New H8 LED
 

$26.99 at HIDLightsUSA.

http://www.hidlightsusa.com/images/p...D-18W_full.jpg

GP Thunder H8 SMD 18 LED Replacement Bulbs

Could this be the answer to all of our prayers?

I would hope so, If I had my X I would order just to try it out, but I don't think it it would do the trick.

I have been corresponding with Nick @ JLevi, and he seems to think the issue is with the current design of the angel eyes. And the only way to get full effect is to go HID.

this place is wholesale only, any retail with pricing on something like this?

Looks promising, however I doubt it will work any better than the other attempts. Im guessing this will make in the inner angel eye very bright and the light will fade on the outer. Nothing will look as good as the new factory engel eyes that the 2011 E70 got shafted on in the U.S.

These don't appear to have a built in resistor so they will cause an error.

No - the output of these bulbs are very weak.

So are these any better than the GP Thunder Quartz bulbs?

I've bought a set of GP Thunder quartz bulbs from them retail no problem. I just called them and they said they have customers that have tried them in BMWs and they did not set off codes, and they are about the same lumens as the quartz GP Thunder. Why wouldn't these work for the angel eyes??

Well I ordered a set so I will be the guinea pig. For $26 full led lights as long as they don't set off codes you can't lose.

Won't these throw a code since they're only 18 watts?

So are the only disadvantages to the PIAA LEDs the price? They appear to be around $230, doesn't seem that bad if they're reasonably bright and provide a pure white with no errors? Seems like all the cheaper options have some sort of tradeoff.

I searched all the old threads, and couldn't find much - no real definitive comparisons.

And is there info yet on what the new 5-series uses, i.e. LED or HID?

So I've scoured this entire forum looking for the best upgrade for AE's. HID, LED GP's, PIAA, MTEC...ect. There's a ton of info out there, unfortunately most repetitive and useless. It's hard to choose what the best option is for you based on $$, look (day and night) and complications. I'm intrigued by theses LED's, but I feel the GP Xenon/Plasma Super White "Quartz" are a better buy, so........ I've decided to to buy both and compare and share my results on here. With that said I'm excited to see the results, though I'm new to X5's and if anyone has experience with changing out 2005 E53 AE's, I appreciate the help! In the mean time I'm going to try and compile a thread comparing each type of mod with each pros and cons. Hopefully this will save people a lot more time when doing their own research. (please pm me if this has been done and i just missed it)

Thanks!

I got these in the mail today and, just as I suspected, they're just as crappy as all the other LED attempts for the angel eyes. At least they're only $26. GP Thunders are still the best option out there - even though they're nothing compared to the new OEM angel eyes.

Really, so you got your X? What did you end up getting?

Still waiting for mine, but sounds like I should just return them. Do you have any day and night pictures with them in!?

I got mine in the mail today too haha. At night they are great. Great color and very noticeable. They match my 6000k hid headlights PERFECTLY and when they dim they dont get yellow they maintain that pure white. During the day its a whole other story. Only the inner ring is noticeable so this is a tough decision. At night I much prefer these leds over stock or GP Thunder quartz, during the day I still think stock looks the best. Again for $26.00 I think theyre a pretty good deal.

No, didnt get the X. Gonna hold on to the M5 for the duration of the lease and explore my options then.

Ive been looking for a good angel eye solution since day 1 of ownership. The fact that BMW is so behind the times is amazing.

Here is a pic of an aftermarket setup on my 2006 E46 M3. This was 5 years ago and BMW is just now getting the clue!!!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...10001_2-xx.jpg

LED's are a strange technology. I got my first LED flashlight about 7 or 8 years ago. I was amazed at how bright it was when you looked at it directly. But it didnt seem to illuminate the ground or objects nearly as good as my incandescent Maglite. I think this the problem that we are having with the LED aftermarket solutions for our angel eyes. The LED's themselves look incredibly bright, but I dont think they really carry the intensity necessary to carry the light through those rings. The way the angel eyes are designed, theyre basically a crude fiber optic setup.

Has anyone gotten their hands on any of the new generation angel eyes to see how they function?

Did it throw out error codes?

PIAA worked fine for me no error codes on my '07. Will try them out in my 2011 when I get back. They are pricey though.

Yes.

For me they threw codes when I first started the car but then the bulb out warnings would go right away.

Has anyone tried GP thunder 8500k H8 xenon white bulbs for angel eyes on the X5? Will it set off error codes with my 2011 x5? How does it compare with the LED ones? (I hope xenon ones will be more powerful?

I haven't tried them, but from what I've heard they're better and don't throw up codes. I ordered both, but haven't been home to try them out.

..Well then.. I just bought one for 16.98 on ebay!! It ships from San Diego, so hope to install it soon :D

Anyone have pics of these on the x?

Updates?

i have the gp thunders 8500k quartz installed on my 2011 x 35i. no error codes and they look good at night and during gloomy weather. Outer ring does not illuminate bright but inner ring looks great during day and night for the price it is acceptable. Less then $20 on ebay. :)

I have the RD LED that are still going strong with no error codes, but they are not very bright. I paid about $200 on a group buy here over a year ago.

I'm curious if there is a new product out there or if BMW has now started to put LED angel eyes on the 1 and 3 series. I've seen a LOT of those cars with what appears to my eyes to be LED, are very bright, and match the HID very well. If they are after market, it would appear that 1/3 series owners have figured it out. I'd be curious if anyone else has seen this, then we would just have to find out what they did and replicate it.

From what I read in other forums and research. The new 3 and 5 series have redesigned their angel eyes and r using white LEDs however it's because of the new design of the angel eyes that they look so bright and crisp during the day. All new x5 and 7 series owners got screwed in terms of the new design which seems crazy to all of us.