mfkl2

Hello mbworld!

I bought my first mercedes 2 weeks ago and I am falling in love everyday with my new C250. unfortunately there were no cars left with the lighting package so I took the next best thing. Ever since I knew how to open the hood of a car, I've always had the urge to change things. now that I have the benz, there isn't much to change. but i have to get rid of the stock 4300k halogens.
ive changed the daytime lights, interior dome lights, license plate lights all to LEDs...but my headlights are killing me...
any suggestions on the whitest maybe a little bluish headlights...
ive tried sylvania ultra and silverstars but they are still too yellow.
and i dont want cheap blue tinted bulbs that only look nice in pictures.
im looking for a color temp around 5500 to 6000 and with just as great visibility that ebays $10 blue ones can never do.
yea its a hard question but ive been up all night searching and cant seem to find the right bulb.
thanks much for your help!!

ps. i dont want hid conversions either

AdidasC230

your not going to get a color temp or lighting color of a BIX ever with a halogen bulb period. Silverstars ect are some of the "whitest" if you want to call them that halogens, and they still are almost 1000k off from stock HID coloring. Also you have a reflector housing which effect the color as well (not in a good way for you)

HID kits are your best option if you want that color. If it mattered that much that you screwed with all the other bulbs you should have waited to get BIX.

Or throw down the cash and get MB OEM BIX.

Like you said, tinted bulbs are cheap and rice, silvanias arent the right color, and stock HALOGENS are not white/ blue enough.

Go HID or accept you purchased a car without it. Of course HIDs in halogens unless equiped with a proper length bulb and in an ajusted housing will scatter light all over the road and blind others which isnt cool either.

http://store.sharphid.com/category_s/137.htm

bigigg

From experience.. no holagen bulb is going to be "white" sorry.. go with hid's

Knightmare69

Do you care more bout color or usable light? Go to autolumination.com and look up there hdr bulbs, might be what you need.

*Edit* here is the bulb I'm talking about


Found here http://autolumination.com/headlights.htm

Glyn M Ruck

You want about 5500 Kelvin for best lighting.

acr2001

You changed your license plate lights to LED? They're already LED from the factory on 2012 unless the 250 is different!

As far as the headlights it's the front marker lights that *really* make the car look terrible. Replace them with the AZN Optics 5000k LEDs. They match the DRL LED Strips *perfectly*. They look factory. Then replace your headlamps with Philips Crystal Vision Ultra lights. Amazon is selling them VERY cheap.
They're not going to be as white as bright as you want, but they are the best you can do with 55 watt H7 halogens. You must remember that the higher the kelvin, the *LESS* light output you are going to get from halogen headlights. This is because in order to get a whiter/bluer light from these bulbs, they tint the glass in order to filter out the lower kelvin colors - reducing overall light output. The Philips Crystal Vision Ultra bulbs will be less yellow, and slightly brighter (because the filament is overdriven).

mfkl2

thanks for the feedback guys...
but yes ive thought of bix and would have waited but they told me to wait another month or more for it...and its much more fun to DIY...
my friend had an aftermarket hid kit installed and it looked horrible...and maybe they wired it wrong but it kept flickering. so if i wanted to go with hid kits then i dont want a half a** kit.
the wifey is already pissed cuz i spend more time on the car than with her so the thought of buying a hid kit and installing it will probably make her throw me out of the house.

the thing im iffy about is that the halogen housing for the C has a 90 degree angled mirror right above the bulb to give it the "cut-off" look of projectors.
so with that there maybe it wouldnt scatter like the older models do.

and yes stock license plate light are led but i wanted brighter lights so....yea lol

maybe i might have to go with a hid kit to satisfy myself...im just hoping that there would be an easier...cheaper way to do it...if not then go big.

Sentosa

Have you looked at Philips Diamond and/or Crystal vision. I have them on mine and they are far superior to OEM.

acr2001

Ive heard that the Diamond vision lights are actually a bit dim (due to too much filtering so that they can be as white/blue as they are) the Crystal vision lights, while slightly less blue, are brighter. Great bulbs.

mfkl2

i just want it to match the led DRL...kinda hard with halogens as far as all the feedbacks tell me...

03renntechamg

Has anyone tried the bulbs from ijdmtoy.com?

Im thinking of getting the headlight bulbs since the led lisence plate bulbs I just purchased look amazing...

acr2001

It's not going to happen unless you're willing to lose a very large percentage of your light output. It's not safe. Technically it can be matched at that cost. Don't do it - get yourself the matching LED city lights and go with the Crystal Vision bulbs. I think it's an excellent compromise.

C300CA

I am considering an HID conversion kit for my 2011 C. Does anyone have a good experience with a kit to recommend? I read some info online and of course everybody says they are the best. I like to hear a real application. Thanks.

acr2001

I keep hearing good things about AZN Optics kits but I really don't know any details.

hellasmania219

Anyone ever try retrofitting projectors in reflector headlights like these ?

white slk

do these lights work on older mb? mine is 98 slk and can't see much from low beams

Ben'sBenz

If you're going to go with an aftermarket HID kit, i recommend AZNoptics.com. The guy is a W204 owner and member of this forum. I bought his HID kit for my car and have been very happy. The ballasts have an error cancellor built in and were completely plug and play. It's a good product and Mike stands behind it. I've also bought LED's from him for my eyelids. Good luck and congrats on the car!

mfkl2

im just worried about the "scatter" that happens with mirror housing. the previous models came with projectors even without hid so it shouldnt be a problem but the 2012 models are just mirrors...

acr2001

This is the same problem I have with getting aftermarket HIDs on this model (and also that mine is a lease). If you do go the HID route, please for the love of god adjust them down so as not to blind other drivers.

victort

i think an aftermarket HID kit in the 2012 halogen housing will just make it look cheap. i think this is a great example of "rice" or whatever the term is for german cars.

acr2001

I agree with that.

victort

haha it seems like me and you are saying the same thing in all these lighting threads, yet they keep popping up

acr2001

Yep. I think it's going to be a major topic of discussion as the 2012 units roll in. The new lights are a real downgrade due to the reflector housings. Such a shame since all of the other changes are huge upgrades.

I think a sticky lighting thread with all the bulb info and this topic would be a good idea.

bigigg

I was very suprised when i noticed my wifes 2012 c300 didnt come with projecter headlights.. i think putting an hid kit into a non projector housing will look terrible and scatter like crazy..

white slk

thanks for nutin