UUC * First ever DOT-compliant LED headlight system - installed.

[Rob@UUC]

This is a custom design headlight - so I'm not comparing to anything stock. Have you played with only BMW headlights or other projectors as well?

Yes. OE-type sealed beams from all the major quality manufacturers, US ellipsoid with three types of bulsb; new bulbs, uprated bulbs, and HIDs. Euro ellipsoids, same three. E28 US and Euro with the same three, aftermarket Hella H1/H4, aftermarket Bosch H1/H4 (same fit for E30/E28/E24). E23, same three. E34 US and Euro, also all with the same three. E32, US ellipsoid, same three. Come to think of it, with the exception of E12/E24, I've owned almost all BMW models that came with four separate headlights and experimented with upgraded headlights on all of them. Then of course there are my pickup truck/tow vehicles which got similar treatment, and even cars I had that weren't BMW many years ago.

Have I played with the TSX and other OEM conversions? No. Honda headlights use a light temperature (color) that is considered appropriate for "enthusiast" driving. The color temperature is somewhere around the 6000°K point, too close to the blue-purple which means lower contrast perception by the human eye. What do sharpshooters wear... purple glasses or yellow?

Can you post some better pictures to show how flat and clean it is? That picture is neither flat nor all that clean of a cut-off (massive hot-spot glare in the center of the cut-off, and the lines slope down).

Actually, they don't do that... keep in mind the single-lens stock photo I posted is not giving you scale, showing total width... it's out of scale compared to the pics shown on the garage wall with both lights, before/after. The brights are extremely flat, no bright spot.

Thanks to a fellow r3vlimited member, we should have video available in the next week or so.

I am really liking the comparison shots of the low beam to the ellipsoid, and they look pretty sharp as well.

The high beam? It looks like it has some sort of pattern as opposed to the free form design the stockers have.

See above - the pics are out of scale, there is no pattern.

I have 130w Hella H1 bulbs in new Hella housings, and the LEDs have quite a challenge there IMO. I bet it would be even better in something like a Cibie CSR or something like that. That said, drawing OVER 30A for headlights with the highway beams on is a little nuts.

LOL! In an E28, the ceramic fuses would start curling. In the E30, I'd recommend running a relay so you don't toast the fuse board.

I would imagine the LED lights are fairly miserly in their power consumption? Whats your opinion on the high beam performance? How does the pattern affect the overall lighting?

Miserly is putting it mildly, the power use is very low. The low beam draws only 2.25 amps, the high beam draws 5.5 amps.

I've honestly never experienced a better high beam. As I've remarked to other people, it almost looks fake... like movie lighting. Just a perfectly represented view of everything all around. I'm really hoping the video we're going to shoot can capture that effect.

[Aptyp]

Wow. My first reaction was disgust... Then after looking at it for a few minutes, they totally grew on me. So different and so purposeful. But if price tag is in the range of a grand, no thanks. For a grand people should be able to buy 5 sets of LED Hellas and be visible from outer space.


Still, if prices on these drop like they did on HIDs, this is very interesting.

[DaveSmed]

I am really liking the comparison shots of the low beam to the ellipsoid, and they look pretty sharp as well.

The high beam? It looks like it has some sort of pattern as opposed to the free form design the stockers have. I have 130w Hella H1 bulbs in new Hella housings, and the LEDs have quite a challenge there IMO. I bet it would be even better in something like a Cibie CSR or something like that. That said, drawing OVER 30A for headlights with the highway beams on is a little nuts. I would imagine the LED lights are fairly miserly in their power consumption? Whats your opinion on the high beam performance? How does the pattern affect the overall lighting?

[Rob@UUC]

I tip my hat Rob. I know several guys that will look seriously at these, in place of light bars or other lighting mods. Is the outside lens replaceable?

No, it's not. It's a sealed unit. I would recommend a protective film like Lamin-X, that stuff works great.

[Rob@UUC]

e30s started with sealed beam headlights. when the engineers over at BMW wanted to incorporate newer technology (ellipsoid projectors) they made the effort to make the new lights look very similar to the sealed beams because its what looks nice on the car. it was adapted, but doesn't look adapted because it is good design.

Some E30 purists would argue and say that ellipsoids look out of place on a car with design roots in the late '70s.

