Anyone have pics of 8,000K and/or 10,000K HID bulbs on the Z?
10-04-2005, 08:21 AM
#1
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Anyone have pics of 8,000K and/or 10,000K HID bulbs on the Z?
Anyone have either one of these bulbs on their car? I'm having a hard time deciding which one to buy, and all the HID sites seem to just photoshop the light color.
10-06-2005, 09:16 PM
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I love the look of the Benz purple lights. They have to be 8-10,000 right? I can't imagine them being THAT much different than stock, but thats why I wanna see some pics.
10-06-2005, 10:37 PM
#5
Originally Posted by krnlikewh0a
I love the look of the Benz purple lights. They have to be 8-10,000 right? I can't imagine them being THAT much different than stock, but thats why I wanna see some pics.
Stock Z HIDs produce around 32000 lm.
An 8000K bulb produces 2550 lm.
A 10000K bulb produces 2200 lm.
So by going with a 10000K, you will reduce your light output by a full 1000 lm compared to stock.
10-07-2005, 06:58 AM
#6
Originally Posted by krnlikewh0a
I love the look of the Benz purple lights. They have to be 8-10,000 right? I can't imagine them being THAT much different than stock, but thats why I wanna see some pics.
Other negatives to going high kelvin:
1.) causes more eyestrain to you the driver due to the high color - on longer drives
2.) No reputable company produces above a 6000K bulb. reputable = hella/phillips and osram/silvania - this leads to the following:
2A.) high kelvin bulbs are shorter lived than oem rated ones - looking at maybe half the life expectancy if you're lucky. I know cases of them buring out in 5-6 months *maybe 50-75 hrs vs the 2000 hrs your oem capsules are rated at.
2B.) All xenon capsules color shift. Your oem ones color shift to a diamond blue color a bit - actuall they are more white than blue, but the surrounding light at dusk and night is very yellow, so the look 'diamond blue'. That said, high kelvin capsules use substandard salts. this can cause some CRAZY color shifts. Try a nice color shift to orange or green.
3.) High kelvin capsules puts out light that scatters very easily when you need it most. Rain, mist, snow, fog, smog, etc cause high kelvin light to scatter and thus drops your usable light output even more.
Overall, replacing oem spec capsules is just nothing more than a severe down grade. If you want to get the beam pattern, spread, cutoff, and flicker of a benze, upgrade your housings. Retrofit a set of true HID projectors into the Z's assemblies.
10-07-2005, 07:27 AM
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Well, in regards to the light scattering in the rain, my oem HID don't even look lik e they are working in the rain. Its rediculous. I don't know if the bulbs are going bad, but I compared it to another Z, and mine seem to be much dimmer. What would be the bluest I should go without sacrificing too much light output. I don't want the oem bulbs again bc they are pretty much yellow, which is the very reason why I got HID. Thanks for everyones input. 
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10-07-2005, 09:34 AM
#9
Originally Posted by krnlikewh0a
Well, in regards to the light scattering in the rain, my oem HID don't even look lik e they are working in the rain. Its rediculous. I don't know if the bulbs are going bad, but I compared it to another Z, and mine seem to be much dimmer. What would be the bluest I should go without sacrificing too much light output. I don't want the oem bulbs again bc they are pretty much yellow, which is the very reason why I got HID. Thanks for everyones input.
If you think your oems scatter, higher kelvin rated capsules will be exponentially worse depending on what spec capsule you decide on.
The pic above shows how crappy the higher kelvin capsules are. You can clearly see how dim they are in comparison to the other car's lights, even though the others are running halogen. Your eye is more drawn to the blue though. That amount of color gets old REALLY fast.
The reason to get HIDs is to put the most amount of light on the road. That is what oem rated bulbs do. I will say this again, if you want the benz look, retrofit in some nice true projectors. The Z uses a reflector/projector setup- not a true projector. That said, the 06's utilize a full/true projector in their assemblies. They will give you a more defined cut-off, more color in the cutoff, and refract the light to give you the blue/purple you are looking for.
