[rollinstone157]

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen of E90Post!

The other day, I purchased two products from HighPerformanceBulbs.com
1. The New 10-Watt CREE AE's (in the H8 style)
2. Noyka Cosmic White Stage Two [80-Watt] H3 bulbs--which I will review in another thread.

Now, just to get this right off the bat, these will fit:
BMW 1 Series 2008 and up
BMW 3 Series Coupe (E92) 2008 and up (2007 uses the same bulb, but there's a small possibility throw errors, so if you don't mind taking the risk and potentially having to code, buy away!)
BMW 3 Series Sedan/wagon (E90) (with HID option) 2009 and up
BMW 5 Series (E60) 2008 and up
BMW X5 (E70) 2008 and up
BMW X6 2008 and up

NOTE WITH MY METHODOLOGY: For the comparison shots between the halogen and LED bulbs, the exposures were set equal for the two...if that makes sense. Feel free to check my metadata!

Shipping/Customer Service: 10/10
The items shipped quickly (less than 48 hours!) and well-protected. The AE's came in a shockingly well-constructed magnetically sealed box, and it was a very good presentation.

Initial Reactions: Very Positive
My initial thoughts were, "wow, for $80, these things are solid!" All metal body, and no plastic construction like so many other AE's in the price range of these.

Installation Difficulty (from 1-5): 3
Installation, for me, was not easy. Partially because I didn't know what I was doing,and partially because I have large-ish hands. I used the LuxAngelEyes install guide (IMO the best guide out there!). The trick is aligning these properly. If you look at his guide, notice he has a "T" diagram drawn on the bulbs, and he says "line up the T in the hole". To assist with that, I used a silver sharpie and draw a dotted line along the top of the AE's so I could check my alignment, and that certainly helped a lot.

Operating Notes:
1. These do fade on and off with the car--a feature I do think is nice to have! However, there is a flip-side to that.
2. These do not always run at full brightness, like some of the more expensive units out there. HOWEVER, I do not think the fact that these dim a little with the headlights detracts from the product at all. When the headlights come on, they do dim a little bit--but it's harder to notice because the headlight beams and the AE's are a closer match, and it looks very "natural", if you will.
3. This might freak some people out, but if you can code, you can code the cars not to dim the AE's when the headlights come on, but retain the fade-on/fade-off ability (I'm going to do this, just need to order a cable).
4. No errors, and interestingly, no flashing on startup. I was expecting that, and it was a nice suprise. Also, no radio interference, like some units costing 2-3x as much (Not Lux/MTEC...another brand)

Night-Time Performance: 9/10
These look great! The inner ring is a little brighter than the outer ring, but it is completely the fault of the BMW headlights, I do not blame HPB at all. Are the halogens brighter? Of course they are, those 35-Watt H8 bulbs put out a lot of lumens! But I'd say that these are...80% as bright. But I'll let you be the judge.

Direct Sunlight: 7.5-8/10
Washed out, but note that you can't see the halogens either. And part of that has to do with the color of these LEDs (Very white with a hint of a blueish-purpleish...actally a really nice color!), keep in mind!


IMG_4647.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4489.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr

Offset sunlight: 8/10
The inner ring is brighter than the outer ring, as you can see, but it is pretty visible during the day. This will make you mad at the BMW engineers for designing such a poor light delivery system for the AE's.

IMG_4653.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4652.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4651.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4650.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr

Random Shots...


IMG_4670.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4668.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4663.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4660.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4654.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr

IN CONCLUSION: Are these as good as the LUX H8 V3's, or the MTEC H8's? I don't know--but probably not. However, are they better than the $50 eBay special? You bet. Are they better than those cheap R-Dash products (and their counterparts marked up at 3x the price?) For sure! Might they even be better than the mid-range AE's, like the City Vision lights? They very well could be. Basically, for $80, these are absolutely incredible. A must buy for modders on a budget, IMO!

[rollinstone157]

This is part two of the review, and perhaps shows that I do not have "The Ultimate" ability to ultimately title my threads!

But without further ado, my review of the Noyka Cosmic White Stage 2 [80-Watt] H3 bulbs.

I used these bulbs in place of the factory 55-watt H3 bulbs. And I know somebody is going to read this and be like OMGBBQWHATWEREYOUTHINKING?!?!? The corner bulbs only stay on for 30 seconds at the longest, and most of the time, they are only on for a few seconds at a time. I didn't want to sacrifice light output, but I wanted to get a nice White color, so these seemed like a great product to try. After testing, I have determined that this do not pose a threat to my car's wiring, or headlights. They don't put that much additional strain on the car, the connectors are handling the heat fine, the wiring is handling the heat fine, and frankly, they don't generate that much more heat after only 30 seconds. Factory wiring is designed to handle stuff like this. Mind you, I wouldn't use these bulbs if they were going to be on for long periods of time (i.e.


Packaging/Initial Reactions: 10/10 and Very Positive
If you have ever ordered Noyka bulbs before, you'll know that they come in a very nice, hard plastic package. Easy to open, and well designed, kudos to the Noyka team! Now the bulbs...these are not like most other "color matched" bulbs. These are not just colored glass bulbs, but rather, they have a metallic tint to them. This reminds me a lot of the high-end PIAA bulbs, both in appearance and function.

