PIAA Plasma Ion Yellow Review (H8 Angel Eyes)

[3002 tii]

Didn't want to hijack the thread any further than I already did lol. But I was really impressed with P1et's angel eyes after installing PIAA bulbs. Their output and brightness was the same if not better than some of the LED style upgrades at a fraction of the price ($80 vs $200). I was ready to click the buy button but the eBay vendor had just sold out. Rather than wait a few weeks, figured I should try PIAA's yellow bulbs, specifically the Plasma Ion Yellow (model 18535). They are H8 and 35 watt, same specs as oem and go for $57 shipped on eBay.

I know I'm in the minority but I actually like the Yellow more than the white. Maybe it's because I've seen the white halo's on E90's for so many years now so the yellow is a nice refreshing look. The factory "yellow" bulbs looked dull, these give off a bright neon look, call it ricer, call it JDM, but it's functional and looks good imo. If I could get a pair of euro headlights with clear corners, then white would've been the obvious choice but these go well with the amber corners. Also, not sure what the reason is but I find yellow output is strong even for the outer bulbs whereas for others colors/makes, the outer bulbs typically are noticeably much dimmer.

Daytime shot


With ambers


Corners off


In terms of install, pop the hood and undo the 2 metal clips behind the headlight covers. Then pull the headlight cover out, locate the H8 bulbs, 1/4 turn will undo the bulb. However with that said, I would HIGHLY recommend NOT removing the cover because it is a royal PITA to reinstall. There's simply not much space to work with getting the lower tabs or ears of the cover must be inserted into the slots is mission impossible. Find someone with small hands and undo the clips and just work from the top, try to slip the bulb in / out that way. Also another (obvious) tip, test the lights before reinstalling the covers. I made the mistake of not doing so and had to figure out why the passenger side was dimmer. Turns out the bulb was not properly seated.

[P1]

Nice review. I share your sentiments on re-installing the covers. It really takes some careful planning, especially on the passenger side. If you feel like you are needing to use force, you are doing it wrong. Driver side is much easier.

Lights look great in yellow. I would not call it JDM. In France, all cars used to have yellow daytime driving lights as in inclement weather it is a lot more functional.

[bozaman]

nice - thanks for the write-up. i used these piaa's on my last car as the fogs and loved them. i also agree with the op - this looks like a nice, refreshing difference from that pursuit of led's. i think this just made my short list of quick upgrades.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by P1et

Nice review. I share your sentiments on re-installing the covers. It really takes some careful planning, especially on the passenger side. If you feel like you are needing to use force, you are doing it wrong. Driver side is much easier.

Lights look great in yellow. I would not call it JDM. In France, all cars used to have yellow daytime driving lights as in inclement weather it is a lot more functional.

Originally Posted by bozaman

nice - thanks for the write-up. i used these piaa's on my last car as the fogs and loved them. i also agree with the op - this looks like a nice, refreshing difference from that pursuit of led's. i think this just made my short list of quick upgrades.

For me, it wasn't an issue of excessive force, but whenever I did manage to catch the tabs, the b!tch clip would unhook. And FYI, if anyone breaks or loses that clip, you CANNOT purchase it separately. Others have purchased new covers and even OEM headlight repair kits but the clips are only found on new headlights, pretty ridiculous.

And I agree on the functionality, I have PIAA yellow fogs in my Z4 and they work great. Here's a pic of me driving at Watkins, known for rain/fog during track days.

[AGAV13]

Just out of curiosity, is there any reason for the yellow color? Visibility, night time driving, etc.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by AGAV13

Just out of curiosity, is there any reason for the yellow color? Visibility, night time driving, etc.

For the angel eyes, like I said I wanted something different than the standard white look you see on most E90's. For the fogs on my Z4, yellow is definitely way more visible than white.

[bozaman]

Originally Posted by 3002 Tii

For the angel eyes, like I said I wanted something different than the standard white look you see on most E90's. For the fogs on my Z4, yellow is definitely way more visible than white.

x2...

yellow, especially in a fog offer much improved visibility for inclement weather.

in this ae application, there's probably not much benefit other than cosmetic, however.

[twin fed]

I have always run yellow fogs/accessory lights on all my cars. I was think about doing for the angel eyes too, but I was not sure how it would look. I really like it. Nice move!

[P1]

Found these online as well, does anyone have experience with Optilux? I know that Hella is the "cream of the crop" but I have a feeling that Optilux might be their cheaper brother. It do see they have a 55W version which I bet is very bright, but could cause heat issues...

http://www.rallylights.com/h-812ox-h...bulb-pair.html

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by P1et

Found these online as well, does anyone have experience with Optilux? I know that Hella is the "cream of the crop" but I have a feeling that Optilux might be their cheaper brother. It do see they have a 55W version which I bet is very bright, but could cause heat issues...

http://www.rallylights.com/h-812ox-h...bulb-pair.html

55 watt seems really iffy, I know it would definitely make a difference and I know others have used higher wattage without any issue but just not something I'd want to risk on such expensive hardware.

[cat-like]

I actually like the yellow. Aesthetically I think the eyebrows spoil it a little. I also have a 2013 model and I really don't like them even with my white LED halos.