Sage-Tips

Why are HID headlights blue?

Traditional lights heat a small metal filament to produce light while HID lights create a plasma discharge arc between two tungsten electrodes. It is this plasma discharge that creates the blue color.

Why are some headlight bulbs blue?

This is because bulbs begin to produce a light with a slight blue tint when they reach a colour temperature of around 4200K. Blue bulbs are used by the emergency services and therefore need to stand out on the road against other drivers.

Why do LED headlights look blue?

it’s the way light travels. Blue light is the short wavelength and does not penetrate rain as well or shine far distances as well. The Blueish white light in LED’s get bounced back into your eyes the same way the ocean looks blue. That’s why LED’s have the appearance of being brighter…

Are 6000K headlights blue?

If you want the perfect balance between brightness and style, we recommend going with 6000K bulbs, which are very bright and have a nice blue tint. If you want a good balance between brightness and original lighting color, we recommend going with 4300K.

Are light blue headlights illegal?

As a general rule of thumb, if you look at the light produced and it has a blue tint, the bulb may not be classed as road legal and may only be used off road. Most maximum performance, standard and longlife halogen bulbs are road legal.

Is 6000k brighter than 8000k?

The 6000k is usually the most popular. The higher you go in the Kelvin Rating, you get more color in the light in exchange for visibility. So 6000k will be just slightly brighter than 8000k and 8000k will be slightly brighter than 10000k and so on but they will have more and more color to them.

Are HID lights blue?

Standard HID bulbs usually run at around 4600K and produce a very bright, crisp white light. As the HID bulbs move up to around 5000K, these bulbs become even brighter and emit a slightly blue light.

What does K mean in HID lights?

Kelvin
The “K” stands for Kelvin, and it’s a complex idea that comes from a 1900’s idea about the ideal temperature to heat a tungsten light bulb. Regardless if you’re using halogen, LED or HID bulbs, you’ll be rating the color of the light the same.

Is it legal to use HID lights?

California permits only headlamp bulbs that emit white or yellow light. Cars sold with HID lights installed are permitted because the manufacturers make sure the lights are low intensity, but aftermarket HID kits usually provide high intensity blue light and are illegal.