The self leveling absolutely does adjust for up and down hill. It just takes a second to adjust. The whole point of the levelers is to make sure the lights aren't angled incorrectly on inclines.

Load has very little to do with headlight angle unless you're driving around with a 500 lb bag of concrete in your trunk.

FYI if you're experiencing hotspotting with your xenons you need to adjust them up a little. They shouldn't have a sharp cutoff 10 feet away from the car.

 

I have a new 2009 Cooper with halogens and they are indeed pointed to low. I want to adjust them, but I don't know how.

How do I adjust them myself? Thanks.

 

Yes, brighter typically gives better visibility. I have installed several Xenon aftermarket headlights and have been pleased with the performance. They are definitely brighter than halogen bulbs any illuminate the road better! I feel that the Mini Xenon are "not" extraordinaterly bright, but still worth the $500. Maybe the lens system used to focus the light downwards has something to do with this. I've never thought that mine were improperly aimed. I'm sure they are not "blinding" anyone at all, since I've NEVER been "flashed" in the Mini. I think BMW is very careful about this.

 

AFAIK unless BMW changed it on the R56 (compared to all other BMWs and MINIs) the sensor for the xenon levelers is in the rear suspension. It takes into account acceleration or deceleration of the car relative to rear suspension compression or rebound. So the lamps adjust up when you brake and down when you hit the gas.

Now normally you will accelerate up an incline and brake down the other side so the tend to work that way under normal circumstances, but there is nothing in the system that senses the angle of the grade you are going up or down.

 

I had xenons on my 04 Maxima, first xenons I ever owned and I absolutely loved them and swore then that I would never go back.

I did, occasionally, get flashed by oncoming cars when only running the low beams. I had the aiming verified by a state inspector and it was ok but I still got flashed.

I found the the xenons on my 08 MCS pointed too low. I adjusted them higher and now I don't see the cutoff like I did before because it is just the right distance away.

And even after the higher adjustment, I have never been flashed in my MINI. I'm very glad I got them. Can't think of any option I would rather have gotten on the MINI at the same price or lower.

Plus they LOOK awesome.

 

Just my thoughts, for some reason I hate the way the Xenon projectors look on the Mini (one of the few cars I think this about), the headlights to me just do not look right with them (reminds me of bad WRX bug eye conversions I use to see when I had my WRX), and that was the biggest reason I choose not to get them. But I also live in NYC and have little use for them, (I have them on my allroad and had them on my A3), street light just make xenons very unnecessary. However, in rural areas where there is no street lights they are a huge benefit, and something I think I would need (even if they are ugly) specifically if I drove on those roads regularly at night.

 

if you ask me I will say get it or regret it

 

Our 2007 MCS had halogens. Our 2009 MCC has xenons. I prefer the xenon headlamps on the country highways where we live. On bright, at highway speeds, they give a good 3-5 second preview of what's on the road ahead.

However, on dim, and not blinding oncoming drivers, they give a preview of only about 1 second -- just enough time to hit the brake before actually hitting the deer. Really no better than the halogens.

Neither the halogen nor the xenon, on dim, gives much of a preview at highway speeds on dark highways. It's about enough light to stay between the lines.

The only improvement I have seen advertised is night vision -- a great option if you are buying a $70,000 BMW, at only $2600. For the MINI it is NA, of course.

 

It's a personal choice. I think the xenon clusters look better on the MINI, but I prefer halogen lights. For me, the diffuse cutoff and less dazzling, yellower light means my eyes are adjusted such that I can see more of the surrounding road. This is comparing my MINI to my dad's BMW (which, additionally, has adaptive turning headlamps).

There's a scientific explanation for this. Rods, which are responsible for night vision, respond sharply to blue and green light, but not red light. At night, your eyes increase the sensitivity of the rods to give you more sensitive night vision. If you were to view blue light, the eye has to reduce the sensitivity of the rods to accomodate the blue light--thus your overall night vision is compromised. Since rods are not very sensitive to red light, you can view red light without ruining your night vision. This is why many car-makers use red or amber interior lighting--and why many find VW, Hyundai, and Honda's blue or white lighting irritating. Even worse, if the light in your foreground is too bright and too colourful, your eyes will bring cones back into play--which further compromises your night vision.

