suraj83

hey guys,

might be a daft question...but my hid's are not bright enough. i have had the lens polished, but still its not as bright as i would have hoped.

Can i swap out my HID bulbs for brighter HID bulbs? would i need to change anything else (ballast..electrics etc.)?

exmeaguy

HIDs are the same wattage, 35 watts. You can change the color of the HIDs, but anything off of OEM will produce lower lumens.

The only other thought is that you have components that may be degrading, but I do not know how they would affect light output.

suraj83

so if i get the phillips 6000K hid bulbs i won't get a better output of light?
i think the oem bulbs are phillips 4300k bulbs...

exmeaguy

The 6Ks will provide a whiter, with a tilt towards blueish look. I do think that a whiter light is better if some small loss of lumens. It picks up the reflections on the road better and is better for rainy nights. Of course, others will disagree.

mowmow

Anything over 5K on the HID bulb is useless on the road, it's more for show then practical, not to mention will get you a ticket from local law enforcement.

OE Ballast is 55watts and not the 35Watt that most aftermarket uses.

suraj83 when you say "not bright enough" What are you comparing the brightness to ?
Are you talking about the factory headlamp or something else? Can you upload a picture of what you are talking about ?

suraj83

mowmow.........by 'not bright enough' i mean it doesnt light up the road as much as i would like...

not concerned about the look to be honest, i just want the road lit up the best i possibly can..

so basically i should stick to finding 4300k bulbs?

which bulbs would you recommend.....phillips or osram? or any other makes?

Lowdown

just try another hid kit, if your willing to that.

suraj83

wont be able to change the whole kit.....too expensive.

do you have any bulb recommendations though? for best light output..?

infinirx

Best light output is prob. the OEM 4300. reason being is anything higher actually produces less. If you are legally allowed to use the 3K's or 3200's that would be the maximum in terms of light output in an HID. It's unfortunately REALLY yellow. Pierces a fog allot better than the higher 4300's but looks awful as headlights. I would recomend personally keeping the 4300K's for the headlights and installing 3K HID in the Fogs or 4300K like I have.

4300K for looks but 3K for function.

Anything else is just gonna get bluer and purple and really dim.

xuserx04

iTrader: (6)

I'm thinking your bulbs are getting old. New bulbs should give you more light. RX projectors with AFS function are among the best hid projectors. You could also try Osram D2S Xenarc "Cool Blue Intense" or CBI bulbs.

mowmow

OEM 4300k Bulbs are the best for daily use, if you want a tad more whiter
go with 5000K which is the limit. 5000k is closest to true light. Replacing the entire factory 2 bulbs + ballast is at least $300+ if not more. If you want anything brighter beyond that, then you might want custom made ballast that boost out higher wattage than 55W. Or retrofit into a Quad projector setup which is what I'm doing.

suraj83

was thinking of getting these:

http://www.hids4u.co.uk/Osram-D2S-Up...ense-Bulb.html

are you guys sure the ballast is 55w?

suraj83

was thinking of getting these:

http://www.hids4u.co.uk/Osram-D2S-Up...ense-Bulb.html

are you guys sure the ballast is 55w?

mowmow

Trace the wire to the ballast and take a look

exmeaguy

Why would Lexus use 55 watt ballasts if their bulbs are only 35 watts?