35w vs 55w Xenon - SEAT Cupra.net

*TarekElsakka* · 22-07-2012, 02:17

Hey there,

I had 35w 6000k Xenon installed to my Leon about two months ago. I had H1 and H7 kits installed (high & low beam) and left the fog lights as they are. I faced a lot of canbus errors at first, but then I got an canbus-free kit (or something like that) which are connected to the high beam ballasts and that totally fixed it. I have been noticing that the xenon takes time to heat up, though, and become powerful, and that's a problem mostly noticeable with the high beam Xenon because when I try to flicker, I see that it's very weak at first till I keep it on for like 5 - 7 seconds and then it works and flickers fine for about a minute, then it goes back to being weak and I'd have to keep it on again to heat it up.

Is that normal? As I said they are 35w and I am assuming that they're weak and that's why is happening. I'm strongly thinking about removing the xenon and reinstalling the OEM normal bulbs.

To sum it up, does the Xenon take time to heat up and become powerful because it is 35w or for another reason? Would installing 55w high beam ballasts fix the problem so I can flicker at any time without having to worry about heating it up every minute or so?

Thank you.

*Chris_a_73* · 22-07-2012, 02:33

Practically, you should not be using HIDs for high beam. You are right in saying that they DO take time to warm up. You should not be flashing HIDS on and off (ie: when flashing someone out of a junction) as this is said to severely reduce the lifetime of the bulb.

Being 35W or 55W it does not matter, both have to heat up.

I have HIDs in dipped beam (H7R) and have standard halogens (Osram Nightbreaker Plus bulbs) in the high beam (H1) as they are the whitest standard bulbs you can get and you are able to flash them without warm up.

*TarekElsakka* · 22-07-2012, 02:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris_a_73

Practically, you should not be using HIDs for high beam. You are right in saying that they DO take time to warm up. You should not be flashing HIDS on and off (ie: when flashing someone out of a junction) as this is said to severely reduce the lifetime of the bulb.

Being 35W or 55W it does not matter, both have to heat up.

I have HIDs in dipped beam (H7R) and have standard halogens (Osram Nightbreaker Plus bulbs) in the high beam (H1) as they are the whitest standard bulbs you can get and you are able to flash them without warm up.

Thank you so much for your reply. Can you please check your private messages? Thank you.

*BeezaDave* · 22-07-2012, 02:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris_a_73

I have HIDs in dipped beam (H7R) and have standard halogens (Osram Nightbreaker Plus bulbs) in the high beam (H1) as they are the whitest standard bulbs you can get and you are able to flash them without warm up.

Out of interest Chris do the nightbreakers look any bit white beside the HIDs or are they very yellow?

*Chris_a_73* · 22-07-2012, 02:58

From the bulbs I've used, Nightbreakers are definitely the whitest. The newer 'Plus' versions are fantastic, I put some in my dad's Abarth yesterday and they're miles better than standard bulbs. I've not compared them next to each other, but could do soon.

However, halogens will never be quite as white as HIDs, as they don't heat up high enough in order to reach the really white light output that xenons do. Although in my opinion, why does it really matter if they match the HIDs or not? No one will be seeing your car head on when you have main beam on anyway

*TarekElsakka* · 22-07-2012, 03:04

I'm going to see if I can get the Nightbreakers Plus or perhaps the best Philips white H1 bulbs out there and try them. If they are weak and not very noticeable on the road, I guess I'll just remove the Xenon in general and reinstall the OEM yellow bulbs that came with the car.

By the way, I know a guy who sells Taiwanese Mk2 Leon headlights that have projector lenses, rings, and smoke.. what do you think about those? I haven't seen them yet, he said he'd email me the pictures on Monday, but if they're anything like the ones I've seen on eBay UK (the really ugly, cheap looking ones) then I'm definitely passing. I just love projector lenses but I wouldn't want to dismantle my headlights just to install them; I'd actually rather buy fake/asian headlights and keep my original ones intact in my trunk.

*Muttley* · 22-07-2012, 14:07

Nightbreaker Plus and Philips Xtreme Power are the two "big names" in high-brightness filament bulbs.

Chris, the HID bulb produces light by a different mechanism to the filament bulb. The mixture of gases and inside the tube is excited by an alternating current and glows - think of it as a kind of continuous spark.

In a filament bulb the filament itself is heated up and glows. Higher filament temperatures result in whiter light but need special measures to stop the filament breaking - the tungsten-halogen cycle being one of them. Your filament bulbs are likely to be filled with xenon too, but it's to stop the filament oxidising.

*TarekElsakka* · 22-07-2012, 15:49

I called Osram today and the technician told me that the only problem will be the fact that the Nightbreaker Plus will be much more yellowish than my 6000K low beam HIDs. He said that that bothers some people while others don't really care as they just want to see well and flash whenever they want since it doesn't need warming up and is much safer for the car. I've been thinking, since they're yellowish, why don't I just revert both my high and low beam to stock (yellow OEM bulbs) and install the Osram Nightbreakers to the high beam only so I can get a longer and brighter view while being able to flash whenever without having to warm the bulbs up beforehand. What do you think about that? Would that be the ideal thing to do in order to be able to flash, be safer for the car, and avoid risking voiding the warranty for installing HIDs? Thanks.

*Muttley* · 22-07-2012, 19:13

6000°K is heading into the blue, which will make filament bulbs look yellow by comparison.

I have Philips Xtreme Vision in both dip and main beam lamps. I've got Philips Vision Plus in the Stop/Tail lamps, and if I could find a high brightness bulb for the indicators I'd have them too.