Light Color: 10/10
I was shocked at how well thse match the Factory Xenons. Literally, the color match is perfect. And these illuminate an area slightly larger than the 55-watt bulbs, but with the benefit of the beautiful color.

Overall: 10/10
I will monitor these bulbs for the next month and check thoroughly for any signs of stress on the electrical system, but I honestly am 99.95% certain that I won't find anything worth noting.

Some shots...

IMG_4488.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4480.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4479.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr


IMG_4478.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr

Sorry, I need to redo the new cornering light shot--I screwed up installation on the bulb, so the light output was distorted, and I accidentally jostled the tripod on that shot.

UPDATE: Here's the headlights head-on. You can see how well everything matches!

IMG_4673.jpg by RobStone, on Flickr

[rollinstone157]

Reserved 2

[dwells]

Thanks for testing these out for us. Someone with LUX ought to go meet up with you for a comparison photo shoot.

[messi]

pics dude

[rollinstone157]

Originally Posted by messi

pics dude

Sorry dude, life cought up with me today...I'll try and get them up tomorrow though.

[ChasVS]

I've installed one of these on my 07 335 E92 and have no code errors. I can't tell the difference in the daytime between the 10 watt HPB bulb and the LED 6 Watt Angel Eye Bulbs by City Vision Lighting. Love the look of the City Vision 6 Watt LEDs which ran around $120.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Cool, I still didn't put mine in. Too much procrastination.

[rollinstone157]

And the photos are up!!

[rollinstone157]

Originally Posted by dwells

Thanks for testing these out for us. Someone with LUX ought to go meet up with you for a comparison photo shoot.

I would be completely down for that, I just need someone to contact me! If anyone sees this and lives either in/around the 07901 [Summit, NJ] area with the LUX's installed (preferably in the E90 LCI), please get in touch!!

[samchoi604]

Thanks for posting up the photos man.. they do look good. Don't worry, at certain angles, you wouldn't be able to see the outer ring of my LUX v3 either way.

[GmoBmw]

They Look really good.

[mapleridge]

looks good for $80. How do these differ with the ones that wouldn't fully fit in the housing?

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by mapleridge

looks good for $80. How do these differ with the ones that wouldn't fully fit in the housing?

These are for H8 Angel Eyes. The others were for H7 I believe.

[rollinstone157]

Originally Posted by GmoBmw

They Look really good.

Thanks! I think so too. If you go in to this purchase saying "I know I won't really be able to see this in direct afternoon sunlight" then you'll love them!

Originally Posted by samchoi604

Thanks for posting up the photos man.. they do look good. Don't worry, at certain angles, you wouldn't be able to see the outer ring of my LUX v3 either way.

Yeah, so I hear. I'm just curious if the design of the LUX H8 V3's give slightly more even lighting. I haven't seen them in person yet (seriously, someone who lives near me with them, get in touch with me!)

Originally Posted by Jeff@topgearsolutions

These are for H8 Angel Eyes. The others were for H7 I believe.

The ones that had fitment issues were for the E90/91 Pre-LCI's with xenon headlights, and those were special BMW bulbs, I believe a 10 watt halogen bulb in a funky base with a custom reflector...strange design. But hey, whatever works!

[Eric335]

nice review! thanks for the help with my AE decision a while back as well

OP is kind and very helpful! good 2 see a comparison!

[rollinstone157]

Originally Posted by Eric335

nice review! thanks for the help with my AE decision a while back as well

OP is kind and very helpful! good 2 see a comparison!

Thanks for the kind words Eric! It was a pleasure working with you, you're enjoying your Alpine AEs I hope?

[Eric335]

Originally Posted by rollinstone157

Thanks for the kind words Eric! It was a pleasure working with you, you're enjoying your Alpine AEs I hope?

yup! im thinking about switching out to the 6000k to see what it looks like, or if its brighter

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Eric335

yup! im thinking about switching out to the 6000k to see what it looks like, or if its brighter

4300K-5000K will be the brightest output of white. Put 6000K or higher might be easier seen in the daytime as they contrast better in direct sunlight whereas the white colors get washed out.

[Eric335]

Originally Posted by Jeff@topgearsolutions

4300K-5000K will be the brightest output of white. Put 6000K or higher might be easier seen in the daytime as they contrast better in direct sunlight whereas the white colors get washed out.

interesting.... thanks

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Eric335

interesting.... thanks

No problem. That is why alot of these aftermarket LED systems dont do to well in the daytime. As you can see on the late model BMW the stock angel eyes are an LED with a sort of purple hue, makes seeing them in daytime a little easier. However, there is an inherent flaw in the AE design too. I was actually thinking of wrapping some reflective type on the fiber optics so it doesnt lose light transferring to the outer rings; it should work in theory but how much I just dont know.

[Eric335]

Originally Posted by Jeff@topgearsolutions

No problem. That is why alot of these aftermarket LED systems dont do to well in the daytime. As you can see on the late model BMW the stock angel eyes are an LED with a sort of purple hue, makes seeing them in daytime a little easier. However, there is an inherent flaw in the AE design too. I was actually thinking of wrapping some reflective type on the fiber optics so it doesnt lose light transferring to the outer rings; it should work in theory but how much I just dont know.

+1 Very interested! I posted in a previous thread of mine about an idea of some reflective mirrors inside the housing to redirect light to the fiber optics. Your idea seems even better. Id be very interested in the results!!!