Heresmymind
06-28-2008, 02:55 PM
Alright, After noticing that everyone here asks the same HID questions I figured I'd do a write up / informational on HID and projectors and all that good stuff. I will discuss Bulbs, Ballasts, Cutoffs, Color Temp’s, and anything else I can think of that people may want/need to know about HID’s.
First off what is HID?
High Intensity Discharge.
-Aka: really bright arse’ lights.
How They Work:
HID lights work with a Arc of electricity to produce light instead of using a filament like halogen bulbs. 2 electrodes inside the bulb spark between each other burning salts in the bulbs ultimately creating light. In order to do this these bulbs need a “spark” or strong/fast ignite to get the arc started. This is achieved by an igniter (part of the ballast or part of the bulb holder, it depends on how new your HID kit is). The spark creates the arc, then a constant current is carried between the 2 electrodes. When bulbs are first ignited they turn on slightly dim with a whiter tone of light, and after about 30 seconds the bulb is fully “warmed up” and will emit a constant hue of light.
Bulbs:
Types: true HID bulbs (OE) bulbs start with D (then a number) then either S or R
Examples:
D1S, D2S, D4S
D1R, D2R, D4R
(OE brands – Phillips, Osram GE)
Any bulb for HID besides these are not OE and are reliably shaky. H3, h7, 9004 or any other bulb is NOT made for HID.
There are 2 different style of HID OE bulbs. 1 Made for projector housings, and 1 made for reflector housings. (D*S’s for projectors, D*R’s for reflectors) D*R bulbs have a special coating on the sides of the glass part of the bulb and a stripe around the center portion of the bulb. This helps reduce glare to oncoming traffic and making sure the light is spread to where you need it to be AKA on the road. D*S bulbs do not have this coating and do not need to reduce the glare because the projectors cut off shields prevent the glare.
The bulbs life spans usually end up being much much longer than halogen’s. They do not “blow” out. They simply dim until they are about as bright as a halogen bulb. Or they “color shift”.
PnP Kits- Plug n’ Play kits commonly found on ebay forum group buys and every other aftermarket webpage. These kits CAN be a gamble and all are Illegal. No matter what is posted on their adds PnP kits are illegal, and NOT D.O.T. Stamped. These kits reliability vary. The reliability is only as good as the dealer. PnP kit bulbs/ballasts tend to fail much more often then OEM hid components. Each kit varies, I have had a 3000k fog kit last 3 years and 1 last 1 month. Despite the warranties promised by these companies (2 years life time ect…) please keep in mind that most companies that deal HID products in the US do not stay in business long. The DOT is trying to shut down HID dealing. Companies tend to change their names often making warranties harder to use. Venders in Forums tend to be the most reliable because they tend to stick around much longer and are easier to contact than Ebay dealers.
Color Shifting:
Ever drive by a older audi with projectors and realize how bright WHITE their lights are? Well this is achieved by choosing a higher temp bulb. In time Bulbs color shift. They tend to turn bluer ultimately looking more of a pure white rather than an off white. Older HID equipped cars will have the whiter looking lights due to this. When bulbs color shift they lose their intensity.
Color Temp’s of Bulbs:
OE Bulbs are generally created at 4300k or 4900k. This temperature is most accurate to the color of daylight, thus creating the most natural light on the road during night driving. The color looks like a off white but much whiter than halogen (tan) output. These bulbs color shift after a lot of usage 100+ hours is when they start to shift.
Phillips 85122 , osram are 4300k and “Color Shift” Phillips to a whiter/bluer shade. Osram turn pink (commonly seen on old sabs or Volvos)
Phillips 85122+ are rated at 4900k but put out a 4300k output but never color shift ultimatly creating the best output.
There are some bulbs (phillips dl50s) that create higher output. These bulbs also do not contain mercury.
5000k- Phillips/GE make a few more Rare pure white bulb. 5000k is the pure white with a very minimal hue of blue. Great during clear weather driving but during poor weather conditions they tend to cause glare/reflect making it hard to see in fog/snow. And the whiter light tends to be “absorbed” into the wet roads.
