+1 on the 4500/5000 wavelength bulbs - a lot less lumens with those 8000k (blue/purple) bulbs, even substantial light loss with the 6000k (blue)... here is an excerpt from an HID website:
"Lumen is a unit of measuring the light output, brightness, of a source. Traditional low-beam halogen headlight produces 1000 – 1200 lumens, while HID outfitted headlight outputs around 3200 lumens.
4100k - 4300k is the ideal HID color temperature to produce the maximum amount of lumens, hence the reason why all OEM manufacturers equip their vehicles with these types of bulbs.
People not familiar with lighting may believe that the higher the Kelvin the brighter the light will be, this is false. OEM car manufacturers equip their cars with 4100k to 4300k HID bulbs which produce the most daylight-like light output. Lower temperature like 3000k will produce deep gold-yellow color, suitable for fog lights. Higher color temperatures will output light with a hint of blue/purple like the 5000k - 6000k bulbs, higher rated bulbs will be bluer and eventually purple in color as you go up the scale.
Color temperature is what usually catches your eye when you spot an HID equipped car on the road. The higher Kelvin bulbs will appear "brighter" to oncoming traffic, but in reality they output less visible light onto the road."
Case in point - Sylvania Silverstar Ultra bulbs, which are basically the brightest halogen automotive bulbs on the market, are manufactured to 4100k...
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