Got LED?

[BMW4LIFE]

So I have see LED this LED that and was wondering if anyone has used any LED 9006 or 9005 bulbs for their driving lights?

I know they look brighter but do they have the same lumen put out as the silverstars for example

Do they have the same distance output

any info would help

thanks!

[BennyM]

I've played around with LEDs quite a bit, but I've never heard of a 9006 LED bulb. I doubt it would be bright enough. To use LEDs in headlights properly, you really need to redesign the whole headlight with different optics, otherwise, you're right, the light will not go very far. Silverstars, by the way, are a poor substitute for HID which is by far the brightest option, uses less energy, and costs as much as two sets of Silverstars now.

[BMW4LIFE]

I've played around with LEDs quite a bit, but I've never heard of a 9006 LED bulb. I doubt it would be bright enough. To use LEDs in headlights properly, you really need to redesign the whole headlight with different optics, otherwise, you're right, the light will not go very far. Silverstars, by the way, are a poor substitute for HID which is by far the brightest option, uses less energy, and costs as much as two sets of Silverstars now.

yea i want to get true HID lights on the car but they are just soooo expensive...i figure if i go with a set that is 100 im buying crap

unless anyone knows of anything

[Scott C]

yea i want to get true HID lights on the car but they are just soooo expensive...i figure if i go with a set that is 100 im buying crap

unless anyone knows of anything

$100 gets you a good set - not sure what your concern is about them.

[BennyM]

$100 spent on the DDM HID kit is definitely money well spent. I've had my 4500ks for a while now and haven't had even the slightest issue. I used to have silverstars, and replaced them so many times that I actually could have
purchased the DDM kit a while ago. Overall, the vast majority of comments on the DDM kits are positive.


$100 gets you a good set - not sure what your concern is about them.

[Russell]

DDM tuning http://www.ddmtuning.com/catalog/HID_Lighting-54-1.html has them 35w for about $50 to $70. Mine (55w, 4500k) were $90 including shipping a year ago. No problems.

[shogun]

I even bought a HID conversion kit 2 1/2 years ago from China, when they were still expensive. No problem at all, I would always buy such a set again. Nowadays they are much cheaper as mentioned above, I still paid about $200 then.
Less than $100 nowadays is no problem, and also parts for replacement are now quite cheap if something breaks.

[BMW4LIFE]

$100 gets you a good set - not sure what your concern is about them.

I have heard that the cheap ones have issues with the Box thing (not sure what its called...distributor?)

I was going to shop from DDM but was doing some research and read a lot about how the owner is a fraud and a cheat and steals designs...granted I dont believe these as i do not have adequate evidence but it sure put a sour taste in my mouth

[BMW4LIFE]

Going back to the whole LED thing

I want to change my tail lights (all of them) from the filament to the LED...

I am simply doing this because were I live it gets foggy at night and any increase in brightness i feel will increase my safety..

Now will i see a difference? is it worth it? any brands or ebayer sellers have good quality products

any info would help!

thanks guys ya'll are the best!

[BMW4LIFE]

Going back to the whole LED thing

I want to change my tail lights (all of them) from the filament to the LED...

I am simply doing this because were I live it gets foggy at night and any increase in brightness i feel will increase my safety..

Now will i see a difference? is it worth it? any brands or ebayer sellers have good quality products

any info would help!

thanks guys ya'll are the best!


Sorry but one more question

whats the difference between the SMD LED and the LED LIGHT BULBS?

thanks again! =)

[Russell]

I have heard that the cheap ones have issues with the Box thing (not sure what its called...distributor?)

I was going to shop from DDM but was doing some research and read a lot about how the owner is a fraud and a cheat and steals designs...granted I dont believe these as i do not have adequate evidence but it sure put a sour taste in my mouth

If you mean the "bulb out" warning, there are instructions for resistor fixes available on the various e34 forums. Search and you will be rewarded.

BTW, some kits/cars get the issue and others do not. Not sure if anyone has found a patttern. Does not seem related to price.

[BMW4LIFE]

If you mean the "bulb out" warning, there are instructions for resistor fixes available on the various e34 forums. Search and you will be rewarded.

BTW, some kits/cars get the issue and others do not. Not sure if anyone has found a patttern. Does not seem related to price.


well ddm sells those no error code things for 20 bucks...

is that worth it or is there a cheaper way?

[Russell]

well ddm sells those no error code things for 20 bucks...

is that worth it or is there a cheaper way?

Their BOW-3s did not work on my e34. I think their BOW-4s might work as they look like resistors. I made my own (used radio shack resistors) and did a write up. not sure which forum it is on. Sorry you need to do a search.

