I'm hoping lighting experts can help me on this on. I'm buying new lights for my Prelude. I want the nice blue eyes, but as far as I understand to get true HID lights like those on BENZ and AUDI or S2000 they are hundreds of dollars. I've heard that the store bought HIDs are not as blue as the factory ones. And I hear that the bulbs are cheap and put out a "super white light" that is better for brightining your visibility but it doesn't have that blue tint to the light.I've been told that factory HIDs dont have that blue tint on the glass of the bulb because its not needed, the bulbs are at like 8,000K and the light appears blue anyways so the blue on the bulb isn't ecessay????
Please correct me if I'm wrong on this
the higher the Kelvin scale the more purple the light appears, and the less usefull they become for lighting the road.
Also I see bulbs advertised that say they draw 55W standard but output 80W, is this good? it seems to me it would be if it is true.
Just confussed and somany are saying different things. Help me out please
And I hear that the bulbs are cheap and put out a "super white light" that is better for brightining your visibility but it doesn't have that blue tint to the light.I've been told that factory HIDs dont have that blue tint on the glass of the bulb because its not needed, the bulbs are at like 8,000K and the light appears blue anyways so the blue on the bulb isn't ecessay????
Do you understand the difference between "HID look alike" Halogen Ebay specials versus real HID. There are also plug and play HID kits(using rebased bulbs) and OEM HID retrofits(D2S and D2R). Read up on HIDforums for some help.
first of all, as of november HID kits are illegal in NY (as well as hyperwhite/blueish bulbs) unless the are HID RETROFIT kits. this means you can't just stick HID in your current setup and be like, hey i have HID. cuz you don't. you have a piece of [shizzle] that blinds ppl. and even tho i doubt they'll pull you over for it, the next time you DO get pulled over, they're gonna tack that bitch on as another (fix-it) ticket.
for you to do a TRUE HID setup, you need to have a headlight w/ a CLEAR housing. that means none of that fluted [shizzle] that disperses the light on the lens. CLEAR (this may require you to go w/ aftermarket housing or wetsand the [shizzle] out of your stock housing until it is perfectly clear).
then you need to take the ENTIRE HID system from another car, (S2000, e46, audi TT are the best and most popular choices) that inclues the projectors, ballast, etc. and retrofit it into your CLEAR housing.
i repeat CLEAR HOUSING. if i found out you read this and still put HID in your stock housing... baseball bat time.
for those of you who have clear housing and projectors w/ halogens that think they can just stick D2S bulbs in their halogen projectors... YOU CAN'T. halogen projectors do not have the cut off that HID projectors have, and you will STILL BLIND ONCOMING TRAFFIC. you MUST the HID projectors or it will just as bad as if you are using a fluted lens.
lastly DON'T USE A COLOR TEMPERATURE OF OVER 5000K! unless of course you live on clinton ave and have a 4 dr "ack" legend. then you can do whatever the hell you want. anything above 5000K (i prefer around 4200K) will have that really [shizzle]ty "i bought this on ebay" blue HID look. don't even go there.
in summary, i am the most anal person you will ever meet about HID. it's my passion, i can't help it. if you EVER have any questions about HID kits, PM me i'll be happy to steer you in the right direction...
If you have a 97+ Prelude and you install HID's into the stock housing all the light will be directed upward. No light will shine on the road. Honda OEM headlights are horrible when HID's are installed. Nothing but glare.
Of course stock non HID headlights arent designed for HID's but some are better than others.
To get the most light and a nice color. Installing/having someone install projections and a full HID system/kit would be your best bet. This is called a retrofit. It takes a lot of time and patiance. I did a retro on my car, only downside is my flutted lenses (ripped/reflective glass).
Factory HID systems are 4100K, there are a few 5500-6000K's also. Remember the higher the K (Kelvin temp/color rating) the less lighting. So basically the higher the K goes (6000, 7000, 8000) more color less light.