If you MUST have a higher kelvin capsule, these would be the only ones to consider:
Ultinon 6000K
Some links to help you better understand how poor of a choice high kelvin capsules are:
Link 1
Link 2
Many people believe that the higher the colour temperature the brighter the lamp. This is totally wrong. The colour temperature is purely a scale to measure the colour of the light output and is measured on the graph shown as an X and Y coordinate. It is a reference purely for colour and could equally be called White , Green or Blue. The reality is the higher up the scale the lamps are the less bright they become. 4100K lamps are approx 20% brighter (measured in Lumens not degrees K) than the 6000K. If you want lighting performance the 4100K Philips lamps are the best on the market with 3500 lumen.
Link 3 - PLEASE register here and do tons of searching and post your questions on high kelvin capsules
Everything I am telling is 100% from personal first hand experience. I ran conversion kits with 6000K ratings on other vehicles I have - that seem bright and had tons of color. they burnt out within a yr after color shifting to orange. I then had audi a6 projectors retrofitted into the housing. WHAT A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. I used oem phillips capsules. The road is illuminated like daylight as I drive. The projectors refract the light, so they look somewhat blue to oncommers, but emit a pure white light from the driver's seat. Comparing the Z to the car that I retrofited is similar, but the full projector setup is preffered to the Z's reflector/projector assembly.
Last edited by Zivman; 10-07-2005 at 09:44 AM.
10-07-2005, 10:03 AM
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Thanks for the info Zivman. I'm willing to give up a little light output for a blue tint, but I think I'll stick with the 6000K like you said. I didn't know that there would be that significant of a difference. I clicked on the link that you provided me with, but I can't find an application for the Z. Thanks all for your help. You've saved me from making a wrong decision.
10-07-2005, 01:31 PM
#11
Originally Posted by krnlikewh0a
Thanks for the info Zivman. I'm willing to give up a little light output for a blue tint, but I think I'll stick with the 6000K like you said. I didn't know that there would be that significant of a difference. I clicked on the link that you provided me with, but I can't find an application for the Z. Thanks all for your help. You've saved me from making a wrong decision.
The Z uses any D2R based capsule:
Link - D2R 6000K ultinon from HID-online.com - $175
D2R 6000K ebay auction 1
D2R 6000K ebay auction 2
D2R 6000K ebay store
These guys sell ultinons - DON'T buy their 'Apexcone' or 'Xtec'. They are cheaper for a reason!
10-07-2005, 02:45 PM
#13
Originally Posted by dainbramage91
So what are the maximas running?... they seem to be a different shade than the Zs
They run the same kelvin ratings, but utilize a different projector. I would suspect the 06 headlights to use the same projector.
They most likely use a D2S capsule rather than a D2R
10-07-2005, 03:45 PM
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I am running 8000K McCulloch HID Kit. They are a very good reliable brand. As a matter of fact this is the fourth kit I have installed on a vehicle. (four different vehicles)
I have had 5000k, 6000k and 8000k. If I were to do it again I would stick with the 6000k. It is a nice compromise from the most light and the blue look.
I have had 5000k, 6000k and 8000k. If I were to do it again I would stick with the 6000k. It is a nice compromise from the most light and the blue look.
10-08-2005, 12:18 AM
#16
Originally Posted by Zivman
They run the same kelvin ratings, but utilize a different projector. I would suspect the 06 headlights to use the same projector.
They most likely use a D2S capsule rather than a D2R
They most likely use a D2S capsule rather than a D2R
when you guys talk about seeing a car like the benz or an
altima having a higher temp bulb than you, its just the properties
of the cut off shield. i would highly recommend buying a set
of the 06 bixenons and then trying to color mod them. alot
of projectors can be modded to where the cut off line produces
INSANE amounts of color, but still keep the high light - white
output. when you are driving, other people see flickers of
color from the cut off beam. this is the variations in color that
you see when a maxima drives by you at night. it is possible to
get a projector to do all the colors of th rainbow, but maintain
the stock white light. that is the BEST way to do it, not a higher
kelvin bulb that gives you crappy light output. here's what i'm
talking about. this is a guy who retrofitted a projector from an
acura tsx that he color modded. i only wish i could get this
from the 05 headlights.
Last edited by Acree; 01-10-2006 at 10:27 PM.
10-08-2005, 12:26 PM
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wow, those projectors are amazing!! Do the bi-xenons come looking like that, or will I have to "color mod" them. Exactly what is color modding? Is there some type of filter added to the projectors?
