# Are 12k HIDs too strong? **URL:** \ **Category:** SON240sx Automotive\ **Created:** [January 27, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758 "2008-01-27T20:01:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Doorz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@Doorz](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Doorz)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 7:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/21 "2008-01-28T07:41:03Z")
soooooooooooooo do these HIDs, 12 k H4 ( [http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130191459606&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=003](http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130191459606&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=003) ) be a good deal for my s13? ---
**Author:** ![KoukiS14](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/koukis14/32/5522_2.png) [@KoukiS14](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/KoukiS14)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 7:57am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/22 "2008-01-28T07:57:32Z")
Problem is everyones monitor is different so the photo may look blue’r to someone with a 7K setting on his monitor than to someone who has his set to 5K. Then there’s the entire issue of white balance… > [@8/9 Shredd & Ragan Import Night](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/8-9-shredd-ragan-import-night/15697/8): > > ^That doesn’t look very accurate to me. My car has 4300k from the factory, and the colour looks like the 6000k pictured above. The cutoff and spread are ofcourse much better. ---
**Author:** ![Solarian](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/solarian/32/5514_2.png) [@Solarian](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Solarian)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 8:51am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/23 "2008-01-28T08:51:37Z")
^True, I doubt the people at my work cared to calibrate the monitors 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jay01\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f08c70/32.png) [@jay01\_brown](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/jay01_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 10:09am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/24 "2008-01-28T10:09:29Z")
overall then, wat would be the best k setting for an s13 flip up light after the housing conversion?.. ---
**Author:** ![spd-dmn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/spd-dmn/32/5513_2.png) [@spd-dmn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/spd-dmn)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 10:20am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/25 "2008-01-28T10:20:22Z")
using HID bulbs without a proper retrofit presents its own set of problems, regardless of color temp going to a higher temp because “it looks mad dope yo” makes it that much worse if you just HAVE to have HID, for fucks sake stay below 5000K. /end ---
**Author:** ![BAS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bas/32/5540_2.png) [@BAS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/BAS)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 10:29am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/26 "2008-01-28T10:29:34Z")
Regardless, the higher the temp the shorter the wavelength, the more ’ violet’ the light looks. Does anyone ever wonder why endurance race cars, use white to yellow and not blue… the human eye can distinguish objects, moving and static, at night with more clarity and at a greater distance with a white to yellow light, ( our sun), it’s as simple as that. > [@KoukiS14"](#): > > Problem is everyones monitor is different so the photo may look blue’r to someone with a 7K setting on his monitor than to someone who has his set to 5K. Then there’s the entire issue of white balance… ---
**Author:** ![spilner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@spilner](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/spilner)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 11:35am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/27 "2008-01-28T11:35:42Z")
you’re going to get pulled over 17 times a day with 12000K HID’s haha ---
**Author:** ![spilner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@spilner](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/spilner)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/28 "2008-01-28T11:40:24Z")
> [@jay01\_brown"](#): > > overall then, wat would be the best k setting for an s13 flip up light after the housing conversion?.. You aren’t supposed to put HID’s into a standard halogen housing, it only works PROPERLY when your stock housing is a PROJECTOR style, like a stock kouki headlight or stock S13 silvia headlight… when you look at a factory HID setup you’ll notice blinders that adjust to aim the light, a stock S13 housing will send light shooting out too high/low/wide, blinding oncoming traffic, not to mention looking ricetacular. You should buy some PIAA or RAYBRIG etc. (xenon) bulbs and call it a day. ---
**Author:** ![GTS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/82dd89/32.png) [@GTS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/GTS)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 11:55am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/29 "2008-01-28T11:55:32Z")
> [@What i've been up too..](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/what-ive-been-up-too/15707/21): > > You aren’t supposed to put HID’s into a standard halogen housing, it only works PROPERLY when your stock housing is a PROJECTOR style, like a stock kouki headlight or stock S13 silvia headlight… > > when you look at a factory HID setup you’ll notice blinders that adjust to aim the light, a stock S13 housing will send light shooting out too high/low/wide, blinding oncoming traffic, not to mention looking ricetacular. > > You should buy some PIAA or RAYBRIG etc. (xenon) bulbs and call it a day. Best advice given in this thread so far. ---
**Author:** ![spd-dmn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/spd-dmn/32/5513_2.png) [@spd-dmn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/spd-dmn)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 12:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758/30 "2008-01-28T12:07:44Z")
actually… Just putting an HID bulb behind a projector intended for halogens isn’t enough. HID bulbs are supposed to be paired with projectors that were designed with HID in mind. There are plenty of reflector-style (i.e., non-projector) OEM HID setups and those work fine because the entire system was designed for HID. If you can’t afford to do it right don’t do it at all. [Previous page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/are-12k-hids-too-strong/112758.md?page=1)