[ro_f30]

Might be a noob question. But any recommendations for the Factory Halogens to brighter after market halogens without any kit replacements or coding?

[Mike_L]

If you must keep halogen, Silverstar zXe. Or BMWs own "Performance Lighting". Otherwise code it and stick in LEDs.

[squidlyboy]

While waiting to do my xenon/angel eye retrofit, I tried these just as an stop-gap / experiment and i'm pretty surprised how well they've worked so far. I didn't want to spend $50-$100 for a bulb and get mad if they didn't pan out. For $12, i figured these would be disposable, but after a couple of months, i still love 'em. They produce a very pure 5800k white light.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/380566869094

I had installed some Philips DRL LED Luxeon 8's that were pure 6000k white, and all of a sudden, i started to hate how they looked against the warm yellow color of the halogen DRL, parking, and low-beam bulbs. So I then replaced the stock DRLs to CREE LEDs (6000k white), the parking lamps to LED (PA from Taiwan), then my low-beams were next.

I don't know how important color is to you but .... you did mention "white halogens". Matching the white color was important to me. I first tried a set of 5000K color temp H7 low-beam halogens, but i wasn't satisfied with the whiteness of them. They were whiter than the standard 4300k yellow color of the OEM H7 halogen bulbs, but they still looked a tinge of yellow... especially against the pure white of the 6000k Philips DRLs, so i wanted to go whiter.

Then i tried these, which are rated for 5800k. They are not 6000k, but they are super close. I can't tell the difference. Everything is now a matched pure white color. I'm loving the look. No errors on the dash, so no coding, or kit replacement. Just a bulb swap.

And you probably already know that whiter light (higher color temp) will produce less lumens, which cuts down on visibility. So in order to produce enough output to meet minimum DOT safety requirements, they have to drive these harder. In addition, since these are still halogens and not xenons, they use a blue filter to achieve the white color look, which forces them to drive them even harder to meet minimum spec. All this results typically in shorter life span for the bulb. How much shorter? not really sure... But my feeling is that at $12 a pop, these are disposable anyways. I've had them going on two months now, and still going strong

I'll plan on keeping these until i do my xenon retrofit. i can buy 4 sets of these to pay for one pair of $50 brand name H7 halogen bulbs. Good trade-off for me ...

[Fabre80]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

While waiting to do my xenon/angel eye retrofit, I tried these just as an stop-gap / experiment and i'm pretty surprised how well they've worked so far. I didn't want to spend $50-$100 for a bulb and get mad if they didn't pan out. For $12, i figured these would be disposable, but after a couple of months, i still love 'em. They produce a very pure 5800k white light.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/380566869094

I had installed some Philips DRL LED Luxeon 8's that were pure 6000k white, and all of a sudden, i started to hate how they looked against the warm yellow color of the halogen DRL, parking, and low-beam bulbs. So I then replaced the stock DRLs to CREE LEDs (6000k white), the parking lamps to LED (PA from Taiwan), then my low-beams were next.

I don't know how important color is to you but .... you did mention "white halogens". Matching the white color was important to me. I first tried a set of 5000K color temp H7 low-beam halogens, but i wasn't satisfied with the whiteness of them. They were whiter than the standard 4300k yellow color of the OEM H7 halogen bulbs, but they still looked a tinge of yellow... especially against the pure white of the 6000k Philips DRLs, so i wanted to go whiter.

Then i tried these, which are rated for 5800k. They are not 6000k, but they are super close. I can't tell the difference. Everything is now a matched pure white color. I'm loving the look. No errors on the dash, so no coding, or kit replacement. Just a bulb swap.

And you probably already know that whiter light (higher color temp) will produce less lumens, which cuts down on visibility. So in order to produce enough output to meet minimum DOT safety requirements, they have to drive these harder. In addition, since these are still halogens and not xenons, they use a blue filter to achieve the white color look, which forces them to drive them even harder to meet minimum spec. All this results typically in shorter life span for the bulb. How much shorter? not really sure... But my feeling is that at $12 a pop, these are disposable anyways. I've had them going on two months now, and still going strong

I'll plan on keeping these until i do my xenon retrofit. i can buy 4 sets of these to pay for one pair of $50 brand name H7 halogen bulbs. Good trade-off for me ...

So with these its a straight swap to the halogens?

