Xeon GX Headlamps 2007

[ch4]

I keep seeing these cool Xeon headlights on all the fancy coupes and sports cars.

What kind of headlight options are there for a 2007 GX?
Anything better then Xeon?
What about lenses?

Will I need a transformer or inverter?

[ajgiorgi]

Re: Xeon GX Headlamps 2007

I don't think there is anything better than Xenon, unless you can get the ones that move while driving. If you do get them it will probably be a kit and should include all the hardware you need. It's kinda expensive probably, around 250 maybe more.

[mickey]

Re: Xeon GX Headlamps 2007

First of all, let's clarify what we're talking about.

True High Intensity gas Discharge (HID) headlamps are VERY expensive. The produce a huge amount of light from very little power. The work poorly for high beams because they take a second to fire up and reach full capacity, so you can't flip them on and off very effectively. (And you'd wear out the ballast trying.)

Do NOT waste your money on so-called "blue bulbs", or any sort of incandescent bulbs which claim to contain "Xenon." Xenon is one of the most expensive chemical substances known to man. And it serves no purpose whatsoever in an incandescent halogen bulb. At best, they put a trivial amount of the stuff in there so they can call it "Xenon", then color the glass blue to simulate the look of HID lamps. Any such colored coating REDUCES the amount of light escaping the glass envelope. It is not possible to coat clear glass with anything and cause the lamp to produce MORE light merely because of the coating.

Do NOT waste your money on aftermarket HID kits, either. Your stock headlamp reflectors and lenses are designed to focus the light from halogen bulbs in a specific pattern. It is impossible to stick any sort of aftermarket HID bulb in there and not screw up the pattern. And it is against Federal law to try. You might also get yourself killed in a head-on collision when you blind oncoming traffic.

What's more, those nifty HID headlamps in some cars are more marketing gimmick than actual science. Yes, they produce a lot of light. Yes, they produce a light with a "color temperature" closer to natural sunlight than incandescent bulbs. But there are several problems with them:

1. The amount of light that can be emitted from headlamps is limited by Federal law, and the law prescribes the pattern in which that light can be emitted. There is no exception made for HID headlamps. Because HID lamps produce an illegal surplus of light, most of the light has to be focused in a shallow puddle right in front of the car so that you don't illegally blind oncoming traffic. Unless you're in the habit of driving your new BMW at 15 miles per hour after dark, that intensely bright puddle of light is of no value to you. By the time an obstacle appears in that puddle it's too late for you do do anything but run over it. In fact, by forcing your eyes to adjust to that bright puddle you REDUCE your ability to see farther ahead of the car where you can actually do some good.

2. "Blue light", such as that emitted by HIDs, may be closer to "natural sunlight" than normal lamps. But your eyes, physiologically speaking, use a different sent of tools to see at night than they do during the day. The photosensitive cells in your retinas which are designed to react to daylight are dormant at night. Different cells take over which are most sensitive to YELLOW light. Blue light messes them up. That's a fact which has been known for hundreds of years. For a while France actually required YELLOW headlamp lenses in cars because the human eye detects details at night more effectively at at greater distances in YELLOW light. (They stopped doing that because of the public outcry. Yellow light looks ugly.)

3. As I mentioned, HID lamps don't work for high beams because they don't like to be cycled on and off all the time. Therefore, your high beams will probably be regular old halogen bulbs. Porsche has messed around with a high beam system that involves tilting the reflectors behind the stationary HID bulbs, but obviously such a scheme is expensive and prone to mechanical failure in the long run.

4. Blue light is prone to creating GLARE, especially when roads are wet. That confuses the night vision of oncoming traffic, thus creating a safety hazard.

HID is a gimmick, and "blue bulbs" or "Xenon bulbs" are not only gimmicks but actually REDUCE the amount of light your headlights throw out.

If you're becoming dissatisfied with your headlights it's probably because the factory wiring is insufficient. Automotive engineers will step over their own mothers to shave a few grams off the weight of a car. They use the thinnest wiring they can get away with. It's sufficient when the car is new, but as the quality of the circuits deteriorates you get a noticeable reduction in the light output of your headlights. The solution is to use heavy gauge wires to run your headlights directly off the car's battery. Use the stock wires to trigger relays.

Another issue is that plastic headlight covers scratch and yellow pretty quickly, and that causes a very serious reduction in the amount and quality of the light you see. Eastwood Company sells headlamp lens restoration kits, and you can also get good results by visiting a motorcycle shop and looking for helmet visor restoration kits. Polish up the lenses and you'll see a better quality of light.

[cnielsen]

Re: Xeon GX Headlamps 2007

I had a 2000 540 BMW with Xenon Headlights. They were AMAZING but they were built for the car. They were very bright and would adjust as I drove. Of course now I have my lovely GX and would love to have the same types of lights on it.

Someone once suggest the SYLVANIA SILVERSTAR for replacement on my Honda Accord.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/bmw/540headlights.htm

[ajgiorgi]

Re: Xeon GX Headlamps 2007

If your in California I think they are illegal, at least the color changing ones. It has to be rated under a certain kelvin level. I forgot what it was, but make sure you check your local laws before you change your lighting.

[jetboatjohnny]

Re: Xeon GX Headlamps 2007

If the car comes with the lights from the factory they are legal.

[ajgiorgi]

Re: Xeon GX Headlamps 2007

I highly doubt the new GX comes with Xenon headlights.