Which HID color is the brightest?
The Best Brightest Headlight Bulb
Here's a straightforward answer: 5,000K HIDs emit perfectly white light and the brightest color temperature. Although 4,300K and 6,000K may be just as bright as 5,000K, these will simultaneously have a slight tint of yellow and blue.
4300K, it's the color temp of oem HIDs, and puts out the most usable light. 6000K might look cool, but in rainy, weather, when the roads are wet, the bluish light of the 6000K bulbs disappears into the roadway. The warmer light of 4300K provides some contrast and gives visibility on the same wet road surfaces.
What's more, 6000K LED headlight bulbs are closer to what scientists call “pure white light”, making them significantly better than their 8000K counterparts, since they emit virtually all the spectrum of visible light.
The brightest HID bulb color is white, which falls in the 4300K, 5000K, and 6000K color temperature range. From our testing and experience, we found that 6000K produces the ultimate light color when considering brightness and visibility.
Neither is brighter but the 6000K is whiter. The numbers indicate a temperature in degrees Kelvin. When a star is burning at 6000K, it is essentially white in colour while a star that burns at 4300K is more of a white-yellow (like Sol).
35W requires less power, runs less hot, and may work better for your machine. 35W has a better bulb life and won't need replacing as quickly. 55W offers maximum brightness and glare. 35W is typical for drivers, states, and manufacturers.
This may even be too dull to use as a headlight bulb. 4000K to 6000K gives a crisp, white light. Any light above 6000K will start to look very blue. You can purchase headlight bulbs that go all the way up to 12,000K, which produces a light that's almost purple.
6000K is a cool color temperature and defined as “Day White” color. Usually, cooler light be perceived as” bright enough” and look awesome if when they come to automotive lighting. The color temperature 6000K has the satisfied conditions as above mentioned.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure your HID headlight bulbs aren't above 6000K. At that point, in most places, bulbs are no longer street legal.
6000K = COOL WHITE
As seen on the graph, 6000 Kelvin lighting falls between the white and BLUE side of the graph. People who choose this color are usually trying to get an exotic, more luxurious look.
Is 8000K HID illegal?
Xenon HID bulbs with a high colour temperature - such as 8000K or above - are sometimes not road legal. Halogen bulbs with a colour temperature of 4300K or over also tend to be non-road legal.
First up on our list of the best HID headlights is the Philips Xenon Standard. Phillips is one of the most well-known brands in technology, from their classic light bulbs to electric toothbrushes. Another area where they excel is in the HID headlight market. They are one of the best and most popular choices.

3000K. The 3000K bulb temperature is a popular choice for fog lights because it can help improve sight in low-visibility conditions due to inclement weather.
Some of the key features and differences of each include: Brightness: LED lights can have a brightness of 9,000-10,000 lumens while HID might have 8,000 lumens. Both, however, are brighter than traditional halogen lights. Technology: LED lights use electricity while HID uses gas (typically xenon).
Xenon Headlights
The current passes through xenon gas in these headlights to create an arc between two electrodes and generate intense white or bluish light. Usually, it is much brighter than LEDs.
Because these bulbs have a Kelvin rating of 5000K, they're not legal for road use. Many people tend to buy them for styling and off-road uses, such as car shows and events.
Midday readings might be 6000K, or very bright bluish-white, while at sunset temperatures may dip below 3000K to a very warm amber light. Typically, Kelvin temperatures for residential lighting applications fall somewhere between 2500K and 5000K.
Depending on the manufacturer's tolerances, you should see only a slight difference between 6000k and 6500K. We're far more sensitive to shifts in color temperature in the lower-Kelvin range (e.g., 1000K-3000K).
HID bulbs are designed for 35W, just like all factory-installed OEM HIDs. Running them at 55W of power is just "overdriving" them. There are no HID bulbs specifically designed for 55 watts of power.
Xenon HID headlights use more energy at startup, but much less once they hit performance temperature. As such, HIDs use less energy overall than halogen lights.
How many amps does a 55W HID draw?
A 55W HID lamp produces 5 times as much light as a 55W halogen bulb. Also, a halogen bulb uses a continuous power draw of 10-15 amps, while the HID system uses 20 amps for ignition, but then drops to a mere 3 amps during operation (i.e. up to 80% less power during use!).
