Hella Optilux or Hella Micro DE?

*Daddymac117* · 10-25-07, 08:58 PM

Which ones are better for use with xenon H3 bulbs?

I'm looking at getting either the Optilux 1100s or the Micro DEs, and can't decide which would be better for use with my H3 6000k bulbs since these are designed for halogen bulbs.

I was originally going to just go with the Optilux ($44):

http://www.amazon.com/Hella-Optilux-...3356574&sr=1-1
Since they use projector lenses, they'd look nice with my headlight projector retrofit, but I'm not sure what the beam pattern will look like with the xenon bulbs rather than halogens.

Then I started looking around, and the Micro DE's seem like they're designed better ($122):

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/hella/micro_de.jsp
But my issue with these is that the $122 ones are designed specifically for halogen H3 bulbs, and my H3s have no shielding on them. Now there is a set of Micro DEs specifically designed for xenon bulbs, but they take D2S bulbs rather than H3s

.

My questions are:

1) Which of the 2 would actually produce better light output with xenon bulbs? I'd rather have them be well aimed fog lights rather than just xenon flood lights.

2) Would any of you happen to know if the housings and reflectors for the halogen H3 Micro DE set and the xenon D2S Micro DE set are the same other than the bulb base differences? I'd love to pay the $122 for the H3 Micro DEs and have them perform like the D2S Micro DEs with my own xenon bulbs.

If not, would anybody happen to know of where I could just pay for the xenon Micro DE housings, and skip the bulbs and ballasts (already got those), since I could ship these back to the manufacturer and get them swapped, saving $540.

Smokinfastlegend · 10-25-07, 09:15 PM

de, optilux is chinese crappy version of hella.

Double Glow · 10-25-07, 09:33 PM

also de, then try base retrofit.

Black Type II · 10-26-07, 12:55 AM

wow those new DE looks good and still looks clean, definetly cleaner than OEM

GreekPower · 10-26-07, 01:39 AM

waits for bl420 to post.

ps didnt get ur lights today, fuck its gonna rain tomorrow but imma try haha (seriously this is getting old)

bl420 · 10-26-07, 12:21 PM

1100 series optliux suck with HID..

with that being said get the DEs. its alot more expensive but..
thats one of the widest fog lights out there.

if you want something that wont kill your pockets you might also look into blazer fog lights...
(not off a blazer, its made by blazer international.)

products are sold through autobarn but they never have it there.
i got mine off ebay for $20 or something.

edit:

here you go
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CLEAR...spagenameZWDVW

not sure if you bought the kit off of ModExpress or if you cancelled your fog order but. those take the 880 series bulb

GreekPower · 10-26-07, 12:27 PM

^ the light god chimes in haha, i mention his name and he appears

Black Type II · 10-26-07, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreekPower

^ the light god chimes in haha, i mention his name and he appears

lol so does the new DEs appear to be like a projector?

legendtype2 · 10-26-07, 02:20 PM

Wow the blazer ones look good. I may consider a set soon.

bl420 · 10-26-07, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Type II

lol so does the new DEs appear to be like a projector?

they are a projector. has a shield and everything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by legendtype2

Wow the blazer ones look good. I may consider a set soon.

they are pretty good... wide too..

cutoff is nice even with the stock bulbs.... i'll see if i can get a picture later or not.

btw daddymac117... i have micro DEs i just took of my car yesterday.
they're not in the greatest condition but... if you want to take them off my hands just PM me.

*Daddymac117* · 10-26-07, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bl420

1100 series optliux suck with HID..

with that being said get the DEs. its alot more expensive but..
thats one of the widest fog lights out there.

not sure if you bought the kit off of ModExpress or if you cancelled your fog order but. those take the 880 series bulb

Yeah, i figured the 1100s might be a little crappy since you usually get what you pay for.

And about the DEs being "alot more expensive", were you referring to the normal ones being $122, or the xenon ones that come with bulbs and ballasts being $699?

I dont know if they're charging that much more just for 2 bulbs and 2 ballasts, or of the actual fog housings themselves are also better optimized for either halogen or xenon. Would you happen to know if theres a difference between the 2 housings?

I got the H3 bulb kit through Mod Express, and those will fit the halogen DEs just fine. If i'd need the xenon DEs to use with my bulbs, id have to get another pair of D2S bulbs for them, and couldn't use my H3s.

Oh, and about your DEs, how bad of a condition are they in? lol

EDIT: Kinda OT, but when you did your retrofit, what power source did you use to power your lights while you took pics, before you put them in the car?

