Bi-xenon HID question
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Joined: 09-21-06
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From: Lafayette, LA
Bi-xenon HID question
I couldn't find anything in the stickies and searches so....
A bi-xenon has the lows and highs, which our cars would need since we only use one bulb for our highs and lows. Now the question is, are the highs actually brighter than the lows, or is it just moved higher up?
I read that when you turn the highs on in a bi-xenon the xenon bulb just shifts where the light is produced at,so I'm thinking it will be the same brightness, just come out a different area.
Now if a bi-xenon does have a difference in brightness, say I have a bi-xenon 6000k HID kit and a friend has a 6000k single xenon HID kit, (a) will my lows look like his lights, and my highs will be brighter, (b) will me lows be lower than his, but brights brighter, or (c) will my lows be lower and my highs be about the same as his?
They are only listed as one temp, so I can't see how it could be brighter as them temp would have to change. Someone help me out on this one.
A bi-xenon has the lows and highs, which our cars would need since we only use one bulb for our highs and lows. Now the question is, are the highs actually brighter than the lows, or is it just moved higher up?
I read that when you turn the highs on in a bi-xenon the xenon bulb just shifts where the light is produced at,so I'm thinking it will be the same brightness, just come out a different area.
Now if a bi-xenon does have a difference in brightness, say I have a bi-xenon 6000k HID kit and a friend has a 6000k single xenon HID kit, (a) will my lows look like his lights, and my highs will be brighter, (b) will me lows be lower than his, but brights brighter, or (c) will my lows be lower and my highs be about the same as his?
They are only listed as one temp, so I can't see how it could be brighter as them temp would have to change. Someone help me out on this one.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 09-21-06
Posts: 1,424
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From: Lafayette, LA
Just in case anyone else wanted to know or just to have this for later references I emailed a HID website with my previous question and this was the response
Hi,
Thanks for your inquiry. For the Bi-Xenon kit, the low-beam and the
high-beam is the same bulb. There is a magnetic mechanism that moves the
xenon capsule so that the beam pattern changes. The low-beam is more
concentrated, and the high-beam is aimed higher and the beam pattern is more
diffused by having the xenon capsule close to the headlight reflector
(similar to how the 2 filaments are located in a halogen 9007 bulb). As
HID's are 2-3 times brighter than halogen bulb, you don't really need it to
be brighter. Rather, when you hit the high-beam switch, you want the beam
patter to cover a larger area so you seem more around you.
The regular xenon kit is low-beam only.
As for the color temperature, the 6000K is indeed just that one brightness.
It is rated at 2900 lumens (a typical halogen bulb is rated at about
900-1200 lumens, FYI).
Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with.
Sincerely,
Joseph
www.xenonguru.com
Hi,
Thanks for your inquiry. For the Bi-Xenon kit, the low-beam and the
high-beam is the same bulb. There is a magnetic mechanism that moves the
xenon capsule so that the beam pattern changes. The low-beam is more
concentrated, and the high-beam is aimed higher and the beam pattern is more
diffused by having the xenon capsule close to the headlight reflector
(similar to how the 2 filaments are located in a halogen 9007 bulb). As
HID's are 2-3 times brighter than halogen bulb, you don't really need it to
be brighter. Rather, when you hit the high-beam switch, you want the beam
patter to cover a larger area so you seem more around you.
The regular xenon kit is low-beam only.
As for the color temperature, the 6000K is indeed just that one brightness.
It is rated at 2900 lumens (a typical halogen bulb is rated at about
900-1200 lumens, FYI).
Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with.
Sincerely,
Joseph
www.xenonguru.com
Member
Joined: 02-14-08
Posts: 206
Likes: 0
From: Acton, MA
ok, first some background from my own research.
our reflector lenses use a dual filament bulb: the 9007. generally, a halogen low filament draws 55 watts, and the hi draws 65 watts. therefore, the hi beam will have slightly more overall light output. reflector lenses take advantage of the slight offset between the low filament and the hi filament to change the throw of the beam. i removed and observed the filaments in my car as i switched between hi and low and saw that the low beam filament is slightly above the hi beam when properly installed in the reflector. this means that when your low beam is on, it is slightly above the "focus point" of the reflector, which causes the beam to be thrown or reflected slightly downward. the hi beam filament is located directly in the center of the reflector's focus, so it throws a maximum light beam.
my research has yielded three different styles of "bi-xenon hids" which strive to replicate the effect of hi and low halogen bulbs.
