HID light Questions for those with experience/expertise

[mvaldes]

I’m seriously considering HID’s as one of my next mods but have little experience with them. Installation seems pretty easy and straightforward but a few generic and Smart related questions still bother me. Putting aside the street legality and aiming/cutoff issues (), here are my questions:
1.From what I’ve read, digital ballasts are pretty much required in the Smart to avoid radio interference. Has anyone found that even the digitals still interfere with the radio reception?
2.How about “flicker.” Have Folks needed an “anti-flicker” harness with the digital ballast. If so, with which kits?
3.My Smart has the comfort package so about 80% of the time when I lock or unlock it, it decides I need the headlights to find my way and turns them on. Since they’re on for about 10-12 seconds, I assume/hope that would not count as “flashing” them in the manner that’s reported to burn out ballasts. But does it have any ill effect on them – ballast or bulb-wise other than it being another few seconds of “on” time?
4.In regards to color temperature, is there any real world difference in visibility from 4500 to 6000k? I’m really interested in choosing whatever one makes it easiest to see the road (and road signs too) and don’t care about making a color/design statement.
Thanks in advance for any help and guidance other members can offer.

[Wdhitch]

Great questions!!! I'm looking for the same answers.

[tbone28]

I can't help you with questions 1-3, but regarding #4, a 4500K color temp is the whitest and will give you the "most" light. As you go up the color temp scale, it gets progressivley more blue and purple, and it will light up the road less.

The stock color on my mercedes xenons is 4300K, IIRC. It's a pure crisp white. I ended up going with 6000K on my Smart since the shop I went to didn't have a 4300 or 5000K kit. It's still pretty bright. I think you start losing functionality when you go higher than 6000K

[vpkb1998]

I installed a set of 6000K, no flicker no radio interference. In retrospect I would have gone with 5000K, the 6000K is more bluish than desired.

[mvaldes]

Originally Posted by vpkb1998

I installed a set of 6000K, no flicker no radio interference. In retrospect I would have gone with 5000K, the 6000K is more bluish than desired.

Great, that sounds promising. Which kit did you use? And, do you find it actually makes a difference in what you can see at night? Thanks in advance!

[Turbo42]

I used them from www.xtralights.com great kit no problems, no flicker, no interference. 6000k bright as can be. the lower the kelvin rating the brighter the bulb. Your 10 to 12 sec question I too have the comfort package and have had no problems I have had my Hids since june or july. Mine heat up in about 6-7 sec. Go to the site great products not a cheap ebay set.

[mrc59]

The lower the Kelvin the warmer (more red, less blue) the light. Higher the Kelvin, the cooler (more blue, less red) the light.

Given the same candela (unit of luminous intensity) output of a bulb, our eyes perceive the cooler blue/purple less bright than warmer (red/orange) colors.

[mvaldes]

Thank you for the enlightening answers.
I understand that the measured amount of light output decreases with the higher K lights. I'm wondering about "real world" applications. Do you, the driver, see further and better at 4300k or 6000k. For example, one vendor's site said that, even though the absolute output of light was less at 6000 than a 4300k, some of the blue at 6000k increased, for example, reflectivity from road signs and such, so that you could "see" objects and signs better with 6000k than at pure white 4300k. (They did sell both.) Anyone know if this is reality or fantasy?

[Turbo42]

I notice with mine that are 6000k the street signs seem glow a little more blue so they shine pretty good from a far distance

[mrc59]

I believe that the move toward cooler (bluer) lights started with the move from tungsten incandescent to halogen. Halogen is "whiter" than tungsten. Or more precisely, tungsten is more organ that halogen.

Then came the HID, and the fake HID (blue paint). The bluer lights may look cool, but will be horrible in fog or snow.

In brighter light, such as daylight, the eye is most sensitive to wavelengths near 555 nm. Near green. The rods (for B&W vision) are overwhelmed.

It's complicated, and may depend a lot on a particular driving condition. But in general, the 3200-3500K bulbs give one the best overall feedback. Of course proper aiming is important as well!