Well then, ignore everything I said

I personally see better with them. It's the same concept behind folks at the shooting range with yellow safety glasses, versus the guys that must look cool at all costs, and shoot with Oakleys. Visibility is a relative thing apparently. I recall every "white" foglight I've owned was a PITA when I truly needed them. Hence my urge to try the yellow.

 

LOL, you posted while I was still researching and writing.

 

Grip,

In basic this is correct. However, HIDs work different than normal filtered lights, since I am pretty sure they are Black-Body Radiators. Which is one hell of a scary and complicated subject... But 3000k is still less visible than 6500k, but for different reasons, including light efficiency on a constant system, aka our cars.

I will say however, that in a strictly foggy condition the lower overall EMITTANCE of light is a plus in the reflection of light on water molecules, which can then reflect into the drivers eyes causing reduced visibility. Try driving through the fog with your lows beams on, and then try it with your high beams. In this regard, typical yellow filtered fog lights could be a plus by reducing this the level of emitted light thereby preventing reflection into someones eyes. To find out, one would have to experimentally determine the tradeoffs between bright light and more reflection in fog versus the tradeoffs of less visible light and less reflection in fog. So don't fret, your yellow lights may not be a total myth afterall.

JHM2K,

Not trying to be meannnnnn... Buttt...Regardless of your opinion, yellow filtering is NOT a good way to improve visbility in every day situations. The human eye absorbs best around 550nm, not 600nm. When you use a filter, you basically filter all light except the color of the filter, which will lower visbility. The more the filter deviates from the max absorption of light for the human eye, the less visibility you will have... which is why you can look through a light yellow filter and see ok, but look through a dark red filter and not see too well. In all cases, visibility is reduced as you approach the ends of the visible light spectrum (dark purple and dark red).

 

This is what I was trying to say earlier...

Perhaps this is why I can see better with them... More light is not necessarily the best light if more light results in a blinding light instead of a dimmer light that still illuminates the road.

Regarding the filter comments, that makes perfect sense. Having said that, with these lights, isn't it the intensity of the Kelvin rating, not a filter, that gives the light its hue? 8000K HID kits are almost purple, but not because there's a purple filter. 6000K is a bright bluish-white, 5000K being a true white. It was my understanding that the lower the Kelvins, the yellower the light. The higher, the more blue/violet.

But I may be completely confused. Not at all unlikely.

 

Yup! it is held that due to reflection of over emitance of light in fog people could experience reduced visiblity.

The filter comments were regarding filters in general , not HIDs. I was just explaining how the absorption of visible light doesnt really vary from person to person, and that the guys with the yellow glasses are receiving less light than the guy with clear glasses. Which may be why they wear them in all truth! (UV/IR can be filtered out using clear glasses since they are not visible spectrums)...

But you are right. HIDS are classified based on their Kelvin rating. I dont know why, but previously was thinking that they are Black-body radiators, they are not. But I'll save you and me both the confusion and just talk about the functions of HIDs.

Now stick with me, because this part gets a bit sketchy.. According to my knowledge and understanding (yikes!)... HIDs are filled with varying types of gasses (usually noble gasses). When you send an electrical impulse through these gasses, you heat and excite the electrons within in them, causing them to colide with other gas and metal atoms. When this occurs, electrons from a lower energy state rise to a high energy state. They then fall back to a lower energy state again but release a photon. The wavelength is dependent on atomic structure... This is why you see different colors with different lamps...

This indeed does relate to the temperature of the lamp (aka 6500k or w/e) in relation to the previously mentioned Black Body Radiators. Black body radiators emit light according to the temperature at which they occur (a match would be 1700k). Therefore, black body radiators basically have their own spectrum based on temperature. Many lights, such as HIDs, are Color Correlated to these temperature. Meaning that the wavelengths are the same, and so they are labeled as such and such temp (10000k is blue for black body radiators, so HIDs that produce blue are correlated to 10000k).

I dont believe they are considered black body radiators because they use gas atomic structure, and therefore do not classify.

 

And the reason shooters use yellow shooting glasses is the CONTRAST you get with black sights/cross hairs and targets... the better you can see the sights the better you can aim....

There is also the safety factor of shooting glasses to protect your eyeballs from foreign objects that might be bouncing around......

 

O.o hmm had always wondered why they had em.. Although if you can't see your target or your forward sight without yellow glasses, then i'm a bit concerned regardless

 

Grip, fogs look good. You should think about doing white LED's in the eyebrow lights to make them match the HID lowbeams a bit more. Real PITA but look great once done.