I give, what the heck are ellipsoid lights

[cpuken]

I keep reading about upgrading to euro ellipsoid headlights... or in order to use
the demon eyes you need to have euro ellipsoid lights...
I don't have a clue what they are talking about.

What makes an ellipsoid headlight and ellipsoid light??

A detailed explaination would be greatly appreciated. ghead

Thanks

Ken

[Ski]

This would make a good FAQ..

[mostwired]

There are a few differences with regular ones. First - glass instead of plastic. Also, sockets are more reliable, so when you install heavy-consumption system (angel eyes draw more current). HID installation is straight-forward. Also, city lights look awesome. To purchase, check Ebay Motors. To install, read this FAQ:

http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/ellipsoid.htm

[cpuken]

Originally posted by mostwired@Oct 25 2003, 08:36 PM
There are a few differences with regular ones. First - glass instead of plastic. Also, sockets are more reliable, so when you install heavy-consumption system (angel eyes draw more current). HID installation is straight-forward. Also, city lights look awesome. To purchase, check Ebay Motors. To install, read this FAQ:

http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/ellipsoid.htm

So, let's list out what we know so far:
1. glass instead of plastic.
2. more reliable sockets (able to handle greatler load)

How about the appearance... how do they Look different then my factory headlights (95-318ti)? Are they distinctilve different when the lights are not on? when the lights are on?

You also mentioned HID?? Guess what, yep, I don't know what these are either. At least I'm not sure what they are... maybe these are just special types of bulbs that give off more light and have a blueish cast...

Ken

[daniel318is]

[mostwired]

Well - to add to my previous post:

You can see the pic here:
http://www.procarparts.com/productimages/B...K-3D4D-HL4X.jpg

and here (another variation):
http://www.4caroption.com/ebay/lighting/LH-BE36E-1.JPG

This pic compares stock with ellipsoids:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/1898.../Comparison.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/1898...psoidsOnCar.jpg

Ellipsoids also use H1 bulbs that you have to purchase - not the same as stock ones.

Regarding HIDs - read the article here:
http://www.sylvania.com/press/06252003.html

[MrM3]

Originally posted by cpuken+Oct 25 2003, 09:27 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (cpuken @ Oct 25 2003, 09:27 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-mostwired@Oct 25 2003, 08:36 PM
There are a few differences with regular ones. First - glass instead of plastic. Also, sockets are more reliable, so when you install heavy-consumption system (angel eyes draw more current). HID installation is straight-forward. Also, city lights look awesome. To purchase, check Ebay Motors. To install, read this FAQ:

http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/ellipsoid.htm

So, let's list out what we know so far:
1. glass instead of plastic.
2. more reliable sockets (able to handle greatler load)

How about the appearance... how do they Look different then my factory headlights (95-318ti)? Are they distinctilve different when the lights are not on? when the lights are on?

You also mentioned HID?? Guess what, yep, I don't know what these are either. At least I'm not sure what they are... maybe these are just special types of bulbs that give off more light and have a blueish cast...

Ken [/b][/quote]
they do look different, they use a glass housing as you now know, and they give a much cleaner look. its hard to describe, hopefully i can find some pics, but it does make a noticeable difference in the day, and give better light projection at night, but were never original equipment on US E36's. HIDs are High Intensity Discharge lights or "xenon" lights. they run at extremely high color temperatures which give headlights a blueish or purpleish tint to them, while also giving a tremendous increase in visibility. they also last alot longer than regular bulbs.