In regards to the HID FAQ

[Pudmunkie]

Few things mentioned need to be fixed

Question: What about using HIDs with DRLs?
Answer:
If low beams turn off when high beams turn on, this will reduce bulb life and damage your ballast. HIDs need a constant, steady stream of power. Even if low beams stay on with high beams, your are drawing power away from the HIDs.

Low beam projectors are supposed to stay on when the contour high beams come on. There will be no power drained away from a properly wired HID system. Which will pull its power straight from the battery, and thus will pull a constant voltage which the ballasts will regulate down for the bulbs.

Question: What about using HIDs with DRLs?
Answer:
DRLs have been known to cause problems with HIDs when they activate. HIDs need a constant, steady stream of power. When DRLs activate, they draw power away. This reduces bulb life and damages the ballast.

Pretty much the same thing as before, DRLs dont pull power from a properly wired system. Ask Goonz, he has DRLs.

Q: So, what "k" kit do I need??
Answer:
It is personal preference. If you are serious about your light output and want the best light output, go with a 4100k - 5000k kit. If you want a slightly yellow look - 4100k. If you want a pure white look - 5000k. The higher the k, the more blue to purple it gets - but the tradeoff is less light.

3000k is yellow, 4100-4300 pure white, 5000k blueish tint.

Of course none of this really matters with projectors as you get the color from the shield.

Q: Can I create my own HID kit?
Answer:
Yes, but it's not recommended because not all HID components by various manufacturers fit each other. You have to know what works with what before you create your own kit. If you want to create your own custom kit like GoonzSVT, do the research to understand what it takes.

Should specify between a kit that needs to be used in a reflector housing (rebased kit :nonono and a projector set up. Projector set ups are actually really easy to build. Just need two identical ballasts, and the know how to wire them up (which can be found from the automotive lighting FAQ)

 

[Goonz SVT]

yea Alex and I were discussing that as well, those things do need to be changed. If you have a proper wiring harness then you will not need to worry about power being drained from the highs or DRL's. I have DRL's and they have absoloutly no effect what so ever on my HIDs..

 

[KingpinSVT]

Well, considering the DRLs turn off when the lows come on, there should be no power drain from them as they are not on! LOL Even with the foglight mod.

 

[Pudmunkie]

Another valid point

My main point was that it seemed like all the problems pete may have experience (or heard about) were from poor harness contruction (like pulling power from a headlight harness)

 

[Goonz SVT]

Pete have you acknowledged this?

 

[Pudmunkie]

I dont know if he has seen it yet goonz. He did post some new things ( I think) but may have missed it.

If nothing comes shortly, we can PM him

 

[GTO Pete]

Pete have you acknowledged this?

Yes! A LOT of things to copy & paste over, update links, follow forums pic limitations, etc.

My main point was that it seemed like all the problems pete may have experience (or heard about) were from poor harness contruction (like pulling power from a headlight harness)

Just posting "common" problems I ran across while reading "HID FAQ"s on the web. Since most of CEG is not experienced I took the approach of "better safe than sorry". :shrug:

I have made some changes to reflect you guys' suggestions.


I do have to disagree with this suggested change:

3000k is yellow, 4100-4300 pure white, 5000k blueish tint.

Maybe it's my eyes, but after warming up the 4100k and 5000k HID kits I owned look slightly yellow (4100k) and pure white (5000k) to me and almost everyone who saw them on my SVT. :shrug: I did add that people's eyes see colors differently.


Good looking out with the suggestions guys.

 

[Pudmunkie]

You can have your own opinions on colors, but at least note what ive said.

You missed adding in the part about how turning your high beams on while the low beam projectors stay on, will NOT hurt the ballasts. Since the ballasts shold be pulling power from the battery

If you do any serious reading HIDplanet forums youll find out that 3000k is yellow, and 4100k produce bright white. Of course some of this might be 'lost in translation' per say when using contour reflectors.

I did the searching for everyone on CEG:

3000k bulbs:

4100k bulbs:

 

[SVT SNOB]

I want my foglights to be yellow like those 3000k :drool:.

Aaron

 

[Goonz SVT]

I want my foglights to be yellow like those 3000k :drool:.

Aaron

I know huh! I want it too :drool:

 

[GTO Pete]

You missed adding in the part about how turning your high beams on while the low beam projectors stay on, will NOT hurt the ballasts. Since the ballasts shold be pulling power from the battery

Again, "better safe than sorry". But I did add "Please note, properly wired HIDs..."

