Ellipsoid..

[dubumb]

Another n00b question, i should prolly hold myself back to asking one question a week so it's less noticable :

But anyway, What are ellipsoids?

[El Presidente]

ellipsoids are european glass projector headlights. North American soec cars have crappy reflector bulbs; the ellipsoids aim the light.

[dubumb]

is it a noticable differnce?

[the///man]

very...when your driving down the highway you mainly see those yellow dim lights but every once in a while you see very bright white and blueish lights...thats the difference

[DesmoBob]

Originally posted by the///man+Dec 15 2003, 07:30 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (the///man @ Dec 15 2003, 07:30 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>very...when your driving down the highway you mainly see those yellow dim lights but every once in a while you see very bright white and blueish lights...thats the difference[/b]

well sorta... two different issues going on here.

the white/bluish lights are not ellipsoids, they are HID bulbs (capsules), which have no filament, but an electrical arc that produces intense light.

the actual ellipsoids are projector lens housings within the headlight units. HID lights often go hand-in hand with ellipsoid projectors in newer cars, but they are distinctly different components.

a car with ellipsoids doesn't necessarily have HID.

you can buy ellipsoid housings like ZKW, which i believe use H1 bulbs, not HID. however, you can convert them to HID.

to answer the question:
<!--QuoteBegin-dubumb
is it a noticable differnce? [/quote]

ellipsoid + H1 halogen = about 2x better than stock US halogen
ellipsoid + HID = 10x bettern than stock US halogen
(note: qualitative, not quantitative impressions)

so yes, even without HID, ellipsoid with plain old halogen is still better than stock.

[the///man]

thanks for correcting me , heres what comes on the e46 m3...

[bigred318]

Originally posted by DesmoBob@Dec 15 2003, 12:19 PM


ellipsoid + H1 halogen = about 2x better than stock US halogen
ellipsoid + HID = 10x bettern than stock US halogen

so yes, even without HID, ellipsoid with plain old halogen is still better than stock.

that right there should sum up every ? ever asked about this subject! nice and simply put!
David

[El Presidente]

this is a DIY install for ellipsoids without PnP connectors. It shows the insides and out of the projector and links on how to utalize HID with them.

http://www.apexcone.com/JimPowellHomepage/...Ellipsoids.html

[dubumb]

I really like the bluish color... is there any other way to simulate that without having to reqire all ur headlights?

[El Presidente]

yes and no. the do sell "Xenon bulbs" that output a tinited light. I ordered a pair from prostreetlighting.com and was quite pleased with them. they did not look obviously fake, and did not reduce light output like many do. If you want the new bulbs, I suggest ordering from said site, PIAA, or Silverstar. Below is a picture of mine. The foglights are stock halogen in the picture and put out most of the yellow light on the ground.

[dubumb]

Originally posted by El Presidente@Dec 16 2003, 12:37 PM
yes and no. the do sell "Xenon bulbs" that output a tinited light. I ordered a pair from prostreetlighting.com and was quite pleased with them. they did not look obviously fake, and did not reduce light output like many do. If you want the new bulbs, I suggest ordering from said site, PIAA, or Silverstar. Below is a picture of mine. The foglights are stock halogen in the picture and put out most of the yellow light on the ground.

Thanks, you have been very helpful... Im looking into getting a e36 (94 is the one i have my eye on) and i saw you have a 95... do you have any more pics? i wanna see what the all red taillights look like on a e36

[El Presidente]

its not all red, had to have the clear reverse lights. Here are some pics with the rear lights. Sorry if its a large file, i think it will be.

[El Presidente]

this one also shows the red. Good luck finding your e36. We'll be here for any more questions you have.

[dubumb]

I like that, it looks very slick. Was that a DIY-er project or did you buy it that way? cus im pretty sure ive seen a DIY site for that mod...

[the///man]

its a DIY, all you do is buy that color paint and cover up the parts of the tails you dont want to have painted. it sure saves a bunch of money and i wouldve done it, but the white ones look better on blue cars in my opinion