Replace standard headlight bulbs with LEDs
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jamie94bc
Well-known member
Surely someone has got to manufacture some LED "bulbs" to replace those? That completely ruins the look of such a futuristic car, I can't begin to imagine why BMW would have chosen to use them?AndyW said:The full-beams are much yellower than the bluey LED dipped beams:
mrsmith
Well-known member
Andy area those standard UK lights or do you have the Adaptive option?
AndyW said:Sperillen said:In Denmark the 5AK LED elements are standard, and it says(Parking lights, daytime driving lights in LED technology(14 high power LEDs))
The 5A2 LED cost 900Euro and says, low beam = LED technology. - Daytime driving light: LED fiber Optics. Selv.leveling headlamp. High beam: halogen H7 in bumper. -Indicator: lamp(24W) embedded into front bumper!!
As i read it there are some LED as standard, but it is only for daytime driving.
Any of you with a car, can we have a picture
Here's mine with the LED headlights, lights on. The U-shaped bit at the bottom is on all the time during the day too.
The full-beams are much yellower than the bluey LED dipped beams:
which is obvious (and slightly disappointing) from the driver's seat, and from straight ahead:
MikeS
Well-known member
i3me said:
I gave the answer from the dealers manual earlier - 5A2 Adaptive LED headlights (£710 extra) - featuring daytime driving lights with LED ‘U’ shaped BMW i design. Adaptive headlights improve visibility by following the steering angle of the front wheels, giving better illumination of the road ahead through corners………
AndyW
Well-known member
mrsmith said:
I've got the adaptive LEDs, but as said by another poster, any side-to-side movement of the lights when you turn the wheel isn't obvious.
Are you (and i3me) trying to detect it when you are driving or whilst stationary ? Just I know that the adaptive movement is turned off when the car is stationary (and when reversing) to prevent dazzling other traffic.AndyW said:
AndyW
Well-known member
Plug said:
No, while driving along - I've seen that bit in the manual. The adaptive ones in the M3 are pretty obvious as they follow the road, so I'd have thought I'd spot it.
On top of the disappointment of the high beams being yellow, you don't get high beam assist with the Adaptive LEDs either - where the car flicks to low beam when it detects a car ahead or coming towards you. It's exhausting flicking the switch back & forth myself, I can tell you [/firstworldproblems]
Sperillen
Well-known member
i3me
Well-known member
AndyW said:Plug said:
No, while driving along - I've seen that bit in the manual. The adaptive ones in the M3 are pretty obvious as they follow the road, so I'd have thought I'd spot it.
On top of the disappointment of the high beams being yellow, you don't get high beam assist with the Adaptive LEDs either - where the car flicks to low beam when it detects a car ahead or coming towards you. It's exhausting flicking the switch back & forth myself, I can tell you [/firstworldproblems]
Yup, these i3 "problems" are a bit exasperating when you're used to the normal BMW functionality!
In ICE BMW cars the light adaptation in curves only works when the main light is switched to <A>utomatic. In the i3 it doesn't matter how you switch the lights on, the headlights just won't swivel!
This is information from the norwegian i3 forum where many already drive a i3.
Da har jeg fått bekreftet fra BMW:
Adaptive fjernlys, justeres opp og ned, og automatisk i forhold til høyre / venstre trafikk. De vil også forandre bredde/ lengde i forhold til fart og kjøreforhold. De vil ikke forandre bredde bare når en svinger - eller lyse opp i svingen. Men pga. lavere hastighet vil de allerede ha ett bredere lys, enn f.eks i 80 hvor de lyser lenger fremover. Det betyr at man ikke nødvendigvis ser endringen så lett.
My translation:
This is what I have confirmed from BMW:
Adaptiv headlights is adjusted up and down and automatically in relation to left and right driving (ie. UK and rest of Europe). They will also change width and range compared to speed and lighting conditions. They will NOT adjust the width when you are making a turn - or light up around corners. But, because of a lower speed they will already have a wider light patern, then when you drive 80km/h where they throw more light forward. This means that you dont see the chanes so easily as with other adaptive systems.
