Headlight Bulb Help - which should are best?

When we talk about aftermarket bulbs they're usually regarding HIDs. You won't get much out of "upgraded" halogens because I don't think there are really such things. Halogens simply have too low efficiency to run at high temperatures. Keep in mind that a brighter light just means higher current and a hotter wire. Also, blue or purple is not as luminescent as yellow so is not even very safe, especially on a halogen.

 

Lol, I was hoping to scare you away but I'm not going to leave you hanging now.

Look into these halogen bulbs; Osram Silverstars, Philips Extreme Power +80%, or Sylvania Silverstars Ultra. They may be an upgrade and are probably safe for your car, but they will run hotter. It's just the nature of halogens.

As far as buffering out the heat I don't know how that's possible. Once the heat is on that tungsten wire the only place it dissipates is outward. But like I said, these bulb manufacturers I listed above generally know what they're doing so I doubt you'll ever have any problems.

 

Just a short note:
These halogens have shorter lifespan than regular as a consequence of higher performance.


iPhone ?
Zdenok

 

Judging by the one picture I've seen of the stock Geiii halogen projector with an HID upgrade I would say don't waste your money on upgraded halogens like Silverstars or PIAA. Just buy a quality HID and stick that in the OEM projector. The cuttoff beam appeared to be good enough not to blind oncoming traffic.

Stay away from tinted bulbs or anything above 5000k rating. The more blue the light is the less well your can see and the higher kelvin ratings destroy the natural colors of whatever the light hits be it street signs or trees. In a nutshell high kelvin rated HID lights have a low color rendering index (CRI) which is the ability for a light source to reproduce the colors of an object accurately compared to a natural light source.

Besides to anyone who knows anything about automotive lighting will agree that blue tinted lights are for noobs. lol

 

Not necessarily, I've seen so many cars at the LA auto show with blue tinted halogens. Even the RAV4 EV that debuted at the show was using blue tinted halogens. It had LED DRL but halogen bulbs.

 

Concur.
Actually.....if you drive like most of the kids do around here...go ahead and put them in your car. It'll make you an easier mark for LEO's...

 

That is based on adverting and what appeals to consumers, not necessarily what is right.

 

Yup!

This is the kit I recommend.
Morimoto Stage II HID Kit: AMP - HID Component Kits from The Retrofit Source Inc

Installation is pretty straight forward if you have even basic automotive knowledge which is why they call them Plug & Play kits. The vendor for the product above is VERY knowledgeable and can supply you with instructions on how to install your kit. Another good source to learn about HIDs is HIDPlanet.com. There are a lot of How-To articles and basic as well as expert information on HID upgrades.

 

The Owner's manual DIY chapter 4-3 tells you how to change the bulbs.

I agree with the above posts, if you decide to go with a Xenon or HID conversion kit the best headlight temperature is below 5000 degrees K. The OEM bulbs on my BMW were 4300 degrees K. and they were great.

 

So you're saying that auto manufacturers change the head lamp bulbs to blue tinted halogens just for the show and the production version will use the regular none tinted bulbs?

 

In a way. I'm saying I doubt production vehicles will use blubs that produce blue light rather than yellow to white bulbs. They may have tinted housings like the Insight ii but doubtful they will use something similar to a 6000k or higher bulb. The loss of lumens and reduction in CRI is important.

 

I agree that 6000 produce light with a bluish overtone. That being said, the courtesy light from JDM side mirror produces somewhat bluish light as well. I had them installed recently. As you probably know, that light is also turned on along with the regular headlights. Hence, if you want to have a match between the two, you have to go with 6000 unless I'm missing something. I wanted to get 5000 myself but...

 

The JDM mirror courtesy lights are blue-ish because they're pseudo-white LEDs (red + blue + green mixed together).

 

I agree that it makes things more difficult to match but I think one of the main reasons for OEM bulbs to be in the 4100k-4300k range is that the yellow-tinged light is easier on the eyes (less eye fatigue than with blue lights), more total Lumens than blue lights, and better CRI. Who knows how this works out with all the new LED headlights coming out. lol

 

That's off-topic (my apologies)

How to replace rear license plate lights with LED lights? I can't seem to find a way to get to the bulb. any word of wisdom is appreciated.

 

^The Gen III has access panels on the inside of the hatch.

 

hmm, yes, i found those (two square panel) ... i can unplug the connector but it doesn't give me access to the bulb...let m check again, i must be missing something...thanks