6000k- Glacier Blue, very white with more of a impression of light blue. Again great in nice weather, bad in poor weather. Less output than 4300k
8000k- Blue, the color choice of “Ricers” around the globe, striving to get the blue effect of OE projectors. This blue light is not only illegal but it is very poor on your eyes. Eyes strain to see blue light on the road, and although it may be “cool” looking with your buddies 8000k is a ticket chance, and accident chance, Long trips with these bulbs and your eyes will be hurtin’. Not to mention in poor weather condition driving they are Useless.
10,000k- Deep Blue, Even bluer than 8000k, starting to turn violet. All of 8000k’s worries + some more
12,000k-30,000k- violet to pink to green. Poor performance, illegal and bad for your eyes. DO NOT USE THESE unless for show vehicle.
3,000k- Yellow, As of right now I only know of 1 OE company that makes 3000k yellow HID bulbs. Phillips 85122 YX bulbs. After owning a pair of these rare and expensive bulbs, you’ll always want them for poor weather conditions. Yellow light is the easiest on your eyes and creates the best output for depth perception. Although they are slightly dimmer than OE 4300k bulbs (due to a yellow filter) they are a great choice. Some states do not allow yellow as your main driving light, but here in CT they are. Please check local laws. They reflect less off fog and are great for depth perception in snow. Think about it, 4300k white on white snow or 3000k yellow on white snow. Use in fogs or secondary lighting.
50 watt kits, Do's And Don'ts
Only 1 OE 50 watt kit is out there atm to my knowledge. PnP Companies are creating 50 watt kits now. Yes they are noticeably brighter than 35 watt hids. But some issues have come to the plate. First off the projectors chrome bowls. Since 50 watt kits run MUCH hotter than 35 , sometimes HOTTER than halogen. when put into a hid projector they tend to either fade or burn the chrome bowl interior. the chrome on the projectors was designed for 35 watt hid bulbs. If you put a 50 watt kit into a halogen reflector you stand much less chance of this happening because halogen projectors chrome was creating to withstand higher temps of the halogen bulb. And it will be much brighter. but you still run into the issues from HID in a halogen projector. It is still a gamble.
HID PnP kits also run much hotter than the oe 50 watt phillips. and draw much more energy. Will post thread with tests and temperatures when i find it today.
-B
First off what is HID?
High Intensity Discharge.
-Aka: really bright arse’ lights.
How They Work:
HID lights work with a Arc of electricity to produce light instead of using a filament like halogen bulbs. 2 electrodes inside the bulb spark between each other burning salts in the bulbs ultimately creating light. In order to do this these bulbs need a “spark” or strong/fast ignite to get the arc started. This is achieved by an igniter (part of the ballast or part of the bulb holder, it depends on how new your HID kit is). The spark creates the arc, then a constant current is carried between the 2 electrodes. When bulbs are first ignited they turn on slightly dim with a whiter tone of light, and after about 30 seconds the bulb is fully “warmed up” and will emit a constant hue of light.
Bulbs:
Types: true HID bulbs (OE) bulbs start with D (then a number) then either S or R
Examples:
D1S, D2S, D4S
D1R, D2R, D4R
(OE brands – Phillips, Osram GE)
Any bulb for HID besides these are not OE and are reliably shaky. H3, h7, 9004 or any other bulb is NOT made for HID.
There are 2 different style of HID OE bulbs. 1 Made for projector housings, and 1 made for reflector housings. (D*S’s for projectors, D*R’s for reflectors) D*R bulbs have a special coating on the sides of the glass part of the bulb and a stripe around the center portion of the bulb. This helps reduce glare to oncoming traffic and making sure the light is spread to where you need it to be AKA on the road. D*S bulbs do not have this coating and do not need to reduce the glare because the projectors cut off shields prevent the glare.
The bulbs life spans usually end up being much much longer than halogen’s. They do not “blow” out. They simply dim until they are about as bright as a halogen bulb. Or they “color shift”.
