HID Colour Temperature

[lewisflintham]

I've read several threads about HIDs but can't seem to find an answer on which is the best colour temperature to get.

I've just ordered some Renault projectors to replace my reflector ones in the hope I can have lights like I did on the 182 I've rang the garage where I have my car M.O.T'd and they said it'll be fine as long as they are aligned correctly, fitted into projectors and that they believe the light is mostly white and not blue.

So which is the best one to get? From what I gather 8k is way too blue.

Do I get 4.3k or 6k? Anyone got any pics they'd care to share to show what the colours actually look like? And where to buy from? Is a £30 kit going to be cr*p so I'd be better paying more like £95?

Thanks.

 

[Vladimir]

I would go for 4300K, 5000K the most.
There is a big chance that you will get almost the same thing, regardless of the price difference.

 

[Lump]

Not sure if the price of kit makes a difference. My one piece of advise would be to find a kit with slimline ballasts. IMO I'd go for 5k if you can find it as its the most white you can get, anything higher get bluer.

 

[lewisflintham]

Thanks for your advice guys. I definitely want the most light as, well, that's what lights are for :-D I'll have a look for slimline ballasts and as near to 5k as possible then.

 

[930Tech]

I have the 4300k ones and have not been flashed yet.

After all, it's a bulb in a renault headlight.

 

[jakehewitt]

What are the factory fitted ones at?

 

[ryan197]

4300k

 

[X82]

Don't waste your money on an expensive kit - they are all essentially the same. The last kit I bought was only £35 and it was as good as any other aftermarket kits. Things to look out for are:
-Metal bases for the bulbs, older style cheaper bulbs have fully plastic bases and this means the bulb can fall out of the lamp, either partially and the beam pattern will be pointing at the sky or fall out all together.
-Get ones with the smaller ballasts, the large old-style ones seem to be more susceptible to not working in the cold from my experience.
-Don't go above 5000k, anything above that looks like a chavvy Corsa with blue tinted halfords halogen bulbs, or in other words, worse than standard. But also, the higher the kelvin number you go, the dimmer the light it produces.

 

[lewisflintham]

Thanks for the advice again. I've actually just ordered some halogen bulbs instead. The whole "hids are illegal" thing put me off.

 

[Chrisgti6]

What 'hids are illegal' thing!?

 

[lewisflintham]

What 'hids are illegal' thing!?

This:

In the Department's view it is not legal to sell or use after market HID lighting kits, for converting conventional Halogen headlamps to HID Xenon. If a customer wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID he must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps. The reason for this is that the existing lens and reflector are designed around a Halogen filament bulb, working to very precise tolerances. If one places a HID "burner" (bulb) in the headlamp, the beam pattern will not be correct, there will be glare in some places and not enough light in other places within the beam pattern. The following is the legal rationale: The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 regulate the situation in the UK. Under these Regulations, HID/Gas Discharge/Xenon headlamps are not mentioned and therefore they are not permitted according to the strict letter of the law. However new vehicles have HID headlamps. This is because they comply to European type approval Regulations. The UK cannot refuse to register a vehicle with a European type approval. These are to ECE Regulation 98 (for the HID headlamps which are tested on a rig in a laboratory) and ECE Regulation 48 (Lighting Installation on the vehicle). For the after market, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "HID is banned in the after market" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply.

Therefore a HID headlamp unit sold in the after market should:
1. be type approved to ECE Regulation 98 as a component.

2. when fitted to the vehicle should enable ECE Regulation 48 to be complied with (although no government inspection will take place).

3. Comply with RVLR as far as "use" is concerned. In practice this means:
1. The headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be "e-marked" to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo etc. who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory.
2. Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam.
3. The headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly like any other headlamp. Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal. In summary it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above.

 

[Chrisgti6]

But you wouldn't be using reflector lamps, I thought you were going to buy some projectors and fit the hids to them? Yes, if you were to fit hids to your reflectors you'd have issues with the beam pattern, but not with projector lamps.

 

[lewisflintham]

Yeah but there's a bit where it says you must have headlamp washers and a self levelling system. I have bought projectors though. I did want to get hids but I hadn't read this until a few days ago.

 

[Robo_#1]

TBH although you weren't following to the letter of the law (self levelling and washers) you would probably have gotten away with it so long as your beam pattern was correct, which should be the case as you were using projector headlight units. But that being said I get why you would want to keep your car legal, if only all the chavy muppets that put 8000k HID lamps in to reflector headlights were as considerate.

I don't actually get why HID's have to have headlight washers but normal halogen ones don't? Anyone know why?

P.S I think it may be possible to retro fit headlamp washers, I know some people have done it on the 1*2's.

 

[Lump]

Yeah but there's a bit where it says you must have headlamp washers and a self levelling system. I have bought projectors though. I did want to get hids but I hadn't read this until a few days ago.

You don't have to have levellers and washers for aftermarket HIDS.
If you have original fit xenons, you need to have washers and the levelling system. If your lights are not OEM fit you don't need either.
Hids are only illegal in reflector lights, not projected style headlights.

 

[lewisflintham]

Well it says you do from the bit where it says "hids in the after market".

 

[GrottyBananas]

Regarding the question of legality...

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal (quoted from above)

Vehicles and related products need E-Mark or e-Mark certification to be legally sold in Europe (Google “e-mark testing“ and choose a reputable source.)

Do HID units carry such a mark?

This is no grey area, either the units carry the mark or they don’t. Either way you have your answer to the question of their legality.

Note: Vendors are not the foremost authority to which one might submit an enquiry :nope:, as one might suppose that a vested interest will indubitably cloud their judgement :-p; additionally any guarantees offered on items which are not legal for sale are cynical at best (I am being generous with my criticism) furthermore we live in a society where the whisper of ‘caveat emptor’ has been perverted into a charter of exploitation and not as it was intended a considered direction for the consumer to educate him or herself in regard to that which he or she is about to buy.

So by the very fact that you are reading this thread, means you don’t want to be taken for a mug :thumbup1:, and even if you choose to make a purchase of an item that does not carry the relevant certification after considering your potential purchase to a reasonable degree (which is after all, what you have just done), then you are solely responsible for any ill that occurs because of that decision; that said, you are just as responsible if you choose to make a purchase and make no determined effort to establish the legality of the item in question.

So I pose the enquiry again, the enquiry one (you the buyer) needs to pose in order to satisfy the legal question: Do HID units carry an e-Mark certification?