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5000k HID lights in Winter Gray Prius IV

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by nola_Prius, Aug 9, 2009.

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  1. rstark18

    rstark18 Member

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    Still Don't know which to get. Do the 4300k look MUCH whiter than halogen?
     
    #41 rstark18, Aug 12, 2009
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Gotcha. Yeah it's difficult to capture light on camera and accurately portray it.

    Definitely will stick with 5000K max. I don't need a reason to get pulled over (plus I want lumens first then cool factor.). So yeah, I might get the 4300K. 5000K does have a nice crystal white look though so it'll be a good compromise btwn lumens and cool factor
     
    #42 Tideland Prius, Aug 12, 2009
  3. nola_Prius

    nola_Prius New Member

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    If you check out this page (HID Xenon Photo Gallery of 5000k HID kits installed. Color temperature and light temperatures explained for HID Xenon conversion kits), there is some good info, pics, and examples of each color temp. It also lists how many lumens are produced by each color temp.

    As the numbers illustrate (4300, 5000, 6000, 8000, etc), the biggest jump is between 6000 and 8000. From my experience, I'd say that those numbers are a good representation of how drastic the color/brightness change is among the different color temps.

    The final result is also fairly dependent on the surrounding light. Depending on where I am at the time, sometimes my 5000k will look more or less white/blue than other times. I think it's a good balance of the white & blue tints, while still being brighter than I personally need.

    When I add some fogs eventually, I'm either gonna try 4300 or get another set of 6000 to put in there, just to have a contrast between the fogs and low beams.
     
    #43 nola_Prius, Aug 12, 2009
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  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    How does the light distribution fare? I see in the video and the pics that the light is very focussed down the middle of the road with the brightest spot on the passenger side of the lane. What about the curb? halogens on recent Toyotas are able to softly illuminate the curb so it's easy to see where they are when making turns.
     
    #44 Tideland Prius, Aug 12, 2009
  5. nola_Prius

    nola_Prius New Member

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    From the driver's seat, it lights up everything just fine...as close to the front as I can see and it also hits the curbs on the side of the road.
    As you can tell from the outside pics, immediately in front of the car isn't as bright as farther out, but I don't blame that on the HIDs.
    Some fogs will fill that in, but honestly, I don't find it totally necessary.

    The more I watch the video, the more I realize that it's overall not a very good representation of what it actually looks like in person. Tonight I will try to shoot another clip with my actual video camera and see how that turns out.
     
    #45 nola_Prius, Aug 12, 2009
  6. nola_Prius

    nola_Prius New Member

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    I added a couple new videos to the first post.
    The first is the lights warming up, and the second is me cruising around town earlier.
     
    #46 nola_Prius, Aug 13, 2009
  7. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    4300K matches what the old HIDs were in the GenII. Its the closest to the white light of the sun. The lower you go in kelvin, "technically" you get more lumens of output, but its really about the perception of the eyes.

    With intensely bright lights, 4300K is my favorite because I feel colors at night are brought back to life the most accurate.

    When you see something on the road while going 70, the better and faster your brain can interpret what you see, the better!

    Going above 4300K towards the higher kelvins are more for personal taste and to look different than the norm.
    If your wanting to look "tricky".. go with the higher kelvins, if your wanting to see the absolute best, go with 4300K IMO.

    Going lower than 4300K will become too warm, which in cases when using low output lights such as Pocket LEDs, the brain will actually interpret colors better.. but with intense lights, the brain sees colors most accurately around the 4300K range.

    The higher kelvins that look bluer can "look" bright simply because they are the same color as lights we associate that are very bright from that kelvin range, such as lightening and arc welding, but in reality, the actual output may be deceptive as looking at a light front on is different than shining that same light out and seeing the light it reflects back from the objects it hits.
    The latter is what you need to see objects on the road.
     
    #47 windstrings, Aug 13, 2009
  8. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    Forgive me if this has already been covered, but do you have your Halogen for low beams and the HID for high or a dedicated HID for both?

    IN other words, what powers your low beams verses your high and what type?
     
    #48 windstrings, Aug 13, 2009
  9. nola_Prius

    nola_Prius New Member

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    I replaced my low beams with the 5000k HIDs.
    I haven't touched the high beams, and I don't use them in the videos/pics.
    Eventually, I plan to add some fog lights and put HIDs into them also.

