HID Kits?????

Question

What's the difference between 4500k, 5000k, 6000k, 8000k, 10000k and 12000k???? I have an 06 WRX and want something to lighten up the whole road.

Answer 1

Keep in mind that aftermarket HID kits are not DOT approved and are illegal for street use.

Answer 2

the larger the number the brighter/different color the bulb. You should check state laws because many say that its illegal to have any thing over a certain color/ brightness I think where I am 8000K is the max

Answer 3

they are different numbers?

Answer 4

Those are "color temperatures," and represent what you would expect a perfect black-body radiator's color to be if it were at those temperatures in degrees Kelvin.  Lower numbers are redder, higher are bluer.  4500k is what you would expect from a good, brand-new sealed beam halogen bulb on high beam, 5000k is close to what you can expect from a so-called "daylight" fluorescent tube.

10000 and 12000k can only be achieved using HID lamps, as there aren't materials that can survive that kind of energy; it's the arc itself that generates that kind of light.

It's important to know that while higher numbers definitely affect how bright the light appears, it doesn't affect how bright the light actually is.  You can have an extremely high number like 12000k, but it could still be a weak bulb that doesn't throw the light very far.

The highest numbers are very far up in the range - at that point you're starting to get some actinic effects, higher UV levels in the light.  Expect to get an awful lot of annoyed people blinking their high beams at you if you go with those.