Headlight Refresh - DRL, Low Beam and Projector Uprgrades

[Dubbedown]

I won’t go into details on a “how to” since all of this has been well documented so here’s the basic info with pics...

I swapped out the stock incandescent DRL (BA9s) and tested a few different LEDs but ultimately settled on the white 5500K LED.

Then I decided it was time to swap out the low beam (D2S) as the original bulbs dimmed over time. I couldn't decide between the Osram CBB and Philips Extreme Vision 2 so I ended up getting both. The CBB's have a more true white output so those went on the Z. The Philips are marginally brighter (but yellower like factory) and those went on my wife's X3.


Osram CBB on left. Philips EV2 on right.

Low beam upgrade only.

But after having done so much research on lighting I became really intrigued with projector upgrades. As good as my lighting was now, it lacked the intense “hot spots” (which translates to distance) and sharp beam cutoffs. So I bit the bullet and picked up a set of Morimoto EvoX-R 2.0.

Morimoto EvoX-R 2.0 (3" clear) on left. Factory Hella E55 (3" Fresnel) on right.

The install was fairly straightforward other than having to get around a small igniter issue but overall well worth the time and cost. Only way I can describe the lighting is ‘ridiculous’ lol.

Low beam and projector upgrade

 

[mgrlane]

Looks great!

Have you changed the interior bulbs also? I have got mine to do this weekend (minus the boot as I have just done while the kettle was boiling).

 

[Dubbedown]

Looks great!

Have you changed the interior bulbs also? I have got mine to do this weekend (minus the boot as I have just done while the kettle was boiling).

Thanks! Yes I did those as well but nothing fancy. I swapped all the halogens to different variations of Philips LEDs (168/194/T10). They’re brighter than stock but I’ve seen brighter setups in other cars but that wasn’t the look I was going for (too much like a dentist’s office lol).

I went 6000K for glovebox, center console and trunk. For the overhead and foot wells I went 4000K. The only area I find lacking is the trunk but there’s really no way around it unless you install a LED strip. Else that one little corner lamp isn’t going to illuminate the entire trunk very well.

As for other bulbs, I am considering upgrading the front turn signals and parking (corner) light to LEDs only to change the stock amber appearance to something less jarring like yellow. This is me experimenting with 6000K (white with slight blue) behind the orange.

Ignore the green light in corner, that’s just my car charger.

For the rears, I actually don’t mind how the tails light up now so I only switched the reverse light to a Sylvania Zevo 921 and rear plate to Philips 168, both in 6000K.

 

[mgrlane]

I went for 6000 all round- I didn't think to much about it- I hope its not going to be to bright! Yea the trunk/boot should really have one each side- just the one is not enough!

I wasn't going to bother with the outside lights but looking at this thread I think I might!

 

[Dubbedown]

I went for 6000 all round- I didn't think to much about it- I hope its not going to be to bright! Yea the trunk/boot should really have one each side- just the one is not enough!

I wasn't going to bother with the outside lights but looking at this thread I think I might!

I’m sure it’ll be fine, like I said I’ve seen plenty of other owners go with 6K all around and that seems to be the preference for most.

 

[MrPT]

Always hard to tell from a pic, but those projectors look insane. :w00t:

 

[mr wilks]

Always hard to tell from a pic, but those projectors look insane. :w00t:

Indeed , very impressive

 

[Dubbedown]

Always hard to tell from a pic, but those projectors look insane. :w00t:

Thanks man, they truly are the real deal. If you look up reviews on YouTube you can see how bright they are compared to other models. Night time driving is so much more enjoyable now!

 

[Z-4-FUN]

@Dubbedown

Which LED’s did you settle on for the BA9s Angel Eyes? Do you have a link?
In the photos they look really bright. What are they like in real life? And are they a good colour match to the main beams? I'm led to believe there is a blue filter built into the fitting. Is there still room for improvement (light output + colour) or are they pretty much spot on?

And where did you get the kit for the Morimoto projector’s from? I know EM Tuning in UK seem to be doing a version as discussed on this other there here: https://bit.ly/35JrWhx

The other 2 outlets I've found are TRS (USA) and RFL (Netherlands). I wonder if there's any difference in quality etc
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The Retrofit Source (USA): https://bit.ly/2uFjRxy
Retrofit Lab (Netherlands): https://bit.ly/2R8Fy0l
EM Tuning: https://bit.ly/2FH7YcA
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What was the ignitor issue you mentioned? I want to keep my stock ignitors and the D2S bulbs I recently purchased.

Cheers!