Colored bulbs and HID's are VERY different. HID's use 35w bulbs and also include ballast and ignitors (some ignitors are built in rather than external).
Color bulbs are just that. Bulbs with higher wattage, well some, and colored glass. Some work good, some are a waste of money.
If you have a 97+ Prelude and you install HID's into the stock housing all the light will be directed upward. No light will shine on the road. Honda OEM headlights are horrible when HID's are installed. Nothing but glare.
Of course stock non HID headlights arent designed for HID's but some are better than others.
To get the most light and a nice color. Installing/having someone install projections and a full HID system/kit would be your best bet. This is called a retrofit. It takes a lot of time and patiance. I did a retro on my car, only downside is my flutted lenses (ripped/reflective glass).
Factory HID systems are 4100K, there are a few 5500-6000K's also. Remember the higher the K (Kelvin temp/color rating) the less lighting. So basically the higher the K goes (6000, 7000, 8000) more color less light.
Colored bulbs and HID's are VERY different. HID's use 35w bulbs and also include ballast and ignitors (some ignitors are built in rather than external).
Color bulbs are just that. Bulbs with higher wattage, well some, and colored glass. Some work good, some are a waste of money.
Thanks for the advice I appreciate it.
I went cheap and elected to buy some 7,000K bulbs from ebay. I want the nice blue light look. Looked cool on the net but I have them and the box looks [shizzle]ty. I doubt they will look good. once the car is out the shop I will install and update you guys but I have a feeling this was 25$ waste butI knew that going in.
I dont normally come into GA, but i finally found this thread.
Yeah, you definatlly got the impersonation bulbs. Good for 25 bucks IMO, but has no comparison to real hid bulbs.
Just to clear a few things up for you.
1) Stock (D2S) bulbs are 4100-4300K the color is equivalant to that of the sun.
2) 8000K bulbs do not have blue coating on them. Its diffrent type of gas/salt combo in the capsule (bulb)
3 and most important) Color can be created in 2 ways, higering the kelvin temp and loosing light, but in a stock application the blue is created at the cutoff due to the light trying to "bend" over the sheild.
To create more color you can bend the sheild, effectivlly changing the prisim between the bowl, sheild, and lens. Or you can use tiny wahers to space the lens from the bowl. This will also change the prisim of the projector.
Heres a few pics to help you out.
4100K D2S comparison with 6000K Philips ultinulon bulbs. This is from HardboilerPGT. Notice how much the 6000K bulb is lacking intesity when compared to the 4100K bulb. There is close to no light on the ground, but the 4100K bulb you can clearly see light on the ground.
Heres some DOT Acura TSX projectors, washer modded for more color along the cutoff. Notice the intensity of the light below the cutoff, and the absence of light above the cutoff.
Heres the Audi RS6 bixenons output on my car.
Heres some H7 ece valeos with a DOT frensel lens. The sheild on these are RAZOR sharp, and that causes color along the flats of the cutoff instead of the step of the cutoff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Automotive lighting FAQ
The hard facts on 4100K Philips HID bulb:
It is shown in product catalogs as "MPXL-DL35". MPXL stands for Micro Power Xenon Light. This is the bulb installed OE in many HID headlamps today.
It is 3200lm bright (+/-450lm) and 4100K colortemp (0.380x 0.390y).
At zero hours it starts off at 4100K and goes upwards to 4600K after 1500 hours. After that there is no measure points, but curve has the direction to reach 5000K after maybe 2500hours.
Do not rush out and buy some 5 year old bulb from an old BMW 750iA yet; As all other bulbs, they also get dimmer with time:
100% at 0 hours
90% ar 200 hours
80% at 1000 hours
75% at 1500 hours
70% at 2000 hours
Chances that a bulb gets as old as 2000h is not likely. 2000h of driving in 70km/h (~50mph) is a pretty long distance: 140000km (~90000miles). Chances that most cars see some form of front accident that will break the bulbs are pretty high.
