ok...before everybody gets racung kaw-kaw...here are sum facts-
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Ending the Confusion of Aftermarket E46 BMW Angel Eyes
How the available kits work, and what's best for YOU!
Aftermarket BMW “angel eye” kits are easily one of the most popular upgrades for your Bavarian machine, but they are also the source of an enormous amount of confusion. We’ve put together the most extensive write-up of the various BMW “angel eye” technologies so you can figure out what product is right for you. Each BMW angel eye solution is organized by technology used to produce the angel eyes and includes an overview of that technology as well as a few pictures and links (where applicable) to the product.
Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lighting BMW Angel Eye Kits
Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lighting (CCFL) is in essence a variation of the technology used in fluorescent light bulbs. These angel eye rings (or “halos) produce the absolute brightest, most consistent light output of all aftermarket BMW angel eye solutions and provide the most aesthetically appealing appearance as well. This is our choice for the very best angel eye solution on the market.
-Advantages: Very bright look – best appearance. Wide range of fitments: E30, E36, E46, E39, E53, E38, etc. Cool, high tech appearance – real eye catchers. Simplest installation process.
-Disadvantages: Somewhat fragile rings, so installation requires more care
L.E.D. Based BMW Angel Eye Kits
Outdated, Dim, and Probably Not Worth Your Money
The very first kits to come to market in the fairly new BMW “angel eye” market were L.E.D. based solutions using plastic rings of some kind with L.E.D’s placed in the ends of the rings. While these work in a marginal way (that is, you can see them at night and ONLY at night), brightness is simply inconsistent (top of the rings brighter than the bottom) and not comparable to OEM.
-Advantages: Cheap, color can be changed by switching L.E.D’s
-Disadvantages: Not bright; can’t be seen during day or dusk – visible at night only, inconsistent ring illumination
on an e36
Fiber-Optic / Halogen Based BMW Angel Eye Kits
Clean, Classy OEM Look
An evolution of the L.E.D. based kits, this setup instead uses “light boxes” with a high intensity bulb to produce the light for the angel eye rings. This light is routed through fiber-optic cables into the angel eye rings which are installed in the headlight assembly. This is, in fact, a replica of the technology used in factory BMW angel eye installations such as those found on the E39 5-Series. As such, the look is a close to OE BMW angel eyes as possible, consistent in brightness, and very classy looking.
-Advantages: Classy OEM look, good brightness, fits a variety of models, very durable
-Disadvantages: More parts = more time consuming installation process, harder to find
fibre-optic on an e36
the choice is yours
