The life of my FR-S thus far!

[blackfireball5]

Originally Posted by srt4_night_rider

It is different every time, it all depends on how much black you add to the clear. The more black the less coats, the less black the more coats. I always say less is better because you can just add more coats. I think i sprayed mine about ten times.... I barely put any black in my clear cause i wanted to make sure i didnt go to dark. I think im about to do another set here soon or maybe even redo mine red so i will take a bunch of pictures and right a detailed how to.

Ya, that's pretty much what i read. Thanks.

[DjDATZ]

Originally Posted by ayau

just because you have HID bulbs doesn't mean you're running proper/legal HID system. the bulbs may be HID, but the projectors/headlamp housings were designed for halogen bulbs. as a result, the cut off lines are way off (usually way too high) and you end up blinding the people in front of you.

the best way to get a HID system is to buy the gt86 headlamps. it will be expensive, but at least you're not blinding others.

Thanks, just needed the statement clarified. Good to know! I've seen people that put the HIDs but don't have them cut off, makes me want to reverse into their car!

[srt4_night_rider]

Originally Posted by ayau

then i can assume that you're aware that 'purple' lights have poorer visibility than standard halogen lights, but that's besides the point.

your test shot seems like it was shot at about 5 feet away from the wall. a better test would be from about 20 feet.

my posts weren't to insult you; i just wanted to let everyone know that, in general, HID bulbs in a halogen reflector will disperse light everywhere.

Ill take some when it gets dark out only reason i did them that close was so i could close my garage to have it dark, but also i dont really know where you heard that my "purple" although i would say 12,000k HID's are not as bright as a regular halogen... I do agree on the fact that lower kelvin HID's have a brighter output but that is due to the fact that they put out more lumens... a standard halogen bulb barely puts out any lumens.

Color Temperature: 12000K
12000K has an approximately 2100lm output, which is more than 2x the light output of the traditional halogen light. This color temperature puts out a deep bluish violet light and is deeper colored than the 10000K. It is for customer who is looking for the most extreme and most exotic looking light output.

http://www.flashtechusa.com/what-is-kelvin.html

That being said, all HID light is much brighter than Halogen light. For example, a 35W 12000K HID bulb outputs approximately 2700 lumens which is still over 300% brighter than a 55W Halogen bulb with outputs about 700 lumens of light.

http://www.bluestartradeco.com/index...xenon-lighting

And these are literally just the first two links after googling it..... P.S. sorry for sounding like an ass!

[deucethemoose]

Originally Posted by srt4_night_rider

Ill take some when it gets dark out only reason i did them that close was so i could close my garage to have it dark, but also i dont really know where you heard that my "purple" although i would say 12,000k HID's are not as bright as a regular halogen... I do agree on the fact that lower kelvin HID's have a brighter output but that is due to the fact that they put out more lumens... a standard halogen bulb barely puts out any lumens.

Color Temperature: 12000K
12000K has an approximately 2100lm output, which is more than 2x the light output of the traditional halogen light. This color temperature puts out a deep bluish violet light and is deeper colored than the 10000K. It is for customer who is looking for the most extreme and most exotic looking light output.

http://www.flashtechusa.com/what-is-kelvin.html

That being said, all HID light is much brighter than Halogen light. For example, a 35W 12000K HID bulb outputs approximately 2700 lumens which is still over 300% brighter than a 55W Halogen bulb with outputs about 700 lumens of light.

http://www.bluestartradeco.com/index...xenon-lighting

And these are literally just the first two links after googling it..... P.S. sorry for sounding like an ass!

It isn't that it isn't BRIGHTER. It is more of a question of usable light. At that spectrum there is very little usable light to aid in visibility. Why don't you get a flashlight with white light and one with purple light... come back and tell me which one works better for you - brighter or not. You haven't researched enough on this subject if you're conclusion is 12K is a good idea.

3. What is meant by color temperature?
The Kelvin (K) is the unit of color temperature. 4100K is the brightest, most natural white light similar to that of daytime sunlight, and therefore the HID color temperature used most in the OEM automotive industry. When you look at the light coming directly out of an HID headlight, it possesses a bit of a blue or purple hue which most people recognize as the expensive, elegant look characteristic of HID's. For this reason, some HID kit manufacturers produce 5400K, 6500K, 8000K, etc. bulbs that give an even more distinct blue hue but at the expense of overall light output. For comparison, most halogen headlights have a color temperature around 3200K which gives them a "dingy" yellowish appearance compared to HID's.

Blue light is more fatiguing to the eyes, both to oncoming traffic and to the driver. Oncoming cars will see your lights for only a brief time, but as the driver, you must deal with it for the duration of your drive. The bluer the tint cast on the road and surrounding area, the more quickly your eyes become tired. It's a personal choice and I recognize and respect that some install HID's mostly for the look. However, very blue headlights might get you the wrong kind of attention from law enforcement. Personally, I'd like to benefit from my investment in the way of increased visibility and safety. Be aware that most of the 6500K and higher bulbs are produced by inferior manufacturers to capitalize on the maketability of "the bigger number must be better". Their 8000K bulbs may not measure 8000K. Don't be fooled.

[srt4_night_rider]

Originally Posted by deucethemoose

It isn't that it isn't BRIGHTER. It is more of a question of usable light. At that spectrum there is very little usable light to aid in visibility. Why don't you get a flashlight with white light and one with purple light... come back and tell me which one works better for you - brighter or not. You haven't researched enough on this subject if you're conclusion is 12K is a good idea.

This is funny!!! So you think just cause my lights are blue that they wouldnt be more visible then a standard halogen bulb? Even though its almost three times brighter... That would be like saying let me grab a flashlight and then let me grab my spotlight and lets see which one lets us see more and farther. Also no where in that does it say that blue is less visible it says that it is fatiguing on the eyes... And the whole debate was that halogen lights are more visible then my lights....

