car bulb shootout

[2000xlt]

here is a comparason between a few bulbs. plus some great pictures and info

http://www.300cforums.com/forums/ext...ad-w-pics.html

[270winchester]

I agree with the tester, the SS ultras are pretty good and noticably better than the original SIlver Stars. that's what I run in my car now

[Mark_Larson]

Nice comparo, but it looks like he didn't test the XtraVisions, which are supposed to be bright but don't have a coating to make them bluer.

[Trouthead]

I started with Silver Stars, and switched to XtraVisions. The SS lost light output due to the blue tint. Too bad more manufactors don't use H-4 bulbs. My Tundra has H-4s and the choice is almost mind staggering up to 130 Watt.

[Duluth Diesel]

I'm running PIAA lamps in my truck. I wonder how they compare.

[RoyJ]

His goal wasn't quite getting the most lumens out front, but rather trying to match the color temperature of his HIDs better.

I'm absolutely against all coated lights. No matter what the manufacturer claims, any coating is going to reduce light output. They then make the filament burn hotter to compensate, and end up with the lights like the Silverstar, where life can almost be measured with a stopwatch...

The best halogens you can get are the high / ultra-high efficiency bulbs like Xtravision, Nighthawk, Visionplus, etc. If you can get HIRs, even better.

HIDs? that's another topic. (requires extensive retro-fitting work)

[Flash-addict]

i keep hearing about silverstar ultras. i have the regular silverstars. i looked in various stores and even the sylvania websire and cannot seem to find where to buy them??? any hints??

[BayMoe]

Does anyone know if HIR bulbs are offered with the H4/9003 base? I'd love to try them out on the corolla. I've tried the Sylvania Cool Blue and Osram Silver Stars and they both lasted less than 8 months. I've since gone back to stock bulbs since. For the price, they're simply not worth getting.

[2000xlt]

i believe HIR's are only alalable in 9005 and 9006 configurations

[270winchester]

Originally Posted by Flash-addict

i keep hearing about silverstar ultras. i have the regular silverstars. i looked in various stores and even the sylvania websire and cannot seem to find where to buy them??? any hints??

go to Kragen.com, they have them online. I think ebay has them too.

[pedalinbob]

I am very tempted by the HIR's, but worry a bit about the glare and possibly being pulled over and ticketed. My headlights are aimed well...but, those HIR's look really bright.

[scott.cr]

Originally Posted by RoyJ

I'm absolutely against all coated lights. No matter what the manufacturer claims, any coating is going to reduce light output. They then make the filament burn hotter to compensate, and end up with the lights like the Silverstar, where life can almost be measured with a stopwatch...

Agreed agreed agreed...

I have worked in the automotive industry and have done extensive research on the coated headlamps. They're ALL BAD NEWS. Higher cost, shortened life, reduced output... where're the positives here? So you can have the appearance of HIDs?

I've performed the tests with instrumentation myself; never seen a positive result from a coated lamp. What really amazes me is that CPFers still go for scamworthy marketing and hyper hyped-up prices of this stuff.

[270winchester]

lol yes we are falling for the scams. thanks for pointing out the inherent disadvantages of coated bulbs, Industry Insiders!!!

have you people in the industry ever thought about using correct wiring for the headlights? virtually all the lighting equipment I have seen use think gauge wires, and I can SEE the the effect of voltage drop due ot the internal resistance. If the industry gives us a real worthy wiring harness system I suspect we would see a huge improvement in the quality of light output.

Why do I use Silver Star Ultra when there is no rain? because with the stock wiring harness(whether on my Corolla or my Dad's Chevy), standard halogen looks like pee colored light, and when it's dry, these "scamworthy" coated bulbs is the best I can do without upgrading the wiring. Does Chevy or Toyota have upgrade kits for the wiring of headlights? not really. So what do you expect us non-mechanics to do? I guess falling for the scams is still bette than having coffee colored light on the road!!!

Why do you think I have auxiliary lights on my car? here is a clue, I use them regularly so I can see the road. My dad's Chevy also has a set of aux lights because even with the non-coated lights the wiring is sucking the life out of any halogen lights when it gets older than 3 years.

[jayflash]

Stock lighting on most cars is a crime & so is needless use of fog lights, most of which seem to be aimed too high - right into the eyes of approaching drivers.

[tebore]

Winchester you can get a nice gain even without a complete rewire just from swapping the stock relays with nicer ones like the ones from Bosch. Some companies use Bosch already though so you'll need to redo the wiring. I've seen some GM cars come with Bosch relays.

[scott.cr]

Originally Posted by 270winchester

have you people in the industry ever thought about using correct wiring for the headlights?

As with anything mass-produced, there is the 80/20 rule, where you will spend 80% of your money on the last 20% of polish on the product. If OEs were to spend the extra few bucks on something that improves sales of their cars, you can bet it's not going to be headlight wiring. Even though I like a lot of artificial lighting, I'd personally rather have the OE spend that $20 on better brakes or something. Municipalities augment your car's headlights with street lights, and if they don't, that's what the aftermarket is for.

[AndrewL]

doesn't blue light get most effected by fog anyway?

I thought it was like the sunset being red when the light has to pass through more particles in the atmosphere