PnP Kits- Plug n’ Play kits commonly found on ebay forum group buys and every other aftermarket webpage. These kits CAN be a gamble and all are Illegal. No matter what is posted on their adds PnP kits are illegal, and NOT D.O.T. Stamped. These kits reliability vary. The reliability is only as good as the dealer. PnP kit bulbs/ballasts tend to fail much more often then OEM hid components. Each kit varies, I have had a 3000k fog kit last 3 years and 1 last 1 month. Despite the warranties promised by these companies (2 years life time ect…) please keep in mind that most companies that deal HID products in the US do not stay in business long. The DOT is trying to shut down HID dealing. Companies tend to change their names often making warranties harder to use. Venders in Forums tend to be the most reliable because they tend to stick around much longer and are easier to contact than Ebay dealers.
Color Shifting:
Ever drive by a older audi with projectors and realize how bright WHITE their lights are? Well this is achieved by choosing a higher temp bulb. In time Bulbs color shift. They tend to turn bluer ultimately looking more of a pure white rather than an off white. Older HID equipped cars will have the whiter looking lights due to this. When bulbs color shift they lose their intensity.
Color Temp’s of Bulbs:
OE Bulbs are generally created at 4300k or 4900k. This temperature is most accurate to the color of daylight, thus creating the most natural light on the road during night driving. The color looks like a off white but much whiter than halogen (tan) output. These bulbs color shift after a lot of usage 100+ hours is when they start to shift.
Phillips 85122 , osram are 4300k and “Color Shift” Phillips to a whiter/bluer shade. Osram turn pink (commonly seen on old sabs or Volvos)
Phillips 85122+ are rated at 4900k but put out a 4300k output but never color shift ultimatly creating the best output.
There are some bulbs (phillips dl50s) that create higher output. These bulbs also do not contain mercury.
5000k- Phillips/GE make a few more Rare pure white bulb. 5000k is the pure white with a very minimal hue of blue. Great during clear weather driving but during poor weather conditions they tend to cause glare/reflect making it hard to see in fog/snow. And the whiter light tends to be “absorbed” into the wet roads.
6000k- Glacier Blue, very white with more of a impression of light blue. Again great in nice weather, bad in poor weather. Less output than 4300k
8000k- Blue, the color choice of “Ricers” around the globe, striving to get the blue effect of OE projectors. This blue light is not only illegal but it is very poor on your eyes. Eyes strain to see blue light on the road, and although it may be “cool” looking with your buddies 8000k is a ticket chance, and accident chance, Long trips with these bulbs and your eyes will be hurtin’. Not to mention in poor weather condition driving they are Useless.
10,000k- Deep Blue, Even bluer than 8000k, starting to turn violet. All of 8000k’s worries + some more
12,000k-30,000k- violet to pink to green. Poor performance, illegal and bad for your eyes. DO NOT USE THESE unless for show vehicle.
3,000k- Yellow, As of right now I only know of 1 OE company that makes 3000k yellow HID bulbs. Phillips 85122 YX bulbs. After owning a pair of these rare and expensive bulbs, you’ll always want them for poor weather conditions. Yellow light is the easiest on your eyes and creates the best output for depth perception. Although they are slightly dimmer than OE 4300k bulbs (due to a yellow filter) they are a great choice. Some states do not allow yellow as your main driving light, but here in CT they are. Please check local laws. They reflect less off fog and are great for depth perception in snow. Think about it, 4300k white on white snow or 3000k yellow on white snow. Use in fogs or secondary lighting.
50 watt kits, Do's And Don'ts
Only 1 OE 50 watt kit is out there atm to my knowledge. PnP Companies are creating 50 watt kits now. Yes they are noticeably brighter than 35 watt hids. But some issues have come to the plate. First off the projectors chrome bowls. Since 50 watt kits run MUCH hotter than 35 , sometimes HOTTER than halogen. when put into a hid projector they tend to either fade or burn the chrome bowl interior. the chrome on the projectors was designed for 35 watt hid bulbs. If you put a 50 watt kit into a halogen reflector you stand much less chance of this happening because halogen projectors chrome was creating to withstand higher temps of the halogen bulb. And it will be much brighter. but you still run into the issues from HID in a halogen projector. It is still a gamble.
HID PnP kits also run much hotter than the oe 50 watt phillips. and draw much more energy. Will post thread with tests and temperatures when i find it today.
-B