How to choose the right color of HID xenon lights
Posted by admin at 19 September 2013, at 20 : 22 PM
Under normal circumstances, a good HID xenon bulb will work for up to 3000 hours and after that it will be time to get a replacement. When it is finally time to do that replacement, a car owner has several options to choose from. The prices of the bulbs will vary depending on a few factors such as whether you will buy it from a dealer, an online shop or a high street accessory shop. One thing that confuses most people is what colors they should choose and whether there is any difference that such colors actually make.
Choose the right color: Normally, HID xenon lights come in three different colors. The variations are usually labeled 6000K, 8000K and 14000K. The K in this case stands for Kelvin and this represents the temperature of the light. Color changes in the bulbs are determined by the changes in temperature and the unit therefore will also means that color of the HID bulb. One thing that we must be clear about is that fact that the mention of the color temperature does not really refer to the amount of heat emitted by the bulb. The truth of the matter is that amount of heat emitted by the 6000K bulb is similar to what is produced by the 14000K bulb.
The color temperature for these bulbs, which simply refers to the tint, begins from 4000k and goes all the way to 14000K. The various tints that are available are normally listed as:
4000K: This one produces a yellowish emission within a whitish light
6000K: This one produces a pure white color
8000K: This one emits a whitish color with a tint of blue
12000K: It produces a mild purple tint in a whitish light
One main challenge about buying HID xenon lights is making a choice using color as the basis is not a simple as most people will imagine. This is because higher color temperatures will not necessarily brighter light; it actually works the other way round. While this may not appear to be very apparent in bulbs whose ranges are between 4000K and 8000K, you will definitely notice it when you buy one that is marked 12000K because it will emit very little light from your car’s headlights.
The xenon bulb’s light output is measured in lumens (lm) so that a factory fitted original bulb marked 4300K will emit a 3200lm light output. On the other hand, a bulb that is marked 12000K will produce about 30%less light than the 4300K bulb at only 2200lm. This means that if you want to install a pair of HID xenon bulbs on your car that are emit a deep purple color, you will not be getting as much light as what a standard bulb will emit. Buyers need to do some little research about the colors and temperature before buying them so as to clearly understand the implication on the light output of what they want to purchase else they end up disappointed.
About the author: This article has been written by Mohit Jain who is a car fanatic and loves sports cars. He currently writes for HID Xenon Lights Depot, a company based in Canada selling xenon headlights and high quality HID xenon lights.