sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

[all this information is gather from v6p...from diff threads, though ud guys like to BE LEARNED!!!]

HID Kelvin Scale

Color temperature is measured in the aforementioned absolute scale, and is a measurement of the color of light radiated by an object while it is being heated, as seen by the human eye.

The human eye sees low Kelvin color temperatures, such as 2400°K as red. We see very high color temperatures like 10,000°K as purple. And everything in between is important to your question about picking the right headlamps!

For example, look at this scale:
1500°K - Candlelight
2680°K - 40w halogen bulb
3000°K - 200w halogen bulb
3200°K - Sunrise/Sunset
3500-4300°K - Most Xenon Superwhite Bulbs
5500°K - Sunny daylight around noon
6000°K-7500°K - Overcast Sky, Some true HID Systems
8000°K-9000°K - Sunny blue sky, Some true HID Systems
10,000°K - 12,000°K - Purple hues at sundown

So basically, lower color temperature implies warmer light while high color temperature implies a cooler light.

Remember that if you want white headlights with very little color, you'll need an HID system rated at about 6000°K. These may have a slight purple/pink hue. (Halogen bulbs, even xenon superwhite bulbs, will always have some tint and cannot achieve this Kelvin temperature.)

If you want some slight blue color, headlights that are very soft on the eyes, but still increase vision dramatically, look for an HID system rated at around 8000°K.

If you want to stick with halogen bulbs and want the whitest light possible, look for xenon superwhite bulbs in the 4000-4300°K range. All will have a slight blue tint.

It's also important to remember that a light is not necessarily better or worse based on its Kelvin color temperature. No two sets of human eyes see the exact same way, so see which works best for you, and know what kind of visual appearance you'd like your headlights to have before you shop!




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HID PROJECTORS AND THEIR CUT OFFs



Introduction to HID:
Most cars currently use halogen bulbs in their headlights. The new blue-ish headlights are using a different technology called High Intensity Discharge (HID). We normally see HID lamps in the form of mercury vapor and sodium vapor lights used as street lamps and as outdoor lighting for stadiums. These lamps are popular because they are efficient. In the case of sodium vapor, they are twice as efficient as normal fluorescent bulbs.
Mercury and sodium vapor lamps produce light using a technique similar to that used in fluorescent lamps. In fluorescent lamps a low-pressure mercury vapor produces lots of ultraviolet light that excites a phosphor coating the tube. In the case of mercury vapor lamps, it is a high-pressure gas, the distance between the electrodes is very short and the light is produced directly without the need for the phosphor.
In the case of HID headlights, the same high-pressure technology is used. The lamp is similar to a mercury vapor lamp. However, designers of the headlights had to solve one problem with normal mercury vapor lamps -- the fact that they have long start-up times. Xenon helps solve the start-up problem, as does a special controller. All of these tricks mean that these headlights are expensive now, but mass production should bring the cost down eventually. (source: howstuffworks.com)

Projectors:

There are different types of projectors used in retrofiting. It depends on your need, the size/shape of your headlights and $$. Here are picture of some of the most popular projectors used in retrofiting, thier cost and cutoff.
As far as fitment most of the 2.5" diameter projectors will fit but the ones that I know will fit for sure are TSX projectors, S2000 projectors(with slight modification), Lexus IS300, BMW E46/Audi A4 and Cadillac Valeo(D1S).

A> TSX projectors (around $130+/pair)


B> TL Bi-xenon(around $250+/pair)


NOTE: TL and TSX have the same cutoff. but TL is bixenon, meaning it has highbeam capabilities.

C> S2000 projectors(around 300/pair)


D> BMW E46/Audi A4 single beam(around $100/pair)



E> Mecedez E55 Bi-xenon(around $200/pair)

Sorry no cutoff pic but similar to TL projector

F> BMW 5 Series (years 97-03) single beam(around $100/pair)

same as the E46

G> BMW ZKW projector (5 series years 04+) $130



H> BMW ZKW projector (3 series years 05+) $100



I> Cadillac Valeo single beam(around $150/pair)



J> Lexus RX330 single beam adaptive xenon(around $200/pair)



K> Nissan 350Z (first gen)(around $150/pair)
not a very good projector...it sucks because its a reflector based headlight (uses d2r bulbs)...the output is based on teh beam from teh lenses and the headlight reflector.


