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HID Lights
An Explanation of what they are and a guide to buying them
Disclaimer: HID kits are usually illegal, check with your state laws to make sure you comply.
HID kits are becoming more and more prevalent. They are a great addition to any car. First, HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. This means that they will emit more light than a standard halogen bulb. They accomplish this by igniting a different gas called Xenon.
A couple things you should know about HID first is that it requires much more wattage and power to ignite these bulbs. This is why you have a ballast, and requires more equipment than just a bulb. I HIGHLY recommend purchasing a relay kit along with your HID kit, because of the extra wattage that is required to ignite the bulb. It is true that they require a lower stream of power after ignited, but the surge in power through your stock wire harness CAN cause your wires to melt, or get damaged. I say better safe than sorry. A stock harness is hard to replace. Another is that they are very fragile bulbs, and need to be handled with car, and never touch the bulb directly with your skin. And also since these are brighter bulbs they are much hotter when ignited, so make sure it is not touching any plastic or anything of that can melt, and that it is seated properly.
HID bulbs are measured in Kelvin Color Temperature. This is written like 5000K. This is the temperature color of the bulb. The higher the temperature the bluer the bulb gets until you get almost violet. A common misconception is the higher the temperature the more road you will see. This is not true at all, it’s actually quite the opposite. A higher temperature will make objects appear more reflective, as the light travels farther but it is not visible. The lower the temperature the more road you will see, as this is why fog lamps are usually yellow, as the light is more visible. Also why your brakes are red, this is actually the most visible color. Though yellow may not be your choice, if you are looking for the most light, and the most visibility then 3500K is your best bet. OEM bulbs are usually around 4000K-4500K. Pure white is 5000K. The highest I recommend you getting where you still get good visibility is 6000K, this is also the borderline as far as getting pulled over by police. 7000K and 8000K I have had and been pulled over by police because it is too blue. Anything past 6000K is actually only for show in my opinion, you usually don’t get much more visibility.
Hopefully this helps those who are confused about HID bulbs, and purchasing the right kit for your car. If you have any questions feel free to ask, or if you have any corrections to my information I will be more than glad to correct.
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