MINI2

Damo · Dec 26th, 2003, 12:38 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by dietcokeplease

Just a small perspective warning to all those fitting higher output bulbs:

A few years ago I fitted a set to my company car. Back then higher output bulbs were about £10-15 each. As I was commuting each morning and night (2 hours + each way) in winter I found that the bulbs would blow with alarming regularity. After about 5 or 6 changes of bulbs I got fed up an reverted to standard bulbs. I thought that it was the car but it was a similar story on the bulbs fitted to other cars in the family.

On investigating I found that Halfords, Powerbulbs and the bulb manufacturers don't give a warning about the shorter life of bulbs (I think that Halfords now do). The filament burns harder to produce the increased light output. The xenon gas in the bulb is supposed to help cool the filament but I don't see how such a tiny amount of gas has the increased cooling effect. If you drive the MINI as a second car then it is likely that the new bulbs will last you a while.

And if you want white, blue or blue/white LED sidelight bulbs then check out:

www.piaa.co.uk

They're not strictly legal as they're not E-marked.

Couldn't agree more about Halfords bulbs, and the Bosch ones they sell to, thyre pants. Went through about 5 or 6 on the BMW, Over about 10 months/10,000 miles.

The Vision Plus bulbs I have cost £30.00, they've lasted 20,000 miles in my B&W MINI as dipped beam (and I work nights so drive a lot at night) and 800 miles so far in my new mini (as lesser used main/hi beam).

Vision Plus are apparently "comparible" to manufacturers bulbs. I'm positive it says that on powerbulbs website. I'm also sure it mentions life expectency not being as high as standard bulbs in most cases!

The problem with bulbs is life expectancy is "widely" variable and effected by a lot of factors.

jasonfields007 · Jan 6th, 2004, 07:20 PM

hi guys,

sorry to re-open this thread late, but what fitment (phillips blue vision) do I need to make the HI-beam more whiter (I have Xenons but as you know the Xenon lights are only for dipped)

j

minisoopercooper · Jan 6th, 2004, 07:24 PM

it's H7's the same as the main bulbs. Osram Silver stars.

We all used www.powerbulbs.com and they gave a very fast and efficient service.

Paul

AJH3 · Jan 6th, 2004, 10:47 PM

Do these upgraded bulbs compare to the Xenon's in any way, or are the Xenon's alot more effective??

Thanks

AJH

johnlondonw3 · Jan 8th, 2004, 12:15 PM

I ,stupidly, hadnt realised that the Zenons on my MCS are only on dip beam,am I right in thinking I need to replace the main beam bulbs toget the same white/blue effect on main beam ?
If this is right which are the bulbs to buy ,the Osram Silver stars ie are they Zenons ?

Damo · Jan 8th, 2004, 11:39 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by johnlondonw3

I ,stupidly, hadnt realised that the Zenons on my MCS are only on dip beam,am I right in thinking I need to replace the main beam bulbs toget the same white/blue effect on main beam ?
If this is right which are the bulbs to buy ,the Osram Silver stars ie are they Zenons ?

No theyre not Xenons

There are "proper" xenon lights. Theyre what you have in your dipped beam. They use a light simler to strip lighting you see everyday. Basicly electricity is passed through xenone gas that produces the bright light you see. Hence they have to "warm up".

The bulbs you are on about may use "xenon" technology, but they aren't xenon's. All they do is get a traditional halogen bulb with a filament, and fill the bulb with xenon gas. This is to help cool the filament down and it gives the "blue" effect.

johnlondonw3 · Jan 9th, 2004, 11:46 AM

First of I'll get spelling right !
So if the Osram Silver Stars aren't Xenons,does any one make xenons that woulsd go in the main beam ,or are they illegal ?

wils · Jan 10th, 2004, 02:57 AM

from what i understand there's no point putting xenon bulbs in the main beams because they take time to warm up and if u were to 'flash' someone then it wouldn't work?

Damo · Jan 10th, 2004, 12:43 PM

You are allowed to have Main Beam as a Xenon but you also have to have a normal bulb aswell.

WSW is right Xenon's take time to warm up, because of this when you "flash" your lights they don't work, and because thats a legal requirement you have to have both.

Bi Xenon Cars that use Xenon for Main and Dipped beam, have a normal bulb for "flashing" but when you put main beam on (say at night going down a country road) something moves in the dipped beam to make it shine the light Everywhere, as opposed to just dipped.

At least thats how I understand it.

You can get Main beam as Xenon, but the applications I've seen would make your car illegal, and cost you about £400 un fitted.

I have seen someone on here who "upgraded" his dipped beam from the 8000k bulbs we have to 12000k jobbied, and also changed his fogs to 12000k Xenons to. I think he still left his main beam alone.

I've got Philips Vision Plus as my main beam, and theyre awesome, if you after a blue effect, you should be looking at (or the equivalent) Philips Blue Vision.

jasonfields007 · Jan 10th, 2004, 02:03 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Damo

You are allowed to have Main Beam as a Xenon but you also have to have a normal bulb aswell.

