Someone tell me about HEAT: halogen vs HIDs

FurBall · 09-09-2005

So right now I have an HID kit in my 2001 Acura EL (similar to 2001 Civic sedan) H4 headlights, and I was thinking about heat....

Everyone says blah blah blah, the HIDs chew up only 35W compared to 55/60W for halogen, and therefore it runs cooler etc...

I'm running a low-beam only setup, and after about 30 minutes of driving with HIDs on, when I turn the car off, the headlight assembly is very warm to the touch... (the outside of the housing - the clear part where light projects out) ... 50 degrees C maybe? Is this NORMAL? This is with HIDs, with a metal glare shield.

I can't recall how it felt with halogens, I will be putting them back in on the wkend, but wanted to see what everyone else thought.

The ambient temperature outside on the streets is probably 15-20 degrees Celcius...

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gearbox · 09-09-2005

Halogens feel HOT, as in you can't even touch the lens. HID should be alot cooler, maybe a little warm. Go find a store that has the sylvania display. You can leave you r hand on the hid all day but halogen will start to burn after a minute.

dirtySAMURAI · 09-09-2005

HID: 450C (or maybe it was F, but that's still too hot to touch)

i dont know the figure for halogen, but thats what HIDs burn at closest to the capsule. HID does not disperse heat the same way that halogens do, that is why your headlights haven't melted yet. if you had a pumped up, 200w halogen bulb, you would probably notice a pungent smell and maybe black spots on your headlight lenses.