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) states that headlights should have a luminous intensity of between 500 and 3,000 candelas. So drivers looking to install aftermarket headlights should be at most 3,000 lumens.
Xenon headlights are probably the brightest bulbs you can get for your car that are actually street legal and can, in fact, often be confused for high-beam lights. However, here is a set of super bright and low-power lights that can be used for parking lights, reverse lights, turn signal lights, or tail lights.
Xenon HIDs, which are brighter than the old halogen bulbs, often have a blue tint. This is fine, up to a certain point, but headlights that are too blue are less effective. The idea headlight colour is pure white.
Headlights that register 3,000K or 3,000LM are the brightest headlights you can legally install in your car. Anything beyond that level is typically against the law and you run the risk of blinding another driver and causing an accident.
6000K Full Spectrum Daylight - 20 Watt Equal - 8/18 Volt - PLT BRI 1156 SCB CW. PLT's 2-watt single contact bayonet LED lamp is an energy-efficient alternative to a 20-watt halogen bulb. This lamp is rated for 35,000 life hours and has an initial output of 130 lumens.
The CCR specifically states that “no vehicle may be equipped with a lamp that emits a blue light” (CCR 25600). In a word, it they are aftermarket upgrades, they should have a white color temperature ranging between 5000K – 6000K and should not be positioned too high or too low from the ground.
Warm (3000K) – perfect for relaxation. Cool (4000K) – perfect for day-to-day activities. Daylight (6000K) – perfect for working conditions.
The lower the Kelvin numbers the yellow the color of the lights gets whereas, with higher Kelvin number, the light gets whiter and brighter. The kind of lighting you want to use in your home depends on the area of the room and in which part of the house you want to install it.
6000K (cold white): This colour of light is often used in areas where good visibility is important. Think for example of warehouses, dental practices, hospitals and workshops.
What color is 7000K light?
LED lighting color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K) and can range from 1700K to 7000K, with 1700K being a dull match flame glow and 7000K being bright “blue-ish” in color.
Clarkson identified the 6000K and 400- to 500-nanometer combination as a particularly hazardous one, causing damage to the retina. The safe range of light, to avoid exposing the eye to potentially damaging UV light, is approximately 2000 to 3500K and greater than 500 nanometers.
4600K-6500K: gives off a bright amount of blue-white light, similar to that of daylight; best for display areas and work environments where very bright illumination is needed.
A new car meeting all FMVSS standards is legal in all 50 states. Cheap HID conversions are illegal in some (or all) states because the light pattern is improper, or the colors don't meet standard.
Standard HID headlights are suitable for vehicles that require one light bulb for low beams and another bulb for high beams. This type of lighting system is known as a single-beam headlight system. In a single-beam system, a halogen bulb is used for the main beam, and the HID bulb is used for the low beam.
We find that lots of our customers have a car headlight that uses halogen headlight bulbs, but want the look and style of xenon HID bulbs. One of the most common questions we get asked at PowerBulbs HQ is, 'Can I use HID bulbs on my halogen car? ' The short answer is yes, but you'll need to use an HID Conversion Kit.
Price. Finally, consider your available budget and the long-term benefits you may receive by upgrading your headlights. While LED headlights are slightly more expensive than HID headlights, they use very little energy, have a longer lifespan, and require minimal maintenance. This can save you money in the long run.
The power provided to an HID bulb will determine the total light output and will also affect the color output. As power increases, light output increases and the color becomes more "washed out," becoming more white. The two most common power levels of HID bulbs are 35-watt and 55-watt.
There are three main types of HID lamps, starting with the mercury vapor lamp, which was followed by the development of the metal-halide, and finally the high-pressure sodium (HPS). All HID lamps require a ballast to operate.
6500K Color temperature is best for visibility
Though they are slight difference, both are “identical” to our naked eyes. That's to say, driving with 6500K LED headlight bulbs will provide you with unexceptionable visibility, and you will also feel refreshed.
What is the difference between 4000k and 5000k HID?
4,000K Lights have a slightly warm color tone while 5,000K Lights have neutral white with a hint of blue. Beyond 5,000K, the blue tint dominates the light and hence, we do not recommend going above 5,000K for reading or working for long hours.
