 sets in one weekend.

Another option is to find a set of ellipsoids in either the european or US spec.
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Last edited by peerless on Wed Feb 20, 2008 1:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
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peerless



Joined: 12 Nov 2003
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 1:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And know I can remove my fog lights as they have no purpose now since the high beams are my fogs now.


[/img]
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bimmerjo



Joined: 24 Jun 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You might want to try to find the factory elipsoids, they use the 9005 bulbs, which piaa makes a lot of BRIGHT bulbs for those, and are also readily available almost everywhere, i'm running a set of silverstars in mine and the only thing that comes close to the brightness are the new new HID lights on the new cars, also the highbeams i think that match the assly, use 9006's which are also very bright, also running a set of silverstars in them and i have people brightlighting me from miles away, so if thats any estimate on how bright they are, (but focus also has alot to do with it, since they arent much of a flood light, they are really focused to go along way down the road, but thats all my own opinion
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idanity



Joined: 21 May 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

im with bimmerjo on the lights (elipsiods w/silverstars) and i get people sometimes flashing me w/lows on.

when i flash them back (w/my high beams) they always dim the highs asap.


so, as we all (so far) agree, the elipsiods are good, and imho the euro ellipsiods are best.

as someone explained to me that the euro type have crystal glass, and u.s. market has regular not as clear glass.


either way you go, take some pix.


btw, i met someone who had the china version w/clear lenses and they are not bright at all. they do look good when the car is parked, or in daylight, but for functionality, they are poor
and
if
any statement were to be stated. it would be "you get what you pay for".
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idanity



Joined: 21 May 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

idanity wrote:
i
any statement were to be stated. it would be "you get what you pay for".


except for when you buy them used as peerless did w/a great deal on his yellow highbeams.

ive seen one car w/them up here in WA and they look great.
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tinindian



Joined: 19 Dec 2005
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:05 pm    Post subject: best headlights for e30 Reply with quote

I plan on getting Cibie CSR for both lo and hi beams. They are a little pricy but are incredible lights. You can check them out on this site. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/csr.html
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bimmerjo



Joined: 24 Jun 2006
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i was unaware that they made conversion kits, i might try to find some for my high beams Very Happy
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idanity



Joined: 21 May 2005
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 3:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

these are my favorite so-far.






left example is the euro.
right example is the u.s.





taken from 2007 e30 picnic.


another yellow high beam

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bimmerjo



Joined: 24 Jun 2006
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 3:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

now... if you really wanted some light just mount 4 hella 500's on the front bumper, rally style Very Happy
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wazzu70



Joined: 26 Jul 2005
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 8:40 pm    Post subject: Re: best headlights for e30 Reply with quote

tinindian wrote:
I plan on getting Cibie CSR for both lo and hi beams. They are a little pricy but are incredible lights. You can check them out on this site. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/csr.html


The Cibie's are supposed to be the ultimate drop in replacement. The H1/H4 on dales car are really nice too. In my car I have the euro ellipsoids and really like those. Main benefit to me besides good light output is that the beam pattern is deflected so that you don't blind oncoming traffic. If you haven't seen the beam output try to find a picture of it online.

Also, Robert, nice high beams. Heres mine:

These arent the french high beams, or the MBz fogs. They just have a film over them. Its come in handy in the rain/snow though as the amber lights things up differently even though the reflector/beam pattern isnt changed like in a real fog light.
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Merkaba233



Joined: 19 May 2003
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 12:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Let there be light...

I LOVE my hella H4/H1 combo with sylvania Xtra vision bulbs. I don't have to use the fog lights like I did with the sealed beams. The hella low beams are plenty bright, and the high beams had to have come from a stadium somewhere. I particularly enjoy being flashed by a soccer mom in her SUV, then hitting the brights as if to say "yeah i've got those too".

The H1 high beams are CRAZY bright. Street signs illuminated by the high beams are almost painful to look at.

The Xtra vision bulbs are whiter than the low grade, plenty bright, cheap and readily available at your local national chain parts store. I put the last set in four years ago, and replaced them this past fall.
The hella lights are an easy upgrade (don't forget to change the high beam fuses! they WILL blow with this combo). They are the same difficulty as putting in new sealed beams. Well worth the effort and the money in my opinion.

Of course, they're not DOT legal in the US, but nobody where i am knows the difference.

A good article here: http://www.strictlyeta.net/technical/headlights.html

wow those cibies look pretty sweet though...
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