My buddy just replaced his xenon bulbs in his BMW 330ci with replacement bulbs manufactured by Phillips for use in Japan and Europe. The new bulbs are rated at 6000 Kelvins (the measurement unit used for xenon lightbulbs), and he checked prior to installation in order to make sure his housing unit could handle the increased output. We pulled up next to eachother in the street at night and WOW....HUGE difference. My xenon's looked yellow in comparison. THe light emitted was almost purely white. I am interested in changes mine as well, just wondering if anybody has already done this.

 

yeah they will be bluer, they will also not be as bright.

brightest is right around 4500k.

its a tradeoff. Im stayin stock.

 

No....his were not bluish; they were almost purely white and extremely bright. The ground in front of the car was white....and the road ahead was very well lit. I believe that they are illegal in the US.

 

well according to science 6000 is bluer/purpler than 4500, and also dimmer.

but if you see differently, ok.

I dont believe they are illegal tho. some cars come with bulbs closer to 6000 from the factory.

 

ares is right... the light would be bluer and more dim due the output of light at 6000k. a lot of the color also has to do with the projector, they might look different than your friend's bmw because of the projector on the z. your friend's bulbs may actually be illegal, they often claim that certain bulbs are "for offroad use only"---> they say this because they are not DOT (dept. of transportation) approved.

 

I've installed some 7000K D2R bulbs, it has been my favorite mod, they match the DB color so good they are purple, and they look bright as hell, with only a minimal loss of light. Its still way more than standard halogen. I love driving through parking lots people just stare...

 

I have some of those Phillips 6000k ultinon bulbs installed in my base Z. They are not supposed to be used in the US. The light they emit is "too dazzling for US roads" lol

They do look awesome - I wouldn't say they are blue, though at certain angles because of the projector lens they look blue. The color reminds me of the polar ice caps - so white it's almost blue.

oh yeah - all HID's from the factory are always less than 4500K.

 

hey shaneotool, i was seaching through this site so long to find another person w/ a base z that has installed HIDs. i just put installed mine yesterday and u know the big grey round plastic thing that u have to unscrew to gain access to the stock light bulbs? yea after i put in my HIDs, the grey thing wont go on anymore because there is no where for the ballast plug cable to go through except through the openin where the grey round thing goes. can u plz tell me ur setup, cuz i think the grey thing needs to go back on cuz its a seal to protect the headlight from foggin up or preventing dirt from gettin in..plz help thx

 

The DOT is cracking down hard on aftermarket HIDs. APC and a few other companies got hit and are not allowed to sell aftermarket HIDs anymore. So if you want them get them fast. I haven't heard anything about cars that already have HIDs and get upgrades. I think the problem with aftermarket HIDs is the auto leveling feature.
But for myself I'm getting 7000k HIDs very shortly.

 

autoleveling isnt required in the US, the Z doesnt have it.

the problem is that the housings in general are not made for the light, the lens's dont reflect it properly. but yeah, how this impacts a car like the Z where the housing works for both, Im not sure.

 

Hate to burst the ol' bubble...but as ares put it, in the fight between you and physics, you will lose. As you have.

 

The laws have not changed, the amount of enforcement has. Based on the amount of complaints, the NHTSA has sent letters to certain distributors and resellers, simply asking them to show DOT compliance, thats all.

The fun thing is, all of a sudden NO manufacturer is backing up the products they were advertising in the past. So many companies claimed their products were "beam pattern correct" or "DOT approved" and now they are going back on their word, leaving their customers out in the cold. Buyer beware, its quite obvious most companies are out for the dollar, not for the wellfare of their customers.

As for color temperature, its a fact that the higher the kelvin the less useable light will be emitted. This is why I only use 4500k bulbs, the more useable light, the better.

 

And if you are like me who don't really care about the amount of useable light your car is giving off since I live in a well lighted city, and never go off into the country, then go for the 6000K bulb, it makes a WORLD of difference.

here is a pic to help out on the color difference.

 

I didn't say anything about the laws changing. They are just crackin down on the companies who make the aftermarket HID's.

The 7k HID's I'm getting are more intense the the factory HID's. And the usability is more of a factor with the type of environment you are in, like Nocturnal says.

A buddy of mine have 7k HIDs... and I always have to make him drive ahead of me cause his lights are so blinding...... time to get him back ... LOL

 

Thats uhm, great!

Does he have a loud exhaust, possibly Tenzo-R? You may consider getting a straight pipe to deafen him, that will show him!

I live in the city, I drive in the canyons. I dont have HID so that it can look cool, I have it because I want it to function when I need it. Light is a safety device, the last thing I would ever want to do is sacfice light output (safety) for looks.

Of course, it all comes down to preference!

 

I didn't install the kit myself, but I know what you're talking about. You have to drill a hole thru the grey dustcover big enough to get your wires and plugs thru. Maybe like less than an inch in diameter. Some kits come with a rubber gromet or something to put in the hole to keep dirt out, or you can get some silicone and put it around the wires where they pass thru the hole.