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Ballasts:
There are tons of ballast out there. From OEM to aftermarket. Please do some research before buying aftermarket ballasts. Here are some of the OEM ones. Please note the the ballasts are not Polarized, means they will not work if the positive is connected to the negative cable. Most of the times are are direct fit on the car or harness but some vehicles have reverse polarity, I will post a procedure on that as well later on. You wont blow the ballast if you accidently conect the wrong polarity,


A> Mercedez E55 ballast


B> Lexus RX330 DENSO ballast(recomended becuase of the fitment)


C> BMW E46 ballast/ignitor


D> LEXUS denso D4s ballast




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Bulbs:

Hid bulbs are of different types and color. There are BASICALLY 2 HID bulbs.

d2s and d2r.

+the 2 in D2s (or d2s) is the generation. in this case, its a 2nd generation bulb.

+the S in "d2s" stands for "SHIELDED"... because projectors have shields, and because half the light is shielded to prevent glare.

+ the R in "d2r" stands for "reflector"...because...well...its made for reflectors (example: IS300 or the first gen G35)


TWO BASIC:

d2s (made for oem projectors)


d2r (made for oem reflectors)

NOTE: it does have a glare shield on it that works in sync with the oem HID reflector.


this is how the bases of the bulbs look like. they are really teh same bulbs, just with differnt cuts for fitment.


NOTE: d2c is a universal bulb base that will fit both D2s and D2r (not sure if its offically oem though)




OTHER oem bulbs:

D1S (or D1R) - this is the first generation hid bulbs, used is mostly VALEO projectors. also, the D1R is used is the ESCALADES

this one:

^reflector hids

NOTE: d1s/r isnt used that much anymore due to the fact that most ballast these days have built in igniter(s)


OTHER OTHER oem bulbs are

d4s (or d4r)...these are the newest one, and are rated at 4800k and 5800k. they have pretty high LM (lumen) for the high kelvin scale. they are also known as "XenEco" bulbs


again, The color can be determined by Kelvin numbers. Stock color on most cars is 4300K. Refer to the chart below for color tempreture

Although the shield of the projector can be modified to get better color but overall it depends on the color of the bulb.



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Harness:
HID system is more brighter and more powerful than Halogen. The ballast suck alot of power at startup to maintain even output. Connecting the HID to your stock electrical system can be dangerous because Non-HID cars are not designed to take that load. A seperate wire harness is often used to avoid any problems. Most commonly used is from www.xenondepot.com. They come in different types depending on the vehicles connector type.



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Shrouds:
Shrouds are basicaly to the enhance looks of the headlight and to cover the projector. There are different types of shrouds but they mainly depends of availability and personal taste.

Commonly used are:

* general


* BMW E46


* BMW E65


* BMW ZKW (new 5 series)


* Audi A4

(its on the left, on the projector, that can be removed)

* Mercedes E55




ok.......thank you....... its freaking 3:33am here...and ive been working on this for OVER 2 hrs...sleep time.

james

EggRollBandit05

iTrader: (7)

Very informative

Might want to add to the kelvin section a little note that the higher you go on the kelvin scale = less light output

Eyger

Good information. Think you could also create a list of parts that would be an example of a fully operational HID system? That would be great.

LT2004ever

iTrader: (2)

^^ yea what he said... or people can just log onto hidplanet.com lol

but yeah man, very thorough list

electric130

iTrader: (44)

good information overall. i don't agree with this statement:

6000°K-7500°K - Overcast Sky, Some true HID Systems
8000°K-9000°K - Sunny blue sky, Some true HID Systems

considering that OEM bulbs are 4100k-4300k, how is 6000-9000k considered "true HID Systems?" with the exception of some of the Ultinons and 1 or 2 other exceptions, all of the aftermarket HID's with high kelvin ratings were created due to ricer demand.

