Headlights, foglights, DRL's Oh my!

[sandwich14]

Ok so one of the last things I had yet to tackle in my CRZ was aftermarket lights. I have spent a few days reading through the forums as well as other websites and there is quite a bit of information (and opinion) out there. I thought I might condense it down for others so they don't have to go through all the trouble. This is an oversimplified version of what you can find out there, so it's geared more toward noobies like me.

Keep in mind, this is my understanding of what I have read and feel free to correct me where I may be incorrect.

Foglights:
The stock lights are H11 halogen lights which typically run hotter than say HID (high intensity discharge) lights.
You may replace them with aftermarket halogens with a higher K rating.
**K rating relates to the color of the bulb. The stock lights are about 3000K which appears slightly yellow, and a very high K rating will make your lights appear blue. It is most desired to have between 4300K and 6000K for pure white. (I have found a lot of debate about what is preferred, but it seems like this was the most popular range for a true white color)
Thus, getting a higher K rating of halogens for your foglights would be the easiest option; plug & play if you will.

Another choice that seems to be popular would be HID lights. For HID lights, you will need to buy a kit that helps convert your current setup to allow for the different type of light. HID's run cooler and seem to be more popular, as they are generally seen in higher-end cars. The same K rating system also applies here. The downside is, the installation is more difficult than halogens and they are "technically" illegal. By this, I mean that I have not found a single piece of (US) legislature that allows aftermarket HID lights due to them not being approved by the DOT (dept. of transportation).
*The general consensus seems to be that as long as you properly angle the lights so that you are not blinding others, no police officers will notice/care enough to pull you over so it is relatively safe to use this option legally. Just something to keep in mind.

The other option is LED lights. Most people agree LED's look great, but the issue is that they do not generate enough light to project any light. Thus, you can see them lit up, but they will not light up the road beyond 5 feet or so. Seems that they are useful for your DRL (daytime running lamps) but I will cover that in a minute.

DRL's:
Similarly to the foglights, your stock DRL's are halogens that will appear slightly yellow due to their K rating.
Same as before, the easiest option is upgrading to a higher K rated H11 halogen bulb.

As far as HID's go, the same applies as what I posted in the foglights section.

For LED lights, you get great aesthetics for the DRL's but your highbeams will essentially be useless as they will not project light onto the road. Do the benefits outweigh the cons? Depends on the driver

Headlights:
These will be the lights you use when it is dark out. Sorry but I have not looked into changing anything about them as I quite enjoy the color of the stock bulbs. Considering I haven't stumbled upon much either, I'd say that these are less popular to mess with, but I'm not entirely sure.

Interior Lights:
The interior lights will be the cheapest/easiest lights to replace. Same principles apply here as before, but you typically go with some nice LED lights for the interior. They are all plug and play assuming you get the correct bulb. You can find out what you need with a little searching around the forums, as well as see pictures of people that have them installed.

Traffic Laws:
This will totally depend on where you live, but I think it is safe to assume that in most places (US only, because idk about other countries) your front end lights must project a white light to be legal, and turn signals must be either white or amber in front (can be red in the back).

Again, if you notice anything inaccurate, feel free to correct me and I'll come back to edit. I'm no expert on this, just relaying info to others that I have found. GL with your lights!

[iJDMTOY]

I'll put in my $0.02 as well

HID Lights

Yes, halogen incandescant bulbs run much hotter than HIDs. HIDs provide up to 3 times more light and last much longer than halogen bulbs.

Kelvin relates to the color of the HIDs, as you go higher in the number (i.e. 8000k and up), there is less output of usable light although you get more color.

4300k is the stock color for HIDs from factory, this is the optimum color temperature for light output as it mimics the color of day light very well.

6000k is probably the most popular among customers because it provides a very nice clean color of light (mostly white with a tiny hint of blue) and the lumen output is still very high. I have this color in my car and it's perfect IMO.

8000k is mostly blue with a hint of white. You are starting to noticably lose lumen output starting here. The pavement begins to absorb more light than it reflects, reducing the visibilty.

10,000 and 12,000k is pretty much blue and purple, respectively. The lumen output has decreased drastically when compared to the 4300k color. I do not recommend these at all, but some people love the color so to each his own.

4300k-8000k will typically be fine in most areas with law enforcement, but anything above those colors will start getting more attention from the popo. As long as the color isn't too noticable (blue and purple), you should be fine.

LED Lights

Very true, LEDs do not generate enough usable light output to use as primary driving lights, but they are great for DRLs. They provide a cheaper alternative to HIDs in terms of color, but not output.

They are mainly for aesthetic purposes. One day, they will become primary driving lights as technology advances. Take a look at the Prius V LED headlights:

The 2010 Prius: Standard vs LED Headlights | PriusChat

LEDs use less power and light up much brighter than the regular incandescent bulbs. They also last much longer due to the simple design of the light. The future of lighting, I'd say, give it a few more years.

BTW...

For those who are wondering, we have plenty of lights available for your car so PM me if you have questions!