With xenon lamps, the light thrown has a greater amount of blue light, forcing your eyes to adjust. This is in addition to the fact that xenon lights are brighter. You might see the illuminated patch better, but the surrounding, unlit areas will be darker. It also contributes to why oncoming drivers will perceive your lights to be very bright--particularly if the oncoming driver has been driving with halogen lights. They see you coming, and since rods take a while to adjust their sensitivity, your white xenons appear very dazzling to them.

That said, if you go with the halogens and do any amount of driving with high beams on, replace the bulbs. The ones that come with the car are useless. Some people dislike them, but I've had good experiences with Sylvania Silverstar bulbs (both on the MINI and on our 1998 Civic Si). The improvement is significant. There is no question that xenons are brighter and throw light farther, though.

It also comes down to where you drive. My commute is down a twisting, unlit mountain road, surrounded on both sides with forest. I value the vision into the trees to the sides, as I can spot wildlife and slow down as I get there. The longer throw of xenons to the front of me is useless, as it throws straight into trees. If your drive is down a straight highway, with relatively little in the surrounding area like the above poster, xenons would be the preferable choice.

On low-beam, urban/suburban driving, there's really no difference.

If you get a chance, try them both! It gives you an excuse to test drive the MINI more.

 

Unfortunitly i was on a budget so i went for the cold weather package instead. It seemed more usefully. Of course a week after i finally got the car i got a large raise so i could have afforded a few things i really wanted. But hey it's all gravy. My started head lights are fine. i just want to get rid of the egg yolks

 

I chose the halogens over the xenon b/c I didn't want to replace expensive bulbs if they blow. If you choose the halogens don't pick up the Sylvania Silverstars (only rated 350 hours) - instead get the Philips X-treme bulbs -

http://www.lighting.philips.com/ca_e...motive&lang=en

Once you've installed them raise your headlights up and it's a whole new driving experience.

I can see way further than my brother in law can w/ his R56 w/ xenons.

 

Nice write-up carsncars.

I took a MINI with Xenons for a test-drive a few weeks ago (a little after dusk, so I was using the headlights). I was only driving about 5 minutes before someone flashed their brights at me. (Was using the low-beams of course). That didn't make me want to ride around with xenons full-time, I can tell you that.

I'm doing largely urban driving with low-beams combined with freeway-driving (also with low-beams) so it sounds like there's not much advantage to the xenons anyway, in my case.

 

Thanks for the advice about the Philips X-treme bulbs. I've seen them mentioned on many threads, those and the PIAA's. I just can't find them in auto parts stores and I've tried three. Everyone carries the same Sylvania crap. So I am getting the bulbs online.

Once I get them and install them, how do I raise the angle of the headlights on my 09? I've looked in the manual, I've looked at the housings and I have spent a lot of time trying to find instructions on line. I'm sure they are out there. Can someone please point me in the right direction? Thanks.

 

there is a vertical plastic philips head screw to the side of the headlamp that you can turn. Clockwise raises the headlamps. I needed 3 full turns b/c I want my lights high. Others have used 1/2 turn....all depends on how low/high you want them. Just make sure you get H13 / 9008 bulbs for the R56

http://www.bulbs.com/eSpec.aspx?ID=1...f2=Light+Bulbs

 

Hm, I think I'll try those Phillips X-treme bulbs. I've never felt that the Silverstars had a short lifespan, but a longer one would be a bonus.

Another thing with xenons--wear on xenons is determined as much by the number of power up/power down cycles as it is by burn hours (possibly even more so). I have no idea whether the additional power up/down cycles from short-trip around-town driving has any significant effect on lifetime or not, but it could affect the lifetime of the xenon bulb. All speculation, though. It might not have any significant effect. I should totally apply for a grant and conduct a study...

In general though, although xenon bulbs cost more, they also last longer. That probably offsets the cost difference a bit.

 

Thanks very much for the guidance!

 

I currently have cars with them and without them - I prefer the Xenon lamps and will likely continue to purchase cars with this option in the future. IMO there is a big difference in my ability to see in the dark city or country but it could be my eyes.

 

I think better to have it since the look of it is much better! In where I live we don't need that much light output but I would like to have the stock Xenon light because the look of it not because the output...

