Narg said:
I never have understood the desire for 5000K bulbs. Human eyes are tuned to the color of the Sun, which is 3500K to 4000K. So the normal bulbs are actually better for your eyes and you see more. They are just not very bright. Why do you guys think hunting glasses are yellow tinted? It helps them see more, and better in shaded areas. If they made an HID kit in the 4000K range, I'd be much more interested.
Because people think bigger is always better.......going up the kelvin scale must mean more light out!
I would beat doing the H9 upgrade would put more light on the road than an illegal retrofit kit any day, the higher you move up the Kelvin scale, the lower the lumens (light out put) is.....Any housing that is designed for Halogen bulbs (H11 is Halogen so your assly is designed for that), it is illegal (non-DOT approved) to install Xenon type bulbs in the place of Halogen (notice how they NEVER say DOT approved lol, but they will list all the other fake manufacturing certifications TUV for example (not that TUV is fake, but I would like to see the manufacturing certifications, TUV is an auditing organization, not a "certification"). The good thing is more and more cops are pulling people over for this, but I will admit they are mainly going for the stuipid colors people go far.
Yellow is in the 2500K range, and its best for fog lights as it doesnt reflect back (France used to require all lights be selective yellow), Halogen is 3600K...
Xenon Bulbs rated from Phillips in lumens
85122 lineup which are at 4100K and 85122+ at 4250K
Ultinions=4950K
Philips 85122 = 3100Lm +/-400 lms
Philips 85122+ = 3400Lm +/-200 lms
Philips 85123 = 2,800Lm +/- 150lms
Philips Ultinons = 2,200Lm +/-200lms
Notice the drastic drop in lumens as the scale goes from 3100 +/-400 at 4100K color, vs 4950K putting out only 2200 +/-200 lumens? The stock H11's are rated @ 1350lumens, while H9's are 2150 lumens.
Nice little disclosures from one of those Xenon HID manufactures
Are these XENON HID light systems street legal?
Every country and jurisdiction has its own rules and regulations governing the use of automotive lighting. XENON H.I.D. lighting systems that are supplied with the vehicles from the factory are DOT / E approved. NO XENON H.I.D. lighting system available from any source is DOT / E approved if installed outside of the factory. These kits are not street legal for use on public roads as they are. As a result, we officially endorse the kit for exhibition and off-road use and will only sell the kit to be used for these purposes. We are not responsible for customers who violate the terms of sale in which they will assume all responsibilities for any unauthorized or unintended use other than exhibition or off-road use.