Ram 2005 headlight bulbs
On the new to me 05 Ram 2500 CTD, I note a big difference in lighting compared to Old Faithful (97 Ram), but it's still not perfect. What type of bulb should I use while staying street legal? I've use...
Forum Discussion
I used to have study data pertaining to the effect of color temperature on night vision and visual acuity, but after looking around for the links last night and this morning, I cannot seem to find it. Therefore, I will relate only personal experiences in lieu of empirical evidence.
My workplace recently changed all of its fluorescent fixtures from 4100k "cool white" to 5000k "daylight" bulbs. The light output is definitely greater, which is to say that it's much brighter in here. Unfortunately, it is now much harder to make out details when looking at things which require proofing. The 5000k light seems to "wash out" the fine detail, requiring us to get closer to the light source, turn on more lights and/or use magnifying loupes to see things that we could see easily before the change. Additionally, I found that I would have a terrible eyestrain headache by lunchtime, and it wouldn't go away until after I had slept that evening. Last month I'd had enough, and I changed the lighting in my office to 3500k "warm white" bulbs. I am no longer having any trouble distinguishing details, and I'm no longer getting eyestrain headaches. Unfortunately, the rest of the shop is still using the 5000k bulbs, so when I have to work out in the back of the shop it's still just as bad.
In November, I borrowed my mother-in-law's Cadillac for a few weeks while my car was in the shop. Her HID headlights are very bright and white, but I found that I could only see things on the road as long as they were in the direct path of the lights. Anything outside the headlight pool disappeared completely. The regular halogen headlights on my car aren't as bright, but they allow me to see things on the side of the road, or far ahead of me in spots that are outside the headlamp's light pool. I also had trouble resolving fine details with the Cadillac (which is admittedly less of a problem at 60 mph than it is when trying to read 9 point type at work).
Last year, we changed all of the incandescent lighting in our fifth wheel over to LEDs. The first batch I bought had a high color temperature, in the 4100-5000k range. They hurt our eyes when coming in from outside at night, and made us blind when we went back out into the darkness. After changing them all over to 3500k LEDs, the problem went away. (as an aside, I have 25 4050 LED panels here that I'll never use if anyone needs them... They're too harsh and blue for us).
Your mileage may vary, APT. Everyone has their own opinions on the subject. I have found that high color temperature light looks brighter, but ironically makes it harder to see. It also makes my low-light vision take MUCH longer to recover after exposure to it.
My workplace recently changed all of its fluorescent fixtures from 4100k "cool white" to 5000k "daylight" bulbs. The light output is definitely greater, which is to say that it's much brighter in here. Unfortunately, it is now much harder to make out details when looking at things which require proofing. The 5000k light seems to "wash out" the fine detail, requiring us to get closer to the light source, turn on more lights and/or use magnifying loupes to see things that we could see easily before the change. Additionally, I found that I would have a terrible eyestrain headache by lunchtime, and it wouldn't go away until after I had slept that evening. Last month I'd had enough, and I changed the lighting in my office to 3500k "warm white" bulbs. I am no longer having any trouble distinguishing details, and I'm no longer getting eyestrain headaches. Unfortunately, the rest of the shop is still using the 5000k bulbs, so when I have to work out in the back of the shop it's still just as bad.
In November, I borrowed my mother-in-law's Cadillac for a few weeks while my car was in the shop. Her HID headlights are very bright and white, but I found that I could only see things on the road as long as they were in the direct path of the lights. Anything outside the headlight pool disappeared completely. The regular halogen headlights on my car aren't as bright, but they allow me to see things on the side of the road, or far ahead of me in spots that are outside the headlamp's light pool. I also had trouble resolving fine details with the Cadillac (which is admittedly less of a problem at 60 mph than it is when trying to read 9 point type at work).
Last year, we changed all of the incandescent lighting in our fifth wheel over to LEDs. The first batch I bought had a high color temperature, in the 4100-5000k range. They hurt our eyes when coming in from outside at night, and made us blind when we went back out into the darkness. After changing them all over to 3500k LEDs, the problem went away. (as an aside, I have 25 4050 LED panels here that I'll never use if anyone needs them... They're too harsh and blue for us).
Your mileage may vary, APT. Everyone has their own opinions on the subject. I have found that high color temperature light looks brighter, but ironically makes it harder to see. It also makes my low-light vision take MUCH longer to recover after exposure to it.