[deucethemoose]

Which they are. Standard halogen bulbs are more usable than blue/purple HID.

[srt4_night_rider]

Originally Posted by deucethemoose

Which they are. Standard halogen bulbs are more usable than blue/purple HID.

Coming from where?

[deucethemoose]

Says anyone educated in lighting fundamentals?

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/hid...eadlights.html

Bulb Colors
Color selection is a big part of HID selection. Almost all factory (OEM) HID kits are 4300K but some manufacturers use 6000K. The higher the Kelvin or K rating on a bulb, the lower the light output in lumens. Many aftermarket companies offer HID kits of 8000K, 10000K or 12000K. In my opinion, the only reason one would buy a kit with a Kelvin rating of over 6000K is that they are misinformed or uneducated in the area of lighting. Many people will try to tell you that bulbs with a high Kelvin rating (the bulbs that are very blue or purple) are brighter than those with a color of 4300-6000K. That is 100% false. For visibility purposes do not buy a kit with an extremely high color temperature. You can see below how quickly light brightness declines as color temperature increases.
Here is a chart of K vs. lu
3000K = 4000lu
4300K = 3200lu
6000K = 2900lu
8000K = 2450lu
10000K = 2200lu
12000K = 1800lu

Another source:


http://www.intellexual.net/hid.html

MISCONCEPTIONS

There are many companies and private merchants out there that will advertise 7000K, 8000K, and even 12000K HID kits. Most of these vendors lurk around on ebay, online car forums, websites, and ricer accessory shops. 100% of the people that buy these kits do so because they are uninformed, uneducated, or misguided in the field of lighting, and will buy these junk kits thinking three things: that these bulbs are brighter, that these bulbs should cost more money, and/or that they will perform better. All three statements are completely false. Perhaps this misconception and frenzy for purple lights originates from BMW and Audi's infamous Hella projector HIDs.

So allow me to explain the real truth of the matter... Philips is the number one manufacturer of HID bulbs. The Philips OEM D2S bulb is rated at 4100K at 12.8 volts and produces 3200 lumens of light. The Philips Ultinon D2S is 5800K 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. Vision, a Korean bulb manufacturer, makes an 8000K bulb, which they used to advertise on Acura-Forums as 2000 lumens bright. This is barely a marked improvement over halogens, and will produce more glare and eye fatigue than it is beneficial. 4100K 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 (ceteris paribus).

Every car manufacturer in the world (including BMW and Audi) uses none other than a standard 4100K gas-discharge bulb. No exceptions. The reason being is that 4100K 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.

So the million dollar question is now: Why do BMW & Audi lights 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.

Trying to emulate this color-flickering effect with a solid-state blue or purple bulb is only detrimental to lighting performance, it doesn't fool anyone, but most importantly it endangers other motorists around you. Blue light has what we call a very high diffuse density, which causes it to radiate outwards as opposed to forwards. What results is a wide glow of light outside the beam pattern that is blinding to motorists you share the road with. A blue HID bulb will produce color bleed around the headlight, around the objects it lights up, outside of the beam pattern, and around the cut off line. This is effect is known as "glare", and these illegal and improperly installed HID kits are the reason why HIDs get a bad wrap. As common evidence of glare, observe a traffic light at night in a dimly lit area. There is red light and green light. Red is opposite blue and green is next to blue, thus we can substitute green for blue. If you observe the aura, or glow, of light around a red light and compare it to that of a green light, you'll notice that the green light produces much more glare than red. Blue is even worse. Purple, the worst.

Happy reading.

[srt4_night_rider]

i already stated that mine wouldnt be brighter or more visible then a 4300 level HID, but thats cause of lumens like i have said a 100 times. This still has nothing to do with a standard halogen being brighter then my HID.

From your quote:
Vision, a Korean bulb manufacturer, makes an 8000K bulb, which they used to advertise on Acura-Forums as 2000 lumens bright. This is barely a marked improvement over halogens,

Does that say improvement over halogens.... maybe you should read.

[deucethemoose]

I'm not saying brighter. I'm saying USABLE. Reading comprehension > you


and it's You're... btw.

[srt4_night_rider]

Originally Posted by deucethemoose

I'm not saying brighter. I'm saying USABLE. Reading comprehension > you


and it's You're... btw.

If were going to talk about reading comprehension, why was it everything you quoted compared lower lever HID's to higher lever HID's when your trying to prove that a standard halogen bulb is more visible then my HID kit. All you have stated is that blue is fatiguing on the eyes, that doesnt mean its not USABLE.

[deucethemoose]

Good god... What happened to natural selection?


No sense in arguing with an idiot. Enjoy your poor visibility.

[ohaiu]

Guys, can we get back on topic? He picked 12000k and has less visibility. Personally I'd have gotten 5000-6000k. But let's leave it at that and talk about the car. This thread is about his progress not about light output. I understand people will have their own opinions whether good or bad. But everyone getting riled up is a bit overkill.

Ayau, how many people on this forum will actually shell out money for ft86 headlamps? I suspect a small percentage.

SRT, ignore them bro if they're making you mad. Each of either side's response only fuels the other. I think the car looks great. Time for some coilovers and some bad ass wheels. On my other forum half the people love my blue wheels, the other half talk shxt.

Deuce, love the meme lol.

[Asphaltfrs1]

Am I the only person who noticed that, Ayau, keeps comparing HID projectors to halogen REFLECTORS! Even pictures, they're projectors vs reflectors. Last time I checked our cars come with projectors, halogen, but projectors nonetheless.