6000k is the highest that's useful for driving purposes. the CRI on it is pretty low though, so you loose contrast which can hurt vision during inclimate weather. i personally run philips 85122+ bulbs in my TSX projectors and they are very white. to look at them from a distance, they have a bluish color, but that's due to the effect of the projector cutoff. to drive with them is pure white light with no blue at all. i've had blue headlights and they suck to drive with.

so if you want good light, stick with 6000k and below. ideally, just get OEM 4300k bulbs for the best experience.

as far as parts go, like LT said, all of this information is over at www.hidplanet.com/forums in greater detail and more information. that's where i learned how to do my retro.

first thing for any HID system whether PNP, retro, etc........
USE A HARNESS, USE A HARNESS, USE A HARNESS!!!!!!!!
i don't care what success stories you've heard from people that haven't used them. the simple fact of the matter is that the stock wires are not rated for the high current draw of the ballasts during startup. quality OEM ballasts will use less as they're more efficient, but the cheap aftermarket ebay kits can draw upwards of 13A per ballast. i've got these in my fog lights as i had no other choice for bulbs and i originally had 2-10A fuses for the ballasts. those blew out and i have to use 15A fuses now, one for each ballast. my harness wires are sized to handle 30A though, so i'm still fine.

so you'll need 2 D2S ballasts, 2 D2S projectors, 2 D2S bulbs, and all the other misc stuff for your car. each project is different and each car has different requirements. you can click on my sig to see my retro, but your project will need different parts unless you try to copy mine (you're welcome to, but i don't recommend it due to the difficulty level).

jay78

iTrader: (7)

nice info but on
G> BMW ZKW projector (5 series years 04+) $130
one projector go for around 150.00

electric130

iTrader: (44)

ditto.

2k1_Toaster

Since this is a civic forum, perhaps some vehicle specific information.

For instance which housings work the best and fit the civic. The eBay tsx ones are common I believe as a starting point for retros.

Also perhaps ballast mounting locations in our civics. Specifically for me 7th gen.

Looking at the engine from the top, there doesnt seem to bee too much room for 2 ballasts or the 4 that I want. Any suggestions anyone?

Also I was under the impression that 4300K is the whitest white for HIDs. Other than that, good writeup.

electric130

iTrader: (44)

1. TSX are wider and more cumbersome to deal with in comparison to others. the easiest retro you can do is Valeo projectors in TYC housings. pretty much anything beyond that is going to take massive amounts of cutting and fabricating.

2. my low beam ballasts are right behind the battery inbetween the battery and the relay box and on the other side, i have it just sitting up behind the headlight housings. there's lots of room there (i have 7th gen also), i just ziptied mine to the side so it wouldn't move around and risk getting into the power steering belt and pulley. my fog light ballasts are mounted behind the bumper (yes, the bumper has to come off) below the headlight housings.

3. yes, 4300k is the whitest you can get. any higher than that and you'll start getting blue in the light. some say 4300k are yellowish, but from having Philips 85122+ bulbs myself, i can honestly say there's not a touch of yellow in them. no blue either, which is just what i wanted. when you start getting blue, you start decreasing the brightness which is the whole point of going with HID's in the first place.

2k1_Toaster

Thanks for the answers. I think I may have to put my future ballasts in the bumper like you said you did your fogs, because I have a yellow-top and that thing barely fits in the space!

And I just got my acronyms messed up. I meant the tyc, not the tsx.

Also you said no blue? I thought the blue was due to the actual projectors themselves. So even a 4300K bulb will get a blue cutoff line if in the correct projectors? I am a HID n00b, but I am reading up on hidplanet and such. Many of the images I find though no longer exists since the stickies there were made in 2005 or so.

electric130

iTrader: (44)

yes, there's blue in the cutoff, but you rarely see the color in the cutoff while driving. oncoming traffic will see the blue and purple, but i only see it if i'm behind a car in traffic or parked in front of a wall. while driving, all i see is beautiful, glorious, white light.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

really? i have a set i got for 100 bucks shipped...

ill sell em for you for 150shipped if you like....and its BOTH projectors =]

LT2004ever

iTrader: (2)

so for the blue'est output (cutoff) with projectors what projector, and what temp combo do u all think is the best?

electric130

iTrader: (44)

color modded TSX is pretty sweet. if you want projectors, just get 4300k OEM bulbs. you'll pay a fortune for anything higher most of the time.