New 2009 2010 BMW Z4 - ZPOST
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Go Back   New 2009 2010 BMW Z4 - ZPOST > BMW Z4 Forum (E89) > 2009-Current Z4 Forum (E89) General Discussion

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      01-04-2012, 07:37 PM   #1
FalconFlyer
Private First Class
13
Rep
101
Posts

Drives: 2014 BMW M6
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Tampa Florida

iTrader: (0)

Side by Side AE light comparison

Ok... so I have a few BMW's... so I decided to do a side by side comparison for the AE lights... my Z4 has the LUX AE lights... my 335i has the OEM AE LED lights and the 7 series has the stock on the right headlight (left if you are sitting in the car) and another companies LED AE light. As you can see, nothing even comes close to the stock OEM LED lights... Looking at them in bright sunlight it is my opinion the the LUX AE lights are not at bright at the stock Amber AE lights. I am going to try a HID option in the 7 this week....





__________________
2016 X6M
2016 X5M
2016 750i
Appreciate 0
      01-04-2012, 08:07 PM   #2
jparnes1
Colonel
jparnes1's Avatar
No_Country
241
Rep
2,389
Posts

Drives: 2016 340i, 2012 Z4 35i
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NY

iTrader: (1)

Well done, thank you very much
__________________
2016 340i XDrive, EBII/black, 6 MT, M Sport, Track Handling, Cold Weather, Tech, Lighting, Driver Assistance Plus.

2012 Z4 35i, ED 2/24/2012, Melbourne Red Metallic, Black Leather, Carbon Trim, 6MT, M Sport, CW, PP, PS, NAV, CA.
Appreciate 0
      01-04-2012, 09:29 PM   #3
Z4@Phuket
Lieutenant
Thailand
63
Rep
433
Posts

Drives: Z4 E89
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2009 BMW Z4  [8.00]
2004 BMW 525i  [0.00]
HID option may close to OEM LED as LED has a small area of light source and old AE did not design for LED
Please post picturrs on HID whe you are done
__________________
Appreciate 0
      01-04-2012, 10:41 PM   #4
FalconFlyer
Private First Class
13
Rep
101
Posts

Drives: 2014 BMW M6
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Tampa Florida

iTrader: (0)

Will do.. I plan on doing it next week... going with this guy... alex@alpinemss.com... gonna try out the 7 first... then if it looks really nice.. might do the Z....
__________________
2016 X6M
2016 X5M
2016 750i
Appreciate 0
      01-05-2012, 01:49 AM   #5
flpnout
Major
flpnout's Avatar
United_States
81
Rep
1,264
Posts

Drives: 2010 Dinan S3 Z4-35i
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA

iTrader: (8)

Garage List
2010 E89 Z4  [7.83]
Not sure why your LUX are not that bright. I've been complemented by other BMW drive meets that they look pretty bright. Here is what mine looks like on the Z4 in direct sunlight (with varying distance) and the M3 in partial/shaded sunlight:
Attached Images
     
__________________
2015 BMW i3 REX
Appreciate 0
      01-05-2012, 01:58 AM   #6
flpnout
Major
flpnout's Avatar
United_States
81
Rep
1,264
Posts

Drives: 2010 Dinan S3 Z4-35i
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA

iTrader: (8)

Garage List
2010 E89 Z4  [7.83]
On a side note, you do have a nice collection going on there. Just add a new Mineral White 6 series coupe while you're at it.
__________________
2015 BMW i3 REX
Appreciate 0
      01-05-2012, 07:47 AM   #7
FalconFlyer
Private First Class
13
Rep
101
Posts

Drives: 2014 BMW M6
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Tampa Florida

iTrader: (0)

Flpnout.... well the reason why yours look bright it two reasons... you are taking the shot directly from the front... and second... they are not sitting next to a car that has the OEM AE LED lights... Finally... when you put the car in the shade... all of the LED AE lights look good.

The reality for us is that there are no good substitutes for the OEM LED AE lights.... and the current LED lights on the market don't even come close to the brightness. I am going to try a HID light this week and see how they do.
__________________
2016 X6M
2016 X5M
2016 750i
Appreciate 0
      01-05-2012, 08:03 AM   #8
jparnes1
Colonel
jparnes1's Avatar
No_Country
241
Rep
2,389
Posts

Drives: 2016 340i, 2012 Z4 35i
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NY

iTrader: (1)

Falconflyer, there's been a lot of posts here regarding the Alpine HID's. Apparently there have been quality control issues like bulbs yellowing with time or not working right out of the box. The company has been good at sending replacements, but still...
__________________
2016 340i XDrive, EBII/black, 6 MT, M Sport, Track Handling, Cold Weather, Tech, Lighting, Driver Assistance Plus.