In any case you may want to buy the HIDs and then fix if you get the bulb out warning. No need to spend money without a need. :)

[BMW4LIFE]

Their BOW-3s did not work on my e34. I think their BOW-4s might work as they look like resistors. I made my own (used radio shack resistors) and did a write up. not sure which forum it is on. Sorry you need to do a search.

In any case you may want to buy the HIDs and then fix if you get the bulb out warning. No need to spend money without a need. :)

good call on that...i was just going to buy it just becasue when i start a job i want to finish it there and then

as far as the temp of the bulb goes

do you guys know which temp has the best visibility and highest lumen count?
4500
5000
or 6000

[Russell]

good call on that...i was just going to buy it just becasue when i start a job i want to finish it there and then

as far as the temp of the bulb goes

do you guys know which temp has the best visibility and highest lumen count?
4500
5000
or 6000

4500. the higher the color temp the bluer and less visibility. I did 4500k 55w for visibility. BTW, you must realign you lights to reduce glare.

[BMW4LIFE]

4500. the higher the color temp the bluer and less visibility. I did 4500k 55w for visibility. BTW, you must realign you lights to reduce glare.

K ill go with the 4500 but i dont want the yellow tint...i heard somewhere that BMW uses 4500K is that correct?

as far as aligning the lights I have meant to do that because my right light points more towards the ground that infront and it has pissed me off but I cant figure out how to raise the light

would you have any pics or detailed right up?is it easy to do?

[BMW4LIFE]

which one is the better bulb/tech/quality?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2X-WHITE-36MM-6411-6451-6418-6475-LED-BULBS-LIGHTS-HID_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem20ad33f49cQQitemZ14 0344816796QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAcce ssories

or

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/9-LED-36mm-Festoon-6411-6413-6418-6451-6475-6476-6461_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem335476c882QQitemZ2 20460402818QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAcc essories

[Tiger]

You are better off retrofitting rear foglight like the european spec or do some relay jigging to get extra light bulb where factory rear foglight would be.

[Tiger]

Tell me about it... I did mine back in 2001 with Philips ballast and bulbs and paid $600+ for a pair. It still work like a charm to date.

[BMW4LIFE]

You are better off retrofitting rear foglight like the european spec or do some relay jigging to get extra light bulb where factory rear foglight would be.

I was going to do LED all around the car but dont want to deal will at the ohm this and ohm that so i decided to just do the inside of the car with a nice amber tint...

i just dont know which one of the two links are the better bulb

can you help tiger?

[Tiger]

I have to say the first one is better... the boxy looking one, but I would say both of them will not light up the car as much as standard bulb... would be quite dim in the car.

Rear foglight is not too hard if you just run your own circuit instead of running it through factory harness.

[BMW4LIFE]

I have to say the first one is better... the boxy looking one, but I would say both of them will not light up the car as much as standard bulb... would be quite dim in the car.

Rear foglight is not too hard if you just run your own circuit instead of running it through factory harness.

not as bright as the standard bulb?

are you sure?

I know there is a huge wattage difference... led 2 watts while the reg was 10 or 14 forgot

but i thought the LED would produce more brightness?

man im either super confused or have been fed the wrong info

[Tiger]

I have owned many LED flashlights and from my experience, they varied widely. Say supposed you got a 3D Maglite with krypton bulb in it... and you got a 3D LED flashlight about the same price range... the Maglite is super bright at super yellow color and will shoot super far. The LED is super white but does not shine far...

Since our eyes are designed for yellow light (sun), we see yellow with such intensity... even at night with yellow foglight. Whereas white-blue light of LED or xenon, the intensity of the light is right up there with the regular bulb if measured by lab sensor, but when you go at a distance, the LED dropped off quite dramatically to our eyes but not to the lab sensor...

So this is where the confusion is... Look, you are not spending tons of money... although the LED bulb is expensive... you might like the dimmer interior than I do... I think our interior light is way too bright that affects our night vision. When in dark, keep it dark so our eyes is always ready for night vision instead of waiting for our eyes to reset back to night vision.

Older folks have harder time seeing at night because of the super glare of modern HID lights that forces their eyes back to daylight vision and then they have to see at night... the lag time is quite long. That is why older folks blasted HID when they first came out... Now, they can't complain but to join the game... now they have HID and can adapt better at night.

For those with standard headlight bulb, old or young, will have to find their headlights after being blinded... young kids can adapt so easy but older us lags behind and those few seconds may mean life or death.

Whoooo... way off topic from LED light... but you get the idea... LOL

[BMW4LIFE]

I have owned many LED flashlights and from my experience, they varied widely. Say supposed you got a 3D Maglite with krypton bulb in it... and you got a 3D LED flashlight about the same price range... the Maglite is super bright at super yellow color and will shoot super far. The LED is super white but does not shine far...

