Misc Questions (Please assist me.)

[Ebruess]

I am very interested in putting Angel Eyes in my 08 MS3 and putting some different low beams and high beams in and possibly some different fogs.

1) What is the difference between Xenon and HID? (I'm looking for the darkest blue and brightest)
2) What brand of Halo Eyes is the brightest? (I'm looking for blue)
3) Where is a good place to purchase everything I would need for this project?

I am aware that you can make the Halo eyes out of the blind rods but I really would like to have the Halo(gen) bulb ones. Which are better?

I really would love some input from anyone that can give any advice at all on this subject matter please

Oh! Also will this VOID any of my Warranty?

 

[icspots]

1) What is the difference between Xenon and HID? (I'm looking for the darkest blue and brightest)

HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. xenon is an inert gas that is inside HID lamps. It's also commonly used interchangeably (if not correctly) with HID. The brightest HID lamp is in the 4100k-4300k spectrum. These produce a very white light. As the kelvin rating goes up the light output drops and the light becomes more blue/purple.

2) What brand of Halo Eyes is the brightest? (I'm looking for blue)

Most of the ones available for the 3 right now are identical. Check out www.thexenonstore.com, or www.xenonexpert.com.

3) Where is a good place to purchase everything I would need for this project?

Both of those stores sell both HID kits, and CCFL angel eyes. not saying they're the only ones around, but it's somewhere to start.

Oh! Also will this VOID any of my Warranty?

Installing HIDs shouldn't void anything unless you were to go with a 50w system and ended up melting your harness or light housing. You can be guaranteed that installing angel eyes will void your headlight warranty though as installing them requires you to disassemble the light housing.

 

[Hirudin]

Hey that's cool, we agree again icspots...

I am very interested in putting Angel Eyes in my 08 MS3 and putting some different low beams and high beams in and possibly some different fogs.

1) What is the difference between Xenon and HID? (I'm looking for the darkest blue and brightest)
2) What brand of Halo Eyes is the brightest? (I'm looking for blue)
3) Where is a good place to purchase everything I would need for this project?

I am aware that you can make the Halo eyes out of the blind rods but I really would like to have the Halo(gen) bulb ones. Which are better?

I really would love some input from anyone that can give any advice at all on this subject matter please

Oh! Also will this VOID any of my Warranty?

By the sound of your questions it doesn't seem like you've tried looking much on your own... Also, I'm definitely not an expert about bulbs, but I'll see what I can do to answer a couple of your questions anyway.

1) Xenon is a certain type of bulb (because they use xenon gas). I think HID (High Intensity Discharge) pretty much is just a designation they give to very bright bulbs. When shopping for car headlights I'd try to make certain that what you buy are actually xenon bulbs. [edit]The part in white isn't true... It sounds like you want to make sure you get "HID" bulbs.[/edit]
2) I'd bet any quality angle eyes will be about the same
3) I personally got some angle eyes from protegegarage (www.mazda3online.com), I'm not sure about the HIDs

Warranty?) I wonder to what extent this will void your warranty... You can be sure your headlights will no longer be covered.

 

[icspots]

1) Xenon is a certain type of bulb (because they use xenon gas). I think HID (High Intensity Discharge) pretty much is just a designation they give to very bright bulbs. When shopping for car headlights I'd try to make certain that what you buy are actually xenon bulbs.

Sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. Halogen lamps and HID lamps are completely different technologies. Halogen lamps have glass bulb filled with an inert gas (yes, sometimes xenon) and a filament. The filament heats up, it makes light and presto you have... um, a light. HID lamps have a glass bulb filled with xenon gas and two electrodes, and also produce about 2.5-3x the amount of light which halogens produce.. The electricity arcs between the two electrodes (no filament) to create the light. They require a ballast and an ignitor to get them running. This is similar to the way fluorescent lamps work.

Many manufacturers will advertise their regular bulbs as "xenon filled" so people think they're getting HIDs by just replacing their bulbs. If it's still using a filament though then it's still a halogen bulb regardless of the gas that's filling it.

 

[Hirudin]

Oh, I see. HID is a designation for bulbs that have 2 electrodes (an arc is created between them right?) instead of a filament.

Here's the bulb from my DIY projector, I guess this would be an HID by definition then...

And a shot while it was on...

 

[icspots]

Oh, I see. HID is a designation for bulbs that have 2 electrodes (an arc is created between them right?) instead of a filament.

Here's the bulb from my DIY projector, I guess this would be an HID by definition then...

And a shot while it was on...

There you go Hirudin! Though a DS2 bulb looks different.

 

[Mocoso]

Many manufacturers will advertise their regular bulbs as "xenon filled" so people think they're getting HIDs by just replacing their bulbs. If it's still using a filament though then it's still a halogen bulb regardless of the gas that's filling it.

I think you and Hirudin both have provided excellent info and there is little to add except to nitpick on a minor item (and Im bored this morning so Ill be the one nitpicking...)

Its not a halogen bulb if its filled with Xenon gas given Xenon isnt a halogen.. its still an incandecent bulb as it has a tungsten fillament but not sure its "technically" a Halogen bulb....but I agree a HID it is not either...

 

[icspots]

Its not a halogen bulb if its filled with Xenon gas given Xenon isnt a halogen.. its still an incandecent bulb as it has a tungsten fillament but not sure its "technically" a Halogen bulb....but I agree a HID it is not either...

touche! I believe most incadecent lamps with xenon have a mixture of gases in them, not only xenon. Could still be some halogen gases in there.