Is 4300k HID Kit Really the Brightest Bulb?

Jun 02 2011

Philips is the number one manufacturer of HID bulbs. The Philips D2S bulb is
rated at 4300K at 12.8 volts and produces 3200 lumens of light. The Philips
Ultinon D2S
is 6000K at 12.8 volts and produces 2400 lumens of light. As you can see, with all other factors remaining constant, the brightness of an HID bulb declines the higher up the color index you go. 4300K has been proven through tireless independent research by the Germans, Japanese, and Americans to be the most functional, truest white and thus the brightest possible color temperature.

Every car manufacturer in the world (including BMW and Audi) uses none other than a standard 4300K gas-discharge bulb. No exceptions. The reason being is that 4300K is daylight white in color and produces the same color visible light as direct sunlight. This is least fatiguing functional color on the eyes and produces the most comfortable contrast on the road.

Now why do some OEM HID bulbs appear blue when they use a white bulb?

Well, this coloration is the result of the light projectors; the lenses: it’s transparency, it’s curvature, the tiny grooves etched into it; the projector assembly, the shield, and the reflector bowl. All these components work together to produce a signature of light unique to that particular optic’s design. On the Audi and BMW projectors, the lens curvature at the edge bends the white light producing a “prism effect”. White light is broken down to it’s fundemental colors. Since blue lights is high energy, it is absorbed last and thus travels farther. So with this prism effect, you’ll notice that BMW HIDs are only purple and blue from the sides, the top, and the bottom edges, but are always daylight white on the road and in the beam pattern. This phenomenon can be demonstrated when you watch an oncoming BMW hit a pot hole or speed bump in the road and the car’s nose pitches up and down. The headlights will flicker and “throw colors off”, but returns to a solid white beam pattern directly on the road.


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