HIDs: 2800 lumens vs. 2400 lumens

[1995red318i]

how much of a difference is there between the two?:dunno

i am purchasing a kit today and deciding between a 7500k kit rated at 2400 lumens, and a 7000k kit rated at 2800 lumens.

the 7500k is very blue( like on quest330is car ), and the 7000k is brighter( willy//m3 has this one, and it looks very nice too ) but still with color.

7000k seems to be a nice compramise between color and brightness: lower is brighter, higher is more colorful.

so what do you guys think i should do?

2400 lumens is still very bright right? much better than h1 bulbs?

i guess what my question here is: how much brighter is the 400 Lumen difference between the two kits?

which comes closest to 2002 3 series HID kits? my mom has it on hers and i love it! i looks a little more purplish though, so i think they are around 7000k?

[SG_M3]

All oem xenon bmws use 4300k bulbs, what gives them that blue color when you look at them is the optics used in designing the headlight. Audi have that great purple/blue look, but have really white light output because of the way the headlight is designed. Because ellipsoids were never designed with xenon technology in mind we have to use highier temp blubs to get the "look".

[fast4d]

7000k+ would be a color coated bulb. It would not be a quality one either since phillips make a 5800/6000 and no higher.

thats why you lose power/lumens too because the coating block out some of the light.

[1995red318i]

Originally posted by SG_M3
All oem xenon bmws use 4300k bulbs, what gives them that blue color when you look at them is the optics used in designing the headlight. Audi have that great purple/blue look, but have really white light output because of the way the headlight is designed. Because ellipsoids were never designed with xenon technology in mind we have to use highier temp blubs to get the "look".
oh...i see. thanks, that was pretty helpful.

i think i am going to go with the 7000k kit then. they have a nice color, and i'd much rather a brighter kit.

[1995red318i]

Originally posted by fast4d
7000k+ would be a color coated bulb. It would not be a quality one either since phillips make a 5800/6000 and no higher.

thats why you lose power/lumens too because the coating block out some of the light.
well it says that the 7500k bulbs are coated, but the 7000k aren't.

so i don't want to go any higher than 7000k....i think that's where i will stay:D

[AaronM3]

i went 6000k just because i do want the HID look... BUT 7000k you start loosing intensity and my night vision SUCKS. Any increase ( and 6k looks to be the best) is worth loosing ' looks' over. :)

[1995red318i]

Originally posted by AaronM3
i went 6000k just because i do want the HID look... BUT 7000k you start loosing intensity and my night vision SUCKS. Any increase ( and 6k looks to be the best) is worth loosing ' looks' over. :)
so then the 7000k kit doesn't put out much lighting? its not going to look like those ricer bulbs where they are nice and blue, but you can't see crap?

i haven't ordered yet...was just about to though...i need to do a little more research i guess.

i know 6000k seems to be the best as far as brightness...

the 6000k is rated at 3000 lumens, the 7000k is at 2800 lumens....how much of a difference will there be in 200 lumens?:dunno

obviously the 6000 is brighter, but by how much? if compared next to each other, will the difference be mind blowing? or just noticeable?

[Dunbar]

If the bulbs truly have no coating than they are 6000k, the company is probably "rounding up" for marketing purposes. 4300k gives you the most light (lumens) although many people perceive higher color temperature as being "brighter." Stick to bulbs without a coating, that means 4300k and 6000k. My suggestion is 4300k but then again I don't think lighting should be a fashion statement...

[GolGotha999]

Even my 5000k's have a blue coating - wouldn't 6000k's be coated as well? I thought the 6000k's were even more 'blue-purple' than the 5000k's?

[E36Eric]

Originally posted by GolGotha999
Even my 5000k's have a blue coating - wouldn't 6000k's be coated as well? I thought the 6000k's were even more 'blue-purple' than the 5000k's?

The 4300k and the 6000k phillips bulbs arent coated. Now, the 5000k phillips ARE coated. I think phillips only made those 3 HID temp color.

The 7000k misterjung kit do not have a coated bulb. I think its due to marketing purposes and is just a "replica" of the phillips 6000k kit since it shares the same purple ground return wire. I dont think other color temp kits have that purple arc tube thing. I've always wanted the phillips 6000k kit but misterjung's kit had the same bulb characteristics at a lower price.

[GolGotha999]

Hmm...doesn't the higher temperature rating mean that the color moves closer to blue/purple?

For instance - are the Phillips 6000k's brighter/whiter than the 5000k's? Or are they more purple? If so, how do they do it without coating the bulb? Different current/type of gas?

[shragon]

6000k philips bulbs (they're actually 5800k, but marketed as 6000k) are not coated but i believe they achieve the purple/blue look by using a different xenon and salt mixture. these are more purple/blue than the philips 4100k (also marketed as 4300k). these are the only two bulbs philips produces. the 5000k philips bulb is not produced by philips, but it is a philips 4100k bulb where an hid maker puts a blue ceramic coating on it. 4100k has more lumens (useable light) than 6000k.

now the 7000k, 7500k, 8000k, etc... these are all korean made hid bulbs. i beleive some of these are not coated and some are. how they perform, i really don't know.

[Dunbar]

4100-4300k are white and as you move up you go towards blue and then purple. As someone pointed out, 6000k bulbs use a different mixture in the bulb. All these other companies buy the bulbs and coat them to get a different color temperature.