review of the PIAA 525? Plasma Ion vs XTRA Clear?

[Buckshot]

Ok, new poster here, so bear with me....Has anyone seen the PIAA 525's? They are actually 3-way bulbs from what I can tell: Driving, Fog, and a white LED when the lights are off, but the car is on. But they offer a Plasma Ion high and low beam light as well as an "XTRA Clear" high and Plasma Ion low beam.

Can anyone tell me the difference between the two? I've been all over the web. I want white light, not amber, but I also want the brightest of the two...

Thanks in advance.

Scott
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97 XLT TT,AAL,BFG 31x11.5, Waag grill guard, side bars and tail light guards, surco roof rack, and Realtree HD CAMO rocker panels.

 

[Bill Kemp]

It appears, after looking at www.piaa.com , that you would have to change the h4 bulb to get clear high & low beam. PIAA says the bulb has a "ion cap". I assume this cap is on the bulb and therefore removable or replaceable. It could be something inside the housing that isnt removable. I guess you either have to look at them or email PIAA.

 

[Buckshot]

ok, so Ion means that it would put out colored light? So in the Plasma Ion high and low beam version, both would be amber colored? If so I think I want the XTRA clear high and plasma low version. Right?

Or, is plasma ion the bluish colored light that looks more like HID than Halogen?

I wish PIAA explained the technologies better, but they haven't answered my e-mail question for over a week.

 

[wired_af]

I know this isnt on topic, but if they are used as both fog and driving, and you aimed them for fog, wouldnt the driving light mode be aimed wrong? Or do they automatically adjust some how?

 

[Buckshot]

from what I understand, the PIAA 525's are dual filament like regular headlights (high and low) but are set up as driving (long distance, 15degree width) and fog (short distance 70 or so degree width) and then also have an additional LED to make the lens glow without projecting any light when the fog and driving beams are off.

But, that's why I'm posting...trying to verify what I think I'm reading before I buy.

 

[Bill Kemp]

Fog & driving in one light. Thats what it sounds like to me also.
Ion crystal is what they call yellow.
For all white you would need the super white h4 bulbs. They are very white w/no blue. You could use Silverstars also.

 

[Buckshot]

Thanks everyone...I just ordered the 525's Clear high, Plasma Ion Fog...will let you know if they are significantly different from the assumptions made here.

 

[Buckshot]

Okay - they just came in. The 525's in clear high and plasma ion fog are super white high beams and yellow fogs with the SMR reflector. There are actually only two bulbs - a dual filament high/fog bulb and a small white LED, but 3 "modes" - high, fog, and "glow". There are two switches, one to turn on power to the light and one to switch from white spotlight beams to yellow fog lights. There is a separate power lead to attach so that the little white LED glows when main power to the big bulb is off.

I'll post pics once install is complete. I think I'm going to ditch the included switch and custom make a bank of switches to mount in the extra unused space below my radio or in the lower portion of the console.

 

[Bill Kemp]

Does the h4 bulb have an ion coating or sleeve or something that you can remove?

 

[Buckshot]

Looks like it is an ION coating on a prism around only one of the filaments inside the main bulb. I'm guessing this is fog filament, but there is another coating on the bulb itself that "shimmers" between blue and yellow as it is turned.

They must REALLY believe in the visability increase of yellow fogs over white, because it looks like a whole lot of trouble to make one beam a different color than the other from inside the same light housing.

 

[Buckshot]

Installed...here's the pics

Ok, got them installed....THEY'RE AWESOME! I need to do one more switch mod so I can turn on and off the LED's with or without the key in. (At such low power, I can leave them on all night while camping or hunting to give a reference point when coming back in the dark.)

I can't figure out how to cut and paste my pics into the message body and even though I've paid for my Elite status, I haven't received it yet to add them to my Elite page...will update with pics as soon as I can.

 

[wired_af]

We need pics!!!!!

Use photobucket.com for the image hosting.

 

[Buckshot]

Pics are here!

Okay, here they are:
1. shot with LED's on (faintly, switched with factory fogs for now - will run separate switch in future)
2. shot with PIAA fogs (slightly yellow output when viewed from inside car, but not noticable in pic)
3. shot with PIAA high beams - HOLY COW these are bright! At least 2-3 times the distance of the factory high beams.

Pics of my truck, camo, and PIAA 525's

 

[wired_af]

Looks real nice!!

 

[Bill Kemp]

Looking gooood.....

 

[timmac06]

I have the 525's. they are great I never hooked up the city light (led) I would rather not have my truck that noticable COPS. I have the plasmas amd also have 520's. They work alot better in the woods than the street.

 

[Buckshot]

The LEDs are cool...just run them to another switch directly off the battery instead of direct from ignition power. Will be good to run them overnight camping to illuminate the campsite just a little for those nighttime trips out of the tent when you're too drunk to find the flashlight....(that NEVER happens, right?)
VERY little battery drain. If my LED headlamp runs on 3 AA's for 70 hours, how long do you think can I run them on a car battery?

How do you like the 520 SMR's? I'm looking at putting 4 on my roof rack...

 

[Buckshot]

Found one problem....the fog lights seem to throw a thin beam of light vertically from the extreme edge (almost exactly 90 degree mark) of the housing. Enough that it reaches to the window of 18wheelers in a 12" wide pattern. Brief, but glaring. Might look at modifying the housing some to fix...otherwise, fine for use on street (in FOG mode ONLY.)