LED and Xenon Bulbs

[Runout Shadow]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend the 501 side light bulbs and the headlight / main beam xenon pure white ones to go for?

It's for a UK SW20 Rev5.

Thanks

[shinny]

Exactly what bulbs do you have? Assuming by xenon you mean HID then you want to specify the colour temperature (6000k being popular aftermarket, 4300k being what's normally fitted by OEM manufacturers)

TBH, with the 6000k, most LED 501s will do the trick. For the 4300k, something like the Philips Blue Vision filament 501s may well do the trick. I have the latter matched up with Osram Nightbreakers (which are closer to 3500k) and they're very good.

[Runout Shadow]

How about these for the headlight?

Type in this to ebay, sorry I can't post links yet!

TOYOTA-MR2-90-00-XENON-HEADLIGHT-BULBS-SUPER-BLUE-HID

[shinny]

Oh, sorry, I hadn't realised you were asking for advice on headlights too. Have you only got the stock lenses in place?

Decision 1: Stay halogen or go HID?

HIDs will scatter light awfully and dazzle oncoming cars if installed in stock lenses. They're better installed in Raybrigs or Rogue units. Either way, they may well make you fail your MOT.

Decision 2: Colour temperature?

As I said above, the temperature of your "white" is what you'll be looking to match. The bluer you get, the less light you're putting out onto the road - 3000k-3500k tends to give the best illumination.

Halogens range from about a yellowish 2000k to a nearly daylight neutral 3000k for the premium units. Anything bluer than that tends to involve tinting the bulb's glass and thus reducing the light output. HIDs Can start as low as 3000k, but, as I said about, 4300k is more common, which is as near as makes little difference daylight neutral. High colours (6000k and above) reduce light output and again start to look rather blue.

Decision 3: Finding 501s to match.

Standard 501s will match standard Halogens. Once you get a premium halogen, a standard 501 will look rather yellow, but there are xenon matching 501s around, which should also match 4300k HIDs relatively well. Once you're up at 6000k, you really want an LED 501 to even attempt matching the colour.


My advise would be to avoid a HID install or cheap (read c**p) blue tinted bulbs like you posted there and get some quality halogen bulbs, together with some 501s designed to match factory fit HIDs.

Having driven with standard halogen in stock lenses, 6000k HIDs in Raybrigs and Osram Nightbreakers in Rogue quads (each with matching sidelights as detailed above) I can easily and honestly say the best to drive with are the Osram Nightbreakers with the Philips Blue Vision 501s. That's what I would recommend to fit to any of the headlight options available, particularly if you're running the standard lenses.

[madbasshunter]

Here's some info I received yesterday from Osram

[shinny]

If you're going to care about E-marking etc. a number of cheap headlight bulbs and most cheap chromed indicator bulbs are also illegal. Of course, being legal and passing MOT are two very different things... still, when it comes to seeing at night (and not dazzling drivers with 120mph closing speeds to you) it's best to spend a little extra money for a decent bulb that gives you good light output in the right pattern

[Runout Shadow]

If you're going to care about E-marking etc. a number of cheap headlight bulbs and most cheap chromed indicator bulbs are also illegal. Of course, being legal and passing MOT are two very different things... still, when it comes to seeing at night (and not dazzling drivers with 120mph closing speeds to you) it's best to spend a little extra money for a decent bulb that gives you good light output in the right pattern

Thanks for your advice you have been a BIG help, I will look at buying the bulbs you have recommended.

Cheers

[Torero]

Great advice Mark and well presented.

I agree 100%, I run Nightbreakers and BlueVisons in my Rogue lights and they are excellent in terms of light quality and beam pattern.

I haven't tried HIDs but I may do at some point, it's just that the ones I have are more than good enough for the job, so I don't want to be forking out yet more cash and having to (possibly) change them come MOT time.

[synXero]

HIDs are not worth the investment of effort nor cash to do them properly. Get Osrams or Ring Xenons combined with Raybrigs or clear (e-marked) glass lenses, and your lighting is improved so much that the difference isn't worth the bother.

I haven't changed the bulbs in the fogs or the indicator/sidelights to match the Ring Xenons which is a shame. Maybe a project for next month.

[jack-p]

Thanks Shinny, I just bought a pair of Philips Blue Vision 501s to match the nightbreakers I have fitted based purely on your knowlege

[RST]

I get my LED bulbs from...

http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/led-product- ... bulbs.html

...they're more expensive than the cheap e-bay jobbies but much better quality and better light spread like normal bulbs.

Can't help you with the headlight options -I just use the brightest bulbs from the factors, think they are night breakers but not sure.

[Willenium]

I'm using Philips BlueVision Ultra for the headlamps and LED 382 bulbs for the sidelights in our Rogue bumper. Light output is quite reasonable and a good colour.

I have previously installed a cheap HID kit but although it was bright, the light was everywhere. What I noticed was that there was a little slot cut into the bottom of each light shield and set about covering this up. After doing this there was actually some pattern and everything seemed well until I went down a pothole and the lights started playing up (in the middle of nowhere, in the dark I might add ).

[hmltnangel]

Nightbreakers make a huge difference, literallly like night and day between normal bulbs.

I use a nice pure white led for my sidelights that I got from Stoney Racing.