I dont think theyre rice I just wanted to use my rice photo LOL

I love hot (9k and above) HID's

 

Actually, 9K is considered "cooler" than 6K. It's color temperature, which is measured in degrees Kelvin. As the temperature gets cooler the degrees Kelvin increases. As the temperature warms up, the degrees Kelvin decreases.

Typical daylight is 5,000-5,600K. Florescent lighting at around 4,300K. A standard incandescent lightbulb is about 2,800K. A candle is about 2,000K. The degree scale is the opposite of a physical temperature scale. It took me a while to understand that myself.


See, you can learn something from us almost-40somethings

Warren

 

I think daylight color is around 5200k (someone correct me if I am wrong). Now here is what I am not quite sure of...if daylight is about 5200k and our bulbs are 4100k...wouldn't 6000k be brighter since it is closer to the color of daylight?

Thanks

 

I work in television production, we deal with 5,600K outdoor lighting all the time. We even have a color correction filter on the camera for 5,600. A partly cloudly day would be somewhere between 4,500-5,000 range, maybe even 5,200.

As for your second part, color temperature and intensity are two different things. You can have a 5,600K light delivering 200 watts, like this one:


Or you can have a 5,600K light delivering 18,000 watts, like this one:


The wattage (thus the footcandles, lux, lumens) are greater with the 18,000 watt light than the 200 watt light, but they both produce a daylight color temp. of 5,600K.

Hope that helps.

Warren

 

Ok so wattage = brightness

I know philips makes a 6000k and 4100k bulb -- I am assuming they are both the same wattage. If they are both the same wattage, does that mean they produce the same brightness just in a different hue?

Thanks for helping clear this up

 

"Ok so wattage = brightness"
In terms of automotive useage, yes.


"...does that mean they produce the same brightness just in a different hue?"

Yes, you are correct sir.

BTW, putting blue film infront of your lights will cut the output footcandles by several nanometers. With television lights, putting a colored gel on a light will the amonunt of footcandles it throws.

Those blackout headlight covers that were so popular a few years ago greatly reduced the throw from the lights at night, kind of like putting sunglasses on your headlights.

Warren

 

Those blue lights are lame. Plus you might want to be cautious of putting in higher K lights in the s2k headlight housing. They might not be designed to control that much heat and could give you some bad results (melted housing, fires, etc).

IMO, those overly blue/purple lights just look fake. Wanna-be's perping the HID look on the cheap... Our lights are great just the way they are, leave it alone. IF you have to spend money on the car, at least spend it on mods that will have a positive effect on the performance of your car.

 

I don't think a higher Kelvin bulb will gererate more heat, but a higher wattage bulb sure will. It may also damage or destroy the ballast, as they're probably not designed to handle higher than stock wattage.

I might have made the comparrison w/ the TV lights more complicated than it needs to be. I only used the TV lights because they have the same color temp.

Think of it this way:
a standard household 100watt bulb is brighter than a 60watt bulb. Same voltage, same socket, same color temp (2,800K). The higher wattage bulb will be brighter, simple as that.

But I agree kadeshpa. The overly blue lights are lame, fake and signs of an obvious wannabe.

Warren

 

Thanks WarrenW for you help! You've cleared up a lot for me!

I also agree the 7000+ K lights look lame, however the philips ultinion (sp) 6000K I think look pretty darn good; not sure if they are worth 200 dollars for a pair though