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Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

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Max
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Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by Max » Tue Jan 04, 2011 7:23 pm

Hi all, is it me, or all German cars dipped headlights poor. my Z has ordinary lights, driving round the lanes it's like using candles. Even on main roads the lights are poor. My previous Audi A6 had the same problem.

My sons old 1992 fiesta has better headlights!

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srhutch
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by srhutch » Tue Jan 04, 2011 7:45 pm

You need to do a search my friend, it has been covered many times on here
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by Shidevil » Tue Jan 04, 2011 8:09 pm

Xenon HID Kit or Brighter Bulbs

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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by RichardG » Tue Jan 04, 2011 8:21 pm

Ahhhhh! the joys of halogen lamps on a Z4.

Don't bother with brighter lamps (you put bulbs in the ground) simply locate the white adjusters (one for each side) under the bonnet adjacent to the headlamps and lift the headlamp approx two complete turns, just beware you don't to far and start dazzling on-coming traffic. :thumbsup:
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by Exactmax » Wed Jan 05, 2011 12:19 am

Just upgrade and get a HID Kit from here http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/hid-conver ... 526d4jfos6 Ignore the fact that it states its for an Astra, email the company and I'm sure he will recommend these for the Z4.

Very easy to fit and very good quality, plus they easily fit inside the headlight casing without any problems :)
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by ksher » Wed Jan 05, 2011 12:27 am

Never buy a car without xenon nowadays. I think even xenon headlights will be replaced by full LED headlights in few years time.
Current BMW: 640d Gran Coupe M Sport (F06), 118d SE (F20).
Previous BMW: Z4 sDrive23i M Sport (E89), 318i Sport (F30), 120d SE (F20), Z4 2.5i Sport Roadster (E85), 523i Sport (E60), 323Ci (E46), 523i SE (E39), 318i (E36).

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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by a11y » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:34 am

ksher wrote:I think even xenon headlights will be replaced by full LED headlights in few years time.
Yup, it'll go that was for sure - more efficient and getting cheaper too. Same happened with bike lights: started off with halogens, then HIDs came onto the market, but now most proper lights for mountain-biking at night time are LED. My latest ones are 700 lumens, which is probably brighter than the crappy halogens on the Z4 :roll:

Aftermarket HID is the best way forward from Z4 halogens. Uprated bulbs give a small improvement but still not good/safe enough IMO.
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by cj10jeeper » Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:18 am

If it's any consolation xenon are just as bad in a very low cars for different reasons.

When on main they are so bright that street signs, especially in rural areas reflect back and down (presumably designed that way and dazzle.
Secondly the road is so well lit for so far that when you dip for oncoming traffic it's as though you plunged into a black tunnel and can't see sod all. Alright on a straight road but on fast twisty A roads I find myself slowing and wondering where the hell the road goes next.
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by aquazi » Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:52 am

cj10jeeper wrote:If it's any consolation xenon are just as bad in a very low cars for different reasons.

When on main they are so bright that street signs, especially in rural areas reflect back and down (presumably designed that way and dazzle.
Secondly the road is so well lit for so far that when you dip for oncoming traffic it's as though you plunged into a black tunnel and can't see sod all. Alright on a straight road but on fast twisty A roads I find myself slowing and wondering where the hell the road goes next.
Thats is soo true... i couldnt pin point what was so bad about my lights (compared to my S2K which also had xenons) as like you said it lights up road signs.. but then on unlit twisty A roads is next to usless.... Prob why the Xenons lights in my mums E90 tilt with the steering.

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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by srhutch » Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:36 pm

So you guys only find Xenons a benefit when on full beam?
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by a11y » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:01 pm

Interesting to hear comments from factory xenon users. Are Z4's dual-xenon, i.e. dipped and full beam? I know the Z4's headlamps are poor due to the low height they're at (as a result of a low-down car) - compared to my van with headlights situated a lot higher, my aftermarkets are still not as good.

I'd class my aftermarket HIDs (dipped beam only) as pretty good, with not a great difference going onto full beam. It does mean I don't have as bad a "blackout", as described by cj10jeeper above, when dipping for oncoming traffic on unlit roads.
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cj10jeeper
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by cj10jeeper » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:30 pm

Yes Z4 are bi xenon. In effect a shutter raises upwards and cuts off the lower part of the beam. As it's inverted through the lens that cuts off the top of the beam and thus 'dips' the light.

To be clear it's not that the lights are no good on dimmed, just that with xenon 'main' plus of course the H7 main are so powerful that there is a dramatic drop in distances lit when dipping, akin to driving out of the sun into a tunnel.
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by aquazi » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:45 pm

srhutch wrote:So you guys only find Xenons a benefit when on full beam?
I'd imagine the Xenons would be much better then the halogens... but not as good as aftermarket HID - as the halogen projectors would scatter the light more - while the xenon lens would be more focal - which with the brightness of the HID's is obviously better for other road users - but not so good from within the car. Also from a colour perspectve "yellow" light from halogens is much more suitable in wet then the white light of the Xenons.

Also my S2K's front lights were probably just as low - if not lower then my Z4 and it did a much better job of the lighting the road.... my car is with BMW this friday to replace my fogs.. so i'll prob mention this to them and see what they can do.

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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by cj10jeeper » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:24 pm

aquazi wrote:
srhutch wrote:So you guys only find Xenons a benefit when on full beam?
I'd imagine the Xenons would be much better then the halogens... but not as good as aftermarket HID - as the halogen projectors would scatter the light more - while the xenon lens would be more focal - which with the brightness of the HID's is obviously better for other road users - but not so good from within the car.
Eh??
xenon and HID are the same thing. xenon being just one inert gas used in HID type lighting. I see no reson why an aftermarket bulb would be any better (or worse) than an OEM. Aftermarket only work on dipped and not main so are single.

As for scattering the beam I'm not sure what you are getting at?

For sure overly high temp aftermarket bulbs give out less useful light.
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Re: Dim Headlights - candles would be brighter!

Post by ksher » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:37 pm

I don't even need main beam on twisty and non-illuminated B-roads. The dimmed xenon headlights are bright enough at moderate speed.
Current BMW: 640d Gran Coupe M Sport (F06), 118d SE (F20).
Previous BMW: Z4 sDrive23i M Sport (E89), 318i Sport (F30), 120d SE (F20), Z4 2.5i Sport Roadster (E85), 523i Sport (E60), 323Ci (E46), 523i SE (E39), 318i (E36).

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