2/18/2024 0 Comments 55watt hid vs 55watt halogen heat![]() That means a start-up current of 40 amps for the halogen bulb. ![]() But, what's the start-up current on a halogen bulb? I did a measurement on the H7 filament at room temperature and it was 0.3 Ohms (on a calibrated Fluke DMM). This kit uses a digital "ballast" (really a controller and converter to high voltage), so perhaps the older analog HID ballasts drew a higher start-up current. Could the reason be start-up current? The HID kit I bought rates start-up current as less than 10A. But, the OEM bulbs are 55W on the NSX (as well as the SLK), and the NSX high beams are 65W. Looking on Prime, I saw old posts saying a relay should be used for the 12V power when using 55 W HIDs. OK, there may be a better scientific way to measure the total light output, but the numbers were close enough to agree with the calculation and verified my visual experience. The difference was tiny, measured either at the adjusting points on the headlight lens or at about 3 feet away zooming in on the headlight assembly. Still being curious, but lacking a light meter, I decided to set my camera at a fixed shutter speed, a fixed ISO, and measure the resulting f/stop. So, about twice the lumens yields about a 11% (rough calculation) in perceived brightness. Clue #1 : human vision, like hearing, is not linear, its logarithmic. So, what gives? Time to revert to a little science for a consultation. ![]() However, there was a somewhat wider pattern of illumination from the HIDs, and as noted before, the color more whiter, ie, more "natural." Once again, the ability to see the lines on the side/middle of the road, especially with the glare of oncoming headlights was only slightly better. The HID was surely a truer white than the yellowish halogen but to my surprise, it didn't seem much brighter. I marked the headlight pattern on the garage wall to make sure before/after alignment had not changed. ![]() I installed one bulb so I could do an HID vs halogen comparison. This should be great, roughly twice the light! I decided to go for a 55w 4300K conversion kit, which provided 3200 lumens vs 1450 lumens of the OEM 55W H7 halogens. I decided to experiment on our SLK, being its simpler to get at the bulb. After all, you can get a conversion kit now for under $25 on Ebay, including shipping. My night vision isn't what it used to be, so I decided to give HID lights a try. ![]()
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