Da har jeg fått bekreftet fra BMW:
Adaptive fjernlys, justeres opp og ned, og automatisk i forhold til høyre / venstre trafikk. De vil også forandre bredde/ lengde i forhold til fart og kjøreforhold. De vil ikke forandre bredde bare når en svinger - eller lyse opp i svingen. Men pga. lavere hastighet vil de allerede ha ett bredere lys, enn f.eks i 80 hvor de lyser lenger fremover. Det betyr at man ikke nødvendigvis ser endringen så lett.
My translation:
This is what I have confirmed from BMW:
Adaptiv headlights is adjusted up and down and automatically in relation to left and right driving (ie. UK and rest of Europe). They will also change width and range compared to speed and lighting conditions. They will NOT adjust the width when you are making a turn - or light up around corners. But, because of a lower speed they will already have a wider light patern, then when you drive 80km/h where they throw more light forward. This means that you dont see the chanes so easily as with other adaptive systems.
You forgot the last sentence, saying that there IS an auto-head light function, that only works when you drive on roads with no or little street lighting.
(and probably only if you have the right "package")
but I do not find it in the manual...
(and probably only if you have the right "package")
but I do not find it in the manual...
stumbledotcom
Well-known member
Palleraa said:
Seems reasonable. Thanks for the translation. Adaptive means changing for conditions. It doesn’t equal swiveling. I’ve got the adaptive HID package on my E90. Yes, the lights track with the steering (effect on road is so natural it’s tough to tell it’s working; most noticeable when parking and light pattern projects on a wall or other car) but the system includes cornering lights that come on in response to the turn signals and/or steering input.
As I understand it, LED lighting offers more flexibility in part because a single bulb contains multiple LED elements. I’m guessing the engineers figured out how to change the light patterns by altering which elements come on in different situations. Likely more efficient than a mechanical setup—both power consumption and weight.
For high beams, could they have gone with halogens for simplicity sake? The i3 concept is a city car after all. In that environment, high beams are rarely if ever usable because you're either under street lights or surrounded by other traffic.
AndyW
Well-known member
stumbledotcom said:
I drove home last night in the i3 and looked really hard to see movement of the light beam when I turned corners. There might've been some possibly, but it was very hard to tell.
Drove i3 BEV with adaptive LED and this week Rex with halogens all round. Have to say the country drive with halogens actually seemed better! Maybe that interference between the blue LED and yellow High beams is to blame. The LEDs on their own are great.
AndyW
Well-known member
LMOR said:
The full beams don't switch off automatically when there's a car ahead or coming towards you, that's for sure, like they do in my other BMW. There is no high beam assist on the i3.
There is no High beam assist, but at the same time, nobody seemed to be bothered when it was on?
The lights are very wide and strong, and it is supposed to dim the headlights on the "other" side of the street. Very difficult to check, but again, nobody gave me any "blinks" that they normally do if I forget to turn the high-beam off on other cars.
Since the lights are wide, you do not need more side-light, when turning.
The lights are very wide and strong, and it is supposed to dim the headlights on the "other" side of the street. Very difficult to check, but again, nobody gave me any "blinks" that they normally do if I forget to turn the high-beam off on other cars.
Since the lights are wide, you do not need more side-light, when turning.
i3me
Well-known member
LMOR said:
Well, IMHO "directing" the Low beams away from opposing traffic and shining extra light on the road shoulder is normal, at least in Europe!
Calling this "Adaptive LED" is rather misleading and BMW should hear that! They have lead customers to think that they were getting an option which does not exist! :evil:
Additionally, out of habit, I have managed to bother quite a few drivers by forgetting to turn off my High Beams (halogen), but have also bothered a number of drivers, with just the Low Beams (LED). The blue hue is apparently very distracting at night.
To conclude, in the i3 I can neither see nor notice any adaptiveness of the LED Low Beams and can nowhere engage the High Beam Assist, as is common on other BMW's.
