[Tommy_hf]

That's good news, then BMW nailed it.
In the Audi R8 the LEDS failed to outperform their free of extra charge xenon counterpart.

[ji99lypuff]

Just the other day i saw a 5 series with the led headlights and it was as if the sun itself was contained in there lighting up the entire highway lane. I agree that the leds lights up the road better than the hids without a doubt.

[ft1330]

Originally Posted by stormlv

What do you mean, they have a crisper cut-off?

When I drove the loaner with xenons I had opposite feel.

The tests that I did also backed up my "gut" feeling...

Also, in my tests, LED were 38% brighter...

Xenons


LEDs


http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1030409

Just as a side note, looking at your pics I see that you have a broken up cut-off, like "stairs". I have the same thing and thought it was a defect and was going to mention it at the dealership... Why is it that way and not a straigth line?

[DocB]

It is deliberately this way such that your lights don't directly shine into the eyes of on coming drivers.

[bmwauug]

Originally Posted by roundel335

Correct - the early E9x series had halogen bulb illuminators for the lucite "rings", and LUX LED replacement illuminators were a popular modification. As I recall, the F10 5-series was the first to have the LED coronas.

Such a bad design to have halogen coronas.

[Squiden]

Originally Posted by stormlv

What do you mean, they have a crisper cut-off?

When I drove the loaner with xenons I had opposite feel.

The tests that I did also backed up my "gut" feeling...

Also, in my tests, LED were 38% brighter...

Xenons


LEDs


http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1030409

Hmmm - my LED lights have more of a square cluster of light centered... More of a blob in the middle than you show in your pic. I'll try to get a photo tomorrow.

[johnsimion]

I ordered my 435i with the LED headlamps and the automatic high beams. I can't exactly say they are "bad" but I can say they are not worth the $1900 price tag. The headlights are very good for lighting, but thus far I can't say they are really all that much better than the manual xenons I had in my Cayman. But the automatic high beams -- arrrgh, those things are downright disappointing. The darned things are just waaaay too sensitive. I live within city limits, but it's a semi-rural area with huge lots and no street lights where high beams can almost always be used. I was hoping the automatic high beams would be a real convenience, but they aren't. They ought to come on automatically, but nooooo. Then, aside having to remember to manually turn them on, they almost never let the lights go bright, and when they do, they'll dim for almost anything -- a car two miles away or sometimes even for the lights on people's porches. Heck, they'll dim if someone lights a cigarette. I can live with the manual activation, but the extreme sensitivity makes them almost worthless for me. Is there any way to reduce the sensitivity on these things?

[stormlv]

Originally Posted by Squiden

Hmmm - my LED lights have more of a square cluster of light centered... More of a blob in the middle than you show in your pic. I'll try to get a photo tomorrow.

It may be the adaptive feature on the LEDs, which produces this pattern for me.

For me, there's one of the LED arrays on the left headlight, that dips to the left and down, when my speed drops below a certain threshold (I think its ~30kph)

If I'm stationary and want to see the pattern you describe, I have to turn on the fog lights.
The LED array on the left "rises" and looks like this __--__-- instead of looking like this ____--

You can look here:


I think it's number #3 "spot rise" which does this.

It's the difference between "El. tourist adaptation" (only 1 & 2 on) and the rest (where 1, 2, 3 and maybe more are on)
I'll see if I can post a nice video of this in action.

[stormlv]

Here's what I was saying:

Beam pattern when stationary (equivalent to 1, 2 in the post above)


Beam pattern when going more than 30-40kph or when fog lights are on, or when reversing. (Equivalent to 1, 2, 3 in the post above)

In this case I just put the car in reverse to get it to go back up, as it would in traffic.

[aksi]

In terms of brightness:
My 2014 corolla LED healights >>> my 2014 335.
That comparison picture is spot on.

[stormlv]

I updated the pictures in my previous post (for some reason or another they weren't working)

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by erichighley

FWIW us in the States don't get the fancy LEDs. Rather, we get auto high beam assistance. Other markets get the nice anti-dazzle headlights. Until DOT approves that for us, the LED is really just a cosmetic option.

What do you mean? I've seen 4 Series and X5s with full LED headlights -- not just DRLs.

[erichighley]

Originally Posted by tex2670

What do you mean? I've seen 4 Series and X5s with full LED headlights -- not just DRLs.

We get the full LED lighting, however they lack the anti-dazzle feature. This is decoded for the US market. That's the "fanciness" I was speaking of.

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by erichighley

We get the full LED lighting, however they lack the anti-dazzle feature. This is decoded for the US market. That's the "fanciness" I was speaking of.

So unlock it and you'll be happy. I have the Xenons and they are amazing with the anti-dazzle working.

[Blubaron79]

Originally Posted by snowghost

So unlock it and you'll be happy. I have the Xenons and they are amazing with the anti-dazzle working.

I kind of want to do this. Ever get any upset oncoming drivers?

[stormlv]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

I kind of want to do this. Ever get any upset oncoming drivers?

I rarely use the adaptive high beams on normal roads, especially if there are bends in it.

I feel that the system changes too late, especially when a car is coming from a turn.

I think it's much better adapted on highways and on straight roads.

[Philipangoo]

I test drove a 2015 X3 with LED head lights and its still just as pricey on that car but I will say I was impressed. It seemed brighter and no "dark spots" it was almost like even lighting all the way across. I also remember the cutoff being incredibly crisp.

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

I kind of want to do this. Ever get any upset oncoming drivers?

I only had one oncoming flash me the whole time I've been using them (since 9/13).

However, on the freeway it's probably not a good idea as people see the lights change intensity in their rear view mirror--even thought they're not blinded they think you're flashing them.

Edit: And I'm sure cops wouldn't dig it either.

[Squiden]

Originally Posted by stormlv

Here's what I was saying:

Beam pattern when stationary (equivalent to 1, 2 in the post above)


Beam pattern when going more than 30-40kph or when fog lights are on, or when reversing. (Equivalent to 1, 2, 3 in the post above)

In this case I just put the car in reverse to get it to go back up, as it would in traffic.

Interesting - my lights always look like your center "moving" picture even when stopped. What's the purpose of it moving the driver side down when parked? The graphic really doesn't mention what "spot rise" is for.