Hey I have a 2004 X-type british racing green and am wondering what temp bulbs people would recommend putting in. I was thinking 10k on the low 6k on the high and 3k on the fogs. Any advise would be nice or maybe post a pic of yours and what kind you have. Thanks.

 

Dmennis, What is more important to you, light output or the look of the lights? If light output is more important, then 4300K HID bulbs is what you want. You can go with 6000K HIDs and the light output is not that much less. To put this into perspective, 4300K bulbs output 3300 lumen, 6000K bulbs output 3000 lumen, and 10000K bulbs output only 2600 lumen (or about 21% less light). All these bulbs are still more than halogen bulbs, but as you can see, there is a price to pay for light output.

If color is more important, what color are you after? 6000K bulbs are pretty much all white with a slight blue halo. 10000K bulbs have a fairly blue tint to them. You get down to 3000K bulbs and they are going to be very yellow. If you like the purple look, then look at 15000K or even 30000K bulbs. But, from 10000K on up, you are opening yourself up to tickets since a lot of police do not like them since they are not of a "legal color". Everywhere I am aware of, they specifically state that on the front of the car, you are only allowed "either white or yellow light to be shown". They normally specify that yellow should be reserved for turn signals/driving lights only. Like for example, in the rear of the car, "red and yellow lights are only to be shown with red being shown to indicate stopping with the exception of white lights which are only to be shown when the vehicle is backing up". Yes, people have them on their cars. Does that make it right. No. Some places are more tolerant of the blue/purple HID bulbs than others. I can't speak for how your area is. Just look around and see how many people have the blue or purple HIDs. If you are not seeing them, probably a reason for that.

Personally, the reason for having HIDs is to have more light output. Hence why I am running 6000K bulbs in my car (both heads and fogs). I like the pure white light that is emitted. Also note that when replacing bulbs, you must get the 35W HID bulbs. Going with the higher wattage HID bulbs is not possible without serious modification since the ballast is bulb wattage based (the ballast is what causes the HID bulb to function). You put in a higher wattage bulb and you will soon be buying new headlight assemblies (at a minimum new HID ballasts, assuming you can find them). Not a cheap proposition.

 

Does this means that I fo not need a kit? I can jest got to auto zone and get an hid bulb and it will work?

 

pizedelic, if you have the factory HID system installed in your car, then yes, a new bulb is all that would be required. But, like I mentioned, make sure that the new HID bulb is: 1) a D2S style bulb, and 2) is rated for 35W. There's lots of options when it comes to bulbs and installing the wrong bulb will lead to either frustration and/or damage to the car. Putting in the wrong bulb can damage the ballasts leading to an expensive repair.

Please note that "Halogen" headlight systems are not HID systems. There is a specific sticker that is added to factory HID equipped vehicles specifically stating that they have HID bulbs installed and that special precautions need to be taken (can be exposed to voltages as high as 23,000 volts). The key word that you want to be looking for is "HID". But, the word "XENON" is not always a 100% garantee since some of the new bulbs are "XENON", but have a standard filament like a halogen bulb and are not capable of being used in a HID system.

 

I wish i could go with purplish ones but dont want to get tickets for that. Why are you saying to get 35w hid kits and not go with 55w ones?

 

I have 6000k and they are blue, not white...Different brands have different color i guess...

 

Thanks Thermo. I will confirm before doing any changes