What color bulbs do you use ?

HID bulb colors are measured by their Kelvin temperature. HID bulb light output is rated by its luminosity or lumens. OEM auto manufacturers use 4300k-4500k bulbs for their high luminosity output (generally 3200-3400 lumens) and their reliability.

A variety of places sell the 8000k & 10,000k bulbs (and even higher). These bulbs have a low true lumen/output rating, produce obnoxious glare to oncoming drivers & cause eye fatigue on you the driver. Often times these aftermarket bulbs don’t produce anymore output than a quality halogen bulb. 4300k is the brightest and truest color HID bulb you can get.

The only other Kelvin-color bulbs that BlackFlameCustoms would use in a retrofit are 5000k, 5500k, 6000k or 6500k bulbs, and we usually recommend these for users that want a specific Kelvin coloring.

We get this question all the time? What color is best? Which is the brightest? My buddy has XXX for his lights, that’s what I want.

1- What is the purpose of your projector retrofit build? Performance? Looks? The best performing bulbs (in terms of lumen output) are in the 4300k-5000k range. This is the brightest color spectrum you can get. For aesthetics or looks, choose a 6000k-6500k coloring. This has a slight tinge of blue in it for a more “exotic” look.

2- What is your budget? This is also an important factor when it comes to HID bulbs. Choosing a cheap, generic or poor-quality aftermarket bulb can result in mis-matched coloring or inconsistencies in actual output making them useless. Instead, opt for OEM HID bulbs where possible.

3- Don’t believe the hype! A NUMBER of sellers will tell you that 10,000k bulbs are ultra bright and super exotic. They’re wrong – it’s just plain obnoxious. These are actually DIMMER than the standard 4100k-6500k spectrum causing hot spots and extreme unsafe glare.

Need more info? Help on a build? Contact us today with your questions.

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