WSW is right Xenon's take time to warm up, because of this when you "flash" your lights they don't work, and because thats a legal requirement you have to have both.

Bi Xenon Cars that use Xenon for Main and Dipped beam, have a normal bulb for "flashing" but when you put main beam on (say at night going down a country road) something moves in the dipped beam to make it shine the light Everywhere, as opposed to just dipped.

At least thats how I understand it.

You can get Main beam as Xenon, but the applications I've seen would make your car illegal, and cost you about £400 un fitted.

I have seen someone on here who "upgraded" his dipped beam from the 8000k bulbs we have to 12000k jobbied, and also changed his fogs to 12000k Xenons to. I think he still left his main beam alone.

I've got Philips Vision Plus as my main beam, and theyre awesome, if you after a blue effect, you should be looking at (or the equivalent) Philips Blue Vision.

Hi Damo,

Do you know what fitting the main beam uses? I want to get the Philips Vision Plus too.

J

Damo · Jan 11th, 2004, 01:42 AM

H7

Vision Plus are best for giving light, but Blue Vision are probably better for matching the Xenons.

I personally think there's no point making the main beam be blue. Maybe the side lights and even maybe the fogs, but how many people will think your car looks cool because your blinding them with your full beam that matchs your xenons

I say go with Vision Plus (or possibly some not so legal 100w) and get to see more.

Jan 6th, 2004, 07:20 PM	#42 (permalink)
jasonfields007 MINI2 Master My Classifieds Join Date: May 2003 Location: Radlett. Herts Local Time: 12:23 AM Posts: 1,870 Offline	hi guys, sorry to re-open this thread late, but what fitment (phillips blue vision) do I need to make the HI-beam more whiter (I have Xenons but as you know the Xenon lights are only for dipped) j '06' Cooper S Convertible - Astro Black, '04' Mazda RX8 231 - Black

Jan 10th, 2004, 02:57 AM	#48 (permalink)
wils formerly known as wsw Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Melbourne, Australia Local Time: 10:23 AM Posts: 642 Offline	from what i understand there's no point putting xenon bulbs in the main beams because they take time to warm up and if u were to 'flash' someone then it wouldn't work? i got an exhaust because i wanted to make my car sound fast, but its not fast at all, so therefore i am a ricer....

Jan 10th, 2004, 02:03 PM	#50 (permalink)
jasonfields007 MINI2 Master My Classifieds Join Date: May 2003 Location: Radlett. Herts Local Time: 12:23 AM Posts: 1,870 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by Damo You are allowed to have Main Beam as a Xenon but you also have to have a normal bulb aswell. WSW is right Xenon's take time to warm up, because of this when you "flash" your lights they don't work, and because thats a legal requirement you have to have both. Bi Xenon Cars that use Xenon for Main and Dipped beam, have a normal bulb for "flashing" but when you put main beam on (say at night going down a country road) something moves in the dipped beam to make it shine the light Everywhere, as opposed to just dipped. At least thats how I understand it. You can get Main beam as Xenon, but the applications I've seen would make your car illegal, and cost you about £400 un fitted. I have seen someone on here who "upgraded" his dipped beam from the 8000k bulbs we have to 12000k jobbied, and also changed his fogs to 12000k Xenons to. I think he still left his main beam alone. I've got Philips Vision Plus as my main beam, and theyre awesome, if you after a blue effect, you should be looking at (or the equivalent) Philips Blue Vision. Hi Damo, Do you know what fitting the main beam uses? I want to get the Philips Vision Plus too. J '06' Cooper S Convertible - Astro Black, '04' Mazda RX8 231 - Black

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Philips Blue Vision Bulbs and Sidelight??	C5 PHL	Exterior	2	Mar 19th, 2007 08:42 PM
Blue Vision Bulbs	Mingler	Exterior	0	Feb 17th, 2006 02:53 PM
Bulbs: Osram Cool Blue or Phillip Blue Vision	si_power	Exterior	5	May 10th, 2005 03:59 AM

MINI2

Fuel for your MINI obsession

From bodykits to bonnet stripes, discuss them here

Dec 26th, 2003, 12:38 AM	#41
Damo MINI2fosi My Classifieds Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: MINItorque.com Local Time: 11:23 PM Posts: 10,526 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by dietcokeplease Just a small perspective warning to all those fitting higher output bulbs: A few years ago I fitted a set to my company car. Back then higher output bulbs were about £10-15 each. As I was commuting each morning and night (2 hours + each way) in winter I found that the bulbs would blow with alarming regularity. After about 5 or 6 changes of bulbs I got fed up an reverted to standard bulbs. I thought that it was the car but it was a similar story on the bulbs fitted to other cars in the family. On investigating I found that Halfords, Powerbulbs and the bulb manufacturers don't give a warning about the shorter life of bulbs (I think that Halfords now do). The filament burns harder to produce the increased light output. The xenon gas in the bulb is supposed to help cool the filament but I don't see how such a tiny amount of gas has the increased cooling effect. If you drive the MINI as a second car then it is likely that the new bulbs will last you a while. And if you want white, blue or blue/white LED sidelight bulbs then check out: www.piaa.co.uk They're not strictly legal as they're not E-marked. Couldn't agree more about Halfords bulbs, and the Bosch ones they sell to, thyre pants. Went through about 5 or 6 on the BMW, Over about 10 months/10,000 miles. The Vision Plus bulbs I have cost £30.00, they've lasted 20,000 miles in my B&W MINI as dipped beam (and I work nights so drive a lot at night) and 800 miles so far in my new mini (as lesser used main/hi beam). Vision Plus are apparently "comparible" to manufacturers bulbs. I'm positive it says that on powerbulbs website. I'm also sure it mentions life expectency not being as high as standard bulbs in most cases! The problem with bulbs is life expectancy is "widely" variable and effected by a lot of factors.