I'll be frank - I don't really care what anybody thinks about the looks. If a person says "it looks funny" - they're looking from the wrong side of the windshield. It's how it looks from inside the car that's important. This is not an appearance accessory. This is not angel eyes. This is not chrome wheels or carbon fiber cigarette lighter plug. This is pure lighting performance.

You see, this is not the case. A modern HID system is built around HID bulbs (it includes the reflector/lens, etc) and is superior to plugging a DDM HID bulb into your 1980s e30 headlight. Some people have done DIY jobs integrating the HID projector from say, a Acura TSX or Infinity FX35.

LOL! I know a lot of people are converting those headlights. No thanks. An economy-built headlight from an entry-level Acura? They are not the pinnacle of modern headlight development, they are a mass-market car part with lighting that is too far into the blue/purple end of the spectrum. I won't even consider that as performance lighting... the more blue/purple the light is, the less contrast the human eye can discern. Not performance.

How do the LED lights compare to a OEM 2010 high quality HID system?

Blows it away.

"What about X, Y, and Z?"

Blows them away.

"But what if I did... "

Blows it away.

There is no headlight system that I am aware of that compares to the JWS LED. If there was, we'd be talking about how I installed that in my E30.

[straight6pwr]

Unless it is a factory headlight or standard sealed beam replacement, whatever it is will be "adapted".

e30s started with sealed beam headlights. when the engineers over at BMW wanted to incorporate newer technology (ellipsoid projectors) they made the effort to make the new lights look very similar to the sealed beams because its what looks nice on the car. it was adapted, but doesn't look adapted because it is good design.

They have that already. It's called an HID light conversion, and it's about $100 or less from a variety of different vendors. And it's not as good as LED. I know, I've BTDT.

- Rob

You see, this is not the case. A modern HID system is built around HID bulbs (it includes the reflector/lens, etc) and is superior to plugging a DDM HID bulb into your 1980s e30 headlight. Some people have done DIY jobs integrating the HID projector from say, a Acura TSX or Infinity FX35.

How do the LED lights compare to a OEM 2010 high quality HID system?

[KennyT]

I tip my hat Rob. I know several guys that will look seriously at these, in place of light bars or other lighting mods. Is the outside lens replaceable?

[Rob@UUC]

although the upgrade in lighting output is nice, this is still a product which has been adapted to fit (sort of) into the e30.

Unless it is a factory headlight or standard sealed beam replacement, whatever it is will be "adapted".

when the product gets developed with a variation that it specific to the e30 (and matches the aestetic of the car) then it would be worth buying.

If you're looking for a regular-looking, regular single-lens, regular light... that's what you should buy. And expect regular light performance - not LED performance. LED headlights look different, it's a different technology.

If all you're concerned about is a trim ring, then hold on to your pants, I'm working on it.

honestly, i think it would have been more worth while developing a kit that integrates a modern HID lighting system into the stock e30 ellipsoid housings.

They have that already. It's called an HID light conversion, and it's about $100 or less from a variety of different vendors. And it's not as good as LED. I know, I've BTDT.

- Rob

[straight6pwr]

although the upgrade in lighting output is nice, this is still a product which has been adapted to fit (sort of) into the e30. when the product gets developed with a variation that it specific to the e30 (and matches the aestetic of the car) then it would be worth buying. honestly, i think it would have been more worth while developing a kit that integrates a modern HID lighting system into the stock e30 ellipsoid housings.

[silversleeper]

Video of the headlights in action on a prototype military vehicle

A Land Rover Defender sporting the LED headlights:




And according to the UK website I found that on, the headlights cost roughly £1,276.59 excluding VAT. This translates to about $1979 according to Google.

[dave87325is]

hmmm looks a bit weird. but somewhat cool.

might get a set depending on the price.. just to see how it performs.

[s_ribs]

Actually not. In real life, that line is flatter and sharper than anything I've seen from Euro lights or the best H1/H4 aftermarket lights. I've played with a lot of lights over the years, this cutoff is the best I've seen.

This is a custom design headlight - so I'm not comparing to anything stock. Have you played with only BMW headlights or other projectors as well? Can you post some better pictures to show how flat and clean it is? That picture is neither flat nor all that clean of a cut-off (massive hot-spot glare in the center of the cut-off, and the lines slope down).

I love the idea and especially that someone is taking the time to design modern products for an old chassis.

[NC325iC]

hideous

[E30Nova]

Gimme.

[Miasma]

Very cool, I think a black trim ring will pull it all together, How about a photoshop?