I Like the 6000k color but the 8000k also looks nice too. I don't know which one to get. I also like to consider the 4300k because of the max light output, but is the color unique in any way or they the the same as stock? Also , does anyone have pictures of the 6k or 8k in daylight? TIA

 

Disclaimer: I have no experience with HIDs, but I've been reading alot about them on forums.

4300k: OEM white with some yellow -- 4300k: "oem white."
6000k: Really white with some blue
8000k: Blue-ish

If it's true that 4300k-4800k is the best color for maximum utility/brightness, then I say go with the 6000k. From pics, 6000k looks like it's already blue enough, if you like the blue at all (I like it). I feel like 8000k is unnecessarily blue.

 

Call me old fashioned, but I look at my cars head lights as a SAFETY item and NOT a fashion item! From that persepective, go with the bulb that gives you the best vision, which in this case is the 4300k bulbs.

There are a lot of things you can "bling" out on your car all you want. The head lights just isn't one of those items. Going with a lesser builb just because it "looks cool" just doesn't make any sense.

 

Id probably wanna see some pictures, but Id imagine that 6k would be plenty, if its too bright, you blind ppl coming at you.

 

Well with HID lighting(or lighting in general), the more blue in it, the more glare it will have. So a 10000k that is nowhere near as bright as a 4300k bulb will actually have more glare because of the light being very blue. Pretty much wouldn't go with anything 'higher' then 6k. The 6k is plenty blue while still having good light output. Even the 'white' 4300k does have a hint of blue. As the light gets more blue, items like foliage get hard to discern and it starts changing the appearance of other items because of the color.

 

Don't forget: The higher the kelvin rating, the lower the total light output. It's just the nature of HID lights.

We have the same problem lighting reef aquariums. The corals need a bluer spectrum of light and the blue light LOOKS much better on most reef aquariums, but the light output falls off so fast that you have to have a LOT of light to get the intensity the corals and clams need to thrive.

As an example, I used three 400 watt MH lights over my 225 gallon reef tank. Pluse a pair of 160 watt atinic flueresent bulbs as well. That is almost 1.5 KILOWATTS of light over this aquarium! And I was only running 10000k bulbs. If I had used the 14000k or 20000k bulbs, I would have had to upped the light even more.

 

I have 4300k "white" Saleen headlights, and 6000k "bluish white" foglights.

I honestly like the look of the 6000k lights better, that's closer to the BMW/Mercedes/Acura look. I imagine some time in the future I will be retrofitting 6000k bulbs into my Saleens (WTH, they are already burned, can't make them any worse than they are...)

Of course it's a personal choice, but I was never happy with the 4300k lights and would rather have a small amount of "blue" in my HIDs.

 

Daylight is in the range of 5,500K. The closer you get to that the better in my opinion. 4,300k is what you'll find in most OEM lights. The 6,000k will be slightly bluer as mentioned and is a good compromise. Go any higher and you'll lose output as mentioned. I like my 6,000ks.

 

6000k is pretty

 

I've got 10000K HID's from Stangmods, and they're super bright! I've never seen 4300K's in person, so I can't really give you a comparison of the two. I can tell you, though, that night time visibility is *greatly* improved!

 

hope this helps

 

Check this out: 4300k headlights, 6000k foglights.

 

Which kit did you get for your 6k fogs?

 

Art, try lighting up those "flares" in Virginia and I guarantee you'll be pulled over by the local gendarme and State Police in a heartbeat.

 

I have 8000k for both fogs and mains and I super happy with the night time performance. For anyone in the Seattle area that is thinking about moving to HIDs and wants to see what the look like send me a PM and we can arange a meet

 

If you are sticking HID bulbs into the stock Halogen housing you are going to have a lesser quality light pattern in your car. The reason most high end kits come with new housing is they are designed for the beam patter of the HID. Halogen nd HID have different focal points. If you want brighter lights go with a Set of the Sylvania Silverstars.

I am only talking about using HID bulbs in the stock housing

If your doing it strictly for the looks then that is a totally different story.


Richard

 

I did the silverstars first before I bought the HID kits IMO the HIDs out perform the silverstars in every aspect durring night time driving. Better light, better range, better look.

 

Good thing I don't live in your state! I hear that VA is handing out some fantastically large fines to local residents these days...

Of course, being in the "People's Democratic Republica de California" has its own set of problems... at least blasting HIDs aren't one of them! (I hope)

I do have Saleen HIDs for the headlights, so beam pattern isn't a problem as far as seeing... The HID fogs are strictly for show, and for annoying that slow guy in front of me that won't yield the fast lane...

Silverstars suck. I had them on the car before the HIDs and let me tell you, it ain't even close!!! What a waste of $40. They are in my drawer in the garage awaiting "trade in day" some time in the distant future. Total garbage.

 

The 6000k's I have are easilly twice as effective with the headlights alone then the stock headlights/foglights combined as fas direct lighting is concerned, 10 times better at lighting reflective tape and road paint.

 

Color temperature has nothing to do with the amount of light thrown out in front of the car (candelas / lux). Color temperature only affects how the human eye / brain perceives the light. PhD's are split on this issue. Some claim that the white light is perceived as glare, so it is more "visible", while others feel that yellow light is easier to distinguish due to better contrast against road signs, ambient road lighting, and other vehicles' lights.

Regardless of which, what you want is a lot of legal light (IAW FMVSS 108) thrown in front of the car that has a color temperature that complies with SAE J578C's white color envelope.

An easy way to describe why color temperature alone is a useless way of assessing the light's efficiency is to bring in ricer blue bulbs. You have tinted bulbs that produce white light. They may appear white, but they're not throwing more light out onto the road unless they are overwatted bulbs which compensate for the loss of light due to the filter.