Today
Sponsors	Sponsored Links Registered members do not see Google Ads posts, they can also post messages, pictures, and classified adverts. Register your free account today and become a member of MINI2 - MINI Forum

Jan 6th, 2004, 07:24 PM	#43 (permalink)
minisoopercooper Some have THICK skins!!!! Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bristol Local Time: 11:23 PM Posts: 21,059 Offline	it's H7's the same as the main bulbs. Osram Silver stars. We all used www.powerbulbs.com and they gave a very fast and efficient service. Paul

Jan 6th, 2004, 10:47 PM	#44 (permalink)
AJH3 MINI2 Regular Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Berkshire Local Time: 12:23 AM Posts: 112 Offline	Do these upgraded bulbs compare to the Xenon's in any way, or are the Xenon's alot more effective?? Thanks AJH

Jan 8th, 2004, 12:15 PM	#45 (permalink)
johnlondonw3 MINI2 Senior Join Date: Sep 2003 Local Time: 11:23 PM Posts: 675 Offline	I ,stupidly, hadnt realised that the Zenons on my MCS are only on dip beam,am I right in thinking I need to replace the main beam bulbs toget the same white/blue effect on main beam ? If this is right which are the bulbs to buy ,the Osram Silver stars ie are they Zenons ?

Jan 8th, 2004, 11:39 PM	#46 (permalink)
Damo MINI2fosi My Classifieds Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: MINItorque.com Local Time: 11:23 PM Posts: 10,526 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by johnlondonw3 I ,stupidly, hadnt realised that the Zenons on my MCS are only on dip beam,am I right in thinking I need to replace the main beam bulbs toget the same white/blue effect on main beam ? If this is right which are the bulbs to buy ,the Osram Silver stars ie are they Zenons ? No theyre not Xenons There are "proper" xenon lights. Theyre what you have in your dipped beam. They use a light simler to strip lighting you see everyday. Basicly electricity is passed through xenone gas that produces the bright light you see. Hence they have to "warm up". The bulbs you are on about may use "xenon" technology, but they aren't xenon's. All they do is get a traditional halogen bulb with a filament, and fill the bulb with xenon gas. This is to help cool the filament down and it gives the "blue" effect.

Jan 9th, 2004, 11:46 AM	#47 (permalink)
johnlondonw3 MINI2 Senior Join Date: Sep 2003 Local Time: 11:23 PM Posts: 675 Offline	First of I'll get spelling right ! So if the Osram Silver Stars aren't Xenons,does any one make xenons that woulsd go in the main beam ,or are they illegal ?

Jan 10th, 2004, 12:43 PM	#49 (permalink)
Damo MINI2fosi My Classifieds Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: MINItorque.com Local Time: 11:23 PM Posts: 10,526 Offline	You are allowed to have Main Beam as a Xenon but you also have to have a normal bulb aswell. WSW is right Xenon's take time to warm up, because of this when you "flash" your lights they don't work, and because thats a legal requirement you have to have both. Bi Xenon Cars that use Xenon for Main and Dipped beam, have a normal bulb for "flashing" but when you put main beam on (say at night going down a country road) something moves in the dipped beam to make it shine the light Everywhere, as opposed to just dipped. At least thats how I understand it. You can get Main beam as Xenon, but the applications I've seen would make your car illegal, and cost you about £400 un fitted. I have seen someone on here who "upgraded" his dipped beam from the 8000k bulbs we have to 12000k jobbied, and also changed his fogs to 12000k Xenons to. I think he still left his main beam alone. I've got Philips Vision Plus as my main beam, and theyre awesome, if you after a blue effect, you should be looking at (or the equivalent) Philips Blue Vision.

Jan 11th, 2004, 01:42 AM	#51 (permalink)
Damo MINI2fosi My Classifieds Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: MINItorque.com Local Time: 11:23 PM Posts: 10,526 Offline	H7 Vision Plus are best for giving light, but Blue Vision are probably better for matching the Xenons. I personally think there's no point making the main beam be blue. Maybe the side lights and even maybe the fogs, but how many people will think your car looks cool because your blinding them with your full beam that matchs your xenons I say go with Vision Plus (or possibly some not so legal 100w) and get to see more.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)