Many people, including myself, ask the following question about HID bulbs in stock housings designed to take a halogen bulb: Will the HID bulb in a stock housing melt the housing since HID bulbs burn brighter than halogen bulbs (6000K color temperature for a HID bulb vs 2800K color temperature for a halogen bulb)?

One response I received is by falklore24. He stated the following:

A Watt is a derived SI unit for power, which is a measurement of energy or heat (a form of energy) per second (measured in Joules). Therefore, a 55 Watt bulb would consume 20 Watts, or 20 Joules of heat per second, more than a 35 Watt bulb. In layman terms, a 55 Watt bulb would burn hotter than a 35 Watt bulb. With this in mind, one would assume that a 35 Watt HID bulb would generate less heat than a 55 Watt halogen bulb and therefore not melt the housing.

Another thing to ponder is the size of the bulb. In the application of headlamps, HID bulbs are slightly larger than halogen bulbs, one aspect that some people overlook when installing HID bulbs in their stock housings. In thermodynamics, heat radiates outwards. The farther away an object is from a source of heat, the cooler the temperature of that object will be, meaning that the closer you are to a source of heat, the hotter you will be. So, if a HID bulb is larger than a halogen bulb, but it consumes 20 Watts less than a halogen bulb, is the temperature of the part of the housing closest to the HID bulb hotter than the same part of the housing if a halogen bulb were to be used?

Okay, I understand that a standard halogen bulb uses 55 Watts of electricity and a standard HID bulb uses 35 Watts of electricity. I did a little bit of research and I noticed that the construction of standard halogen bulbs are similar to the incandescent bulbs that we place in our desk lamps, and the construction of HID bulbs are similar to the fluorescent bulbs that we use in offices and buildings. I know that halogen and incandescent bulbs use a metal filament such as tungsten and a vacuum or inert gas inside a glass casing to create light whereas HIDs and fluorescent bulbs use a pressurized conductive vapor and at least two conductive electrodes. The only difference between a fluorescent bulb and a mercury vapor lamp or HID bulb is that the fluorescent bulb contains a phosphor that glows when excited. The fluorescent bulbs use a low pressure mercury vapor and have long startup times, so to solve the issue of the long startup times, the HID bulbs use a high pressure xenon gas. HIDs, as with mercury vapor lamps, use high pressure gas so that the distance between the electrodes is shorter than those in a fluorescent bulb, therefore eliminating the need for a phospor. I also understand that color and temperature are related. The hotter an element burns, the whiter the color of the element will be. Consider the following: a standard halogen bulb consuming no more than 55 Watts of electricity burns at an average temperature of 2800K, and a HID bulb consuming no more than 35 Watts of electricity burns at an average temperature of 6000K. Because the technologies of halogen bulbs and HID bulbs are different, HID bulbs are able to burn brighter and consume less electricity. After everything is explained above, if a standard halogen bulb has a color temperature lower than that of a HID bulb, and the halogen bulb consumes more electricity than a HID bulb, then how is it possible for a HID bulb to burn at a higher color temperature than a halogen bulb without producing more heat than the halogen bulb? Is it because of the technological differences of the HID and halogen bulbs?

 

I have a 97 accord with HIDs in the stock housing no problem at all, had them for over a year.

 

Yeah but it puzzles me on how a 6000K HID bulb would put out less heat and consume less electricity than a 2800K halogen bulb when the color temperature of a HID bulb is much higher than a halogen bulb.

 

Different elements withing the bulb.... that why they needs igniters and ballasts. Color temperature and operating temp are nowhere near the same.

 

Yeah that's what I was starting to conclude. Weird how things work. Well, do you know where I can get a HID retrofit kit for an affordable price?

 

ddmtuning.com I have ordered all 3 of my kits from here, couldnt ask for more, and they are around $75 shipped now, which you cant ask for a better price, a year ago when I ordered my first kit through them it was $170.

 

Temp and color are not directly related as you are imagining. True that a given bulb will put out a lower color temp when underpowered, but there are differences in the amounts of gasses and electrode elements in the manufacturing that alter the color.

Regarding the size, the HID is slightly thinner, but longer than a halogen. My HIR's have a larger circumference, but take the same power, so the total heat is the same .... a tiny bit less due to better efficiency but negligible. I don't expect that the glass being about 1.5mm closer to the housing all around is going to hurt anything.

Given that the HID is longer, there has to be about 1/2 - 3/8 inch space between the OEM bulb and the shield for it to fit.

Here's an incredibly in depth discussion about HID in OEM fixture optics.

And here is the thread on my HIR's

 

9i have the in my 99, they are simply longer then halogen which is y compaines say you cant use them in their housings, they burn colder but are closer to the housing there for the hea is closer thats y

 

Well, do they make aftermarket housings that support HIDs properly for the 5th gen Accords? If not, what are your success stories for the 5th gens? What brands should I use?

 

Yes they can just fine. Get TYC or Anzo... 19Accord97 has the DDM 5000Ks in his TYCs and they work just fine.