2012 Z4 35i, ED 2/24/2012, Melbourne Red Metallic, Black Leather, Carbon Trim, 6MT, M Sport, CW, PP, PS, NAV, CA.
Appreciate 0
      01-05-2012, 09:51 AM   #9
flpnout
Major
flpnout's Avatar
United_States
81
Rep
1,264
Posts

Drives: 2010 Dinan S3 Z4-35i
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA

iTrader: (8)

Garage List
2010 E89 Z4  [7.83]
Quote:
Originally Posted by FalconFlyer View Post
Flpnout.... well the reason why yours look bright it two reasons... you are taking the shot directly from the front... and second... they are not sitting next to a car that has the OEM AE LED lights... Finally... when you put the car in the shade... all of the LED AE lights look good.

The reality for us is that there are no good substitutes for the OEM LED AE lights.... and the current LED lights on the market don't even come close to the brightness. I am going to try a HID light this week and see how they do.
I'm not disputing the fact that OEM LED that come in the new 3 Series like yours are the brightest. I've seen the comparison in person. They definitely draw a lot of attention right away to the headlights. Alpine may come close to OEM LED, but the OEM LED brightness will be evenly distributed on both rings. Looking forward to your comparison with Alpine HIDs.

I shared a comparison pic in the shade with the M3, but when you compare the yellow OEM with them, the LED are much brighter. The true brightness of LED show best in the shade or at night. Side angle has the same effect on yellow OEM. Since my cars don't have the OEM LED options from the factory, I am content with the LUX over the standard yellow OEM any day. The next set of pictures are comparison of LUX and OEM yellow:
Attached Images
   
__________________
2015 BMW i3 REX

Last edited by flpnout; 01-05-2012 at 09:57 AM..
Appreciate 0
      01-05-2012, 11:16 AM   #10
LuxAngelEyes
LuxAngelEyes's Avatar
United_States
469
Rep
4,939
Posts

Drives: BMW
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: New Haven, CT

iTrader: (13)

I think the main reason that they look so dim in the picture is because of the angel of the it. The center car is looking directly at the angel eyes, while the Z4 and 7-series are facing forward, and not the camera. Its well known that the headlights need to be viewed directly and not from an angle.

It would be best to re-take the pictures with the 3 cars facing the camera in an orientation like this.

\ | /

_^ - camera

the 3 lines are the angles the cars are on all facing the camera directly
Appreciate 0
      01-05-2012, 03:04 PM   #11
az34
Major
az34's Avatar
Canada
54
Rep
1,014
Posts

Drives: 2009 z4sdrive35i 2008 x5 3.0i
Join Date: May 2011
Location: montréal

iTrader: (0)

whats the year of your 335i
Appreciate 0
      01-05-2012, 08:55 PM   #12
FalconFlyer
Private First Class
13
Rep
101
Posts

Drives: 2014 BMW M6
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Tampa Florida

iTrader: (0)

The 335i is a 2011....

Regarding the angle... actually that is not true... a good picture is the attached picture.. if you notice.. it was taken exactly between the two cars... .and as you can see the OEM LED AE lights are noticeably brighter. Again, not saying that the LUX lights are not good lights... they are perhaps close to the brightness of the OEM amber lights.. however they are in no way close to the brightness of the OEM LED lights. Right now there are not a lot of options for the 7... since for some reason most of the LED lights code right away.

__________________
2016 X6M
2016 X5M
2016 750i
Appreciate 0
      01-06-2012, 12:18 AM   #13
Z4@Phuket
Lieutenant
Thailand
63
Rep
433
Posts

Drives: Z4 E89
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2009 BMW Z4  [8.00]
2004 BMW 525i  [0.00]
LUX AE , just admit that your AE is not as bright as OEM, may be still brightest in after market LED? not camera angle or sun or shade
I would prefer HID on my next mod
May be u produce some HID system with an affordable price for us
__________________
Appreciate 0
      01-06-2012, 02:38 AM   #14
persian54
Lieutenant General
persian54's Avatar
United_States
922
Rep
15,818
Posts

Drives: M760/G83M4
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: The Valley, SoCal

iTrader: (298)

Here are the Alpine HIDs I had on my 09 Z4, their kit is better now (i have it on my M3)











On my M3, unfair angle though (Alpine, AiB v3, LUX),
The lux was brighter when taken from the other side



M3 again, in direct sun:



The LUX kit is a GREAT LED kit, very uniform across the board, and rarely do you have issues with the kit. I have had LUX in the past (as well as RD LEDs, GP Thunders, on my 335i, but similar enough)

But Alpine are indeed brighter, sometimes too bright though.
I have had my kit stop working as well, but Alpine has fixed it for me with no questions asked.

LUX is also easier to install.
Each kit has it's pros and cons.


Nothing can beat the OEM ones, at least not yet.