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by Fabre80

So with these its a straight swap to the halogens?

yes.. plug n play. no coding, no kit, no errors.

if it helps, here's a comparison pic of these 5800k pure white low-beam halogens against the yellow oem parking lamp halogens when i was doing some earlier testing/comparisons. they match the running led drls very nicely.

[Fabre80]

Thanks man i ordered a set and will post pics afterwards. What about the yellow bulb that still remains? Can we swap that too?

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by Fabre80

Thanks man i ordered a set and will post pics afterwards. What about the yellow bulb that still remains? Can we swap that too?

I don't know of any halogen bulbs for the remaining auxiliary lights (DRL and parking lamp) that will give you white light. I only did halogen for the low-beams.

But if you are willing to go the LED route for the remaining lights, it will be more than just a bulb swap. There will probably be coding involved if you want your set up to look mint (i.e. no flicker). If you don't mind the flicker during startup and every 5 mins or so, then yah, a bulb swap is enough. I coded out the flicker. I can walk you through the coding if you decide to go this way - its painless

For the stock DRL, i went with CREE-based LEDs - $30
The stock PW24W halogen bulb is rated at 24W. I purposely got a slightly higher wattage bulb as i like the look of the DRLs in the daylight and wanted them to stick out a little more. Love the look of 'em!

EDIT: 5/26/2015 - These CREE-based LED DRL's starting going bad at around 4 months or so after installation. I emailed them hoping they might stand behind their sh**** product and possibly warranty them or something, but they just ignored my email. I would NOT order these again. I ordered these CREE-based LED DRLs now and i'm trying them out. They were also around $30 but they are much brighter at 50w. I was a little hesitant on going with the higher wattage as stock DRL is rated at 24w, but so far so good.

For the stock parking lamp, i went with Per-Accurate LEDs from Taiwan - $12
I made every mistake in the book here as far as getting the wrong bulbs lol. If you don't go with these, just make sure you get BAX9s 64132 H6W. DONT get the BA9S as you will need the bulbs that have a 150 degree offset bayonet pins (the BA9S bulbs have a 180 degree offset which do not fit our F30's). And most of what you find on Ebay will throw errors on your dash (e.g. "Parking light malfunction"). These are the only ones I found that are error free (i.e. CANBUS compatible). I'm sure there are others, but i bought 3 other bulbs that threw errors before i found this one. I also bought a bunch where the light was slightly blue-ish that ruined the all-white look i was after, so i tossed those. This one is WHITE. This is the best one that is 1) error free, 2) fits our F30, and 3) pure white light. It was hard to find this triple These are BY FAR the BEST LED parking lamp replacement i found for our F30.

EDIT: 6/15/2015 - a forum member PM'ed me recently and said he ordered these exact LEDs and they threw an error on the dash. I have no reason not to believe him. I'm not sure if Per-Accurate has changed their stock, or if perhaps he just got a bad set, or what... I'm not sure what the situation is with his, but mine didn't throw an errors. This is just a heads up for anyone considering these. It might be best to inquire of them to make sure there is a refund policy in place before you order.

I would like to also replace the amber turn signal lights with LEDs, but i haven't found a suitable solution yet. I would like them to stay amber for turn signaling, but be white when the low-beams are on. I don't know any LEDs that will do that, but you can be sure i'll be the first one in line when something like that becomes available for our F30s

If you're wondering why i didn't go LED for the low-beam also, i didn't do it for the same reason i didn't want to throw in a xenon/HID kit bulb. For low-beams, xenon's and LED's have massively more output than halogen, and unless it can be directed properly (e.g. projector lens or equivalent), it will throw out massive glare. I didn't want to be "that guy". I do plan on doing a xenon retrofit properly, but it will take more effort as i need to take apart the housing which is a PITA and install a proper project system. I'm looking at the bi-xenon morimoto mini stage iii (h1), but that's later. i need to finish my PDC/rear camera retrofit first. So much to do... so little time

[denwhat]

Were the GP Thunders bright enough? Any chance you have a pic of it at night shining on the road?

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by denwhat

Were the GP Thunders bright enough? Any chance you have a pic of it at night shining on the road?

They are brighter than the halogens by about 15-20% - not much. But the fact that 5800k has more output than oem 4300k shows you how hard they are being driven. The first ones i bought (5000K) were less output than halogens, which is more in line with what you expect. I can try get a pic later tonight when i get home.

