Need help upgrading low beams...

[Robert K]

I have a 1991 535i with the standard type low and high beams. I checked the bulbs the other day and appear to have standard halogen 9005 & 9006 bulbs. My main problem is the low beams. They just don't seem to throw enough light on the road. The high beams do just fine. My brothers were with me the other night when I clicked the high beams on. They couldn't believe how well they lit the road. Anyway, my 43 year old eyes seem to need a little more light on the road when the low beams are on. Anyone have any experience with the various bulbs out there?

P.S. I'm not going to HID or anything involving intense modifications, so don't waste your time doing a write up on it.

Grace and peace,

Robert K
1991 535i

[winfred]

one of the best things would be to get rid of the crappy low buck 91-92 lights, get some elpisoids from a 89-90 93-95 car or euro lights, all direct bolt on's, effective and not some gay wigger stuff, euro's would be best as you can dial whatever wattage you need with bulbs but the elipsoids are not too bad and have a same sharp beam cut off as the euros that lets you properly aim the lights down the road without blinding people, the 10 watt better high beam to low beam bulb trick helps too (9005-9006 or 9006-9005 i can't remember), it's covered on bmwe34.net, i've seen some complain about bulb life with that mod but mine lasted the 2+ years i had my car before i sold it

[Felixdacat]

Try switching to euro smileys. I got mine off ebay from a e34 owner not an aftermarket store. This allowed me to use H-1 bulbs, and it made a drastic difference. There bolt in, but you will need the connector. I replaced mine in about an hour both sides. These have the city lights also. You don't need to hook those up though.

[Alexlind123]

Dont get the ellipsoids from a '90, they suck too BTW, im planning on HIDs.

[Paul in NZ]

a bulb conversion worth doing is H1R i beleive.I have euro eppsilloids and i reckon they suck too.In any thing but the best conditions they would be the worst halogen low beams i have had.with std H1 55W lamps

[ryan roopnarine]

9006<-->9005 definitely worth doing, and probably the cheapest thing you could do. you can use a soldering iron you don't care about or use an exacto knife/boxcutter, and under 30 minutes to do. no modification to your car required, only to the bulbs.

[winfred]

try the cheepo us lights without the focusing element not much better then sealed beams, which would be a huge improvement over the lights on my truck, they get over shone by anything stronger then a candle, thinking about taping a couple maglights to the fenders till i can get some sport lights

a bulb conversion worth doing is H1R i beleive.I have euro eppsilloids and i reckon they suck too.In any thing but the best conditions they would be the worst halogen low beams i have had.with std H1 55W lamps

[schnell944]

I have '90 euro ellipsoids with HIR bulbs in them and I have to say the setup works great. if you do go this route, make sure you clean the ellipsoid before installation. It makes a world of a difference.

[brick8]

I did the 9006<-->9005 conversion but now it seems my low beams are pointed up to the sky. This seems illogical because I did nothing to change the aim. Is this normal?

9006<-->9005 definitely worth doing, and probably the cheapest thing you could do. you can use a soldering iron you don't care about or use an exacto knife/boxcutter, and under 30 minutes to do. no modification to your car required, only to the bulbs.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Consider this when changing to ellipsoids:



Trim along line shown to get an E-code beam (no smiley, but there you go).

At your own expense and risk.