Mercedes HID so bright?

sito

Newly Enlightened
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
18
How does Mb make its HID so bright? Does it use 55 watt bulbs?
 

XeRay

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 3, 2006
Messages
1,333
Location
Ogden, Utah
How does Mb make its HID so bright? Does it use 55 watt bulbs?

Changing bulbs has no affect on wattage in the HID technology, only the ballast (power supply unit) can control bulb wattage.
Even if you buy an HID bulb (somewhat rare unless Chinese junk) made for 50 watts (rated), if the ballast isn't changed to one with a 50 watt output, there wont be any measurable change in brightness.
The bulb might even refuse to stay on, if it is under-driven at 35 watts instead of its preferred 50 watt input.

MB or BMW (pretty sure it was MB) did have a dual wattage output ballast at one time, it was 35 watt in low beam and in the realm of 40 or 42 watts output in high beam, if my memory serves me correctly.
This was back say 5 to 10 years ago which I am confident was a short term thing. I am confident they did that in a very limited time frame and limited production model(s).

It is possible one of the moderators can clarify my comments here since they know automotive headlight product histories better than I.
 

-Virgil-

Flashaholic
Joined
Mar 26, 2004
Messages
7,802
How does Mb make its HID so bright? Does it use 55 watt bulbs?

No. There are no legitimate (legal, safe) 55w HID headlamps, and Mercedes HID headlamps aren't brighter than other-brand HID headlamps. You're probably seeing HID and LED headlamps either aimed too high, or aimed normally but going over a bump in the road.
 

Magio

Enlightened
Joined
Jul 30, 2016
Messages
250
Another thing I've noticed is that some companies seem to use poor quality projectors or something. I've seen new HID headlights that were not obviously misaimed and their beam was much weaker than the beam from another HID headlight.

Just from my own observations Lexus and Honda tend to have HID projectors that appear brighter and throw a much wider beam than some of the HID projectors used by MB and BMW. The 07 year range Lexus LS430 for example had a secondary reflector under the projector that helped throw much more light out to the sides. Perhaps some of Mercedes has a similar setup and thats what you are seeing that makes them look bright.
 

sito

Newly Enlightened
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
18
Another thing I've noticed is that some companies seem to use poor quality projectors or something. I've seen new HID headlights that were not obviously misaimed and their beam was much weaker than the beam from another HID headlight.

Just from my own observations Lexus and Honda tend to have HID projectors that appear brighter and throw a much wider beam than some of the HID projectors used by MB and BMW. The 07 year range Lexus LS430 for example had a secondary reflector under the projector that helped throw much more light out to the sides. Perhaps some of Mercedes has a similar setup and thats what you are seeing that makes them look bright.
I actually saw Mb SUV throw alot of light on the road. It use both high and low bean. They call it high beam assist technology
 

Alaric Darconville

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 2, 2001
Messages
5,377
Location
Stillwater, America
I actually saw Mb SUV throw alot of light on the road. It use both high and low bean. They call it high beam assist technology
Is there a question in there? Many cars leave their low beam lamps activated when the high beams are on. What Mercedes calls "high beam assist" is much more complex than that.
 

-Virgil-

Flashaholic
Joined
Mar 26, 2004
Messages
7,802
I actually saw Mb SUV throw alot of light on the road. It use both high and low bean. They call it high beam assist technology

High Beam Assist is the name for automatic selection of high or low beam in accordance with traffic conditions.
 
Last edited:

yellow

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 31, 2002
Messages
4,629
Location
Baden.at
my personal impression - from watching cars around here - is, that You possibly are "tricked" bei Mercedes' (as well as BMW's) HID lights,
they seem "brighter", because their output is very high in the blue.
Try to check for that.

In fact, usually, when comparing with passing cars (moving the same direction), i have the impression that the lights of my Alfa Romeo Giulietta do offer more light, but they are lower in Kelvin ... if it were chooseable, I would have opt for that exact neural/warm white output color over any HID from MB, BMW, Audi, .., whatever other makers, as - till now - i have never seen other than ugly blue from them.


But there is an incerasing number of cars that run 4 HID already - those are really bright, of course
(maybe that are already models with 4 LED-Main lights?) :thinking:


PS: at my car the switching is:
Low/main beam: 2 * HID,
High: 2 * HID (w. shutter off) + 2 additional halogen high beams
(to be honest: the halogen are not that important/noticeable. They are only really visible, when the HID move their light to right/left when doing sweeps. Then the halogens still go forward. The key of the output is the release of the shutter of the HIDs, that is blocking a good portion of the light coming from the bulb/burner in low)

when not in high, the shutter cuts off the beam(s) at the upper edge to fight blinding oncoming traffic. That is "moving" according to load inside car, bumps, braking, accelerating, ... And the standard setting is more on the "too low" than on "blinding high"; I would wonder if they were set up too high at that SUV
 
Last edited:
Top