Well I was just hoping you weren't confusing the color (measured in k) with luminous intensity (measured in lumens).

You said a 55w 5000k would look like 4300k, which isn't the case.

5000k is the sweet spot of bulb colors with regards to light output in lumens. It is the brightest bulb color you can get. So there is no way that adding more power to the brightest bulb color (5000k) would knock it down to a color that is less bright (4300k as you said).

I'd say that the simplest way to put it would be: 55w brings every bulb color closer to the sweet spot (5000k).

 

4300k is the brightest bulb you can get actually, at least to humans with human eyeballs. 5000k is probably only about 3% dimmer, and starting at about 6000k you start losing brightness a lot faster than 3% per 1000k. Yay, blue wavelengths, useless to our eyeballs and bane of the atmosphere (why do you think the atmosphere scatters them and turns blue?).

Anyway my experience is that 50 vs. 35 watt ballasts don't make a significant difference in color temp to 4300k, 4500k, and 5000k bulbs, and I've tried all three bulbs in recent weeks with both 35 & 50-watt ballasts (credit to my friend Kevin IRL and on this forum for his part in this). Maybe 0.1 or 0.2k in color temp reduction, surprised both of us I think at how subtle the change really was.

 

Wow, my fault I was completely wrong lol. I don't know where I got that 5000k was the sweet spot. Thanks for clearing that up. And I believe you when you say the wattage doesn't make that huge of a difference. I guess its just a mental thing for me lol.

 

This can be true for some people. If you are sensitive to light, and usually find yourself bothered by other people's poorly aimed reflectors, then you should probably stick with 35w so you don't affect yourself.

However, an advantage to higher wattage ballasts is seeing better in the rain since the water kinda sucks in the light, or when driving on newly paved black roads... or both.

However, most cars that pass me while forgetting to turn off their highs don't bother me too much. I can still see the road ahead just fine, and doesn't strain my eyes if I just keep them straight ahead. Unless they have super bright highs, which is only maybe 10% of them. (the tC included) So I'll be sticking with my 50w ballasts from www.TheRetrofitSource.com

For my eyes, 4300k is definitely the sweet spot for me. Sure, 5000k is casting a perfectly white light, but on most surfaces, it reflects back as a bluish tint, which is harder for me to see.

I hooked up a 4300k bulb next to a 5000k bulb, and the 4300k bulb almost totally washed out the 5000k bulb when aimed on the pavement.

4300k is OEM color for a reason. They've done a lot more research than we have, folks! The difference between the 4300k and 5000k is amazing in usable light!

It might depend on the quality of the bulb being used also. But I haven't tested that. The bulbs I got from www.TheRetrofitSource.com had no significant, or even noticeable color shift between 35w/50w ballasts.

For most of you, 4300k @ 35w will be an amazing upgrade if you are not going for that young curb appeal look of blue, but want whiter light than standard yellow halogen bulbs. Remember also, HIDs tend to gain kelven rating as they age, so it will slowly start to lose yellow as it ages for 4300k, or gain bluer tint in the case of 5000k

If you are like me, and brighter light doesn't bother you, then go for a higher wattage. You will see better once the rainy season comes! Gotta watch out for that black ice also in the winter! Good headlights save lives!

 

I think you misunderstand me. I'm saying super-bright headlights make a human eyeball see less well in areas that are not lit by the headlights, i.e., night vision. That's human physiology, not a matter of opinion. It's important to be able to see (as much as possible) outside of the beam's pattern area, outside and above the cutoff. It really is amazing how much we humans can see in the dark, if we have to.

This is all knowledge that's taken for granted by light researchers, ophthalmologists, people like Daniel Stern (http://www.danielsternlighting.com/about/about.html), etc.

From Daniel Stern's web site:

I'm going without headlights from now on. ;)

 

No, I know what you mean. When i first got my tC I couldn't see above the cutoff with just the halogen bulbs, my eyes then got used to it. I can see outside the cutoff just fine now.

Give it a month or two.

But again, no two people are alike. Try something for a month, then try something else. I've been there, done that and found what works best for me.

To reach their own.

But you know what? If i had 55w ballasts, and you rode with me in my car, you will probably complain about not seeing above the cutoff.

If you rode the next day, and I lied, and said I had 35w ballasts when I still had the 55w ones, you might then say "oh yeah, looks a lot better"

If you saw a website saying they've done research on HIDs and that they have a flicker that causes headaches, you will probably start having headaches after driving your car with HIDs. (research:The Placebo Effect)

Now, I'm not saying the people who wrote that article don't know what they're talking about. I'm sure they are correct, but that doesn't mean 100% of people are going to be negatively effected when going from 35w to 55w. One reason being the change is very subtle. I have also seen first hand that my eyes can adjust to an instant cutoff in light after a month or so.