*Daddymac117* · 10-26-07, 04:56 PM

Oh, apparently, they won't look like complete crap if you use the normal halogen DE housings:

So that makes me feel alot better

. He also used normal sized xenon H3 bulbs, so im even happer.

I think I may go this route... but I'm still trying to find info on how bad the glare would be

*Daddymac117* · 10-26-07, 05:23 PM

Ah, finally some information incase anybody else is paying attention

Apparently, the Micro DE Xenon kit is a driving lamp, not a fog lamp. Those basically act like flood lights that shoot light as far down the street as possible:

So that wouldn't be too great to use as fogs...

The halogen Micro DEs have a reasonable cutoff, and can be tweaked a bit to reduce glare and sharpen the cutoff, but they actually work damn nice with an HID setup.

Black Type II · 10-27-07, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daddymac117

Oh, apparently, they won't look like complete crap if you use the normal halogen DE housings:

which setup is this one? are these stock bulbs or hid?

bl420 · 10-27-07, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daddymac117

Yeah, i figured the 1100s might be a little crappy since you usually get what you pay for.

And about the DEs being "alot more expensive", were you referring to the normal ones being $122, or the xenon ones that come with bulbs and ballasts being $699?

I dont know if they're charging that much more just for 2 bulbs and 2 ballasts, or of the actual fog housings themselves are also better optimized for either halogen or xenon. Would you happen to know if theres a difference between the 2 housings?

I got the H3 bulb kit through Mod Express, and those will fit the halogen DEs just fine. If i'd need the xenon DEs to use with my bulbs, id have to get another pair of D2S bulbs for them, and couldn't use my H3s.

Oh, and about your DEs, how bad of a condition are they in? lol

EDIT: Kinda OT, but when you did your retrofit, what power source did you use to power your lights while you took pics, before you put them in the car?

yeah i was just about to respond to your last picture.

Micro DE Xenons are actually a driving lamp.

people get confused because its under the Micro DE name... but hella wouldnt make a xenon fog light kit.

as far as DEs being alot more expensive i was comparing the optilux to the regular halogen H3 DEs.

DEs are 3x more expensive than the optilux.

as far as what power source i use... i have one of those portable battery/jump start thingies....

works great as a power source... i was thinking about modifying my computer power supply but this is just easier and cleaner.

and as far as the micro DEs i'll send you some pics through PM.

btw with that pricetag on the xenon DE i wouldnt even touch it... hellas putting that kinda pricing because of the ballast and bulbs probably.... prices for their ballast through OEM dealership is astronomical..

just like how the burlwood console is $1700 through the dealer.

10-25-07, 08:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
Daddymac117 TSX pupils Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Hillside, NJ Posts: 9,496 Car 1: 1995 Legend GS iTrader: (4)	Hella Optilux or Hella Micro DE? Which ones are better for use with xenon H3 bulbs? I'm looking at getting either the Optilux 1100s or the Micro DEs, and can't decide which would be better for use with my H3 6000k bulbs since these are designed for halogen bulbs. I was originally going to just go with the Optilux ($44): http://www.amazon.com/Hella-Optilux-...3356574&sr=1-1 Since they use projector lenses, they'd look nice with my headlight projector retrofit, but I'm not sure what the beam pattern will look like with the xenon bulbs rather than halogens. Then I started looking around, and the Micro DE's seem like they're designed better ($122): http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/hella/micro_de.jsp But my issue with these is that the $122 ones are designed specifically for halogen H3 bulbs, and my H3s have no shielding on them. Now there is a set of Micro DEs specifically designed for xenon bulbs, but they take D2S bulbs rather than H3s . My questions are: 1) Which of the 2 would actually produce better light output with xenon bulbs? I'd rather have them be well aimed fog lights rather than just xenon flood lights. 2) Would any of you happen to know if the housings and reflectors for the halogen H3 Micro DE set and the xenon D2S Micro DE set are the same other than the bulb base differences? I'd love to pay the $122 for the H3 Micro DEs and have them perform like the D2S Micro DEs with my own xenon bulbs. If not, would anybody happen to know of where I could just pay for the xenon Micro DE housings, and skip the bulbs and ballasts (already got those), since I could ship these back to the manufacturer and get them swapped, saving $540. __________________ 2nd Generation FAQ \| Forum Rules \| Newbie FAQ \| A-L.com Wiki FS: Weapon R Secret Weapon intake (NON TCS/Type I) in box, never used. $140 if you come to the Tri State Meet in NJ on Sat, Nov 22 Official Thanksgiving Tri State Meet (info here) PM with any questions, Pick Up Only

