Aftermarket Lighting and the Kelvin Scale

Thursday, February 18, 2010 by Tire Rack Team
Aftermarket lighting is about bulbs. But you have to know what bulbs you need in order to make an effective aftermarket lighting purchase. 

Scientifically speaking, a Kelvin is the unit of measurement used to describe the particular hue (color) of a light source. In this case, your headlight. Isn't all light white, you ask. Surprisingly, no. The higher the Kelvin value, the closer the color will be to sunlight which is actually a bluish tint. If you go lower on the Kelvin scale, you'll get more of an amber tint. Stay in the middle, and that's where you'll see the white.

Why does it matter? Different Kelvin values work better in different conditions. Higher values increase visibility at night, while lower values combat fog, snow or rain.

Read more, then search our inventory of aftermarket lighting products.


Aftermarket Lighting 101

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 by Tire Rack Team
They're aftermarket bulbs. They light the road ahead of you. What's more to know?

A lot, actually:

• A headlight contains the bulb(s), reflector, lens and housing. Newer vehicles feature headlights with replaceable bulbs, however earlier vehicles have sealed-beam headlights where the filament, reflector and lens are combined in a single unit.

• Replaceable bulbs are typically twin-filament with a built-in shield that keeps your low and high beams aimed in the right direction. Low=forward and down. High=straight ahead.

• The bulbs should be as small as possible and accurately fitted, otherwise you'll get a random scattering of light. In other words, reduced performance.

• The headlamp lens actually distributes the light. Grooves in the glass function as prisms, deflecting light while reducing brightness.

Interesting facts, although not the end of our aftermarket lighting story.

Read more, or check out other articles in our Lighting Tech library. Then, search by vehicle to see what aftermarket lighting products could enhance your current lighting system.

Shine on with aftermarket bulbs.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by Tire Rack Team
Improve or enhance your Original Equipment lighting system with aftermarket bulbs. You'll increase visibility while driving, that's for sure, and update the style of your current lighting system. It makes your bulbs look good so you can, well...look down the road pretty good, too.

Tire Rack
offers a variety of aftermarket lighting products. Shop by vehicle to find out which aftermarket bulbs would work for you.