    I really like the 5000k/6000k range... the bright white, with the slight blue overtone. (more so in the 6000k, of course) For my tastes, the 8000k is just too much blue. I consider 8000k to be crossing the line of fashion statement.
    I've never used 4300k, but I'm sure I'd like those too.
     
    #49 nola_Prius, Aug 13, 2009
  10. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    For me 4200 or 4300K is perfect for pure white light.

    For fog lights, the lower kelvin that look yellow may be good.. the longer wavelengths penetrate through water particles better.
     
    #50 windstrings, Aug 13, 2009
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah they sure are instant if you switch 'em off and then back on again.

    The city cruise video definitely gave a better representation. I can see that it illuminated the shoulder quite well. The cut off is pretty severe though. The trees are pitch black but that's more of the characteristics of the projector-style setup (my smart has halogen projectors and there's a noticeable cut-off. However, light still shines above it because it's halogen, not LED or HID)
     
    #51 Tideland Prius, Aug 13, 2009
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I have one more question. What is the lifespan of these capsules. What was your experience with your old 8000K kit?
     
    #52 Tideland Prius, Aug 14, 2009
  13. nola_Prius

    nola_Prius New Member

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    Actually, my old kit was the 6000k.
    I had them for a little over two years and never had to replace them...not so much as a single flicker.
    I sold the kit with the car, so hopefully they'll last the new owner a while also.
     
    #53 nola_Prius, Aug 14, 2009
  14. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Oops, sorry. 6,000K.

    How often were they used?
     
    #54 Tideland Prius, Aug 14, 2009
  15. nola_Prius

    nola_Prius New Member

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    Only at night... probably around 20 hours a week or so. (pizza delivery)
     
    #55 nola_Prius, Aug 15, 2009
  16. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Sounds good to me! Thanks! Now to figure out shipping costs....
     
    #56 Tideland Prius, Aug 15, 2009
  17. moner

    moner New Member

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    #57 moner, Aug 15, 2009
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    #58 Tideland Prius, Aug 15, 2009
  19. PriusRay

    PriusRay Junior Member

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    Hi Nola. I'm very new user here on Prius Chat. I appreciate all of your views and comments about the kit. I went ahead and purchased a kit from mobilehid.com for my 2010 Prius III.

    I am having some issues getting the bulbs to activate. I've connected everything as per mobileHID support section. This support section mentions the existence of a "remote turn-on plug." I have left this plug unconnected to any part of the prius. Could this be the issue? If so, where in the prius would I make this connection? Thank you for your help and time!!
     
    #59 PriusRay, Aug 16, 2009
  20. nola_Prius

    nola_Prius New Member

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    I'm not exactly sure what is meant by "remote turn-on plug," but I think I might know what you are referring to.

    The plug that you remove from the stock PASSENGER side bulb will NOT be used. It will just be left hanging unconnected.

    The plug that you remove from the stock DRIVER side bulb WILL be used. You need to connect that plug to the receiving plug on the wiring harness. This is basically where the car tells the HID kit to turn on.

    Here's a very basic and quick outline of the procedure:

    1) remove and replace stock bulbs with HID bulbs

    2) connect the red power line to power terminal in fuse box

    3) connect the black ground line to a grounding spot (bolt I pictured)

    4) connect the driver's side stock plug to the receiving plug on HID harness

    5) mount the ballasts and connect the harness to them

    6) connect the plugs on the HID bulbs to the HID wiring harness

    That should be it.
    Make sure to use a zip-tie to hold that driver's side plug attached onto the wiring harness... just to make sure it is tight and secure, and won't become disconnected.

    Hopefully you just forgot to plug in that driver's side factory plug to the harness.

    If you have any more problems or need help, I will try my best to answer. Cliff @ MobileHID is also very helpful. (and much more knowledgeable than me :) )

    I too was a bit confused when I installed my first HID kit, so don't feel bad. ;)

    ps - What color temp did you get? You ordered the H11 kit, right?

    EDIT - Ok... I just went and looked at their support section that you mentioned. You definitely need to connect that "remote turn-on" plug. That is what connects to the plug that you removed from the stock driver's side bulb. Make sure you use a zip-tie to hold them together!
     
    #60 nola_Prius, Aug 16, 2009
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