Decent xenon bulbs

bainbridge

bainbridge

bainbridge

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Joined
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Hi motors

I'm after some more whitish xenon bulbs. My mx5 NC, as I understand it, has hid projector headlights, also known as xenons. I replaced the little sidelight bulbs with led which I use as daytime running lights, but when I turn on the dipped beam they look so yellow and old fashioned, compared to the whitish glow of the sidelights.

Can I have some recommendations for modern looking decent replacements?

I'm not looking for anything to burn out the retinas of oncoming traffic, and I want them to have a reputation for longevity because I think it's an arch liner out job to do the dipped bulbs in this car, though I'll check my Haynes manual for fitting instructions.

Anyway, suggestions will be much appreciated.

Edit: just been reading that xenons are usually good for 10 years, my car is 10 so that may explain the yellowness.
 
You won't find anything as white as LEDs. They will never match. The only way is using "yellower" LEDs so match the lower kelvin of the Xenon/halogen bulbs.
 
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Something less yellowy will be surely possible though?

What about the longevity on Osram Cool Blue Intense 5000K?

Has anyone used these?
 
Don't know, but I've used the philips version and they still look yellow next to W5W LED bulbs I use as side light bulbs.
 
Pretty sure the NC never had xenons available as an option. Yours are yellow because they are halogen bulbs in a projector enclosure.

Nothing stopping you fitting a decent aftermarket xenon kit though, just make sure you adjust them properly. There's a slim chance that they might fail an MOT if you get a particularly anal tester, but a decent 4300K kit aimed properly shouldn't raise any eyebrows.
 
Howard said:
Pretty sure the NC never had xenons available as an option. Yours are yellow because they are halogen bulbs in a projector enclosure.

Nothing stopping you fitting a decent aftermarket xenon kit though, just make sure you adjust them properly. There's a slim chance that they might fail an MOT if you get a particularly anal tester, but a decent 4300K kit aimed properly shouldn't raise any eyebrows.
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You might be right about them not being xenon, I assumed they were because of the half-sphere lens at the front which I figured meant they were xenons.

Ok, can anyone recommend some whitish halogen bulbs?
 
If they're Halogens as suggested above, something like Philips WhiteVision Ultra should be a decent compromise between a whiter colour temperature and reasonable visibility performance still.

You'll generally compromise brightness for whiteness with halogens, as they generally work by putting coatings on the bulbs to restrict particular wavelengths of light.

Of course, if the current bulbs are some cheap crap from Halfords or something, then you may still see an improvement.

Edit - what Nasher says is broadly correct about matching colour temps though - LEDs will probably be 5000K to 6000K temperature, even 'white' halogens will be more like 4000K-4500K.
 
Kenai said:
If they're Halogens as suggested above, something like Philips WhiteVision Ultra should be a decent compromise between a whiter colour temperature and reasonable visibility performance still.

You'll generally compromise brightness for whiteness with halogens, as they generally work by putting coatings on the bulbs to restrict particular wavelengths of light.
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Thanks I'll take a look at them. I hadly do any night driving out of the city and am quite prepared to settle for a lower but whiter output, within legal limits of course.

I'll have to check first to see if the car is actually halogen on or xenon, it's a mk 3.5 sport tech, the most sporty one with lsd etc so I figured it would have them as it wasn't brand new tech when my car was built in 09
 
bainbridge said:
I'll have to check first to see if the car is actually halogen on or xenon, it's a mk 3.5 sport tech, the most sporty one with lsd etc so I figured it would have them as it wasn't brand new tech when my car was built in 09
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It won't, it was never an option in the UK.
 
Howard said:
It won't, it was never an option in the UK.
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Ok, thanks. Dug out the Haynes manual which contains instructions for both xenon and halogen replacement. Just to be sure I'll see if I can inspect the rear of the light cluster without having to remove an arch liner. I imagine the ballast etc (or lack of) will clearly show the difference.
 
As above, Xenon was never an option on the mk3.5. Also just a word of warning that a bulb change on the mk3 MX5 is a right pain as you have to go in via the wheel arches :( In terms of whiter bulbs I've found the Philips Whitevision bulbs can make halogens in projectors look 'almost' Xenons - certainly at a glance you wouldn't notice the difference. I used them in my last two Smart cars and my current MX5.
 
unrealrocks said:
As above, Xenon was never an option on the mk3.5. Also just a word of warning that a bulb change on the mk3 MX5 is a right pain as you have to go in via the wheel arches :( In terms of whiter bulbs I've found the Philips Whitevision bulbs can make halogens in projectors look 'almost' Xenons - certainly at a glance you wouldn't notice the difference. I used them in my last two Smart cars and my current MX5.
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Ok, you both are certain so fair enough, halogens they are.

What about longevity on Phillips whitevision?
 
Will you blind others? Maybe, maybe not. Projectors are probably better than reflectors in this regard but the issue with LED bulb replacements like this is the point of light source isn't identical to a regular filament bulb, so can do 'unexpected' things in terms of beam patterns.

They 'should' fail an MOT but probably wouldn't if the beam pattern is ok.

Might be worth googling to see if others have fitted them and posted examples.
 
bainbridge said:
If I fit these will I blind other drivers and get jailed?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254234511141
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No but they're quite expensive.

I've used these in H7 fitting: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NOVSIGHT-Headlight-20000LM-10000LM-Conversion/dp/B07PWW2Y65/

You need to be careful though as they're typically longer than normal halogens, so if you have a dust/water cap you might need a larger one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/KOOMTOOM-Housing-Dustcover-Protection-Headlight/dp/B0725Z62GR/

You'll need to find the right size for your car.


Edit: as I mentioned, I use the above bulbs and when I got them I took my car to an MOT test centre/garage to have the beam pattern corrected and he was happy to guarantee they'll pass the MOT as the pattern was perfect :-)
 
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