# Is a 5000k good for a family car?



## azn4life1 (Jun 23, 2010)

I was using a stock osram bilux h4 64193 L 12V 60/55W but i have been driving inter-state lately and i was hit with some thicker than normal fog and wasn't able to see past 5m so should i change to a Michiba diamond white High pwoer halogen bulb 5000k 12V 60/55W. I was wondering if this would help me see longer than the current bulbs i have installed


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## KLowD9x (Jun 24, 2010)

azn4life1 said:


> I was using a stock osram bilux h4 64193 L 12V 60/55W but i have been driving inter-state lately and i was hit with some thicker than normal fog and wasn't able to see past 5m so should i change to a Michiba diamond white High pwoer halogen bulb 5000k 12V 60/55W. I was wondering if this would help me see longer than the current bulbs i have installed



Coated bulbs are a scam. They will reduce your visibility, especially in fog.

Get some fog lights with selective yellow bulbs.

Also, wrong subforum.


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## alpg88 (Jun 24, 2010)

azn4life1 said:


> I was using a stock osram bilux h4 64193 L 12V 60/55W but i have been driving inter-state lately and i was hit with some thicker than normal fog and wasn't able to see past 5m so should i change to a Michiba diamond white High pwoer halogen bulb 5000k 12V 60/55W. I was wondering if this would help me see longer than the current bulbs i have installed


 you need fog lights


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## John_Galt (Jun 24, 2010)

I agree with the fog lights statement, but remember...

Fog lights should only be used by themselves... They're meant to be used to see the edges of the road so that you can safely drive along at under 25mph. Having fog lights doesn't automatically mean that when you turn them on, everything will be fine and dandy. You must use them by themselves, or they will only further hinder your driving safety.

Also, think about it for a second... An incandescent light source produces energy (actually, it converts it, but that's beside the point) in mostly the infrared-red-orange-yellow spectrum, not the green or blue... So any coating that appears blue on the bulb is just going to block some of that infrared-red-orange-yellow part of the emitted energy. That is going to be a huge decrease in overall output, not an increase. 

Now, a "selective yellow" bulb, from what I understand, filters out the blue wavelengths of light that is emitted from the filament, but leaves the green (if it also filtered out the green, it would appear to be a "turn signal" amber/yellow). Now, removing _any_ part of the spectrum will result in a drop in output, but removing the blue wavelengths, will result in a much less drastic output reduction than filtering the infrared-red-orange-yellow wavelengths of light, because an incandescent light source doesn't emit very much blue or green in the first place...
True "selective yellow", and not just yellow coated bulbs, has been, again, from what I understand, shown to illuminate the particles in the air, be they fog, rain, snow, sleet, etc., less than other types of lights... Thus, while the lights appear dimmer, and a sickly yellow, they are actually more effective than other bulbs for actually seeing with... I suppose a flashlight analogy would be like a light with a High CRI LED, and one with a cold white LED. While one technically produces more light, the other is more effective at allowing us to perceive colors and depth in a given environment.

Wrong forum, anyway...

------------------
Off topic, I really seem to like comma's today.


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## sluflyer06 (Oct 8, 2010)

John_Galt said:


> I agree with the fog lights statement, but remember...
> 
> Fog lights should only be used by themselves... They're meant to be used to see the edges of the road so that you can safely drive along at under 25mph. Having fog lights doesn't automatically mean that when you turn them on, everything will be fine and dandy. You must use them by themselves, or they will only further hinder your driving safety.
> 
> ...



Sort of reviving this one but some cars will not let you turn the fog lights on unless the headlights are on :fail:


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## Hamilton Felix (Oct 8, 2010)

Yes, you really do need to ask a Moderator to move this thread over to Beyond flashlights > Transportation Lighting > Automotive. 

Here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=87

Hang out there, and listen to Scheinwerfermann and the cast of characters there. You'll learn a lot. Blue lights do NOT help, they hinder. Blue coatings on your bulbs take away light, the part of light our human eyes are best adapted for. 

In some places, the argument of white vs yellow fog lights goes on and on, but many of us see improved contrast or depth perception when using the selective yellow lights. 

It really ticks me off that the stupid and dangerous "blue headlight fad" has carried over into marketing for other types of lights. Here in this forum we've discussed the Stanley and Ryobi portable HID lights. What Incredible IDIOTS in Marketing decided to make them with blue HID's???? Anyone involved in light design, and most of us ordinary users, know that we'll get the most light, and the most useful light, from 4200K HID's. I still want a Stanley or Ryobi light, but I'll have to blow more of my hard earned money to buy a bulb if I buy either of the lights. GRRR!!


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