HID headlight color question
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 138
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From: Valley Center CA
HID headlight color question
I put new projector headlight with 6000k 55w low and high beams. I was wondering why the low beam in the projector is a more is yellowish, almost a halogen color, and the high beam in the reflector style is the color I was expecting. I have 6000 k 55w fog light also and they match the high beams in terms of color....... bluish white. Can anyone explain this. I'm stumped.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2009
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From: ALL governments are legalized mobsters, so doesn't matter where I live :(
Are your HID's all from the same manufacturer? Have you tried plugging the ballast from the low beam into the high beam to see if you got the same results? Also was the car running when you tested? Did you give a chance for the lights to warm up?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,211
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From: Vancouver B.C.
I'm not sure HID high beams are a very good idea, unless you've rewired to keep the lows and highs on at the same time - It gets pretty black out there at 70 mph while you're waiting for your bulbs to warm up...
Former Vendor
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 8,479
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From: Devil's Island CA
It's most likely the projector causing the color to look different, they tend to do that (assuming you have 6k in hi/low) regardless in a projector housing they will always look a little different than in a regular reflector lens. Changing the ballast won't change the color of the lights. I would say stand back a hundred feet from your car and look at the lights from further back, you should see the lights match up better.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
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It's most likely the projector causing the color to look different, they tend to do that (assuming you have 6k in hi/low) regardless in a projector housing they will always look a little different than in a regular reflector lens. Changing the ballast won't change the color of the lights. I would say stand back a hundred feet from your car and look at the lights from further back, you should see the lights match up better.
Reflector vs Projector = main reason
That and possible color-temp variations between brands or even in batches of bulbs from the same brand.
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Michael S. Palmer
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jul 2010
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Likes: 903
From: Republic of Texas
A well-tuned projector will show a crisp cutoff with often a blue line at the top. The "step" should be clearly visible. This photo is from one of our Bi-xenon Modified ACA Projector headlights.
A poorer quality projector may barely show a defined cutoff and (due to the flat cutoff shield) will typically show a reddish-orange color near the center of the beam. This is the pattern from the ACA headlights' factory projector using the same 5000K 55w HID light source as the projector shown above:
Since the light is being bent both around the shield and refracted through the lens, it tends to change color compared to purely reflected light. What we typically see as headlight color when looking at the car comes from this variable.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 138
Likes: 0
From: Valley Center CA
This is exactly correct. Light from a projector bends slightly as it goes around the edges of the cutoff shield resulting in a prism like effect that typically only shows a section of the visual spectrum.
A well-tuned projector will show a crisp cutoff with often a blue line at the top. The "step" should be clearly visible. This photo is from one of our Bi-xenon Modified ACA Projector headlights.
A poorer quality projector may barely show a defined cutoff and (due to the flat cutoff shield) will typically show a reddish-orange color near the center of the beam. This is the pattern from the ACA headlights' factory projector using the same 5000K 55w HID light source as the projector shown above:
Since the light is being bent both around the shield and refracted through the lens, it tends to change color compared to purely reflected light. What we typically see as headlight color when looking at the car comes from this variable.
A well-tuned projector will show a crisp cutoff with often a blue line at the top. The "step" should be clearly visible. This photo is from one of our Bi-xenon Modified ACA Projector headlights.
A poorer quality projector may barely show a defined cutoff and (due to the flat cutoff shield) will typically show a reddish-orange color near the center of the beam. This is the pattern from the ACA headlights' factory projector using the same 5000K 55w HID light source as the projector shown above:
Since the light is being bent both around the shield and refracted through the lens, it tends to change color compared to purely reflected light. What we typically see as headlight color when looking at the car comes from this variable.
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 8,550
Likes: 903
From: Republic of Texas
I do offer a High-powered LED bulb option for the high beam on the ACA style headlights, but it's HIGHLY recommended you get the bi-xenon upgrade as the LED bulb is not suitable for projecting light. The Bi-xenon projector will take care of projecting light for the high beam and the LED bulb will serve to match the color:
This is shown next to a 5000K 55w HID in the projector.
You can purchase the Bi-xenon modification here:
http://shop.radioflyerinnovations.co...cation-016.htm