This may have been done to death. I saw on a member's car description, PIAA high beam upgrade? Would someone take the time to explain this to me. How much? Worth it?
Any Canucks know the Canadian part numbers?
As always, thanks.

 

well... i assume you are talking about a TSX. and the TSX has xenon (HID) low beam lights. The high beams on a TSX are not xenon and use a standard (yellowish) halogen bulb. The "upgrade" is to compliment the look of the xenon low beam lights. PIAA has a number of lights (most are illegal by DOT) that have the xenon look but are just glorified halogen bulbs (in other words they are NOT HID lights).


To get an exact match you would need to get a true HID high beam system, which isn't easy and cost a lot of money plus it's not legal without a shutter mechanism (meaning your high beams are always on). There is a delay in an HID setup, so flashing your highbeams becomes impossible without a shutter mechanism... hence the reason that a lot of cars with bi-xenon lights look like they are always on even when they are "off".

 

I really could care less about the High beams since I hardly ever use them and no one really see's them anyways since you have to turn them off to an oncoming car.

I thought with Bi-xenons, there always on, but when switched to high beams it shifts upwards to produce the "high beam". That's one thing with Xenons, it takes a few seconds for them to light up and that doesn't work in intervals when using the high beams.

 

Thanks Devo, I wasn't thinking of upgrading for cosmetic reasons. I want to see half a mile down the road with my high beams on and I thought an upgrade might improve the high beam performance.

 

actually... most bi-xenon setup use a single bulb on each side with a shutter funneling the light to the high beam slot.