SirZaLot

iTrader: (1)

When I compare the Z's HID and other cars..(M-B, BMW...) I find that the brightness of Z's HID is not so strong. In daylight, you can see the HID of a M-B miles away but you can't tell that the Z has HID in daylight. At night, even worse, just not bright enough.

I was wondering is this caused by the HID bulb? Or is there a big difference in voltage (watt), something like that?????

ares

iTrader: (2)

before anyone jumps in here talking about getting 6 or 7000k bulbs, the Z has 5000k, while 6 and 7000 are "bluer" they are also not as bright.

as for why they dont seem as bright to you... Id guess its just the design of them on the car. HID is HID, there shouldnt be a difference.

JonsilvZ

I really like the HID on my Z. It has a lens which reflects the light. Makes it look unique.The first time I saw a Z coming from behind me at night, I thought it was a Porshe.

phreezee

Ares is right.... the 5000-5500 is the whitest and brightest... while BMW HID is higher with the blue tinge. Blue doesn't equal bright!

I don't think it's a fault... it's true super-white!

NightRider

I disagree. I have 6000k HIDs on my Maxima and they are much brighter and clearer than the Z's HID. I believe the clearest and brightest temperature would be 7000k. Anything higher than that and you will start to lose brightness. My 6000k HIDs are very white with a slight blue hue. The beam is very focused and has a sharp cutoff.

dvlad

here ya go. This explains the kelvin temp with color out put.

dan

phreezee

HAHA... I originally posted that chart in some other thread... glad to see some thought it was useful!

kohlersc

Yeah, there really isn't anything to argue. It is physics. 5000 - 5500 is the whitest and brightest.

It is possible that the aim of the lights is off or some other focusing problem, but the choice of lights isn't at fault.

Personally I don't have a problem with it. They look incredibly bright to me.

AndyB

The 6000K lights look whiter but it is sort of a trick. Actually they are more blue than most headlights and since it makes the others look yellow it makes them look "bright white". That is the same reason that you can buy "bluing" for white laundry. People tend to see white with a little blue in it as "whiter".

Most white show cars have a LITTLE bit of blue in the paint for this reason.

The bad news for blue lights is blue light scatters the worst in water (fog, rain, humidity). That's why the sky is looks blue. Blue light scatter.

My guess is that Nissan went with the warmer lights (5000K) for better performance in fog/rain/whatever. It is a more logical (Japanese) choice unlike the german "mystique building blue tint".

Most shops around here sell halogen bulbs with blue tint because people want that blue tint. Funny, because tinting can ONLY reduce light and blue scatters worse. But the bulbs cost extra. 8*)

As someone else said, 5000-5500K is closer to sunlight/white.

As for brightness, that is tricky to measure without a meter since different colors can SEEM brighter than other colors.

Anyone got a light meter and want to test it?

dvlad

sorry, i forgot to reference that you did the leg work.

Jason

The HIDs aren't as spectacular as I imagined they would be. As far as I can tell, they provide slightly less illumination than my MR2 Spyder did.

The high beams are the real disappointment though. I may see if I can get a higher watt halogen to go in their place. The huge reflectors in the Spyder lit up EVERYTHING.

DrDrilZ

maxima hids are brighter than the z's. ive driven next to a few on the freeway and its clear that the maxima has a stronger output.

johnlotusboy

iTrader: (1)

If you want the best info on HID's go to Misterjung.com
He sells HID conversions and gives the output versus color info there. Bottom line, less blue are the highest real light output.

AndyB

One reason you see a BMWs HID lamp in daylight is that the light it throws is a different color than the daylight. The blue light it throws stands out by color as much as by brightness. (It also scatters more easily in moist air).

A warmer colored light will blend in with sunlight.

As for brightness, be sure to give them a few minutes to warm up before evaluating them.

typeSR2

I don't know about the Z, but other oem HID manufactureres use 4300k and that is the brightest. Look at the chart, it is the whitest light and projects the highest lumens(candle light). Anything higher like 6000k will have a lower lumen count but will have the appearance of a brighter light because of the color. I say stick with 4300k or oe.

AndyB

The color (ie 4300K) and the brightness are not necessarily correlated. There are ultraviolet lights (so far past blue they are invisible) that are brighter than any headlight ever made. (For example the lasers used in RAMAN chemical analysis).

I think you are a little confused.

SirZaLot

iTrader: (1)

So, do all the HID from all the car companies use the same output? I don't mean 4300K, or 6000K, I mean voltage. Is it possible that the Z is not as bright because the voltage is different (weaker)??

AndyB

I don't know the specs, but I imagine the brightness depends on what bulb is used (arc gap, charge gas, electrode size) as well as the voltage applied. Since Nissan is probably using standard parts (why reinvent them?) we could look it up if someone had an industrial lighting catalog.

SirZaLot

iTrader: (1)

Or............ I will take another guess. The HID seems weaker because the diameter of the projector lens is smaller than others..

Mr Fairlady

iTrader: (1)

The bulb means alot,..but its the housing that makes it better color wise!!!!

BMW's and Audi's use a dufferent reflective housing combined w/ a 4300 to 5500 bulb for their color!!!
.Look @ the S2000--they are the best HID's ever!! Notice how they kinda rainbow when you look different angles?
Its not the bulb that does that ya know,..its once again--the Housing!
"angel eyes" are the best looking as well,..but there is another guy then Mr.Jung that knows waaaaaay more about HID's then I've ever heard!
He does Projestor swaps into other Model headlights--for instance- Audi projector housings into a Prelude-and a guy on Honda-tech.com is doing a similar mod Audi TT projectors into his INTEGRA(dc2)--

that wil be the best to te them to look like the real things!!

7000K is pushin' it--it gets dimmer the more Kelvin...but I dig the Stock Z HID's...mine are kinda messin up on me(Mr.Jung)--don't know why--Tried emailing him but his emails are having problems!

Driver side bulb has lost its color already after about 2 mths---it one day cut off on me and i had to go in and take the ballast off,..and bang on it and for some reason it started workin,..but now they "charge" up a awesome color like they are supposed to,..but then it almost turns Halogen color!

Now the Passanger Bulb when I turn them on flashes a orangish/red color for a sec every time I turn em on!! But stays true to color after that!! Always!!!

Its starting to **** me off,..Mr.Jung has a 90 day warranty,..but damn he won't return my emails to get a Whole new ballast and bulb!!!