Member Since: 05 Dec 2017
Location: Ingatestone
Posts: 266
Anyone upgraded their HIR2 bulbs?
Most of the bulb sites list my facelift 2014 non-xenon D4 as having H4 bulbs, but I’ve physically taken my bulbs out to check and they are HIR2, which is a less common type it seems.
In the past on non-xenon cars I’ve used PIAA Xtreme White bulbs, which have all been fantastic, you pay for what you get but the light is IMO almost xenon colour and brightness.
I was therefore assuming I’d do the same with the D4 but PIAA don’t do any HIR2 bulbs (other than a new LED kit which I’ll come onto in a minute), nor it seems do any other manufacturers other than like-for-like bulbs.
Are there any upgraded HIR2 options out there that I haven’t found?
PIAA are soon hopefully bringing out an LED kit which, although it’s not yet 100% clear, will hopefully be in HIR2 fitment. I’ve queried with them regarding the usual bad-press regarding LED bulbs having different beam patterns and therefore MOT issues etc., and they’ve assured me that they’ve done the research and these bulbs will protrude into the lamp unit the correct distance so as to produce the same beam pattern, and actually they are selling them to various car manufacturers in Japan to use new in their cars.
So it may be that there is hopefully an MOT friendly LED kit coming out soon, but failing this are there any other options?
4th Jan 2018 1:47 pm
discoteca
Member Since: 08 Mar 2010
Location: Warwickshire
Posts: 1477
I think that the HIR2 bulb is so unusual that no-one makes an upgrade option currently. Certainly the last time this was asked on the forum it drew a blank.
4th Jan 2018 6:31 pm
Space Cadet
Member Since: 05 Dec 2017
Location: Ingatestone
Posts: 266
Thanks, yes it looks that way, will report back on the PIAA LED bulbs once/if I get them.
4th Jan 2018 7:58 pm
Jubbly
Member Since: 20 Nov 2016
Location: Stourbridge
Posts: 401
No experience of either, just what came up on a search.Sill protection - LED internal lights - LED reverse lights - boot liner - Dog Guard - Rock sliders
MY12 D4 HSE - been and gome
MY16 D4 Landmark
4th Jan 2018 11:49 pm
Space Cadet
Member Since: 05 Dec 2017
Location: Ingatestone
Posts: 266
Thanks, I’d seen the Osram bulbs but I’m not going to pay that much for potentially just 20% extra. And there is so much bad press about LED kits therefore would want to wait for the ‘proper’ PIAA kit, you pay for what you get unfortunately.
5th Jan 2018 12:11 am
Space Cadet
Member Since: 05 Dec 2017
Location: Ingatestone
Posts: 266
I will double-check, but I was 99% that my HIR2 bulbs were dual-filament (i.e. high & low beam in the same bulb), but according to PIAA HIR2’s are not dual-filament. The good news though is that their kit is coming out in HIR2 fitment but just as single-filament.
If this is the case then I must have a low-beam bulb somewhere….
Am I being a complete pillock?.....
These are not my exact headlights, but to get an idea please see example photo in my Gallery, I have the two “lamps” the one in the bottom left of the picture and the one in the top right. The top right is HIR2, the bottom right I can’t remember off the top of my head – is this the low beam bulb?!
I was thinking this was a “DLR” and that the top right was both the dipped and high beam (i.e. why I though my HIR2 bulb was dual-filament)….
they're too new for me to be sure but is it the one where a shutter moves to allow "main beam" ... so it would be a single filament.
5th Jan 2018 5:18 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8072
That looks like a xenon to me!- I have been wrong before!
I hope so as it is the same as mine and I was told it was xenon, they only fit xenons on HSE's. I'll rephrase that; all HSE's have xenons, I have an HSE.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
5th Jan 2018 5:31 pm
discoteca
Member Since: 08 Mar 2010
Location: Warwickshire
Posts: 1477
HIR2 is a single filement bulb. The lights have a mechanical shutter in them like xenons to switch between low and high beam.
Easy way to identify xenons or not on post 2014 cars is the position of the indicator. Xenons have round indicator next to the grille and led drls, non xenons have indicator on outer corner and halogen drls where the indicator is on the xenon ones.
5th Jan 2018 5:40 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8072
Thanks, that had me worried, mine are xenons, but no where near as good as the D3's.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
5th Jan 2018 5:48 pm
Space Cadet
Member Since: 05 Dec 2017
Location: Ingatestone
Posts: 266
Thanks, that picture was just an example of the two different lamp positions, I’m 100% sure I don’t have xenons, but the top right lamp is definitely a much brighter white light than the more yellow bottom left lamp.
I’m going to take the unit out agin to triple check all this once and for all...
5th Jan 2018 8:45 pm
discoteca
Member Since: 08 Mar 2010
Location: Warwickshire
Posts: 1477
If you have 2 white/yellow bulbs of any description in the same unit then it isn't a xenon.
5th Jan 2018 8:53 pm
Space Cadet
Member Since: 05 Dec 2017
Location: Ingatestone
Posts: 266
Right, I’ve had a good look at it all, firstly they’re definitely halogen as it says so on the label on the top of the headlight itself and they look exactly like the example photo, it also says “levelled” on the sticker which I will come into later.
There is definitely just the two bulbs in the unit (other than the orange indicator) one as in the bottom left of my previous example picture - which is definitely just a W21/5W sidelight.
The other in the top right, is a single-element HIR2 bulb but which definitely does main and dipped, I couldn’t understand how this could be until I realised there is a shutter within the headlight unit itself that raises and drops to switch from main & dipped to just dipped. Simple really!
So what this means is that I will be able to get the single-element PIAA LED HIR2 kit and my headlight will continue to switch between main and dipped itself.
Above the orange indicator bulb there are three little “cylinders” (you can just about see them in the photo) within the unit that don’t appear to be for aesthetics therefore I assume they must serve a function of some sort, but I couldn’t tell if there were anything (such as little LED bulbs!!), inside, these aren’t the DLR’s are they??
Regarding “levelled”, I don’t look to have any options in my menus to change the level of the headlights, I enquired previously about this at my local specialist and they said it was because I had air-suspension and therefore thd car automatically levels itself, is this correct? There are two screw points to manually level them, but didn’t look like there are motors attached, I could be wrong though...
Thanks for everyone’s help on this!
Last edited by Space Cadet on 6th Jan 2018 12:18 am. Edited 2 times in total
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