I've got a '96 STS and wanted to upgrade the headlights to the "white" bulbs. After doing some searching it looks like I want the 6000K lights, but what does the 6000K actually mean? Does the bulb heat up to that temperature? If so, has anyone had problems with melting the headlamp fixture? I saw some wiring kits that power the bulbs directly from the battery...why can't I go to the store, buy some new bulbs and drop them in? I read somewhere that some bulbs draw up to 50A (which would obviously blow fuses)...do all those bulbs require that much current? Any advice would be appreciated.

The "white" bulbs you're speaking of are high intensity discharge lights, a totally differant animal from the filamint bulbs we're used to. 6000K is the "temperature" of the light... No, the bulb itself can't heat up to 6000 kelvin, that's like 10000*F, I believe it's the temperature of the arc that's created within the bulb. All HID lights take a lot of power, the stock wiring system can't handle the load, so the kits use the stock wiring to trigger a relay to turn on the power from the battery.

Here is a link to a website that can help you with your question; move around to the picture site to see the look of all the different lights.



http://www.xenondepot.com/htec.php


Here is the link on this thread of different ideas on the topic.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35392

I'm currently upgrading both a 1992 Eldo & a 2002 STS (using 8k on the Eldo).

http://www.xenondepot.com/product.php?product_id=26

Will let you know if I come across any problems.:banghead:

I've got a '96 STS and wanted to upgrade the headlights to the "white" bulbs. ...why can't I go to the store, buy some new bulbs and drop them in? I read somewhere that some bulbs draw up to 50A (which would obviously blow fuses)...do all those bulbs require that much current? Any advice would be appreciated.

The best you can do / closest you can get, in terms of "white" light, are Sylvania Silverstar bulbs. You can get a pair of them @ Walmart for under $40 bux.

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/Silverstar/

I upgraded mine to Silverstars and the light is whiter and brighter alright... however it is no match for the light I have seen out of a MB CL600 or some BMWs... some of those look blueish and much brighter (True HIDs).

Upgrade one pair first, then if you like it you can do the rest. I think Wal-Mart will let you return the bulbs if you think they're not what you wanted.

I have read that PIAA bulbs are also really good--they sell them at PepBoys and other car supply stores.

-Alex

I've got a '96 STS and wanted to upgrade the headlights to the "white" bulbs. After doing some searching it looks like I want the 6000K lights, but what does the 6000K actually mean? Does the bulb heat up to that temperature? If so, has anyone had problems with melting the headlamp fixture? I saw some wiring kits that power the bulbs directly from the battery...why can't I go to the store, buy some new bulbs and drop them in? I read somewhere that some bulbs draw up to 50A (which would obviously blow fuses)...do all those bulbs require that much current? Any advice would be appreciated.



Sorry, didn't read your post clear enough to see you only wanted to upgrade the bulbs. The problem I had with bulb upgrades is they were better but didn't look like HID.

Good luck,

I'm interested in the conversion myself--and would be interested to see how it turns out JTWEX. Your way is clearly the path to whiter light. Let me know how it goes!

Alex

Just to finish up this post, I sold my '96 STS and now have a '97 SLS. So needless to say I never got around to upgrading the lights. It seems like if you truly want the white lights, you need the expensive upgrade since the HID lights draw more current than the stock headlights. I also read some place that its illegal to install those HID lights on cars since they are a lot brighter, scatter the light all over the road and blind oncoming cars. You might want to look into that further before upgrading your own vehicle.

I realize that the original poster was talking about halogen-type bulbs, but I've seen not a few posts on this forum regarding replacing the halogens with HID/Xenon lamps.

Be aware that the US DOT has banned for sale all aftermarket HID kits for road use. Installing HID lights into cars that are not originally installed from the factory is also illegal.

I have seen HID retrofits and I see why this law came into being. Without proper reflector and bulb placement, it becomes a hazard to other drivers.

The primary concern is that the Xenon headlamps need a specifically designed reflector to go with the brighter light and the differently-shaped beam. The characteristic of the beam is different than Halogens.

I tried searching for something that says that these are no longer illegal, but couldn't find such material.

Backing information:

NHTSA ILLEGAL LIGHTING CRACKDOWN CONTINUES (http://www.dot.gov/affairs/nhtsa4304.htm)
whatever happened to the HID ban scare? - NASIOC (http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=455815&perpage=25&pagenumber=1)
Xterra Owners Club: if you want HID lights, better hurry (http://www.xterraownersclub.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=002465;p=)
FFCobra Discussion Forums: HID's or other headlight options? (http://www.ffcobra.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=33;t=031135)

Some basic information about using and installing HIDs and their legality:

Police Forums & Law Enforcement Forums @ Officer.com - HID Lights? Legal Or Pull Me Over Now? (http://forums.officer.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-41131.html)
High Intensity Discharge (HID) FAQ and Installation (http://orca.st.usm.edu/~jmneal/tiburon/hids.htm)

As for the fake HID bulbs (colored bulbs), here's the NHTSA's take on that:

NHTSA Notice: Glare from Headlamps and other Front Mounted Lamps - FMVSS 108 (http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/glare.html) (section 2.3)

All that information is good to know... Honestly at this point I don't feel like spending $200-$400 to upgrade my headlights to HIDs on a car that is worth ~$5500. Doesn't seem like money well spent...

4300 is my personal choice. The correlation between color temperature and useful brightness is a bell curve, the top of which being approximately 4100K. I find 4200 to be a little cooler looking though, pardon the pun. I don't like the cheesy look lots of people seem to think is so great.