Blue Headlights

HID Headlight Kits

Buying HID headlight kits can get very confusing.  The manufacturers and suppliers all seem to talk in a mysterious code, what do all those numbers mean?  H1, H7, 55w, 1600k, etc.  Well in an attempt to remove the veil from the secret dialect we’ve decided to decode all the technical jargon that you’ll encounter when trying to buy HID headlight kits.

First off, what are HID headlight kits?  Most vehicles today use a traditional lightbulb with a tungsten filament known as a halogen bulb.  However, some of the newer cars are being released with bulbs that operate way more efficiently and put off a much brighter, cleaner light.  HID headlight kits are designed to give you the benefit of this newer design by retrofitting it in to your current vehicle.

So why do we need HID headlight kits? Great question, for starters HID headlights are brighter than normal halogen lights and help make the roadway significantly more visible.  Obviously this makes your driving in the dark much safer.  Unfortunately, you can’t just install the HID bulbs and be done.  HID headlight kits include an additional controller that traditional lights do not include.  This controller is required in order to have the headlights turn on.

What’s the difference between HID headlight kits and Xenon headlight kits?  Absolutely nothing.  They are just two different nomenclatures for the same thing.

What are these H’s on my kit? Each kit and vehicle potentially will have different size lights.  So HID headlight kits will often have a designation such as “H7” or “H12”, these letters are merely a reference to the bulb fitment plug.  You can find the plugs from a H1 to an H12.

OK, so what about those other numbers?  These numbers are pretty straight forward, HID headlight kits will advertise what power consumption, and light output their system has.  So for example, a 55w kit is 55 watts.  Watts are merely a measurement of power consumed to produce your light, just like your home lights higher wattage is often an indication that the bulb will produce a more powerful beam.

As far as the 1600k, that’s a reference to the temperature of the light. The “K” is a scientific symbol that means Kelvin.  Without going in to too much detail, Kelvin is simply a measurement of temperature based upon the Centigrade system. So with HID headlight kits that put out 1600K they’re basically saying the gas inside of the bulbs will burn at 1600k.  This is a blistering 2,420.3 degrees Fahrenheit!  Regardless of this temperature, all it really tells you is the actual color released by the light.  As the gas changes temperature, the color of it changes. 

That said, in addition to the temperature of the gasses, some manufacturers will also tint their bulbs, so it’s really hard to determine the exact color output.  Make sure you check with your each manufacturer and just choose your HID headlight kits that will match your particular style and preference.  Overall, once you’ve installed you new Xenon / HID bulbs, you will be extremely happy, as the light they will put out on the roadway is simply unrivaled.