Since our eyes are designed for yellow light (sun), we see yellow with such intensity... even at night with yellow foglight. Whereas white-blue light of LED or xenon, the intensity of the light is right up there with the regular bulb if measured by lab sensor, but when you go at a distance, the LED dropped off quite dramatically to our eyes but not to the lab sensor...

So this is where the confusion is... Look, you are not spending tons of money... although the LED bulb is expensive... you might like the dimmer interior than I do... I think our interior light is way too bright that affects our night vision. When in dark, keep it dark so our eyes is always ready for night vision instead of waiting for our eyes to reset back to night vision.

Older folks have harder time seeing at night because of the super glare of modern HID lights that forces their eyes back to daylight vision and then they have to see at night... the lag time is quite long. That is why older folks blasted HID when they first came out... Now, they can't complain but to join the game... now they have HID and can adapt better at night.

For those with standard headlight bulb, old or young, will have to find their headlights after being blinded... young kids can adapt so easy but older us lags behind and those few seconds may mean life or death.

Whoooo... way off topic from LED light... but you get the idea... LOL


WOW thats what i call an explanation!

well i think from what you said i might just stick with the reg bulbs...

but am still curious to see how the car would look with an amber lite interior;)

arrggg

i might just bight the bullet for those unless can sway me one way or another

thanks tiger for your input!

[BennyM]

I went with Russell's resistor method. Worked perfectly. Thanks, Russell, by the way.

BennyM


Their BOW-3s did not work on my e34. I think their BOW-4s might work as they look like resistors. I made my own (used radio shack resistors) and did a write up. not sure which forum it is on. Sorry you need to do a search.

In any case you may want to buy the HIDs and then fix if you get the bulb out warning. No need to spend money without a need. :)

[BMW4LIFE]

so i had another silverstar burn out on me again tonight!

kind of over the reg bulbs and want to transition into the HID through DDM

but was wondering how their warranty is?
does it cover the ballast?
bulb?
wires?

oh and wanted to make sure on the temp of the bulb before i pull the trigger

4500K or 5000K

i know they are pretty close but will i be able to tell the difference?

[BennyM]

Dude, just go to their site and read it. Everything is explained. And, 4500K is still quite blue.


so i had another silverstar burn out on me again tonight!

kind of over the reg bulbs and want to transition into the HID through DDM

but was wondering how their warranty is?
does it cover the ballast?
bulb?
wires?

oh and wanted to make sure on the temp of the bulb before i pull the trigger

4500K or 5000K

i know they are pretty close but will i be able to tell the difference?

[Russell]

Dude, just go to their site and read it. Everything is explained. And, 4500K is still quite blue.
I have ddm 4500k 55w and they look white to me.

[BMW4LIFE]

I have ddm 4500k 55w and they look white to me.

I haven't seen them in person but when i looked on their chart will all the temps the 4500 had a yellow tint to it.... granted I have not seen them in person

read some articles on how the light housing actually affects the tint of the light coming out

Russell I believe you have a pair of DDM...did you place them in the stock elliposoide (spelling) or did you buy new light housing?

[Russell]

I haven't seen them in person but when i looked on their chart will all the temps the 4500 had a yellow tint to it.... granted I have not seen them in person

read some articles on how the light housing actually affects the tint of the light coming out

Russell I believe you have a pair of DDM...did you place them in the stock elliposoide (spelling) or did you buy new light housing?
Stock eppsilloid (spelling?) housings. very sharp cutoof. Be sure and align your lights so as not to blind oncoming drivers.

[BMW4LIFE]

Stock eppsilloid (spelling?) housings. very sharp cutoof. Be sure and align your lights so as not to blind oncoming drivers.

yea i got the very sharp cut offs too...i will align them after installation...

it seems as though 4500K is the Winner as i have read that it has the highest lumen count

here goes nothing on the DDMs!

[BMW4LIFE]

finally did the whole DDM thing...my 15 minute project turned out to be a 2 hour project

ahhhh

clean...engineer the ideal places so the wires can reach while away from plastics and engine...clean...test

PLEASED! =)

4500K was a perfect choice...white just like i like it...non of that crappy blinding blue thing

adjusted the cutoffs accordingly and now i am a happy camper...:D

[Rick L]

I might do the same. Those Silverstar doesn't even last one year! And I have replaced few times already...


$100 spent on the DDM HID kit is definitely money well spent. I've had my 4500ks for a while now and haven't had even the slightest issue. I used to have silverstars, and replaced them so many times that I actually could have
purchased the DDM kit a while ago. Overall, the vast majority of comments on the DDM kits are positive.

[BMW4LIFE]

I might do the same. Those Silverstar doesn't even last one year! And I have replaced few times already...

yea rick...those silverstars are nice but to do the 9005 conversion from the 9006 and have them only last 8-12 months just sucks

the DDM is pretty nice and SUPER bright! i love them!