10-25-07, 09:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
Double Glow Youre wrong... Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Roanoke, VA Posts: 4,830 Car 1: 94 Legend L Sedan Car 2: 94 Honda Civic Dx iTrader: (1)	also de, then try base retrofit. __________________ "Recognition is the greatest motivator." My Myspace&My Facebook

10-26-07, 12:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
Black Type II Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Jamaica, Queens Posts: 3,661 Car 1: 1995 Blk on Blk LS Coupe Car 2: 94 Honda Accord-4/S Car 3: 1986 Buick Regal iTrader: (2)	wow those new DE looks good and still looks clean, definetly cleaner than OEM __________________ Plans: Repaint car Granada Black, Custom interior (not that kinda custom), Navi unit, red or glow gauge needles, Hrant floor mats, remote starter Whats done: IS300 wheels, JDM headlights with 6000k HIDs, JDM navi console, LED backlit gauges

10-26-07, 12:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
bl420 Dont Catch Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bogata, Lima Posts: 4,813 Car 1: 1991 Sedan iTrader: (16)	1100 series optliux suck with HID.. with that being said get the DEs. its alot more expensive but.. thats one of the widest fog lights out there. if you want something that wont kill your pockets you might also look into blazer fog lights... (not off a blazer, its made by blazer international.) products are sold through autobarn but they never have it there. i got mine off ebay for $20 or something. edit: here you go http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CLEAR...spagenameZWDVW not sure if you bought the kit off of ModExpress or if you cancelled your fog order but. those take the 880 series bulb __________________ Anti Alpine Type-R Thread

10-26-07, 02:20 PM	#9 (permalink)
legendtype2 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,675 Car 1: 2006 Mercedes C230 Car 2: 1991 L coupe iTrader: (3)	Wow the blazer ones look good. I may consider a set soon. __________________ 91 KA8 Legend Gallery

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10-26-07, 01:39 AM	#5 (permalink)
GreekPower Banned Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Pittsburgh,PA Posts: 10,458 Car 1: 1992 Acura L"S" Sedan Car 2: 1991 3/S Turbo's 2x Car 3: 2005 Grand Prix iTrader: (13)	waits for bl420 to post. ps didnt get ur lights today, fuck its gonna rain tomorrow but imma try haha (seriously this is getting old)

10-26-07, 12:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
GreekPower Banned Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Pittsburgh,PA Posts: 10,458 Car 1: 1992 Acura L"S" Sedan Car 2: 1991 3/S Turbo's 2x Car 3: 2005 Grand Prix iTrader: (13)	^ the light god chimes in haha, i mention his name and he appears

10-26-07, 04:56 PM	#12 (permalink)
Daddymac117 TSX pupils Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Hillside, NJ Posts: 9,496 Car 1: 1995 Legend GS iTrader: (4)	Oh, apparently, they won't look like complete crap if you use the normal halogen DE housings: So that makes me feel alot better . He also used normal sized xenon H3 bulbs, so im even happer. I think I may go this route... but I'm still trying to find info on how bad the glare would be __________________ 2nd Generation FAQ \| Forum Rules \| Newbie FAQ \| A-L.com Wiki FS: Weapon R Secret Weapon intake (NON TCS/Type I) in box, never used. $140 if you come to the Tri State Meet in NJ on Sat, Nov 22 Official Thanksgiving Tri State Meet (info here) PM with any questions, Pick Up Only

10-26-07, 05:23 PM	#13 (permalink)
Daddymac117 TSX pupils Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Hillside, NJ Posts: 9,496 Car 1: 1995 Legend GS iTrader: (4)	Ah, finally some information incase anybody else is paying attention Apparently, the Micro DE Xenon kit is a driving lamp, not a fog lamp. Those basically act like flood lights that shoot light as far down the street as possible: So that wouldn't be too great to use as fogs... The halogen Micro DEs have a reasonable cutoff, and can be tweaked a bit to reduce glare and sharpen the cutoff, but they actually work damn nice with an HID setup. __________________ 2nd Generation FAQ \| Forum Rules \| Newbie FAQ \| A-L.com Wiki FS: Weapon R Secret Weapon intake (NON TCS/Type I) in box, never used. $140 if you come to the Tri State Meet in NJ on Sat, Nov 22 Official Thanksgiving Tri State Meet (info here) PM with any questions, Pick Up Only