I miss my HIDs

[lathhomas]

I prefer 5000K HIDs. I did a quad bi-xenon retrofit on my vehicle and the 5000K HID was better than the LED driving lights that I added. Placed Light Force Stryker 140s behind the grill and the combination of HID and 100w halogen was great for deer spotting and avoiding.
Thomas in Texas

 

[TechGuru]

I prefer 5000K HIDs. I did a quad bi-xenon retrofit on my vehicle and the 5000K HID was better than the LED driving lights that I added. Placed Light Force Stryker 140s behind the grill and the combination of HID and 100w halogen was great for deer spotting and avoiding.
Thomas in Texas

5000K might work ok in Texas but I definitely would stick with 4300K anywhere where snow is common.

 

[John_Galt]

4300k is best in HID, but I wish there were 3000k offerings from legit manufacturers.

Every crappy aftermarket "3000k" burner is canary yellow.

 

[TechGuru]

4300k is best in HID, but I wish there were 3000k offerings from legit manufacturers.

Every crappy aftermarket "3000k" burner is canary yellow.

In theory those (selective yellow) should work well in snowy white out conditions.

 

[John_Galt]

An actual 3000k white or the "3000k" yellow burners, you mean?

I'm down for ~3000k white, would be much easier on the eyes in whatever hid/LED. Currently trying to find a cheap set of OEM LED headlamps for my 3rd gen tacoma to see what would be involved in replacing the almost 6000k white osrams they use. A cree xp-p is likely the closest emitter, in terms of die size and chip size/format. I'd need a custom mcpcb made, but they would be so much better visually.

 

[TechGuru]

An actual 3000k white or the "3000k" yellow burners, you mean?

I'm down for ~3000k white, would be much easier on the eyes in whatever hid/LED. Currently trying to find a cheap set of OEM LED headlamps for my 3rd gen tacoma to see what would be involved in replacing the almost 6000k white osrams they use. A cree xp-p is likely the closest emitter, in terms of die size and chip size/format. I'd need a custom mcpcb made, but they would be so much better visually.

The selective yellow are best for white out conditions.

https://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/light_color/light_color.html

 

[John_Galt]

I think the color spectrum of the 3000k HIDs is still going to have a massive blue wavelength spike compared to halogen. Not sure they'd be as effective.

Plus, you can't (legally) run selective yellow for a headlamp color. I've done it, it's fantastic for driving, but I have a pile of tickets for doing so.

 

[TechGuru]

I think the color spectrum of the 3000k HIDs is still going to have a massive blue wavelength spike compared to halogen. Not sure they'd be as effective.

Plus, you can't (legally) run selective yellow for a headlamp color. I've done it, it's fantastic for driving, but I have a pile of tickets for doing so.

Selective yellow should be legal as it is somewhere between amber and white is it not?

Which Headlight Colours are Legal in the United States?

Figuring out the laws regarding headlights for cars in the United States can be tricky. Laws about vehicle safety are under the control of the states, not the federal government. This means there are 50 different sets of rules about car headlights and acceptable colours.


Luckily, most states follow the same general guidelines as the UK or EU. Car lights can be yellow or white, with some bluer xenon HID bulbs allowed, too.


Drivers should be careful that their car headlights are not too blue, as this law is more strictly enforced in some localities.


Headlights for off-road use are available in a wide variety of colours. Drivers can purchase coloured bulbs or headlight tints in just about any colour. However, these are not road legal.

"All US states require legal headlights to be either white or amber" (or somewhere in-between?)

On the other hand BLUE are flat out illegal but they get a pass?

Legal Headlight Colour Law – UK, US, EU, Aus | PowerBulbs UK | PowerBulbs US

What car headlight colours are legal and what is the law? In the UK the law strictly limits the colour of headlights. Learn more on the laws here.

www.powerbulbs.com

 

[John_Galt]

I wouldn't use powerbulbs as a citation.

I need to dig up the relevant legal code, but they actually have a color reference chart with secific regions plotted out for what legally constitues white light, amber, yellow/selective yellow, red and green. It's also used to define colors such as school bus yellow.

There's a big gap between the center of the plot, which is white, and what is considered yellow/selective yellow, unfortunately.