Landocommando12

Getting a new set of bulbs cause one blew out and I want them to be the same color.... Anyone suggest one over another? I've seen 8000K's that look really good, but also hear they will give you less visibility. Any brands to stay away from?

Just lookin for opinions...

Since I have to take my headlight out to replace the ballast anyway, I might clear them too... still deciding if I want to venture into that... but damn it looks good when it's done!!!

Landocommando12

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HID-X...23563615QQrdZ1

Does anyone know anything about these?

BigLizard

It's all personal preference when it comes to the Color(Kelvin) of your lights.

MarbleGT

, the light output is not that different between 4300k and 6000k. Check out my pics on the first page of the "got nighthawk" picture thread. Those are Philips Ultinon.

mrdeeno

for an inconspicuous improvement, i'd go with 6000k over the stock 4300k. Personally, I wouldn't go any higher since there is a slight degradation in visibility when it's raining or the roads are wet (the lack of yellow light actually makes it slightly worse than halogens in rain/wet weather, but that's from my observation). Don't know how 8000k would be in dry and wet conditions, but i imagine they woudl be worse. Light output in dry conditions is still better than halogens with the 6000k, so i woudln't worry about the decrease in light output. Can't say for the 8000k though.

6000k also seems to be the safest from a "legal' point of view...6000k isn't street legal but the light and color are close enough to stock 4300k that no one would know. color of 8000k is too obviously aftermarket, and if cops in your area are pricks, i'd stay away from them just to avoid that.

mrdeeno

and another thing...not all 6000k bulbs are the same.

I had the 6000k Ultinons on my cl-s. A nice incremential improvement over the stock.

I have a different brand on my M (i forgot the name...they are "supposed" to exceed OEM specs, but who knows). The are slightly more blue. I think the 6000k rating is actually a range (i don't know what the range is...maybe 5800k to 6200k??), and different brands fall onto different parts of the range which may explain the difference in color.

MarbleGT

FLYINLOW

I've got 8500k in my mustang and I love the blue color. They are too obviously blue for everyday driving, meaning that I think you would get stopped a lot. I drive my car on weekends only, so I limit my exposure on the street with them.

They are an awesome blue though

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

I run the KAIXEN HID kit in my car so it isn't the upgrade bulbs but it still is the same idea. I run the 8500K bulbs and although I love the extreme blue color if I could do it again I would go with the 6000K for maximum light output. The more kelvin (color) the less lumen (light output). 6000K is the brightest and it is extreme white. Philips and KAIXEN are both excellent brands and manufacture great products.

MarbleGT

^^^^^^^^^Bump for good vendor, go with him!!

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Thank you.

Landocommando12

Do you sell the bulbs?

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Yes I do. I have them in stock too. Here is a link:

KAIXEN HID Sale

AcUrAge703

now when you upgrade your lights with our oem parts can we just upgrade the bulb or do we always have to get a whole new kit with ballast and everything???

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

No you have HID's from the factory so you don't need a kit. You already have a ballast and an ignitor. All you need to do is change the bulbs.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

What is involved with changing the bulbs? Looks like they have a tamper proof screw holding the HID in place.... ?

cltypeSLOW

just use a small pocket sized flat head. it will work fine.

ll1l2l1l2lll

any number closest to 4300 is brighter. if you go to high, its just the color, it doesn't increase vision. but, IMHO 6000 is the way to go. i've heard of a lot of people changing their bulbs, but does that mean ballast needs to be changed too for a different temp?

lnarreola

I have Phillips 5000k and they light up the road very nice they light about 3,400 they are nice.

artbran

iTrader: (2)

Well I can tell you from experience and from experimentation, that the different color temps do change the light output. I have gone from OEM that came with the car (looked a bit blueish [have to remember that they are the original bulbs so they burned for a while]), to brand new 4300k (which came out to be halogen colored, but slightly brighter and a bit more while), to 6000k (a bit more white than 4300k), to 8500 (Light baby blue), to 10000k (baby blue). I tried them all out in 1 night and saw the differences.

Then a few weeks later I tinted the headlights and the new 4300k's turned into the SAME EXACT color as halogen... the 6000k took the place of the replacement 4300k when it came to color. The 8500 looked just darker than originally, and finally, what I just left inside the housing was the 10000k's. They are still baby blue, but just a tad bit darker. I was going for something that would match the bright white LED's I put into my roadlamps but it still turns out that they are a different color. The roadlamps are a bit more purple than the headlights, but its close enough.

My recommendation is either 6000k or 8500. But its your choice. I would lean to the 6000 though...

Oh and I know that this thread it a bit old...

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

I went with the 8K bubs - they seemed the best choice without going to the 10k.

Your distance of light seems to decrease the higher you go - but the width seems to increase. I can drive the center lane of a 3 lane expressway at night now and clearly lightup 3 lanes for about 50 feet or so in front

I think the stocks, it was clear vision on one lane for 60 feet or so, but maybe only half of each other lane - and not for that full distance.

Ballasts are ballasts - as long as you have them - you can use the HID bulbs. The ballasts convert the voltage from the car's 12V DC to however many hundred thousand volts of AC (I think) that the HIDs used.

artbran

iTrader: (2)

Look on the cap to the bulb. It says 25,000 volts... I dunno but at 25,000 volts, its kinda weird knowing that that is what is on the front of my car.

TheWeez

The voltage is easy to generate from 12 volts. Basic principals like the Tesla coil. Like they say, it's not the voltage that'll kill ya it's the amperage.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

Yeah - voltage will burn ya - it's the amperage that'll zap yer ass.