I'm not keen on HID bulbs in fittings meant for filament bulbs, as they produce more glare, which annoys me in other cars. You relly need a lamp fitting designed for HID to avoid this.

wezza12 · 12-01-2013, 12:57

i have 55w high beams and 35w low bean my 55w are brillant its like driving in the day time i would recommend if anyone wanted to upgrade!

22-07-2012, 02:17	#1
TarekElsakka Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Cairo, Egypt Posts: 1,215	35w vs 55w Xenon Hey there, I had 35w 6000k Xenon installed to my Leon about two months ago. I had H1 and H7 kits installed (high & low beam) and left the fog lights as they are. I faced a lot of canbus errors at first, but then I got an canbus-free kit (or something like that) which are connected to the high beam ballasts and that totally fixed it. I have been noticing that the xenon takes time to heat up, though, and become powerful, and that's a problem mostly noticeable with the high beam Xenon because when I try to flicker, I see that it's very weak at first till I keep it on for like 5 - 7 seconds and then it works and flickers fine for about a minute, then it goes back to being weak and I'd have to keep it on again to heat it up. Is that normal? As I said they are 35w and I am assuming that they're weak and that's why is happening. I'm strongly thinking about removing the xenon and reinstalling the OEM normal bulbs. To sum it up, does the Xenon take time to heat up and become powerful because it is 35w or for another reason? Would installing 55w high beam ballasts fix the problem so I can flicker at any time without having to worry about heating it up every minute or so? Thank you.

22-07-2012, 02:33	#2
Chris_a_73 1.2L Ibiza Mk4 '07 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Guildford and Bristol (uni) Posts: 1,955	Practically, you should not be using HIDs for high beam. You are right in saying that they DO take time to warm up. You should not be flashing HIDS on and off (ie: when flashing someone out of a junction) as this is said to severely reduce the lifetime of the bulb. Being 35W or 55W it does not matter, both have to heat up. I have HIDs in dipped beam (H7R) and have standard halogens (Osram Nightbreaker Plus bulbs) in the high beam (H1) as they are the whitest standard bulbs you can get and you are able to flash them without warm up. __________________ Reader's Ride Thread Last edited by Chris_a_73; 22-07-2012 at 02:34.

22-07-2012, 02:58	#5
Chris_a_73 1.2L Ibiza Mk4 '07 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Guildford and Bristol (uni) Posts: 1,955	From the bulbs I've used, Nightbreakers are definitely the whitest. The newer 'Plus' versions are fantastic, I put some in my dad's Abarth yesterday and they're miles better than standard bulbs. I've not compared them next to each other, but could do soon. However, halogens will never be quite as white as HIDs, as they don't heat up high enough in order to reach the really white light output that xenons do. Although in my opinion, why does it really matter if they match the HIDs or not? No one will be seeing your car head on when you have main beam on anyway __________________ Reader's Ride Thread Last edited by Chris_a_73; 22-07-2012 at 02:59.

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22-07-2012, 03:04	#6
TarekElsakka Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Cairo, Egypt Posts: 1,215	I'm going to see if I can get the Nightbreakers Plus or perhaps the best Philips white H1 bulbs out there and try them. If they are weak and not very noticeable on the road, I guess I'll just remove the Xenon in general and reinstall the OEM yellow bulbs that came with the car. By the way, I know a guy who sells Taiwanese Mk2 Leon headlights that have projector lenses, rings, and smoke.. what do you think about those? I haven't seen them yet, he said he'd email me the pictures on Monday, but if they're anything like the ones I've seen on eBay UK (the really ugly, cheap looking ones) then I'm definitely passing. I just love projector lenses but I wouldn't want to dismantle my headlights just to install them; I'd actually rather buy fake/asian headlights and keep my original ones intact in my trunk.

22-07-2012, 14:07	#7
Muttley Catch that diesel! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North Kent Posts: 4,365	Nightbreaker Plus and Philips Xtreme Power are the two "big names" in high-brightness filament bulbs. Chris, the HID bulb produces light by a different mechanism to the filament bulb. The mixture of gases and inside the tube is excited by an alternating current and glows - think of it as a kind of continuous spark. In a filament bulb the filament itself is heated up and glows. Higher filament temperatures result in whiter light but need special measures to stop the filament breaking - the tungsten-halogen cycle being one of them. Your filament bulbs are likely to be filled with xenon too, but it's to stop the filament oxidising.

22-07-2012, 15:49	#8
TarekElsakka Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Cairo, Egypt Posts: 1,215	I called Osram today and the technician told me that the only problem will be the fact that the Nightbreaker Plus will be much more yellowish than my 6000K low beam HIDs. He said that that bothers some people while others don't really care as they just want to see well and flash whenever they want since it doesn't need warming up and is much safer for the car. I've been thinking, since they're yellowish, why don't I just revert both my high and low beam to stock (yellow OEM bulbs) and install the Osram Nightbreakers to the high beam only so I can get a longer and brighter view while being able to flash whenever without having to warm the bulbs up beforehand. What do you think about that? Would that be the ideal thing to do in order to be able to flash, be safer for the car, and avoid risking voiding the warranty for installing HIDs? Thanks.

22-07-2012, 19:13	#9
Muttley Catch that diesel! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North Kent Posts: 4,365	6000°K is heading into the blue, which will make filament bulbs look yellow by comparison. I have Philips Xtreme Vision in both dip and main beam lamps. I've got Philips Vision Plus in the Stop/Tail lamps, and if I could find a high brightness bulb for the indicators I'd have them too. I'm not keen on HID bulbs in fittings meant for filament bulbs, as they produce more glare, which annoys me in other cars. You relly need a lamp fitting designed for HID to avoid this.

12-01-2013, 12:57	#10
wezza12 Full Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: aylesbury Posts: 287	i have 55w high beams and 35w low bean my 55w are brillant its like driving in the day time i would recommend if anyone wanted to upgrade!

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