Xenon Bulbs

[Bluebeard]

Has anyone yet found Xenon bulbs in the 9005 and 9006 (HB3 HB4) fittings. Not the blue vision types, or the complete headlamp assembly, but the ones that claim 30% or 50% more light, which are straight replacements. They are often labelled premium etc.

Theres any amount in H1 and H4 fittings. But other than 80 and 100 watt types from the states I havnt seen any from the UK yet.

Any ideas guys

[JOHNNY-BOY]

I've fitted Philips Vision plus bulbs, they offer a greater light output compared to standard.

[Bluebeard]

Ive got a pair of Vision types in dips and they are a cleaner light but not much brighter. Ive had sets of H1 Xenons in the old Saab and they were the dogs ********

[ricky_is200]

There are a couple of different types, we were going to do a group buy here but it didn't happen.

Also look at this thread

[wildrnes]

ive got some osram ones from power bulbs i cant recomend them enough

the guy from powerbulbs is super dead nice and helpfull

cant tell you how good the bulbs are untill i next go climbing and get lost

and drive home at night through dark places

(not manchester) coz we have street lights

[GRiM]

Regarding the group buy.

The group buy was being organised by superchargedmorph.

I spoke to Admin about this, at the time, and he agreed to offer Lexus Owners Club paypal account to let members pay the club for the bulbs.

This then lets the club pay the suppilers, as each participant pays Lexus Owners Club via credit card.

Steve (Admin) does the offer still stand?

Does anyone want to retry for another group buy on this?

[George]

I've got the PIAA Xtreme White bulbs fitted for my low beam. Ordered them from England actually. They are more expensive than more "normal" Osram or Philips blue bulbs but they are definitely unbeatable.

These bulbs are from Japan and the bulb "area" is about 1/3 bigger than the "standard" bulbs as I noticed. Thats probably where the extra light comes from.

The light IS more intense, I have compared one original and one Xtreme White mounted at the same time and looked at the beam both from the driver side and on-coming. Especially at night you will think it's real Xenon / HID, no joke.

A friend of mine asked if it was HID when he sa it.

Their HB3 / HB4 version will fit both low and high beam and front fog lights. I will order a new pair when these expire.

I don't think you will find better more powerful and Xenon resembling halogen bulbs than this. You can order online:

http://www.piaa.co.uk/catalog/Bulb%20Secti...xtremewhite.htm

[Steve]

Regarding the group buy.

The group buy was being organised by superchargedmorph.

I spoke to Admin about this, at the time, and he agreed to offer Lexus Owners Club paypal account to let members pay the club for the bulbs.

This then lets the club pay the suppilers, as each participant pays Lexus Owners Club via credit card.

Steve (Admin) does the offer still stand?

Does anyone want to retry for another group buy on this?

I can still set this up

let me know if everyone wants to do this... get the numbers of people and i will post a link... not keen on taking funds beforehand.. so we need the numbers first.

[Bluebeard]

I for one could be interested. But they must be Xenon gas filled bulbs. Not the 'high performance' halogens or blue tinted or any other bulb that claims to be near XID

[GRiM]

OK Peeps,

Here is the link for info on the proposed group buy for these bulbs.

Super Plazma Xenon Headlight Bulbs

There were 13 members interested in this group buy.

Here is a list of members that were interested.... ( Taken from this thread )

SuprachargedIS340

Zee007

Simonskippy

Playa

dark IS200

GCHQAgent

rickyis200

Shrek

andyhart21

altezzaz

TonyGoose

OOJONI

DIV

I've opened up a group buy here Group Buy on Super Plazma Xenon Headlight Bulbs

Please post replys etc on that thread.

[George]

But they must be Xenon gas filled bulbs. Not the 'high performance' halogens or blue tinted or any other bulb that claims to be near XID

There seems to be some confusion:

You cannot fit real Xenon / HID bulbs if you have halogen circuitry.

HID is a different technology, the bulbs only contain Xenon gas that is electrically charged and needs a whole different type of circuitry conatining a Volt amplifier.

The halogen bulbs work differently in that a wire glows inside a halogen gas.

There dosn't exist a halogen bulb where the halogen is replaced with Xenon gas.

A complete new Xenon headlight system costs around 500 USD and aftermarket installation is not legal because they don't incorporate auto-leveling systems.

So "high performance" halogens such as PIAA Xtreme White, etc is your best option for halogen headlights in my opinion.

[Bluebeard]

You cannot fit real Xenon / HID bulbs if you have halogen circuitry.

There is no confusion. Vehicle bulb replacements are available in both halogen and Xenon gas filled bulbs. In some case there are bulbs advertised in the states with Krypton and Xenon gases.

It just appears to me that the are not readily available in HB3 and HB4 fittings in the UK

It appears that the confusion arises in the thinking that I am talking about replacing the whole headlamp assembly with an HID setup. That is no the case.

Xenon bulbs have been available for a number of years and I had them in my last car, a Saab, in H1 types.

These are a direct replacement for the halogen fitted bulbs, often known as premium and advertising that they give out between 30% and 50% more light. They are merely filled with Xenon and are the same wattage as the orginals but are far brighter and more efficent, than Halogen.

They give a clean white light without any need for blue tinting or anything else. They have no detrimental effect on wiring and as they are the same wattage they do not damage any of the plastics in the light units.

It is true that they do not last as long as halogen bulbs however they are worth it. I imagine that they would cost around £10 to £15 per bulb.

I hope that clears up any confusion

[andyhart21]

I think there is a bit of confusion here Bluebeard.........

Halogen type Xenon lamps and HID are not the same thing at all. It is true that you can get Halogen replacement lamps filled with Xenon or Krypton gas, which are fractionally brighter than standard, but a totally different thing to HID. The bluey/white appearance that some of these lamps have is partly down to a coating that is put on the glass, and partly down to the gas used.

What George says is totally correct. HID lamps ARE filled with Xenon gas too, but there is one main difference. Xenon replacement lamps (like the PIAA Superwhites, Phillips Blue Vision etc.) have a filament like a regular light bulb. When current is passed throught the filament, it glows white hot and emitts light (the gas in the lamp is mostly there to preserve the filament). HID lamps on the other hand, have no filament. They require an initial charge of about 23,000 volts (from the voltage amplifier) to ignite the Xenon gas and produce an arc. This arc can then be sustained with a regular 12v supply. This super bright arc is what gives off the light. If you notice when someone turns an HID light on, it initially is dim, then arcs after half a second or so and creates the bright light. It is on a similar principle to a fluorescent tube where the choke provides the high voltage to arc between the two end electrodes.

The light output of HID is about 3 times greater than standard filament lamps, but they only consume 35 Watts. The increased brightness is the reason that all cars fitted with HID must have an auto levelling system. The only way that filament lamps can compete with HID for brightness is when they increse the wattage of the lamp.

Hope this helps guys :D :D :D

[Zee007]

Andy the clever cloggs....

[Bluebeard]

Im still NOT confused - I understand the difference between the systems

I want to locate Xenon gas filled bulbs in the fittings I described, in the UK, to replace the Halogen filled bulbs that are fitted as standard.

Thanks

[simonskippy]

are these the ones you are after?

Plazma Bulbs in UK

Cheers

Si

[Bluebeard]

Yep - the very thing - a trifle expensive perhaps - but they are exactly what I have been rabbiting about...

Thanks all.....

[simonskippy]

No probs mate

[IS chigz200]

hey mate, let us knw how they look once u get them. Might get a pair myself.

what bulbs do u need 2 buy? (Sorry im a lil dense in this area)!!

[Bluebeard]

I think this lot might be worth a look:

Uk Xenon bulbs