tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Well i installed my 7000k bulbs in my 97 ES and i'm just not happy with the light output.. So the next day i ordered some 8500k bulbs from ebay... They should be here next week. Will i see a big difference in light output?

Tony

Baoser

ebay bulbs ftl =( any pics of them?

DonJuan45i

what do you mean in terms of light output?? the color? because with 8500k ebay bulbs thats all you are going to gain. In order to gain actual light output in terms of lumens, you have to go down in (kelvin) temperature.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

I mean in terms of brightness.. Even though the 7000k have a blueish tint to them it seems like i can't see as well as i did with the stock bulbs..

DonJuan45i

well, our cars unfortunately use a reflector based HID system, so the best output or most light on the road would be with new OEM 4300k bulbs.

color does the complete opposite to output, the more color you have the less bright of bulbs you have. the less color, the more bright and more light on the road.

did you buy your car new??? if not, chances are that your stock bulbs were old and colorshifted. new 4300k D2R bulbs are going to be the brightest you can get, without any further modifications.

lexusk8

Tony,

Hate to break it to you but you're not gonna get better results with the 8500K Ebay bulbs in terms of light output. As suggested above, your better bet is the OEM 4300K bulbs.

An alternative to getting the most light output is installing a set of OEM HID headlamps from the '00-'01 ES. This involves buying a set of HID headlamps, bulbs, ballasts and mounting hardware. If purchased from the dealer, be ready to shell out at least 2 G's for the whole set, but you can go the Ebay route and save yourself a ton of $$$. When I had my '01 ES, I got all of the HID components for less than $550 from Ebay. Below is a pic of the HIDs installed in my ES:

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Thanks guys... I'm really not looking into spending alot of many to do the HID set up but when going back to stock 4300K bulbs should i stay with stock color or go with 4300k bluish light? Which would be a good replacement? thanks for the replies..

Tony

lexusk8

For about $40-$45 per set, you can get a pair of Sylvania Silverstar H7 bulbs. Not a huge improvement over the stockies, but lights up better and lasts a long time (at least 2 yrs).

For about $70-$80 per set, you can get a pair of PIAA Xtreme White H7 bulbs. Appears closer to the color of OEM HIDs, but comes with a steep price tag and from my experience, doesn't last as long as the Sylvanias.

You can order such bulbs from online sites like http://www.optauto.com, http://www.midnightmoose.com, or good old-fashioned Ebay. Hope this info helps.

Dr.Zeus

the higher the temperature, in kelvins, the less light output you will get. 4300k bulbs are used by many of the top dawgs like bmw and lexus and there is a reason for that. 4300k replicates sunlight brightness and hue so that your eyes don't fatigue. Stick with a 4300k or 5200k bulb...unless you really wanna go ricer

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Thanks, I've actually used optauto before to get my M4s for my clear corners on the GS.. I'm going to try the 8500k first before i spend any more money. I've ordered from this company before for my mustang and the lights were pretty good. These also give the appearance of HID's.. I'm going to try these first but those other sets are expensive....

Thanks again

Tony

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Actually the PiAA's on optauto were 51.00 for the set... 3800k hyper white.. Would these be good? Also the price is cheaper than some other places i've looked... Thanks

chrispy

iTrader: (21)

I recently did a projector retrofit on my 97 ES300 and it blows away any kind of halogen bulb. I had PIAA Xtreme White bulbs in my lowbeams and they are complete crap compared to my new HID's. Also, lights get dimmer the higher temperature (K). I have 6000k bulbs in my projectors and they're probably look dimmer than stock HID but they look great. Not too purple at all.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

thanks for the update.. I wish i would have known the higher the k number the dimmer the lights.. PIAA has those white lights in 3800k or 5000k i don't remember but that maybe my next option...
Thanks

Tony