OP, you have a GREAT collection. Add a X5 to the stable! They're great cars
Appreciate 0
      01-06-2012, 09:29 AM   #15
FalconFlyer
Private First Class
13
Rep
101
Posts

Drives: 2014 BMW M6
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Tampa Florida

iTrader: (0)

Thanks so much for the information Persian54.... that is good to know. Right now on the 7 side, we are stuck, because all of the LED lights that are on the market are either too dim or code right away... so I am going to try the HID light... and see where we go from there....
__________________
2016 X6M
2016 X5M
2016 750i
Appreciate 0
      01-06-2012, 03:32 PM   #16
Roadstergal
First Lieutenant
Roadstergal's Avatar
United_States
26
Rep
360
Posts

Drives: 2010 Z4 35i
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: USA - East Coast

iTrader: (0)

I had my car in for service this week and I asked my SA about the OEM lights on the 3 and 5 series and expressed how I wanted to change my amber lights to the led, but could not find a suitable replacement. He told me that BMW was working on a oem light for the Z4. This leads me to believe the next model year will have them so we will be able to get them from BMW soon.
__________________
E89 - 2010 Z4 35i (Orion Silver, Ivory White extended, anthracite trim)
E85 - 2006 Z4 3.0i (Monaco Blue, beige leather, Dark Poplar wood trim)
E85 - 2003 Z4 2.5 (Sterling Gray, black leather, Sycamore wood trim)
E36 - 1998 Z3 2.8 (Red, black leather, wood trim)
Appreciate 0
      01-08-2012, 08:04 PM   #17
FalconFlyer
Private First Class
13
Rep
101
Posts

Drives: 2014 BMW M6
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Tampa Florida

iTrader: (0)

Yes... and they will cost you approximately 4k. For example on my X5.. I can get the new headlights for the X5 with the OEM LED AE lights... the total cost... 4.5k
__________________
2016 X6M
2016 X5M
2016 750i
Appreciate 0
      01-24-2012, 03:12 AM   #18
OrangeOne
Private
8
Rep
54
Posts

Drives: 23i
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Singapore

iTrader: (0)

hi

how different is the installation for the alpine hids compared to the lux?

thanks
Appreciate 0
      01-25-2012, 09:49 AM   #19
FalconFlyer
Private First Class
13
Rep
101
Posts

Drives: 2014 BMW M6
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Tampa Florida

iTrader: (0)

The Alpine are simple plug and play... takes about 5 minutes. The HID kit you have a run some wires. Don't let that concern you, I am not mechanically inclined and I had them installed in about 20 min. All you need is a socket wrench. I will be posting pictures on the other string. On a side note I will sell my LUX LED AE lights for 100 bucks if you want to try them out.
__________________
2016 X6M
2016 X5M
2016 750i
Appreciate 0
      01-25-2012, 10:32 PM   #20
Z4@Phuket
Lieutenant
Thailand
63
Rep
433
Posts

Drives: Z4 E89
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2009 BMW Z4  [8.00]
2004 BMW 525i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by FalconFlyer View Post
The Alpine are simple plug and play... takes about 5 minutes. The HID kit you have a run some wires. Don't let that concern you, I am not mechanically inclined and I had them installed in about 20 min. All you need is a socket wrench. I will be posting pictures on the other string. On a side note I will sell my LUX LED AE lights for 100 bucks if you want to try them out.
How do you manage the ballasts? inside or outside the headlight housing?
very tight space inside, I assume the ballasts are outside, how you get the wire through the water tight housing?

on Ebay, you can find many H8 HID kits with canbus (No error warning) for less than $100
__________________
Appreciate 0
      01-26-2012, 06:04 AM   #21
FalconFlyer
Private First Class
13
Rep
101
Posts

Drives: 2014 BMW M6
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Tampa Florida

iTrader: (0)

Hey Z4... well regarding the other kits on the market, I cannot speak to them.. but Alex over a Alpine MSS has been great. I broke one of the bulb housing putting them in the Z4 the other day and he overnighted me one for free. He has great customer service.

The ballasts are all designed to fit on the outside of the housing, you can easily find a nice place and they come with very powerful double sided tape. Regarding getting the wires through the water tight housing, you have to drill a 1/2 inch hole and Alpine has designed a great watertight seal that is pulled through. Very easy to do. I will have pictures posted this weekend.

On a side note I am selling my LUX LED AE bulbs for $100 bucks if anyone is interested...
__________________
2016 X6M
2016 X5M
2016 750i
Appreciate 0
      01-27-2012, 10:53 AM   #22
Z4@Phuket
Lieutenant
Thailand
63
Rep
433
Posts

Drives: Z4 E89
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2009 BMW Z4  [8.00]
2004 BMW 525i  [0.00]
Nice
__________________
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:29 PM.




zpost
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST