[kdtl]

Do all of the Enclaves have the blue rings around the headlights? Or is that only with the articulating headlights?

And, does that blue ring show up when you see the car going down the road or is it just when you're up close? It looks very cool in the pictures but I wondered how noticable it is.

 

[ticner58]

I have seen both CX & CXL models and all have had the blue ring. Only the CXL model with the "Luxury Pkg" ($925 option) has the articulating headlamps. I have posted many pictures in the gallery section and can't wait to get ahold of mine.

 

[Gmoney_2010]

Could someone post some pics of the headlights at night? Please

and what does Xenon mean? i know the acadia has optional HID's but they arent Xenon HID's.

 

[mss42]

Could someone post some pics of the headlights at night? Please

and what does Xenon mean? i know the acadia has optional HID's but they arent Xenon HID's.

THOSE ARE THOSE LIGHTS THAT DARN NEAR BLIND A PERSON AT NIGHT... PEOPLE DONT REALIZE THAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO ADJUST THE XENON LIGHTS.

 

[Gmoney_2010]

ya but what does Xenon lights do, becuase the people over on acadia forum say that they have had problems with theres being to bright and people flashing them because they think there brights are on.

 

[mss42]

ya but what does Xenon lights do, becuase the people over on acadia forum say that they have had problems with theres being to bright and people flashing them because they think there brights are on.

THATS WHAT I SAID THEY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED....THEY ARE JUST A NEW KIND OF HEADLIGHTS THAT MAKE YOUR CAR MORE VISIBLE... THEY ARE EXISIVELY BRIGHT THEY BLIND ME WHEN I SEE THEM.

 

[Gmoney_2010]

ya but the acadia's arent Xenon they are just HID, so is there any difference between the two?

 

[mss42]

ya but the acadia's arent Xenon they are just HID, so is there any difference between the two?

OK, IM SORRY, XENON ARE THE ARTICULATING LIGHTS W/THE BLUE RING AROUND THEM. THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT TURN WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL... THE ACADIA'S DONT HAVE THOSE.

 

[zman]

People use HID and Xenon inerchangeably sometimes. I think they indeed are the same thing. HID lights do not have a filament, rather they ignite a gas between two electrodes. The gas is typically (maybe always) Xenon in automotive applications.

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/Xenarc/XenarcTechnologyOverview.htm

The Xenon gas has a quicker start-up time, unlike other similar lights that use mercury gas, such as street lights.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question387.htm

I won't bet my life on this but I believe that both Acadia and Enclave are indeed Xenon headlamps. I do not know why they would use a different gas from each other.

 

[jxphillips]

Gmoney - Xenon and HID (High Intensity gas Discharge) headlights are in fact the same. Both use Xenon gas with a high startup voltage (via the ballast) to create an arc (vs the filament used in convetional halogen sealed beam lighting). Other things that tend to get confusing:

Some cars have what are called projetor headlights. These can be either Halogen or HID. The Hyundai Sonata is an example of a halogen projector headlight, the Acura TSX is an example of an HID projector headlight

Bi-xenon headlights mean that the headlight uses HID technology for both low beam and high beam. There are many different ways this can be accomplished. Sometimes they use a solenoid with a deflector shield to aim the headlight beam higher when the high beam is switched on, other times a dual chamber bulb is used. The Enclave has bi-xenon HID headlamps (not sure how they switch from low to high beam on it though).

Articulating headlamps have thus far only been used on HID equipped vehicles (perhaps also always on Bi-xenon setups). These types of headlights move the projector in the headlight housing up to 15 degrees when making a turn (they turn in the direction of the turn). Not sure how much value this adds, but it's pretty cool technology.

Anyway, hope this helps out. FWIW - I worked with HID lighting systems during my senior year at Virginia Tech. We were converting our Chevy Lumina hybrid car to use the HID technology.

 

[Gmoney_2010]

ok thank you jxphillips,
so there isnt really that much of a difference between acadias and enclaves?!?

 

[zman]

I don't think that the Acadia's high beams are HID like the Enclave's. I think they use a traditional bulb, but once again I am not 100% certain.

I'll try to take some pictures tonight and post them.

 

[Gmoney_2010]

Ok thanks!

 

[jxphillips]

Yeah sorry I didn't answer that before. The Acadia uses HID only for low beams (it does not have bi-xenon HID lighting). The Outlook is the same (only low beam HID). So another reason why people should consider the Enclave the best of the Lambda trio (quiet tuning, bi-xenon HIDs and a 4yr 50K warranty). Not to mention the much classier styling

 

[mss42]

thanks for the better explanation phillips.

 

[jonv112]

Ok let me try to explain what I have learned over the last couple of years about HID lights.

All HID lights in cars uses Xenon gas only, as it is the only gas that can illuminate at full, or near full brightness immediately when an arc is struck. If you have seen a non-xenon HID light source, such as the lights in a gymnasium, it takes a long time to reach full intensity. The light emitted from HID Xenon light sources can vary from a bluish tint, like most cars on the road today, to a pure white light, like the Acadia's, or a slightly yellowish tint (new unburned HID light source). The gas in the bulb will change over time, so the colour of the light will change as well. The gas and the mercury have to be "broken-in", for a lack of terms, because when the mercury is injected in the lamp, it is in liquid form, and an initial burn is required to turn the liquid mercury into gas, which will take a while to finish completely. You can see in some Lexus' that the colour between the headlamps of two HID cars can vary, and also in gymnasiums with HID lights that range from yellow to pure white.

The Acadia's do use a Bi-xenon HID light source for both low/high beam. If you look closely at the headlamps of an HID Acadia and a Halogen Acadia, you will see that with the HID Acadia, the two inner projector lamps do not have a true projector lens, as they only function as DRL's, not brights, which is why some owners are complaining of no Flash to pass during the day, while the outer 2 with projector lenses are hi and low beam, using a solenoid to switch between the two functions. That same solenoid is also linked to an adjustment screw, which is what GM uses to aim the headlamps.
A halogen Acadia has 4 true projector lenses, because the inner lamps function as DRLs/Brights, so they have to be aimed properly if used, while the outer two function as low-beam only. Also, I have been lead to believe that some headlamp assemblies have lenses that are tinted blue, like the Enclave while others, like the Acadia, have non-tinted lenses, giving off a pure white light.

I hope that clears things up. I hope to visit my local GMC dealer soon to verify in fact that the Acadias do have a true Bi-Xenon HID light source. Until then, this is all of my own research.

Hope this helps! :thumb:

 

[zman]

I just looked at the GMC webpage. For the Acadia is says "HID projector low beam, halogen projector high beam" for the HID headlight option.

I honeslty do not know what the blue rings around the Enclave lights are for, but I was always under the impression that the temperature of the headlight arc controlled whether the light was white, blue, etc. I do not know how that temperature is controlled however.

 

[jonv112]

The website states the Acadia also features tri-zone automatic climate control, but the rear isn't even fully automatic.

 

[zman]

Believe what you will......

GMC says halogen hi-beam, some owners think HID hi-beam. Don't know.

 

[jxphillips]

I am absolutely positive that the Acadia only has HID for the low beams. The lights that are used for the DRL are the high beam bulbs (inside fake projector lights). The DRL is activated by cutting current to the bulb (kind of like a dimmer on your dining room light at home).

zman - the color that you are talking about is linked to the color temperature, not the actual temperature of the arc. The arc is really controlled via voltage and current supplied from the ballast (ballasts have to instantly convert the car voltage to the 20K+ V range)! The high level of technology used in the ballast is one of the primary reasons that HID technology has been so expensive.

In terms of color temperature, most HID's from manufacturers are in the 4100-4300 Kelvin temperature range. It's a blusih white light that simulates natural sunlight. As you go lower in the color temperature specturm, the light gets more yellow (halogen lights). Higher = more blue / purple. However, going higher in the color temperature typically means a loss in light output (lumens). Don't recall why right now...

jonv112 - the gymnasium lights that you refer to are called mercury vapor. These are also commonly used in street lamps. As far as I know, automotive HID lights do not use mercury. They use xenon gas and perhaps a few other "ingredients" to stabilize the arc. Again, not 100% sure on this last point.