Reading the OP's post again, i had to chuckle. With halogens, you can get whiter (color temp) or you can get brighter (lumens), but you can't have your cake and eat it too ... actually you can, but with shorter bulb life span. So for halogen ... you can get 1) whiter light, 2) more output, 3) longer bulb life. Pick any two.. you can't have all 3...

[Fabre80]

Good luck with the build.

[ro_f30]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

I don't know of any halogen bulbs for the remaining auxiliary lights (DRL and parking lamp) that will give you white light. I only did halogen for the low-beams.

But if you are willing to go the LED route for the remaining lights, it will be more than just a bulb swap. There will probably be coding involved if you want your set up to look mint (i.e. no flicker). If you don't mind the flicker during startup and every 5 mins or so, then yah, a bulb swap is enough. I coded out the flicker. I can walk you through the coding if you decide to go this way - its painless

For the stock DRL, i went with CREE-based LEDs - $30
The stock PW24W halogen bulb is rated at 24W. I purposely got a slightly higher wattage bulb as i like the look of the DRLs in the daylight and wanted them to stick out a little more. Love the look of 'em!

For the stock parking lamp, i went with Per-Accurate LEDs from Taiwan - $12
I made every mistake in the book here as far as getting the wrong bulbs lol. If you don't go with these, just make sure you get BAX9s 64132 H6W. DONT get the BA9S as you will need the bulbs that have a 150 degree offset bayonet pins (the BA9S bulbs have a 180 degree offset which do not fit our F30's). And most of what you find on Ebay will throw errors on your dash (e.g. "Parking light malfunction"). These are the only ones I found that are error free (i.e. CANBUS compatible). I'm sure there are others, but i bought 3 other bulbs that threw errors before i found this one. I also bought a bunch where the light was slightly blue-ish that ruined the all-white look i was after, so i tossed those. This one is WHITE. This is the best one that is 1) error free, 2) fits our F30, and 3) pure white light. It was hard to find this triple These are BY FAR the BEST LED parking lamp replacement i found for our F30.

I would like to also replace the amber turn signal lights with LEDs, but i haven't found a suitable solution yet. I would like them to stay amber for turn signaling, but be white when the low-beams are on. I don't know any LEDs that will do that, but you can be sure i'll be the first one in line when something like that becomes available for our F30s

If you're wondering why i didn't go LED for the low-beam also, i didn't do it for the same reason i didn't want to throw in a xenon/HID kit bulb. For low-beams, xenon's and LED's have massively more output than halogen, and unless it can be directed properly (e.g. projector lens or equivalent), it will throw out massive glare. I didn't want to be "that guy". I do plan on doing a xenon retrofit properly, but it will take more effort as i need to take apart the housing which is a PITA and install a proper project system. I'm looking at the bi-xenon morimoto mini stage iii (h1), but that's later. i need to finish my PDC/rear camera retrofit first. So much to do... so little time

So can I go all LED for DRL, Low Beam and Parking lights with just Plug and Code? Or does it involve a kit change?

[ro_f30]

Nicely said.

How long will the life be if I pick, Whiter light and more output?

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by ro_f30

So can I go all LED for DRL, Low Beam and Parking lights with just Plug and Code? Or does it involve a kit change?

Generally.. yes. No kit change, but the only big issue is that if you go low-beam LED, you should consider glare.. not for you, but in consideration of other motorists.

They produce almost as much lumens (~3000) as xenons and more in some cases. I'm not sure how current after-market LED low-beams currently produce a cut-off. I haven't seen a lot of projector systems built for them. The ones i've seen are just "stick-the-bulb-in-your-halogen-housing-and-hope-for-the-best". So, you'll have to decide if you want to be "that guy"

Originally Posted by ro_f30

How long will the life be if I pick, Whiter light and more output?

I don't know...yet. I've only had them for a couple of months so far. Maybe others do? Ask me in about a year, that is, if i haven't already replaced them with my xenon retrofit

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by ro_f30

Nicely said

Its like a girl over thirty... 1) hot 2) single 3) sane.
Pick 2.. you can't have all 3

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by denwhat

Were the GP Thunders bright enough? Any chance you have a pic of it at night shining on the road?

