Looking into ordering a MINI, and was wondering how much of a difference the xenons make, or if the stock halogens are sufficient. Would a driving lamp, stock light combination be as good as xenons, and would it be worth the $$$.
Thanks.

 

I got the zenons on my 08s and love em. I'd order them again. FWIW order the antracite headliner,rear fogs,dsc,lsd,multi function steering wheel(cruise),cold weather pkg,auto dim mirror and I also got the rainsense wipers. Anyway that's how I built mine for 25k. Had it a couple of months and 2500mi and very happy with my configuration. I spent countless hours to come up with just the right build for my budget. Hope this helps

 

Other than LSD, the xenon headlights are the only options that I wish I had that my car doesn't have. I would definitely get the xenons, as the halogens are decent but have a pretty short range.

 

Personally i love the halogens...buts its a personal preference as I have grown to dislike the color and changing levels of xenons...by changing i mean when some behind me xenons hits bumps the lights shines bright and makes me think they are hitting their high beams haha

Oh and I agree mini on about the multi funct steering wheel...unfortunately I did not get it, but after longer highway drives i do wish i had the option for cruise control

 

If you primarily drive in lit areas, the stock might be fine, but the xenons have an uber long throw, and are PERFECT for those nights on twisties that might have certain wildlife hiding on the side of the road.

 

I ordered a Chilli Red in a very similar configuration. The only thing I had extra was the rooster red interior. Also, I didn't get the cold weather package. All for 26k + change. Check it out on PrestigeMini.com. I believe it is still there.

 

The last 8 cars I have owned have had Xenons, it's not a fad or a "look," they really do throw a more useable beam with a more natural part of the color spectrum. At $500 they are a bargain and the cost to add them after the fact is way way more than that. Cutting them to add more chrome or whatever is misdirected thinking to me.

 

I got the bi-xenons headlights on my MCS and they are worth every penny spent and I agree a bargain at $500.

Dark unlit roads become very bright with them on.

 

Actually I am very happy with the performance of the stock halogens, I'm also not very fond of the look of the projectors for the xenons on the Mini specifically. With that said xenons are always a nice upgrade even over the best halogens (with regards to light out put), if you do a large amount of driving in the dark in an area with little or no street lights they can be a very nice upgrade.

 

I like the look of them but chose not to get them. I mainly do day driving with night driving limited to city lit areas. So halogen, with fog lights, are more than enough for me. It's horses for courses and working within your budget and priorities.

 

For standard halogen systems, you may want to upgrade to Philips X-treme Power (80%+) bulbs. Same wattage as stock, but would probably compete with Bi-Xenon for brightness. $40 a set vs. the Bi-Xenon uograde of....well....a whole lot more! The limited reaserch I have done on this sounds very favorable for these lamps.

 

Its a must have in my car......im old

 

+1 from all us presbyopes!

 

LOL.....

 

Kinda of topic, but related:

How do halogens switch to highbeams? Is it just more power to add more light?

 

thanks for all the input, does anyone have thoughts on the driving lamps, are they functional, or mostly for looks?

 

i change my low and high beam to the ULTRA whitest i can find and cost me over $110 for 4 bulbs and looks AWESOME..

 

Coopersmmv...$500 for the Xenon. Is there a different option you'd rather have. I decided that city/suburban driving meant I didn't need Xenon and opted for a different option.

 

I have had both in 2 different MINIs (both '05's) The Xenons are a SIGNIFICANT reason I can see so much clearer, crisper and further at night and around corners. Do yourself a favor and shell out the 500 dollars.

 

This is our first car with Xenon headlights and we love them (cleaner, whiter, and they look cooler). It is well worth the extra money to go with the Xenon

 

I have the Xenons and am not that thrilled by them. They are overly bright, IMO. If you only use high beams, that's fine. If you drive dark country roads that have periodic traffic, as I do, the lowbeams have disadvantages. The area that is illuminated is very bright. Your eyes adjust to this area. The cutoff to the area beyond the lowbeam coverage is sharp. The Xenon is a projector system with a baffle for the low beam. The light itself doesn't change. It is like dropping a slide in a slide projector that has black tape over part and is clear on the other part. The result is that you cannot see beyond the range of the lowbeam Xenons as well as you could beyond the range of lowbeam halogens. Halogens are not as bright, and scatter a little light beyond their not-so-sharp cutoff.

If you only drive in cities with streetlights, Xenons are not needed.

A friend, who hit a deer at night, believes that his high beams dazzled the deer, causing it to freeze in the middle of the road. He wonders whether the deer would have stopped if he had thought to lower the beams. High beam Xenons would be even more dazzling to the deer.

As for seeing wildlife easier with Xenons, I have my doubts. Deer are most likely to cross a road at twilight. A lot of animals become roadkill in daylight. As for those that do cross in the dark, can you stop in time even when you can see them? In most cases the problem comes from a deer or other creature jumping onto the road quickly from a hidden location. It usually comes into view when closer to the car than your reaction time. How long does it take take the average person to see a deer, identify it as not part of the folliage, realize it is headed for the road, take your foot off the gas pedal, apply the brakes, and stop? Let's say it takes a second to start applying the brakes. At 60 mph that would be 88 ft., I think. Add to that the 60-0 braking distance of your car in ideal conditions, add for conditions. I think we are looking at somewhere around 200 ft. If you are running Xenons, just hope you don't have your low beams on.

Xenons are very hip, trendy, and cool. If you want to impress teenagers, get Xenons and drilled brake rotors. Two mostly useless options, IMO. I believe that the sense of security people feel the Xeons give them is illusion.

That should raise a few flames.

If I were to do it over again, I'd get halogens, and possibly add driving lights. However, I must confess that I've not used the MINI halogens and don't know how good they are. My experience with halogens is from a 1990 Acura Integra. Is BMW doing an inferior job on the halogens than Honda did eighteen years ago? Don't know.

 

I live in suburban/country with deer.
Love the bi-xenons!

 

Robin, excellent post, you bring up many good points, and I agree with most of them.

 

In my opinion the xenon's are just far superior than halogen lights. I have not compared like for like in the MINI so I can't tell you definitively. But I find generally all factory installed xenon's have a much better light spread than regular headlights. They also have the added benefit of looking cool - especially when you first turn them on and they self level.

I had one of the first Z4's in the US when they came out - early builds didn't come with xenons - and i missed them terribly.

As for Robin's comments on deer - well they are strange animals to predict (rather like women!). Sit in a hide all day waiting - one comes into view 300 yards away, you blink and it bolts. Drive a huge lump of metal, lights blazing down a road towards one and it chooses to freeze (deer, not women)

 

Sorry to post in such an old topic, but do the Xenons turn with you as you drive, such as in BMWs, Mercedes, and the like?