It's just the way we silly humans are

 

to actually improve lighting in the snow / rain / fog, you would lower your K temp to 3000K to achieve a yellow color. The wavelength at this K temp would "cut" through the wetness and snow a lot better than say, the 4300K-6000K.

So running a higher wattage ballast wouldn't increase visibility in such weather conditions, it might actually hinder your ability to see (not to mention the wavelengths would refract more easily perhaps)

There's a reason why "fog lights" were invented and named as so. lol. The foglights also take care of foreground lighting in the case of the TC projector bowls have foreground limiters (TC1 projectors have them).

 

YSo are you going to drive around with 3000k headlights?

Yes, I understand why foglights are invented. No, I didn't say brighter bulbs are better in fog.

I have experienced all of this first hand. You have not. I doubt you have 3000k fogs.
I turn my fogs off in foggy weather as it reflects up into my view because they are not projectors.

 

I don't run 3000K bulbs yet...but I have modded my 08 OEM projectors to be in-headlight fogs / extra intensity to my retros (which are e46 modded lens projectors 5000K replacing my high beams), so yes they are set to run 3000K, but right now they run 4300K. Just don't feel like buying 3000K HID bulbs yet..or short on money cuz i want a whole new kit.

It's either that route, or get mini projectors modded into the actual APT / VRD fogs I have and just keep the plastic lens down there to project it from debri. Either way, I will run 3000K fogs prior to winter settling in Wisconsin. So all-in-all ; I'll run my quad retro with even more projectors in the fog area to shine more yellow for foreground like how fogs should function.

 

That sounds like an interesting mod, but I don't quite understand exactly what you're explaining. Can you post some pictures of that setup?

I personally don't like 3000k lights, and it makes me wonder what the reason is for not being stock on any cars.

I'm not a huge fan of 5000k either, but 4300k is definitely where it's at.

I've been contemplating on whether or not to retrofit some projectors into my fog light housings on my '11 tC. This will definitely help reduce the glare that reflects upward in foggy situations. Where I am from, fog is quite a common occurrence , and is sometimes very thick on my way home from work at night. If I do put in some projector fogs, I'm going have to throw another set of 4300k lights in there, because I like my color temps to match.

 

Here is the quad setup...




And when I was test fitting the OEM projector into the fog area... didn't fit without cutting the mounting area in the bumper for the fogs lol (I had already shaved off quite a bit on the oem projector as well..) So i put them back into the 08-10 headlights I had.

 

Any 2012 tC2 owners around here? I just bought mine a week ago and looking into getting HID kits too from DDM. Just want to make sure that I use H11 bulbs too, same as 2011 tC2s. I'm gonna order mine ASAP. TY!

 

Congrats on the '12 and no, nothing has changed. Everything in this thread applies to you too

 

Thanks biglilsteve!

 

So I installed my DDM Slim 6k 55W the other day and at first it seems stable. I drove it yesterday and noticed that when I turned on my low beam, my lights flicked and came on but the passenger side came off after a split sec. I tried to troubleshoot it. Disconnect and reconnect the cable and it worked again. thought it was a glitch. then drove a few miles.. then went off again. did it again, D/C then reconnect then it worked and guess what? same thing happened. The Drivers side looks pretty stable but the passenger isn't. and add to that, the passenger side seems a lil bit softer white or giving out less light compared to the drivers side. I called DDM right away and they told me that I need a relay harness and up the fuse. Do you guys have any inputs on this?? I read on this thread that nobody had a problem with this so far. I have a 2012 tC btw. thanks!!

 

^
Sounds like they just don't want to admit a faulty product. I say swap sides for your ballasts. If the problem is corrected on the passenger side and the driver side now starts acting up, I'd say you have a strong case to present to DDM.

 

I did exactly what you said biglilsteve. and found out that the ballast is bad. I even tried it on my friends car with the same HID kit his went out too.. Thanks alot! Now to file a claim and wait for another 2 weeks to get a good ballast!!

 

^
Awesome man! Knowing is half the battle

 

Has anyone on here noticed radio interference with there hid's. If my radio signal is on the week side and I turn my hid's on it just turns to static. I have 5000k h11 35w digital ac ballasts from vvme.

 

very common problem. unfortunately the only fix is to use analog balasts