Sorry for the crappy phone pics... and where i live, there's street lights everywhere, so i don't have a place where i can take a pic in complete darkness. Believe you me... its plenty bright. You'll turn some heads rolling down the street. if you get these, you should be more worried about when these pop. pick any 2.... u don't get 3 ...

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

Generally.. yes. No kit change, but the only big issue is that if you go low-beam LED, you should consider glare.. not for you, but in consideration of other motorists.

They produce almost as much lumens (~3000) as xenons and more in some cases. I'm not sure how current after-market LED low-beams currently produce a cut-off. I haven't seen a lot of projector systems built for them. The ones i've seen are just "stick-the-bulb-in-your-halogen-housing-and-hope-for-the-best". So, you'll have to decide if you want to be "that guy"

The properly designed bulbs have the LEDs on the sides so they hit the reflectors the same way a halogen filament does. They don't produce any more glare than halogens do.

This style is what I have in my fogs and they're designed properly. http://www.horizonleds.co.uk/exterio...-led-headlight

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

The properly designed bulbs have the LEDs on the sides so they hit the reflectors the same way a halogen filament does. They don't produce any more glare than halogens do.

This style is what I have in my fogs and they're designed properly. http://www.horizonleds.co.uk/exterio...-led-headlight

Have you done your low-beams with this also? Curious how it projects onto a garage .. e.g. cut-off

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

Have you done your low-beams with this also? Curious how it projects onto a garage .. e.g. cut-off

I have HID.

[Fabre80]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

Sorry for the crappy phone pics... and where i live, there's street lights everywhere, so i don't have a place where i can take a pic in complete darkness. Believe you me... its plenty bright. You'll turn some heads rolling down the street. if you get these, you should be more worried about when these pop. pick any 2.... u don't get 3 ...

Looks good dude, I can't wait to swap my bulbs when they arrive!

[denwhat]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

Sorry for the crappy phone pics... and where i live, there's street lights everywhere, so i don't have a place where i can take a pic in complete darkness. Believe you me... its plenty bright. You'll turn some heads rolling down the street. if you get these, you should be more worried about when these pop. pick any 2.... u don't get 3 ...

Nice! I really only care about brightness, but also don't wanna blind other motorists with a HID kit.

These were the GP thunders right? Gonna place an order later tonight.

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by denwhat

These were the GP thunders right? Gonna place an order later tonight.

yes

[ro_f30]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

While waiting to do my xenon/angel eye retrofit, I tried these just as an stop-gap / experiment and i'm pretty surprised how well they've worked so far. I didn't want to spend $50-$100 for a bulb and get mad if they didn't pan out. For $12, i figured these would be disposable, but after a couple of months, i still love 'em. They produce a very pure 5800k white light.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/380566869094

I had installed some Philips DRL LED Luxeon 8's that were pure 6000k white, and all of a sudden, i started to hate how they looked against the warm yellow color of the halogen DRL, parking, and low-beam bulbs. So I then replaced the stock DRLs to CREE LEDs (6000k white), the parking lamps to LED (PA from Taiwan), then my low-beams were next.

I don't know how important color is to you but .... you did mention "white halogens". Matching the white color was important to me. I first tried a set of 5000K color temp H7 low-beam halogens, but i wasn't satisfied with the whiteness of them. They were whiter than the standard 4300k yellow color of the OEM H7 halogen bulbs, but they still looked a tinge of yellow... especially against the pure white of the 6000k Philips DRLs, so i wanted to go whiter.

Then i tried these, which are rated for 5800k. They are not 6000k, but they are super close. I can't tell the difference. Everything is now a matched pure white color. I'm loving the look. No errors on the dash, so no coding, or kit replacement. Just a bulb swap.

And you probably already know that whiter light (higher color temp) will produce less lumens, which cuts down on visibility. So in order to produce enough output to meet minimum DOT safety requirements, they have to drive these harder. In addition, since these are still halogens and not xenons, they use a blue filter to achieve the white color look, which forces them to drive them even harder to meet minimum spec. All this results typically in shorter life span for the bulb. How much shorter? not really sure... But my feeling is that at $12 a pop, these are disposable anyways. I've had them going on two months now, and still going strong

I'll plan on keeping these until i do my xenon retrofit. i can buy 4 sets of these to pay for one pair of $50 brand name H7 halogen bulbs. Good trade-off for me ...

Ordered a Set