Osram Sylvania Silverstar headlamps better the xtravision??
- Thread starter 0roo0roo
- Start date
The silverstars in the states are a "blue" bulb, meaing it just really for making the light look whiter; the "cool" effect. Any coating on the bulb will reduce light output.
Silverstars in europe are better than the xtravision. Xtravision only offers like up to 30% more light, but the european silverstars and the phlips VisionPlus bulbs offer like 50% more light. You can get these at Powerbulbs.com or Autolamps-online
What size is your bulbs? And what car are they for? You may also want to think about getting a wiring harness so you get the power from the battery directly to the bulb. You can get these at Summit Racing You can switch the ends of the connectors to suit the connectors on your bulbs.
Silverstars in europe are better than the xtravision. Xtravision only offers like up to 30% more light, but the european silverstars and the phlips VisionPlus bulbs offer like 50% more light. You can get these at Powerbulbs.com or Autolamps-online
What size is your bulbs? And what car are they for? You may also want to think about getting a wiring harness so you get the power from the battery directly to the bulb. You can get these at Summit Racing You can switch the ends of the connectors to suit the connectors on your bulbs.
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
damn, so i'll assume no bulb is bright as the european models
Nope, but, if you don't want to find a local retailer of the european bulbs, or orde from those sites, then the best bulb you can buy from local stores is prob the sylvania Xtravision.
I personally went with the Phillips bulbs from Autolamps a while ago... first they were brighter than my old OE halogen bulbs but then you also have to consider that they were getting old... and thus less bright.
There was a slight bluish tint on them much more on the H3s for my foglamps but in general there was still quite a bit of yellow in the output and looking that them at night they don't really looks blue at all... don't look much different from standard bulbs anywho.
No point paying a whole crapload for Silverstars though when the Phillips are cheaper shipped from online.
There was a slight bluish tint on them much more on the H3s for my foglamps but in general there was still quite a bit of yellow in the output and looking that them at night they don't really looks blue at all... don't look much different from standard bulbs anywho.
No point paying a whole crapload for Silverstars though when the Phillips are cheaper shipped from online.
What kind of car? It could be possible that your headlights are just poorly engineered, and no bulb is going to help very much.
The best thing that's happened in headlight development in the US are the designs that meet both US-DOT specs (rather loose standards, unfortunately) and E-CODE specs (relatively rigorous) at the same time. Those started to become available around model year 99-2000 on a lot of imports. The beam is so nice and smooth on those things.
The best thing that's happened in headlight development in the US are the designs that meet both US-DOT specs (rather loose standards, unfortunately) and E-CODE specs (relatively rigorous) at the same time. Those started to become available around model year 99-2000 on a lot of imports. The beam is so nice and smooth on those things.
- Sep 21, 2002
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oh, its a siblings 89 camry. long college drives etc its a ghetto car, but the lights are really old. might as well get some decent brights. only 9004 type lights though, i'm not about to change harnesses and all that good stuff for higher wattage. the xtravisions seem a little brighter, certainly kinda whitish. but its still day, hard to test. kragen had two for 21bux. walmart had 2 of the silverstars for 37. didn't feel like paying that much for that car.
maybe in my car
its a ghetto car, but the lights are really old. might as well get some decent brights. only 9004 type lights though, i'm not about to change harnesses and all that good stuff for higher wattage. the xtravisions seem a little brighter, certainly kinda whitish. but its still day, hard to test. kragen had two for 21bux. walmart had 2 of the silverstars for 37. didn't feel like paying that much for that car.maybe in my car
Well, my driver's side headlamp burned out the other day and it was a Sylvania Cool Blue. Lasted about 15months.
I replaced both lamps with Philips 9004HV (high visibility). I was rather disappointed at Cool Blue's short life so I went to their site and looked up the life.
The Cool Blue 9004's low beam filament is rated at 200 hrs, high beam 75 hrs. Their regular 9004 is 320hrs/150hrs.
