HID Kits, which colour temperature?

I've just changed the Audi bulbs to Osram Silverstars and the lights are pretty good now. Audi halogens are very poor and would certainly recommend upgrading them. Can't beat Xenons but I do find them slightly blinding when someone is behind me.
 
HIDs are a menace and should be banned - I for one don't want a better view of the dazzled oncoming driver as he crashes into me.
 
Psycrow said:
I have philips vision plus and to be honest I didn't notice much of an improvment over the stock bulbs I had in + I like the look of the HID lights (what a poser).
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When can you ever see em though, you are inside the car not staring at the front in the dark :p
 
Psycrow said:
Same goes for the RSAP bodykit :P
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no it doesnt. He can see the RSAP body kit when he's outside the car. Most people tend to turn their lights off when they get out, thus wouldn't be able to see them.

Tom.
 
Bear in mind the higher the K value not only changes the colour but the temperature they operate at, dont make them any brighter but could start melting the insides of your lights, which will be nice. Also legally dont you need to have slef levellers and washer jets?

The Xenons on both my old audi and my current golf only operate at 4000k i believe, and even then i get flashed every single day by someone who does not like them. Great for me at night but not for everyone else.
 
Wolfchild said:
Bear in mind the higher the K value not only changes the colour but the temperature they operate at, dont make them any brighter but could start melting the insides of your lights, which will be nice. Also legally dont you need to have slef levellers and washer jets?

The Xenons on both my old audi and my current golf only operate at 4000k i believe, and even then i get flashed every single day by someone who does not like them. Great for me at night but not for everyone else.
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as you've said colour temperature has no bearing on the brightness :p so the fact your golf is 4000k doesnt matter ;) It just mean's they're bright and a bit yellow, instead of bright and a bit blue :p

Tom.
 
rG-tom said:
as you've said colour temperature has no bearing on the brightness :p so the fact your golf is 4000k doesnt matter ;) It just mean's they're bright and a bit yellow, instead of bright and a bit blue :p

Tom.
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indeed, only matters when you put 8000k in a fiesta or similar and wonder why your headlight lenses are turning to syrup!
 
Wolfchild said:
Bear in mind the higher the K value not only changes the colour but the temperature they operate at, dont make them any brighter but could start melting the insides of your lights, which will be nice. Also legally dont you need to have slef levellers and washer jets?
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you only need self levellers and washers jets for factory fitted HID lights after market kits dont need them :)
 
needmorespeed said:
you only need self levellers and washers jets for factory fitted HID lights after market kits dont need them :)
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Aftermarket kits are illegal for road use anyway as the bulbs are not CE approved.
 
4300k give the most improved visibility. They have the least "blue" tinge to them out of the available colour temps.

6000k are the best compromise between visibility and "looks" if you like.

8000k are still a good improvement over standard non-HID lights, but with a much more pronounced blue tinge to them, overly so in my opinion. A bit too "boy racerish" for my tastes.

I did a lot of research into all aspects of retro fitting HID's, including what colour temp to go for. The general feeling from many folks who have carried this mod out, is to go for the 6000k versions.

I did on an old Calibra I have for a runabout as a second car, and I can honestly say the improvement in lighting was fantastic compared to the stock items. And for those who are wondering......no they dont dazzle oncoming drivers. No more so than factory fitted units would. After fitting these a while back, I went out on the roads at night to test them and had 4 different people, friends of mine, drive towards me on various roads and asked them to report back if they were overly dazzling or not.

They weren't. The only time I've been "dazzled" by a vehicle with HID's has been with the latest shape Range Rovers, but this is primarily because of the increase in height level that the headlight units physically sit at on the front of the vehicle.

So, here's some pics of the kit I bought and retro fitted. If need be, I can link you up with a fitting guide I wrote on another forum. It's Vauxhall specific, but may give you a few pointers.


HID Headlights:-

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HID headlights AND highbeam

Notice the difference in colour temperature between the HID dipped and the standard high beam.



A "before and after" kind of pic:-

Drivers side is HID, passenger side standard H1 bulb

frontoffside13ww.jpg



I've yet to fit one of these kits to the bike, but I'm tempted to do so.

Also, apologies for the quality of the pics, most were taken on my camera phone and enlarged in PSP8.
 
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Not really, because the light beam is still being focused downwards. My dipped lights have 3 dip levels, the most dipped only puts the beam a few metres infront of the car, so if the HID kit is way too bright, I will just dip them a bit more.
 
To be quite honest, the retro fitting of HID's is a huge grey area.

No one quite knows exactly how to interpret it, and that includes MoT testers and the Police.

I look upon it in a similar fashion as I do to other modifications, like black visors on bike helmets, race cans etc.

If it improves things for you on a personal front, then use it. As long as its not affecting other road users and hindering them going about their daily business.

If you get stopped and questioned/fined for the use of these items ( although to date, I've never heard of anyone being stopped and quizzed or fined for having HID's fitted ), then thats the chance you take.

As I said, I made 100% sure that my HID's dont dazzle oncoming drivers. Not only for my own and their safety, but for another reason......I didn't want to attract any undue attention from the powers that be.

A set of well fitted, properly adjusted HID's is much preferable to the lights you see fitted to some vehicles out on the roads, such as those who have badly adjusted headlamp units in the first place, even with standard bulbs fitted!!!.
 
The thing I don't understand is what was the problem with halogen lights that led to a need for HID's?

As far I can see the reason most people want HID's is because it makes their car look more expensive / 'cool', which is a pretty inadequate justification for compromising other road users' safety.
 
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