[jps328x91]

Sorry for the noob question, but I couldn't find this information in the existing threads. I have a 2011 E91 (US car) and I just replaced the angel eyes with LED H8 120W. They look great, but I'm concerned about having the ballast inside the headlight housing.

Everything fits, but it's tight in there. Is this something I should be worried about?

I'm also trying to figure out if the lights in the middle (closest to the kidney grill, non low-beam/high-beam) are the ones that physically turn left and right with adaptive headlights. If so, I'm worried that there is not enough room in there.

[nthnthnthnth]

Originally Posted by jps328x91

Sorry for the noob question, but I couldn't find this information in the existing threads. I have a 2011 E91 (US car) and I just replaced the angel eyes with LED H8 120W. They look great, but I'm concerned about having the ballast inside the headlight housing.

Everything fits, but it's tight in there. Is this something I should be worried about?

I'm also trying to figure out if the lights in the middle (closest to the kidney grill, non low-beam/high-beam) are the ones that physically turn left and right with adaptive headlights. If so, I'm worried that there is not enough room in there.

I've been running LED angel eyes with the ballast inside the housing for about ten years without an issue. I do try to make sure the ballast has some space, even if minimal space, when packed into the housing before closing it up.

I don't believe the cornering lights physically turn with the adaptive lights. The reflector on them is intended to permanently focus to the left (left side) or right (right side).

[KKevin]

On that note, if you're worried about over heating or melting inside the housing nothing to worry about OEM headlights are pretty sturdy

[Serf27]

It should be fine. I’ve seen plenty of lights like that.

If you’re worried, buy some LEDs with no resistors and code out the error warning.

The inner bulb only turns on when you make a turn or have the turn signal on. It does not physically move.

[crashoverride]

contrary to previous post the cornering lights have a motor that moves things. However it's super sensitive to water and almost always burns up when a bulb is replaced and the formally tight seal becomes compromised. Furthermore, the motor is vin coded to the car for extra replacement troubles.
Newer cars due to the ongoing shorting out of motors have switched to turning on a side light to get the effect without sensitive motors.

[Serf27]

No they do not.
The cornering light is the inner bulb of the headlight, near the kidney grills, it doesn’t move.

The low beam has the motor and moves around.

[crashoverride]

Originally Posted by Serf27

No they do not.
The cornering light is the inner bulb of the headlight, near the kidney grills, it doesn’t move.

The low beam has the motor and moves around.

Im getting lost in one post you say nothing moves in another you say it does move. I think you are getting lost in the semantics. When I'm making a corner turn the light motors to follow the road.

Where things get confusing is some builds there is a motor that moves in others their is just a light that comes on. The e90 has motorized movement.

[Serf27]

It’s 2 different parts of the light I am referring to.

Inner bulb of the US adaptive lci e90 turns on when you make a turn. This is a small halogen bulb.
Low beam/outer bulb physically turns when making a turn. This is the xenon bulb.

It uses a motor on the low beam and uses a fixed cornering light.

[lnxguy]

Originally Posted by crashoverride

Im getting lost in one post you say nothing moves in another you say it does move. I think you are getting lost in the semantics. When I'm making a corner turn the light motors to follow the road.

Where things get confusing is some builds there is a motor that moves in others their is just a light that comes on. The e90 has motorized movement.

It's both.

When cornering the inner light gets turned on and the Xenon asselmby pivots to whatever side the car is turning.

[lowrydr310]

It's not really both. The cornering lights are the inner lights that have halogen bulbs. The outer lights are adaptive xenons that do move when you turn but they're not called cornering lights. It's just semantics.

Regarding the comments about heat, I have read in the Bentley manual that the FRM has a built in timer that will turn the cornering lights off after a certain amount of time if you haven't completed your turn. I don't know how long that it's but it states that it's to prevent heat damage to the housing. I have retrofitted Xenon headlights to a 325i E90 originally equipped with halogen lights which I no longer own and had it configured such that when I pushed the headlight stalk forward it dropped the shutter on the xenon projector for high beams, but for "flash to pass" functionality when pulling the stalk intermittently, the inner halogen lights would illuminate. I then got a 330 that had adaptive xenons as original equipment, and when I disabled the adaptive function the lights behave exactly as my 325i did, using the inner lights for flash-to-pass and the xenons for high beams. I now have a pre-LCI E93 with adaptive lights and it uses the xenons for flash to pass and high beams, and the cornering lights only come on when I put my turn signal on at low speed.

[lnxguy]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

It's not really both. The cornering lights are the inner lights that have halogen bulbs. The outer lights are adaptive xenons that do move when you turn but they're not called cornering lights. It's just semantics.
.

I think you misunderstood what I was referring to. The cornering light illuminates and the xenon pivots when making a turn. Simple stuff.

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by lnxguy

I think you misunderstood what I was referring to. The cornering light illuminates and the xenon pivots when making a turn. Simple stuff.

I hear you. We're saying the exact same thing here.

BMW calls the inner halogen lights that come on when you turn "cornering lights"

BMW calls the xenon's that pivot when you turn "adaptive headlights