Silverstar is plain disgusting. They're about $20each and to make it even more painful, the life rating is 150hrs low beam, 50hrs high beam.
The difference in life between regular and silverstar/coolblue is even more drastic for 9006's.
9006 long life 1500hrs
9006 regular 1000hrs
9006 coolblue 200hrs
9006 silverstar 150hrs
They hype over how their coolness and visibility enhancement, but what they don't want you to know is they don't last anywhere near as long as ordinary halogen bulbs.
Do you really want to buy something that only have 15% the useful life of standard bulb for 2 to 3 times the cost for the adeed whiteness?
I replaced both lamps with Philips 9004HV (high visibility). I was rather disappointed at Cool Blue's short life so I went to their site and looked up the life.
The Cool Blue 9004's low beam filament is rated at 200 hrs, high beam 75 hrs. Their regular 9004 is 320hrs/150hrs.
Silverstar is plain disgusting. They're about $20each and to make it even more painful, the life rating is 150hrs low beam, 50hrs high beam.
The difference in life between regular and silverstar/coolblue is even more drastic for 9006's.
9006 long life 1500hrs
9006 regular 1000hrs
9006 coolblue 200hrs
9006 silverstar 150hrs
They hype over how their coolness and visibility enhancement, but what they don't want you to know is they don't last anywhere near as long as ordinary halogen bulbs.
Do you really want to buy something that only have 15% the useful life of standard bulb for 2 to 3 times the cost for the adeed whiteness?
Thread rebirth.
So in the US, the Sylvania Xtravisions (I'll call XT's) are brighter than the Sylvania Silverstars (I'll call SS's)? I have a pair of SS 9004's isntalled in one car, and bought a pair of SS H3 fog lights bulbs but haven't installed them yet. If the XT's are brighter, I can return the SS H3's I just bought. I also need another set of 9004's and H3's for another car.
As far as cost, when I bought one pair of SS's (9004) back this fall, they were $20e - one $10MIR if you bought two = $15e. When I bought the other pair of SS's (H3) a couple weeks ago, Advance Auto parts had all SS's buy 1 get 1 half off, so they also ended up $15e.
This week, in the Pep Boys flyer, they are advertising SS's for $16.88 a pair - $5 MIR = $11.88/pair = $5.94e = obviously a mistake.
Also, some high output bulbs have been known to burn lenses and wiring/connectors. I have heard zero reports of the SS's doing this. What about the XT's?
But the SS's do seem to have a short life. What abou the XT's? Would the wiring harness upgrade TechnoKid mentioned fix this?
So in the US, the Sylvania Xtravisions (I'll call XT's) are brighter than the Sylvania Silverstars (I'll call SS's)? I have a pair of SS 9004's isntalled in one car, and bought a pair of SS H3 fog lights bulbs but haven't installed them yet. If the XT's are brighter, I can return the SS H3's I just bought. I also need another set of 9004's and H3's for another car.
As far as cost, when I bought one pair of SS's (9004) back this fall, they were $20e - one $10MIR if you bought two = $15e. When I bought the other pair of SS's (H3) a couple weeks ago, Advance Auto parts had all SS's buy 1 get 1 half off, so they also ended up $15e.
This week, in the Pep Boys flyer, they are advertising SS's for $16.88 a pair - $5 MIR = $11.88/pair = $5.94e = obviously a mistake.
Also, some high output bulbs have been known to burn lenses and wiring/connectors. I have heard zero reports of the SS's doing this. What about the XT's?
But the SS's do seem to have a short life. What abou the XT's? Would the wiring harness upgrade TechnoKid mentioned fix this?
European silverstars are not the same as the us counterparts. European silverstars are comparible to the philips Vision plus (+50%) bulbs.
Here's a quick run through: Any bulb with a coating will not be as bright as the same bulb without the coating. The coating reduces the amount of light (lumens) as it is another thing besides the glass (or quartz) that it has to pass through. The US silverstars are basically coated euro silverstars.