the first is the twin or dual hid element, where each "bulb" is comprised of two separate hid capsules side by side. when you go from low to hi beams, i believe that one capsule shuts off and the other turns on. neither is brighter, but the overall package is probably the most expensive, because you buy a pair of bulbs and you really get four hid elements. you may even get four spearate igniter/ballasts. another disadvantage of this system is the "warmup time" that hids require, so "flashing" your hi beams may not be so effective, or you may have to wait a minute or two for the hi beams to come to full brightness.
the second is the magnetic shield hid bulb, where the bulb on low is partially covered by a retractable magnetic shield. when you switch to hi, the shield is retracted to expose more light output. i assume from the way our regular halogen bulbs that the disadvantage of this system is that the bulb itself never moves. that means that if the bulb is located where our low beam filament is, you will have less glare to oncoming traffic, but when you try to use your hi beams, you'll really only have a brighter low, and not a flood of light like a halogen hi. on the other hand, if the bulb is located where the halogen hi beam filament is, you'll have a flood of bright hid light that will glare at oncoming traffic, and when you switch to hi beams, you'll have an even brighter flood of hid light.
the third is the "tilt" hid bulb. from what i understand is that it works very similarly to the magnetic shielded hid, but instead of extending and retracting a shield over the hid bulb, they use magnets to physically tilt the bulb. so for example, your lows, the bulb might be straight in relation to the base like this: | and when you change to hi beams, the bulb would tilt in the base like this: / this would move the bulb into the focal point of the reflector. your hi beams wouldn't be any brighter, but they would have the flood effect that halogen hi beams have
single hid bulbs obviously have just one fixed hid bulb. however, some are also equipped with a halogen bulb for hi beams, so you have hid lows and halogen hi beams. the obvious disadvantage to this system is that the lows are probably as bright if not brighter than the halogen hi beams, even though the hi beams flood the light more broadly. these are the least expensive way to preserve the hi/low effect, though.
hope that helps...
our reflector lenses use a dual filament bulb: the 9007. generally, a halogen low filament draws 55 watts, and the hi draws 65 watts. therefore, the hi beam will have slightly more overall light output. reflector lenses take advantage of the slight offset between the low filament and the hi filament to change the throw of the beam. i removed and observed the filaments in my car as i switched between hi and low and saw that the low beam filament is slightly above the hi beam when properly installed in the reflector. this means that when your low beam is on, it is slightly above the "focus point" of the reflector, which causes the beam to be thrown or reflected slightly downward. the hi beam filament is located directly in the center of the reflector's focus, so it throws a maximum light beam.
my research has yielded three different styles of "bi-xenon hids" which strive to replicate the effect of hi and low halogen bulbs.
the first is the twin or dual hid element, where each "bulb" is comprised of two separate hid capsules side by side. when you go from low to hi beams, i believe that one capsule shuts off and the other turns on. neither is brighter, but the overall package is probably the most expensive, because you buy a pair of bulbs and you really get four hid elements. you may even get four spearate igniter/ballasts. another disadvantage of this system is the "warmup time" that hids require, so "flashing" your hi beams may not be so effective, or you may have to wait a minute or two for the hi beams to come to full brightness.
the second is the magnetic shield hid bulb, where the bulb on low is partially covered by a retractable magnetic shield. when you switch to hi, the shield is retracted to expose more light output. i assume from the way our regular halogen bulbs that the disadvantage of this system is that the bulb itself never moves. that means that if the bulb is located where our low beam filament is, you will have less glare to oncoming traffic, but when you try to use your hi beams, you'll really only have a brighter low, and not a flood of light like a halogen hi. on the other hand, if the bulb is located where the halogen hi beam filament is, you'll have a flood of bright hid light that will glare at oncoming traffic, and when you switch to hi beams, you'll have an even brighter flood of hid light.
the third is the "tilt" hid bulb. from what i understand is that it works very similarly to the magnetic shielded hid, but instead of extending and retracting a shield over the hid bulb, they use magnets to physically tilt the bulb. so for example, your lows, the bulb might be straight in relation to the base like this: | and when you change to hi beams, the bulb would tilt in the base like this: / this would move the bulb into the focal point of the reflector. your hi beams wouldn't be any brighter, but they would have the flood effect that halogen hi beams have
single hid bulbs obviously have just one fixed hid bulb. however, some are also equipped with a halogen bulb for hi beams, so you have hid lows and halogen hi beams. the obvious disadvantage to this system is that the lows are probably as bright if not brighter than the halogen hi beams, even though the hi beams flood the light more broadly. these are the least expensive way to preserve the hi/low effect, though.
hope that helps...
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