While yellow headlights can help you see better in wet or foggy conditions, they don't provide the best visibility in clear conditions. Therefore, they're mainly used as fog lights today. White headlights are currently the most widely used headlights in the world.
If they have the same lumen count, they will be equally bright. However, you may perceive the daylight bulb as brighter of the two because it lies in the cooler temperature range of blue. Colour temperatures are measured in Kelvin on a scale of 1,000 – 10,000.
It is an industry standard that cool white LEDs are brighter than warm white.
Xenon HID bulbs, like LED bulbs, are undoubtedly brighter and longer-lasting than halogen bulbs. Installing Xenon HID bulbs in older vehicles designed for halogen headlight bulbs can be tricky, however. You'll need to purchase an HID conversion kit if you want to make the switch from halogen to HID.
When the customer has projector lenses, we will always recommend the use of HID technology, period! Here are the core advantages of installing HIDs in projector headlights: Projector lenses were designed to maximize HID technology.
HID lamps are brighter and vary more in color
This type of light runs at approximately 20 watts less than the halogen lamp and is still much brighter. The light output of an HID headlight averages to 3,500 lumens which is approximately three times that of a halogen lamp.
Just because your HID bulb says 10,000K or 12,000K does not mean that it is brighter. These two 4,300K and 5,000K are the two most brilliant options, both on 35-watt ballast power and 55-watt ballast power. If you go to the 3,000K color, you lose brightness.
Some of the key features and differences of each include: Brightness: LED lights can have a brightness of 9,000-10,000 lumens while HID might have 8,000 lumens. Both, however, are brighter than traditional halogen lights. Technology: LED lights use electricity while HID uses gas (typically xenon).
As power is increased higher in an automotive HID bulb, the bulb gets less efficient. If you increase 1 watt, you may get an additional 20 lumens. If you increase another watt, you might get only 19 more lumens. Eventually, you won't get any more brightness, just heat.
What type of headlight is the brightest?
Xenon headlights are probably the brightest bulbs you can get for your car that are actually street legal and can, in fact, often be confused for high-beam lights. However, here is a set of super bright and low-power lights that can be used for parking lights, reverse lights, turn signal lights, or tail lights.
First up on our list of the best HID headlights is the Philips Xenon Standard. Phillips is one of the most well-known brands in technology, from their classic light bulbs to electric toothbrushes. Another area where they excel is in the HID headlight market. They are one of the best and most popular choices.
- GTR Lighting Ultra Series 2 Low beam – 950 Max Lux. ...
- S-V.4 LED Headlight Low beam – 850 Max Lux. F3 Low beam – 790 Max Lux. ...
- Diode Dynamics SL1 Low beam – 590 Max Lux. Auxbeam T1 Low beam – 420 Max Lux. Headlight Experts Low beam – 370 Max Lux. ...
- GTR Lighting CSP Mini Low beam – 420 Max Lux. SNGL SH55U2 Low beam – 510 Max Lux.
The light output of an HID headlight averages to 3,500 lumens which is approximately three times that of a halogen lamp. There are more color variations in the HID variety of light ranging from the familiar golden glow to a more blue tone.
XENARC NIGHT BREAKER LASER
Discover the pure performance of the brightest OSRAM xenon light. This powerful bulb with efficient xenon technology ensures a better visibility on the road with up to 200% more brightness2 and up to 20% whiter light close to laser look, compared to the minimum legal standard.
Xenon headlights are over twice as bright as halogen ones, offering approximately 3,000 lumens and about 90 Mcd/m 2 compared to 1,400 lumens and about 30 Mcd/ m 2 for halogen lights.
Why do Xenon/HID headlights lose brightness? HID headlight bulbs display degradation (a progressive dimming) throughout their lifespan, but at a really slow rate. Due to the very slow-moving process of this degradation, some vehicle owners aren't always sure when it is time to replace their headlight bulbs.
Even though HID lights are the oldest form of electrical light, they may not be the most efficient in all situations. They waste 30% of their energy output, emit a significant amount of UV radiation, and require time to warm up. An alternative to HID light is LED.