As far as I know, the silverstars and the XT bulbs are the same wattage as a regular bulb, they just use a different gas mixture, pressure and a more exact filament alignment and winding. The only exception to this is the long life bulbs, which have a slightly reduced wattage (and thus reduced output) to increase bulb life. The higher output bulbs that you speak of could possibly be overwattage bulbs, which definately have a shorter life compared to regular bulbs. Also, running rally bulbs or overwattage bulbs on stock wiring is a recipe for disaster. The higher wattage can melt, destroy and create a fire hazard in the stock wiring. This is why you need a harness; they are made (or can be made yourself) with thicker wiring, an a seperate relay to draw current directly from the battery.
Getting a harness is a good idea for any vehicle (with halogens that is), because more often than not, your stock bulb sockets aren't getting a full 14V (13.8 really), and thus your bulbs aren't as bright as they could be (w/o significantly reducing the life of the bulb because of too much voltage). Also, a harness helps prevent fluctuations of voltage that may be inherent in the stock wiring. Voltage fluctuations can significantly reduce the life of a bulb, which is why its also a good idea to turn off the lights before turing off the engine, and turn on the lights when the engine is started, not before (turing on the headlights before the car is started draws amps and reduces the ability of the car to start easily; it strains the electrical system and starter).
In H3, and for all practical purposes of fogs, I'd definately get either clear H3 bulbs, or yellow or gold tinted bulbs. The bluish hue of the SS would do not good in fog or in inclement weather as the fog and wet road would do nothing but absorb the wavelength of the color of the SS bulbs. A yellow or clear bulb would create better contrast. Think of it this way: sunglasses and a sky blue sky. You look at the sky w/o sunglasses, with amber or yellow sunglasses, and with blue sunglasses. The amber and or yellow glasses are going to create better contrast then the blue ones. For yellow H3 bulbs, try this place:
SUVLights.com
Anyone know where I can get some quality 80/100 h4 bulbs? I have a harness for my car, but the original high wattage bulbs have burned out and the Phillips Xtravision are not as bright.
I have one of those harness kits but the original 80/100w bulbs that came with it are toast. I have Xtravisions in it now. Is it safe to run the xtravisions with the harness kit?
TechnoKid, you mentioned the European versions again. Do they even have a Euro 9004? If they're not coated, do they not look 'white'?
Since you originally said "Silverstars in europe are better than the xtravision.", I assumed you were saying the XT's were better than the SS's, in the US.
Yes, the SS's are the same wattage as OEM. I wasn't trying to say they were one of the higher than OEM wattage bulbs I mentioned, that could melt things. Sorry that wasn't clear. But since the various mentioned above are normal wattage, why do they not last as long?
Do you know what brands/models are the high wattage bulbs, that shouldn't be used with stock wiring? Even w/ upgraded wiring, they could still melt the lenses.
So you're saying an upgraded harness could give the stock wattage bulbs a brighter output? How much would this reduce bulb life? I imagine the mfg rates theirs at 13.8.
I see what you mean about the bluish fog lights, but the SS's are very lightly blue tinted. I wanted a super white bulb, which is why I bought the SS's, since they're close to white. And I couldnt find out about any super white bulbs that aren't very blue or that wouldn't possibly melt the lenses. I bought the SS H3's to match the headlights, but maybe it wasn't a great idea. I definately don't want yellow though. I rarely actually drive in fog. I'll either keep the factory bulbs or may have to use the SS's I already bought.
Also, the page you linked says:
"SUPER WHITE bulbs have blue coloring to produce a white/blue light. They give the look of HID light systems. Premium versions have +30% more light using the same wattage. "
What are the premium versions?
About HID:
I don't see why they cost so much. Does seem like there's enough in the kit that would cost what they do.
The only xenon bulbs are HID bulbs, correct? So all the halogen bulbs that are labeled xenon are incorrectly labeled. HID are AKA gas discharge?
