Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

How blue are our xenons?

504 views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  Drew 
#1 ·
I like the Audi Xenons - very blue. As well as the 7 series Bimmers and even the X5. I haven't had a chance to observe my ML's xenons - for obvious reasons, but have seen those from a non '02 ML430 - very nicely blueish. Question: are our Xenons as blue as the Bimmers' and Audis'? This is just for bragging rights and ego boosting, of course.
 
#2 ·
Actually...

I like the Audi Xenons - very blue. As well as the 7 series Bimmers and even the X5. I haven't had a chance to observe my ML's xenons - for obvious reasons, but have seen those from a non '02 ML430 - very nicely blueish. Question: are our Xenons as blue as the Bimmers' and Audis'? This is just for bragging rights and ego boosting, of course.
The BMW and Audi Xenons use the same type of bulbs as the ML. The reason why they appear blue is not because of the bulbs, but rather the projector optics, which causes them to change colour as you get close to the vehicle. If you drive towards your ML, you will find that they're blue too, until you get up close at which point they appear very very white.

Actually, the pre-'02 ML's Xenons just appear white, not particularly blue at all since they are reflector based rather than projector based, and the optics of reflectors doesn't make them appear blue.

The bluer you go (high colour temperature), the more scattering of light you get (i.e. glare) and the more lumens you lose. The 6000K bulbs, for example, are 20-25% less bright from a luminal standpoint when compared to the stock HID bulbs, which are around 4200K.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top