Xenons and Bi-Xenons, is there any difference?

[jubhi]

Hi Folks,

Excuse my ignorance but what is the difference between the two if any?

Thanks.

 

[whitenemesis]

IIRC, Xenons are just main beam, bi-xenons are main and dipped beams

 

[Blobcat]

As per above.
The main difference I've found from having bi-xenon's is the instant daylight when full beam is switched on.

 

[jubhi]

Thanks, so how can I tell just by looking if I have Xenon's or Bi-Xenons on my CLK?

 

[television]

Thanks, so how can I tell just by looking if I have Xenon's or Bi-Xenons on my CLK?

Why not feed the VIN into hare and it will tell you


http://old.mbclub.ru/mb/vin/?lng=eng

 

[jubhi]

Just tried that and looks lilke my vehicle is not on the database yet because it was registered in 2007.

 

[Blobcat]

Thanks, so how can I tell just by looking if I have Xenon's or Bi-Xenons on my CLK?

Take a look at the inner headlights , if they are Bi-Xenon then they look very different to the "usual" Halogen bulb. Mine look like a clear piece of plastic just less than 1/2" in diameter cut off at ~45' at the end.

 

[100%Bitch]

The Xenons look like Grasshopper's eyes. (as in Kung Fu)

 

[Phil D]

IIRC, Xenons are just main beam, bi-xenons are main and dipped beams

really? and what would be the point of having main beam only? I've never driven a car where I felt the main beam performance was inadequate - in the real world the problem is having to run on dipped because of oncoming traffic so surely if only one beam was to be upgraded it should be dip ?

 

[100%Bitch]

My Xenons are only for dipped beam, not main beam.

 

[Phil D]

My Xenons are only for dipped beam, not main beam.

that makes sense

 

[television]

My Xenons are only for dipped beam, not main beam.

But you know where you are going or should I say heading

 

[100%Bitch]

But you know where you are going or should I say heading

If only I did. :lol:

 

[whitenemesis]

really? and what would be the point of having main beam only? I've never driven a car where I felt the main beam performance was inadequate - in the real world the problem is having to run on dipped because of oncoming traffic so surely if only one beam was to be upgraded it should be dip ?

My Xenons are only for dipped beam, not main beam.

Clearly I recalled incorrectly, my apologies if I mislead anyone :Oops:

 

[jubhi]

Just been confirmed that I have Bi Xenons so that's good news

 

[television]

Clearly I recalled incorrectly, my apologies if I mislead anyone :Oops:

Your help is welcomed by all, its so dam easy to say the wrong thing

 

[hawk20]

Interestingly enough, Mercedes have yet another kind of headlight on offer. On the Avantgarde A class (and only on that model) you get halogen powered Projection Beam headlights. They look just like BiXenons with the eyeballs etc and they have the same simple dipping mechanism for France etc. (No need for Black tape).

And they are very bright indeed. Hardly less to my eye than the BiXenons I had on the S class. Nice compromise as the bulbs are sensible money. On the S a new bulb cost £100.

 

[3146bj]

really? and what would be the point of having main beam only? I've never driven a car where I felt the main beam performance was inadequate - in the real world the problem is having to run on dipped because of oncoming traffic so surely if only one beam was to be upgraded it should be dip ?

The point is to have the light with the higher output for high beam which is aimed further down the road and covers a much larger area. Halogens were originally a single filament 55w bulb (the H1) used for high beam with a separate tungsten filament bulb for low beam, both in the same (SEV Marschal) light unit. Later double filament halogens have higher output high beam filaments (60w high/55watt low or even 130w high/100w low).

To have a high output bulb for low beam defeats the basic logic of dipping lights to reduce glare to an oncoming car, i.e changing from low to high output when dipping will increase the dazzle effect to the oncoming driver.

The higher output also improve the lighting on high beam at extreme distances (with the lights on some of the long distance transports here, you can easily read a newspaper at a couple of kilometers range - 4 x 130w high beams and 2 x 130w "pencil beam" halogens).

 

[jberks]

I'm confused now.
I understood, that there were Halogen, then projection beam (as I had in the Audi)which were more accurate and brighter, then xenons which are brighter still but actually use less current. Looking at my 211, the large headlights are xenon. However, the spots, that kick in on main beam, are halogen. I'm not sure whether the xenons change in any way for main beam, I suspect they don't on mine and all main beam does it switch on the spots.
Bi xenon means that main beam is xenon too. This is done by moving a small shutter that blocks out a of the light for dipped and allowing it all through for main beam.
Oddly, the russian site says
halogen lamp unit with high beam/low beam/fog light (r.h. traffic) (с 01.04.1970)
As its a 211 avantgarde it has xenon as standard though I don't belive they were bi xenon.

 

[Legoman]

so on the same subject , whats peoples opinion of this kit , i was considering it as an upgrade on the standard but dim units on my car

http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/product.php?productid=17164&cat=620&page=1