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Bulb comparison charts

Bulb comparison charts

PIAA, Wagner, Sylvania


HID bulb chart

Manufacturer Bulb Color Kelvin Life span Warranty
Platinum Super White
Near White 3800K average none
Super Xtreme White
White 3950K average none
Xtreme White
White 4150K average none
Super Plasma
Pure White 5000K H / 3800K L average none
Super Plasma
Pure White 5000K H / 4200K L average none
Xtra Vision
Stock 3200K average limited
Halogen Plus
Stock 3200K extended limited
Cool Blue
Near White 3800K average limited
White 4000K average limited
Stock Halogen
Stock 3200K average none
Halogen Gold
Stock 3200K extended none
BriteLite (Xenon gas)
White 3400K average none
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Some information on Halogen and Xenon bulbs

What is the difference between stock bulbs and performance bulbs?

About Halogen bulbs

About Xenon bulbs

Do I need a ballast or wiring to use these bulbs?

How long do performance bulbs last?

What is the difference:
There are several differences between stock halogen bulbs and performance bulbs. Brightness is the first and foremost difference. The higher the Kelvin color temperature the whiter light the bulb will produce. A stock halogen bulb has a color temperature of about 3200 Kelvin performance bulbs are brighter and are rated at 3800K all the way up to 5000K for Xenon gas bulbs. It's a great alternative to expensive HID (High Intensity Discharge) lighting that is difficult to install and requires parts, time and labor to install.

Halogen bulbs:
Halogen lamps in addition to being gas filled, have a gaseous halogen compound added to the gas fill. The halogen compound constitutes a small portion of the fill gas and must be accurately controlled. The quantity used is on the order of 100 parts per million of fill gas and is usually a bromine compound. It's purpose is to prevent any blackening of the bulb by returning evaporated tungsten back to the filament through a halogen cycle. Too little halogen permits blackening of the bulb to occur. Too much halogen destroys the tungsten filament.

Since with proper operation of the halogen cycle no blackening occurs, the bulb can be smaller than what is normally used in regular gas filled lamps. With smaller envelopes, higher molecular weight inert gasses and higher fill pressure are practical. Krypton is generally used in automotive halogen lamps and the fill pressures at room temperature is approximately 5 atmospheres.

The Higher Molecular weight gas and higher fill pressure permits operation of the filament at even higher temperatures than regular gas filled lamps so that for the same life, halogen lamps have the highest efficiency of all miniature lamps. The installation of these performance headlight bulbs is easy. No special wiring or ballast is needed. Just replace the regular light bulbs with these. It's that Easy!

Xenon filled halogen replacement bulbs utilizes a tinted glass envelope that actually increases the color temperature of the bulb closer to that of daylight, thus producing a significantly whiter light beam, resulting in greatly improved night vision by increasing contrast and providing better reflective properties. This special process dramatically increases the whiteness of the light with only a trace of blue hue at the headlight periphery. The addition of Xenon gas is used to cool the light filament, allowing the Halogen to process higher light output resulting in a 20-30 percent increase in perceived light.

Despite the blue glass, these light bulbs do not emit a "blue" beam of light, rather the light is so brilliantly white, that it is perceived as "bluish-white" when compared to regular halogen headlights.

Do I need anything else besides the bulbs?

How long will performance headlight bulbs last?
Performance bulbs tend to have the same life as stock halogens and can give years of great service. Several things can have an effect on the lifespan of a bulb. The life of a filament is voltage sensitive. A stable electrical system in your vehicle will help to increase the lifespan of your halogen bulbs as well as the condition of the headlight units themselves. When installing your bulbs please remember to take care not to touch the glass portions of the bulbs.


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