I was reading a post where someone installed the HID kit from Autolamps Online and was pleased. They dont have a 9004 kit though. Their page says the Philips HID xenon bulbs are designed to last the lifetime of the car!? Though they can go out, and would cost $100 or so a piece to replace.
HID has 2-3 times the output, so do they run any hotter (melt lense)?
Since you originally said "Silverstars in europe are better than the xtravision.", I assumed you were saying the XT's were better than the SS's, in the US.
Yes, the SS's are the same wattage as OEM. I wasn't trying to say they were one of the higher than OEM wattage bulbs I mentioned, that could melt things. Sorry that wasn't clear. But since the various mentioned above are normal wattage, why do they not last as long?
Do you know what brands/models are the high wattage bulbs, that shouldn't be used with stock wiring? Even w/ upgraded wiring, they could still melt the lenses.
So you're saying an upgraded harness could give the stock wattage bulbs a brighter output? How much would this reduce bulb life? I imagine the mfg rates theirs at 13.8.
I see what you mean about the bluish fog lights, but the SS's are very lightly blue tinted. I wanted a super white bulb, which is why I bought the SS's, since they're close to white. And I couldnt find out about any super white bulbs that aren't very blue or that wouldn't possibly melt the lenses. I bought the SS H3's to match the headlights, but maybe it wasn't a great idea. I definately don't want yellow though. I rarely actually drive in fog. I'll either keep the factory bulbs or may have to use the SS's I already bought.
Also, the page you linked says:
"SUPER WHITE bulbs have blue coloring to produce a white/blue light. They give the look of HID light systems. Premium versions have +30% more light using the same wattage. "
What are the premium versions?
About HID:
I don't see why they cost so much. Does seem like there's enough in the kit that would cost what they do.
The only xenon bulbs are HID bulbs, correct? So all the halogen bulbs that are labeled xenon are incorrectly labeled. HID are AKA gas discharge?
I was reading a post where someone installed the HID kit from Autolamps Online and was pleased. They dont have a 9004 kit though. Their page says the Philips HID xenon bulbs are designed to last the lifetime of the car!? Though they can go out, and would cost $100 or so a piece to replace.
HID has 2-3 times the output, so do they run any hotter (melt lense)?
I believe incandescent Xenons do have Xenon gas in them so they are technically Xenon lights. I think they are something in the lines of xenon being a heavier gas allowing the tungsten coating on the filament to stay in place longer than regular halogens.
I suggest that if you really want to get into a HID retro, don't get a kit; the optics between halogen design and HID design are VERY different. The best way would be to do a swap of parts from an oem donor, the most popular today being projecotrs. Automotive lighting FAQ Read through the faq there and youll gain a lot of info.
You can get them at suvlights.com, but I don't suggest running 80/100 H4 bulbs because of the damage they can do to your headlights if they aren't glass. You do have a harness, so thats a good thing. Also, 80/100 "rally" bulbs exceed the legal limits of light that are supposed to be put out by H4 bulbs; this is a problem unless your headlights have a sharp cutoff; if your H4 headlights have a fuzzy coutoff, then just stick with the +30% bulbs, or get some philips VisionPlus, or Euro Silver Stars. Depending on what kind of H4 headlight you have, you can get some Hella european glass counterparts, which have a much sharper cutoff and beam pattern than DOT headlights.The bulbs can be had at powerbulbs.com, and the Hella headlights can be found at Rallylights.
w0rd, just do it right dammit and don't scatter the beam all across the road.
Start here.
Here's some pics of bad and good HID setups.
Bad riceboy. Put your stocks back in!
HIDs 1 - Opposing traffic 0
HIDs in projectors on Civic
Subaru WRX STI OEM HIDs <--- now THAT'S some fine lightin'!
- M4H
It's supposed to be hard on headlight bulbs to turn off the ignition with them on. What about cars that have auto on/off headlights?
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