Upgrading OEM HID Headlights, what are the options available??

[JayVee]

E46 M3s with non-ZKW headlights (which is all of them as far as I know), do not have issues with burnt bowls. That being said, running a 55W ballast would not be a good idea in the long run.
Currently I run Osram CBB (5500-ish Kelvin bulbs with ZKW-R lenses (non-fresnel lens). Stock ballasts and igniters (21 years old). Much improved lighting. Also have Morimoto LED fog lights that match the CBB’s pretty well.
Compared to my Tundra (RX350 projectors w/ CBBs, Morinoto mini HB dedicated high beam and Morimoto fog lights), the main difference is distance (more for the Tundra), hotspot (better on the Tundra) and a much less well-defined cutoff (which can be good or bad depending on what you want).
if you really want some extra light, check out the retrofitsource.com and/or lightwerks.com. Both are trusted names in the retrofit hobby. Caesar is the owner of Lightwerks. Standup guy. I *believe* he sells a bracket to mount G5R projectors to the e46 Bosch/Al OE projectors. You could also check out the FB group headlightjunkies. Lots of info there.

Edit:
And I agree with poster above: swapping in a new set of bulbs is the easiest and best bang for the buck. They aren’t cheap, though. You would need D2S bulbs. A bit of a pain to swap based on our cars design.

Mike

This is the best OEM+ upgrade. Osram Cool Blue Boost or "CBB" matched with Morimoto's XB LED's. I have this combination and the output far exceeds stock. Just remember to level your projections and fogs correctly.

[EnzoAtMonza]

I did a retrofit a few years ago on mine using items from retrofit source, ups low (bi-led with laser fog light) and high side is a morimoto led high beam. Wiring was run to a 12 pin Deutsch bulkhead fitting. Saved a few lbs and freed up some space that was needed for other items. Unfortunately I haven't actually tried them yet build may have snow balled a little, hopefully soon.

Few pics from the build.

[dukeofchen]

I am guessing Caesar at Lightwerkz is the way to go to upgrade from all the comments in this thread.

Anyone have pics to post of their upgraded headlight outputs to get an idea of what they look like?

From earlier in the thread – Lightwerkz is probably the best bet and people have been going to them for years. I DIY'd it but that was more to save money, it requires a good amount of shaving the inner housing and tweaking to get things aligned right.

Lightwerkz g5brt conversion with oem shrouds is oem+ and a substantial upgrade. This is my sedan but I just had the same setup built for my M3. All low beams pictured for output













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[bmw m3 s50]

Anyone have pics to post of their upgraded headlight outputs to get an idea of what they look like?

[bmw m3 s50]

Please contact Caesar at Lightwerkz. I had mine done over 10 years ago and I'm sure prices have changed since then. You won't be disappointed with the results, I'm sure of that.

I am guessing Caesar at Lightwerkz is the way to go to upgrade from all the comments in this thread.

[toy4to]

Please contact Caesar at Lightwerkz. I had mine done over 10 years ago and I'm sure prices have changed since then. You won't be disappointed with the results, I'm sure of that.

What’s the approximate cost for something like that?

[jrgatfh]

I have a Lightwerkz retrofit on my car. I love it. Super sharp cutoff, very bright and focused. Compared to stock, it's night and day, literally.

What’s the approximate cost for something like that?

[simonnim]

Do these work on the Bosch sets?

[maw1124]

maw1124 - service provider? You don't want to DIY the bulb swap? Also the Philips XV2 beat the Nightbreaker by almost 100 lumens.

This will all be done by the next time I see the car.

maw

[BlueBimmers]

maw1124 - service provider? You don't want to DIY the bulb swap? Also the Philips XV2 beat the Nightbreaker by almost 100 lumens.

[dukeofchen]

And a follow on stupid question to save me some reading… for an ‘05 car can I just tell my service provider to “install Osram Night Breaker bulbs” and be done with it. I’m hoping the answer is Yes here, as I have 3 cars between ‘04 and ‘06 with factory xenon headlights.

Love this thread by the way. Thanks Gents. So far, for my next service visit, I’m up to: Osram Nightbreakers, Koni Yellow fronts, refinished center console from TexaM3, Imola leather armrest, SS brake lines (don’t know how that didn’t get done sooner, actually), CSL 255 tune, new tires (235/265) and maybe refurbished rims (if I can make a buy and swap make sense) — all learned and gained from this site.

Cheers, and cheers again!! 🍻

maw

Only one model of Nightbreaker, but make sure you mention it's D2S bulb type if they need to order it in.

[maw1124]

Are the Osram Night Breakers reusable for projector upgrade? Or does lightwerks suggest other bulbs for G5BRT?

And a follow on stupid question to save me some reading… for an ‘05 car can I just tell my service provider to “install Osram Night Breaker bulbs” and be done with it. I’m hoping the answer is Yes here, as I have 3 cars between ‘04 and ‘06 with factory xenon headlights.

Love this thread by the way. Thanks Gents. So far, for my next service visit, I’m up to: Osram Nightbreakers, Koni Yellow fronts, refinished center console from TexaM3, Imola leather armrest, SS brake lines (don’t know how that didn’t get done sooner, actually), CSL 255 tune, new tires (235/265) and maybe refurbished rims (if I can make a buy and swap make sense) — all learned and gained from this site.

Cheers, and cheers again!! 🍻

maw

[Gools]

I'm also running a lightworks setup. There's no upgrade like good projectors, for light output.

I later did 55w and better bulbs, which was nice, but nothing like the improvement from the projector upgrade.

Are the Osram Night Breakers reusable for projector upgrade? Or does lightwerks suggest other bulbs for G5BRT?

[BlueBimmers]

So are the spec sheets for these bulbs meaningless? I just bought regular Philips 85122 bulbs for my E39 M5 as a first step to fixing its light output because they were the cheapest (~$70 for two) and the luminance spec is 3200lm .. exactly the same as the Nightbreakers. What is the difference here?

Suggest you check out the head-to-head videos RetroFit does for actual performance. I shared link earlier.

[repoman89]

So are the spec sheets for these bulbs meaningless? I just bought regular Philips 85122 bulbs for my E39 M5 as a first step to fixing its light output because they were the cheapest (~$70 for two) and the luminance spec is 3200lm .. exactly the same as the Nightbreakers. What is the difference here?