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      01-22-2015, 03:37 PM   #1
redhot
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Has anyone replaced their parking / halo bulbs with Phillips H8

Trying to decide which route to go that is inexpensive but offers less yellow option in comparison to the OEM bulbs.

I see that they make a blue coated bulb that produces 5000k light but don't know if it would fit our e89.

I looked at LED options and the cheapest I could find is north of $100 (for a decent 80w output) for the pair at iJDMtoys.

TIA
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      01-22-2015, 07:32 PM   #2
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I tried those blue tinted bulbs. It looked exactly like stock and I returned right away

I also tried several ebay LEDs like the one you mentioned. They were not visible in the day time and finicky to install and I was always a bit worried about damaging the headlight housing from heat.

In the end I went back to stock bulbs

It seems other have had good luck with LUX so maybe that's worth a try ?
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      02-02-2015, 08:46 AM   #3
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I don't think LUX is worth it. If they didn't half-ass adapted the bulbs from probably the 335i, then it would work nicely. What I mean by this is that the bulbs will not turn all the way in (for stock bulbs they turn all the way in and click), so made me think they tried to adapt an existing bulb from another car to the E89. The outer rings are not as bright as the inner rings, I think its because the bulbs are not seated all the way in like stock in order for the LED to reflect across both rings correctly. Still better than stock yellow ones.
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      02-02-2015, 10:30 AM   #4
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supposedly the outer rings not as bright is just a way the halos are designed on the E89

The LCI E89 and other cars with OEM LED have a bulb for each ring to keep the brightness even, and the E89 just has 1 bulb for both rings
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      02-02-2015, 11:57 AM   #5
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Update: Bought cheapo LED bulbs from NewEgg. They are supposed to be 80W OSRAM LED in the H8 housing. From the looks they seem pretty bright on the outside but the moment they are popped in, the outer ring goes completely dark with barely 10% light output.

I am no photonics engineer but there seems to be a fundamental reason why LED light is not traveling properly thru the light tubes of the outer halo - regardless of the brand.

I paid ~$26 for the pair.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...0113-_-Product

The light color matches with Xenon..
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      02-02-2015, 12:22 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redhot View Post
Update: Bought cheapo LED bulbs from NewEgg. They are supposed to be 80W OSRAM LED in the H8 housing. From the looks they seem pretty bright on the outside but the moment they are popped in, the outer ring goes completely dark with barely 10% light output.

I am no photonics engineer but there seems to be a fundamental reason why LED light is not traveling properly thru the light tubes of the outer halo - regardless of the brand.

I paid ~$26 for the pair.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...0113-_-Product

The light color matches with Xenon..
You need to rotate the LED a very specific way so that the LED bulb is pointing at the spot where the halo rings meet the bulb housing. For the OEM halogen bulb this isn't an issue because the light is 360 degrees

For the LED bulbs the light sources at 90 degrees apart, so there is a chance that the bulb doesn't line up where it should with the opening. (This is what DKZTT meant when he said "he bulbs are not seated all the way in like stock in order for the LED to reflect across both rings correctly")

Maybe you could try the exact ones DKZTT is using?

I tried something similar to those you posted and didn't have good luck either.
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      02-02-2015, 12:40 PM   #7
redhot
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Well the new bulbs are snug in the housing. If I were to rotate them, they might not have a full lock. I will give it a shot to see if it improves anythings.

Also, I don't understand why they have LEDs on the top of the bulb?! Normal H8's are blackend on top to reduce glare but LED bulbs tend to exaggerate the light output from the top of the bulb - which to me seems incorrect.
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      02-02-2015, 02:42 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redhot View Post
Well the new bulbs are snug in the housing. If I were to rotate them, they might not have a full lock. I will give it a shot to see if it improves anythings.
And if things improve, that means the bulb isn't exactly design for our car (since as you pointed out, you want the orientation correct when the bulb is locked in)

Personally, I tried a bunch of different LEDs and none of them worked so I went back to stock. My wife's F30 335 has the LEDs from the factory and I could not find anything that could make my Z4 come close to that look.

If you are able to find a pair that has bright, even lighting across the rings, please let us know!
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      02-06-2015, 10:48 PM   #9
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The reason that light does not travel well to the outer ring is that the halos are not designed for LED lights.
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