If you do any serious reading HIDplanet forums youll find out that 3000k is yellow, and 4100k produce bright white.

I've done extensive reading on HIDs. I've done extensive viewing of HIDs on probably hundreds and hundreds of cars on various "meets" of various cars. I'll admit, there have been a handful of ~4000k that looked very white, but most looked a little yellow to me. And there have been a handful of 5000k that looked a little blue, but most looked very crisp white to me.

Ford Contours side-by-side: 4100k vs 7000k.

4100k looks a little yellow to me in the picture as well as in person. Local CEGers who saw them in person agreed and that's why I switched to 5000k which everyone agreed were very crisp and white.


6000k vs 4300k

4300k looks a little yellow to me.

4100k vs 6000k

4100k looks a little yellow to me.

 

[Goonz SVT]

It doesnt look yellow to me, I know for a fact mine dont look yellow whatso ever..these pics are from my origional Philips 4300K before I switched to the Philips 5000K..

 

[GTO Pete]

Yeah, it's weird. Like I said before, my Phillips 4100k (as seen in pic above) looked a little yellow. And I have seen white ~4000k. :shrug:

How does your 5000k compare?

 

[Goonz SVT]

Basically the Philips 5000K is a colorshifted 4300K. The only difference between the Philips 4300k and the Philips 5000K is that the 5000K one starts off as a 4300K, but it colorshifts much much quicker then say an average 4300K would. I believe it takes a week or so for the 5000K, the 4300K takes about a year. Mine currently are pretty cool, the cutoff is really really colorful due to the added hue of a little blue in there, however they perform really well, not as quite strong as the regular 4300K but you honestly couldnt tell the differnece. The road however is almost illuminated crisp white, like the median lines and etc, its really cool.

my next set will be the Hella/Osram 4300K. Those are almost standard bulbs on every HID equipped car. Philips bulbs are now very rarely found in car..

 

[teamSVTour]

I want my foglights to be yellow like those 3000k :drool:.

Aaron

I know huh! I want it too :drool:

Like these? They are not in a projector fog so the spread is not there. I opted more for a beam pattern as I tend to like that better to get the best of both worlds. The color plus the distance. They light up the forground extremely well. These are PIAA Ion Fog bulbs in a PIAA 510 Crystal White driving lamp/lens (which means the lens is clear not the yellowish/purple lens that comes w/ the Ion Fog lamp kit)if you want the same look. They are 3000k and really look amazing in person

 

[SVT SNOB]

Unreal :drool:, where and how much?

Aaron

 

[Goonz SVT]

Thats the setup I had with my yellowstars

I plan on getting the PIAA 510 Ion yellow since those are the ones with the fog pattern...

 

[Pudmunkie]

Yellow:

Not yellow:

You make it seem like when people want yellow, they should get 4100k. 4100k is white, 4300k is the most intense bright (best output of all) white. 5000k is actually super white too, 5000k is the color range that 4300ks color shift to. 6000k is a BLUE white.

But im done arguing, I didnt write the FAQ Pete did. So thats what CEG will learn.

 

[teamSVTour]

Unreal :drool:, where and how much?

Aaron

Hopefully I answered all your questions over AIM earlier tonight. If not feel free to ask.

 

[GTO Pete]

You make it seem like when people want yellow, they should get 4100k.

Where do you get the impression that I state "yellow" is like the "yellow" pic you posted? :shrug: I keep repeating myself when I say has a slight bit of yellow to it.

The 4100k on the left in the pic below certainly looks like it has a hint of yellow in it to me. :shrug:

But as Goonz has posted, his 4300k kit certainly is pretty white.

I'll continue to point to variances of manufacturers, headlight types/styes, bulbs, age, people's perception of color, etc. that make the lights appear slightly blue or slightly yellow, and what people consider to have a slight yellow tint or slight blue tint is in the eye of the beholder. That's why in the FAQ I put "IMHO" to reflect my opinion and my experiences.

You continue to attempt to make blanket statements that it is fact that 4100k is white with no yellow; 4300k is pure white, etc. which it is not. It is your opinion from your experiences and visual perception.

If you want to argue from a technical standpoint, the brightest sunlight is at noon which is 5000-5500k and is scientifically considering the whitest.

Enough arguing. I think people have enough information to make their own educated decisions as far as what k to go with.