KyleXX

I was wondering if I can get HID's that are brighter then stock without replacing the ballast? or do I need to put in a whole new system?

Thanks from a Newbie!

Phresh2010

iTrader: (3)

i believe 4300k (stock color) or 5000k is brightest, anything more is just for color and actually outputs less light

Fuzzie

iTrader: (6)

the stock hid color is around 4.3k i think, so u can buy 6k (closer to white) or 8k (blueish white) bulbs for a brighter color. i dunno the size of the stock HID bulbs, but you can take one off and read it... i think the vendors here sell the bulbs alone and no, you wont needa new ballist if your car came stock with HIDs

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

Brightness is measured in lumen output. Color is measured in temperature. The higher the color temperature, the lower the brightness in lumen output. So in terms of brightness, 3000K (yellow, like fogs) will be brighter than 6000K (bluish white) or 8000K (purple).

The stock HID bulbs I believe are 4100K (either than or 4300K). If you get a higher color temperature, your brightness will be lower. However, if you've had the same stock HID bulbs for a long time they may have faded a bit, both in terms of color and brightness, so replacing old 4100K bulbs with something like 5000K bulbs can actually increase brightness, only because the old ones are faded. Some will argue that higher color temperatures like 8000K are brighter than stock, but this is just the eye's perception when looking straight on - in terms of true brightness, lumen output, and functional road illumination, lower color temps are better.

If you have stock HIDs you won't need ballasts, you can just buy replacement D4S bulbs and swap them out. If you have stock halogens (non -HIDs) you'll need an HID kit with bulbs and ballasts.

laobo979

iTrader: (5)

If you have money and time you can retrofit you headlight to get what you looking for. Changing you bulb won't do you much.

starknight

iTrader: (21)

6K is pefect, brighter color and dont lose the view too much.

Sango

iTrader: (10)

6000K would generally be a best of both worlds color/output.

SeanIS350

iTrader: (2)

Not all bulbs are crated equal though.... If u want brighter buy phillips ultinon bulbs... They are the best bulbs for the IS and you can use them in your stock ballasts. I believe they come in 6000K and 5000k.

Sango

iTrader: (10)

^
Agreed, I have Philips Ultinon 6000K.

KyleXX

Thank you all so much for your help, I do have HID's and the car is an 08 with 50k on it, and am looking for increased lumens, don't care at all about color, in fact I am color blind, lol. So it sounds like the phillips bulbs are the way to go? Will I see a significant difference in output over stock? Any pic or vid comparisons by chance?

Thanks again for all of your great help!

brociouz

iTrader: (65)

Wow. There's so much misinformation in this thread it makes my head spin.

The stock HID bulb is rated 4100K in color. More specifically, it's a Philips D4S 42V 35W XenEco bulb. 4100K-4300K is ideal if the OP is looking for brightness/visibility.

Again, the stock bulb is rated 4100K. 5000K is pretty close to pure white. 6000K is white with a hint of blue. 8000K starts to get really blue. In terms of brightness, 4100K>5000K>6000K>8000K (the opposite of what you said). The stock HID bulb is a D4S type.

In terms of seeing clearly with the human eye, 4100K is generally considered ideal.

I personally prefer 6000K as well, fully realizing that it is not as bright or functional as the 4100K stock bulbs.

This. If you really want to increase the brightness of your HIDs, you'll want to consider a retrofit. It is well known that the 2IS HID projectors are poorly designed (side-mounted bulbs, shallow bowl, weak cutoff, etc.). You could also go from 35W to 55W HIDs to increase brightness, but be wary of the wiring implications. Here are some headlight retro threads that might be of interest:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...intensive.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-freebies.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-retrofit.html

Sango

iTrader: (10)

You can see pics of Philips Ultinon 6000K in my thread here.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...ion-combo.html

CCJ22

iTrader: (26)

Tsx Projector retro fit... Enough said

llamaboiz

heres a thought, why not instal HID fogs it will really improve the visibility while driving at nite.

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

It all you care about is visibility than DON'T go higher than 5000k.

Go with either OEM bulbs or philips Ultinon 5k