 

going to touch on both of these statements. i too have learned all about rods and cones, took quite a few lighting engineering classes in college.

what you're referring to when you talk about the rods and cones is merely the color of the bulbs, not the fact that they're HID. The bulbs come in all different kelvin. You could get them in bright yellow if you wanted.

Now you say you want to switch to sylvania silverstars.... you're completely contradicting yourself. you want better vision at night, so you get halogens, yet you replace your factory bulbs with bulbs that have MORE blue light, not less.

And I will definitely disagree with you on urban/suburban driving. They make a HUGE difference in urban driving. In urban driving, you have street lights that illuminate everything. For the traditional halogens, you barely notice you have your headlights on, making everything illuminated the same. With the xenons, you can see that screw-laden plank of wood 2 feet in front of you, because your headlights are illuminating it.

Where I wouldn't recommend them, is in a highly traveled suburban area. Somewhere without street lights, yet enough traffic that you won't be able to use your high's frequenly. Xenons have a very sharp cutoff and don't project much light above the cutoff. That deer around the corner, you won't be able to see anything but it's legs. Halogens seem to perform the best in these situations. The factory fog lights to a LOT to combat this issue though, just get some nice bright bulbs and always use them.

 

WOO HOO! The Philips X-Treme Power 9008/H13 arrived yesterday evening. I haven't had a chance to drive at night with them (too busy preping for vacation), but I did get them installed and I adjusted the angle of the headlamps up from the facoty default, which is really low. Thanks toolasyforalogin for the info on how to do that.

There was one hard part to getting them installed and that was getting them carefully out of the package. Philips really made it hard for the thieves and the buyers.

 

Hello, to a fellow engineer!

Firstly, yes, I realize that I'm referring to colour temperature. But most xenons (and the ones that come with the MINI) are much bluer than halogen light, which is why I brought that up.

Secondly, to be honest, the Silverstars aren't very white. If you're looking for the "HID blue" look from halogen bulbs, these won't provide it. Maybe when first installed, but they quickly fade to a colour that's closer to "standard" halogens--just slightly cooler and a bit brighter. They're still far warmer than halogens. I think Sylvania pegs their Silverstar "Ultra" at 4100K, but frankly I think that's BS as it quickly yellows. Nevertheless, most OEM xenons are 4500K to 6000K, which is still significantly "blue"-er.

Thirdly... I wish I could use my foglights more. But unless there really is fog, the police will ticket for driving with the foglights on. Depends on your province/state laws.

And finally, YMMV, but the "screw-laden plank" scenario is a moot point. By the time the plank is 2 feet in front of you, it's too late to avoid. At 50 km/h, the time it takes to travel 0.61 m is approximately 0.04 s. If the headlamps were aimed properly, that foreground (at 2 feet) should not be illuminated that brightly, because it will make the farground relatively too dark. Comparing properly aimed headlamps, I have no doubt that the xenons are brighter, but both the xenons and halogens on low-beam seem to have the same throw, so an attentive driver should be able to avoid it with either choice of lighting technology. Xenons are brighter, which is an advantage, but the warmer, dimmer halogens allow your eyes to adjust to see non-headlight-illuminated (i.e., streetlamp illuminated) areas better. Hence why I called it a draw in urban driving.

 

+1

 

ah so true... lots of "halogen regret" on this (and other mini forums)

I have halogens on my Toy PU and I HATE driving that thing at night now.

RC there's something whacked with yrs, they need to be adjusted.

 

agreed. They are pretty blue

agreed. I used to have silverstars installed in my old accord, but I did that because I knew that they threw light that had a hint of blue, so you activate your rods more then with the stock colored bulbs.

i drive with my fog lights on all the time, unless the sun's out. When the sun's out, nothing. If it's cloudy, i use my running lights with my fog lights. Dark, lows w/fogs. I've never been pulled over or harassed. I personally find it much safer. some people get annoyed, but at least I have caught their attention. Same theory with the go-mini-go brake light pulsar. It annoys people, and could probably be considered illegal, but it catches everyone's attention more so then a standard third brake light. I'll take a small ticket over an accident any day.

The plank was just a stupid example. It helps me see potholes and other minor imperfections that I otherwise wouldn't have noticed as easily.

 

I don't plan on ever getting another car without xenons.

I like them a lot!