Originally Posted by Acree
finally someone who understands this! awesome info man.
when you guys talk about seeing a car like the benz or an
altima having a higher temp bulb than you, its just the properties
of the cut off shield. i would highly recommend buying a set
of the 06 bixenons and then trying to color mod them. alot
of projectors can be modded to where the cut off line produces
INSANE amounts of color, but still keep the high light - white
output. when you are driving, other people see flickers of
color from the cut off beam. this is the variations in color that
you see when a maxima drives by you at night. it is possible to
get a projector to do all the colors of th rainbow, but maintain
the stock white light. that is the BEST way to do it, not a higher
kelvin bulb that gives you crappy light output. here's what i'm
talking about. this is a guy who retrofitted a projector from an
acura tsx that he color modded. i only wish i could get this
from the 05 headlights.
when you guys talk about seeing a car like the benz or an
altima having a higher temp bulb than you, its just the properties
of the cut off shield. i would highly recommend buying a set
of the 06 bixenons and then trying to color mod them. alot
of projectors can be modded to where the cut off line produces
INSANE amounts of color, but still keep the high light - white
output. when you are driving, other people see flickers of
color from the cut off beam. this is the variations in color that
you see when a maxima drives by you at night. it is possible to
get a projector to do all the colors of th rainbow, but maintain
the stock white light. that is the BEST way to do it, not a higher
kelvin bulb that gives you crappy light output. here's what i'm
talking about. this is a guy who retrofitted a projector from an
acura tsx that he color modded. i only wish i could get this
from the 05 headlights.
10-08-2005, 01:03 PM
#20
Originally Posted by Zivman
The 'purple' is produced by the projector and the cutoff sheild NOT the capsule(bulb). The benz run the same kelvin rating you do in your Z(assuming you have HIDs). The amount of usable light output drops A TON as you increas your kelvin ratings. Going above 7500 kelvins actually puts you on par, or below the light ouput of a halogen bulb.
Other negatives to going high kelvin:
1.) causes more eyestrain to you the driver due to the high color - on longer drives
2.) No reputable company produces above a 6000K bulb. reputable = hella/phillips and osram/silvania - this leads to the following:
2A.) high kelvin bulbs are shorter lived than oem rated ones - looking at maybe half the life expectancy if you're lucky. I know cases of them buring out in 5-6 months *maybe 50-75 hrs vs the 2000 hrs your oem capsules are rated at.
2B.) All xenon capsules color shift. Your oem ones color shift to a diamond blue color a bit - actuall they are more white than blue, but the surrounding light at dusk and night is very yellow, so the look 'diamond blue'. That said, high kelvin capsules use substandard salts. this can cause some CRAZY color shifts. Try a nice color shift to orange or green.
3.) High kelvin capsules puts out light that scatters very easily when you need it most. Rain, mist, snow, fog, smog, etc cause high kelvin light to scatter and thus drops your usable light output even more.
Overall, replacing oem spec capsules is just nothing more than a severe down grade. If you want to get the beam pattern, spread, cutoff, and flicker of a benze, upgrade your housings. Retrofit a set of true HID projectors into the Z's assemblies.
Other negatives to going high kelvin:
1.) causes more eyestrain to you the driver due to the high color - on longer drives
2.) No reputable company produces above a 6000K bulb. reputable = hella/phillips and osram/silvania - this leads to the following:
2A.) high kelvin bulbs are shorter lived than oem rated ones - looking at maybe half the life expectancy if you're lucky. I know cases of them buring out in 5-6 months *maybe 50-75 hrs vs the 2000 hrs your oem capsules are rated at.
2B.) All xenon capsules color shift. Your oem ones color shift to a diamond blue color a bit - actuall they are more white than blue, but the surrounding light at dusk and night is very yellow, so the look 'diamond blue'. That said, high kelvin capsules use substandard salts. this can cause some CRAZY color shifts. Try a nice color shift to orange or green.
3.) High kelvin capsules puts out light that scatters very easily when you need it most. Rain, mist, snow, fog, smog, etc cause high kelvin light to scatter and thus drops your usable light output even more.
Overall, replacing oem spec capsules is just nothing more than a severe down grade. If you want to get the beam pattern, spread, cutoff, and flicker of a benze, upgrade your housings. Retrofit a set of true HID projectors into the Z's assemblies.