There is no reason to jump any conclusion that they loose lumen too fast. I would be surprised if any other lamp can do better. An halogen lamp is usually out of service after 5-600 on graphs like this. Asian HID bulbs has repuation for 5-600 hours of life as well.
The hard facts on 4100K Osram HID bulb:
They are labeled "Osram Xenarc" and comes installed as OE bulb on many HID headlamp equipped cars.
"Xenarc standard" datsheet: Offsite link to Osram website
The hard facts on 4100K General Electric (GE) HID bulb:
They have marketwise been more in the shadow, compared to other HID manufacturers. They have not been spotted anywhere else than as replacement bulbs at a dealer. This not an indication of quality, probably more of an indication of price. A GE D2S bulb is listed 3200lm and 4100K.
"Arcstream" Datasheet1: Offsite link1 to GE's website
"Xensation" Datasheet2: Offsite link2 to GE's website
The hard facts on Philips 6000K Ultinon:
Marketing names: "Ultinon", "Cool Power" and "Cool White" are all the same D2 lamps.
The Ultinon and standard lamps are identical with the visible exception of the 'salts' colour in the burner and the ceramic insulation on the earth return lead. Base is labeled: "Not legal for use in Europe/USA". This bulb is clearly ment for the Asia/Japanese marked - they do not have the strict regulations when it comes to color. Some aftermarked vendors market Ultinon as a brighter bulb than a standard D2. This is not true:
OEM Philips D2S is 3200lm bright (+/-450lm) and 4100K colortemp (0.380x 0.390y). (For comparison)
Philips Ultinon D2S is 2400lm bright (+/-250lm) and 5800K colortemp (0.327X 0.312Y).
6000K, 7000K, 15000K HID bulb scam
Many people said, "oh no, not another blue bulb!", and thought that the blue low quality bulb "scam" finally spread over to hit the real HID market in late 2001. Philips Ultinons made in Germany have equal quality, like the OEM Philips bulb, so you cant really call that product a scam.
There are other blue HID bulbs made other places in the world that can be scam products. They maybe even have the Philips or Osram name on the box, or the base, but bulbs are made or modified by someone else. Equal bulbs can also be markeded to have different color temperature. Most customers would never know if color temp was was off, as long as they are matched as a pair. Some kit and bulb suppliers advertise with 7000K and higher. This can be suspective because a lower than OEM quality bulb can have been used. No bulb OEM manufacturer makes any versions with more than ~6000K. So either it is 6000K, or the bulb might have been painted. Painting bulbs decreases brightness and in most cases decreases life. So be aware what you are buying.
As an example, look at table below, and see how blue a 9000K bulb will be! Would you honestly want it to be as blue as the sky?
Yellow:
1500 k Candlelight
2700-2900 k Yellow painted fog halogen bulbs
-------------------------------
Yellowish white:
3200 k Sunrise/sunset
3200 k Premium H7 non painted halogen bulb
3400 k 1 hour from dusk/dawn
-------------------------------
White:
4100 k Philips/Osram OEM HID D2S
5500 k Bright sunny daylight around noon
----------------
Blueish white
5500-5600 k Electronic photo flash
6000 k Philips Ultinon HID D2S
6500-7500 k Overcast sky
-----------------
Blue:
9000-12000 k Blue sky
-----------------
Purple:
28000 Northern sky
12000-30000 k Ultra Violet light (black light)
Heres what happens when you put HID into a stock reflector housing...
Heres what happens when you do a retrofit, and everything works correctlly. (ALL OEM parts)
They actually lite the road nice. Might have to do with the fact that I had the bulbs installed just right
(Not designed for s13 headlights.)
My 4100k HID's are WAY brighter or course.
I dont understand why my capsules that I have no havent colorshifted. I have a lot of hours on them.
There still yellow. Its not a bad thing......
I did like the color of my 8000K's. They werent all that purple. They were a real hyper white.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Any lighting experts HIDs
<-the fuj.
