E46 News: Ending the Confusion of Aftermarket E46 BMW Angel Eyes

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 Superb Brightness, High Tech "HID" Look, Easy to Install, and #1 in Our Book Wheelpower Phosphyre Halos 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 Available Products in the Market: WheelPower Phosphyre Halos (99+ 3 series ONLY) Uses uses thin CCFL angel eye rings and has a very bright white "Xenon" look. Halo ring color is "HID." VERY cool looking. Comes in "Plus" and "Enhanced" versions: 1. "Plus" - Comes with angel eye rings, wiring, ballasts, installation clips and built in adhesives. Price: $300-$340 2. "Enhanced" - Same as "plus" version, but includes ridged "sleeves" surrounding each angel eye ring to create a thicker, more OEM appearance. Most popular angel eye product & style on the market! Price: $350-$390 Projector46***8482; w/ DDE Lightning***8482; (HID Optional, 99+ 3 series only) Complete headlight replacement for your halogen headlights to Euro projectors with INTEGRATED DDE Lighting (i.e. built into the design, not installed on the aftermarket) with optional HID upgradeability. (For those that don't know, DDE Lightning uses the same tech as WheelPower Phosphyre Halos and is manufactured by the same company). Huge improvement in lighting output and looks. Very "OEM" appearance for angel eye install. Available for E46 Sedans up to 8-31-2001 build dates, all E46 Coupes up to 2003 model year, and ALL '01 to '04 M3 vehicles. Price: $650 - $900 L.E.D. Based BMW Angel Eye Kits Outdated, Dim, and Probably Not Worth Your Money L.E.D. Kit in E36 ZKW's 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 One main variation exists: eBay LED Angel Eye Kits Hawked on eBay as "best out there" solutions, these kits are usually just four rings and 8 L.E.D's that come with no instructions or wiring. Approximate Price: $50-$75 Fiber-Optic / Halogen Based BMW Angel Eye Kits Clean, Classy OEM Look DDE LumenX Gen V in E36 ZKW's 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 There is really only one major player for this type of angel eye solution in the BMW market, but the product has been discontinued and can be difficult to find: Daylight Demon Eyes Generation V, LumenX Excellent product, installable in a wide range of vehicles: E30, E36, E46, E39, E53, E38, etc. Perfect for those who want exact duplication of OE BMW Angel Eyes The Clear Choice... CCFL Angel Eyes There's simply no other BMW angel eye technology on the market with the same brightness, ease of installation, quality of light output, and variety of options to meet your needs. If you want the best, CCFL is it, bar none. This article was written by Micah D. Cranman, CEO and Founder of M3 motorwerks, your source for the finest high performance upgrades & accessories for your E46 BMW. M3 motorwerks does offer a full line of BMW Angel Eye upgrades. See their online catalog for more information!