Headlight Bulbs

[nick_06]

Do you guys recommend the Sylvania Silverstars or the Cool Blues? I am going to get some new bulbs and I was just wondering. Also, the low beams are 9006's and the high beams are 9005's right? Thanks a lot.

[Chiketkd]

I have Sylvannia Silverstars for my low beams and I love them. Not sure if they're 9005's or 9006's though...

Welcome!

-Chike

[n00b on demand]

9005's wont fit without modification. The stock bulbs are 9006's. I would recommend doing the mod for 9005...its definitley worth it. The silverstars rule! I'm talking about the lowbeams of course.

[n00b on demand]

BTW nick welcome....there is a thread in the general section in your honor :D

[justiceSVX]

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23394

Instead of starting a topic about bulbs, there's this one 2 posts below yours. :)

[THAWA]

Silvania silverstars are crap. Get xtravisions. This isn't one of those you get what you pay for situations.

[immortal_suby]

Originally posted by THAWA
Silvania silverstars are crap. Get xtravisions. This isn't one of those you get what you pay for situations.

in my experience the silverstars burned out very fast.

[thundering02]

Originally posted by Chiketkd
I have Sylvannia Silverstars for my low beams and I love them.9006'sWelcome!

-Chike

[n00b on demand]

Originally posted by THAWA
Silvania silverstars are crap. Get xtravisions. This isn't one of those you get what you pay for situations.

Their definitley not crap....i have them and love em.

[svxfiles]

Nick, as you see, everyone has an opinion,:) The 9005 upgrade in MY opinion is a huge upgrade. At our local WalMart, it was $20.00 for two Sylvania, cool blues. For Di's, Nick's, and Dave's, I will go with the cheaper 9005s. Unless someone can tell me why Silver stones are worth twice the price.......

[immortal_suby]

I bought silverstars last year - one burnt out in 2 months, the other in 5 months.

The 9005 upgrade is definitely worth it, I just had a bad experience with silverstar lifespan. No problem with the cool blues yet.

[lee]

the best deal for US owners wanting to upgrade would be to get one of our European members to buy & ship a bunch of Phillips Vision Plus 9005 bulbs, mod them and light up the road.

if you look here: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html
you'll find some words on the best bulbs (which of course aren't sold in the US).

[rmjjensen]

Isn't the only difference between a 9005 and 9006 the connector? Why....more like how does it make lighting better?

[lee]

Originally posted by rmjjensen
Isn't the only difference between a 9005 and 9006 the connector? Why....more like how does it make lighting better?

the 9005 is 65 watts vice 55 and does not have the reflector tip (which is why it can't be used to mod 9006 low beams that don't have the lens). As a result of more wattage, it also has a lower MTBF (no such thing as a free lunch).

[justiceSVX]

Originally posted by rmjjensen
Isn't the only difference between a 9005 and 9006 the connector? Why....more like how does it make lighting better?

9006= 55 watts, around 1000 lumens (1 lumen= the light emitted from 1 candle)

9005= 65 watts, around 1700 lumens

for 10 more watts you get 70% more light output. The difference is dramatic. Stock lowbeams put out about 2000 lumens if you have really clean lenses and wiring. With the 9005 mod, you put out 3400 lumens, which is 1400 more lumens than the stock bulbs.

[rmjjensen]

I see. 10 watts doesn't seem like it would case any harness damage either ....that is a worthy investment - it's a shame I just bought new headlight bulbs about 2 weeks ago. Silverstars too - they work good.....expensive though - think I shoulda just shelled out the extra cash for HIDs

[nick_06]

Thanks for all the opinions... think I'm gonna go with the Sylvania Cool Blue 9005s and do the mod for the low beams. Adjusting the lights so you don't blind the other drivers seems like the hardest part to do though.......:rolleyes:

[justiceSVX]

Originally posted by nick_06
Thanks for all the opinions... think I'm gonna go with the Sylvania Cool Blue 9005s and do the mod for the low beams. Adjusting the lights so you don't blind the other drivers seems like the hardest part to do though.......:rolleyes:

There should be no need to readjust hte headlights if they were already okay. Check your cutoffs against a wall. They should probably be fine.

[Landshark]

Originally posted by immortal_suby
I bought silverstars last year - one burnt out in 2 months, the other in 5 months.

i've had mine for over a year. i assume you didn't touch the lens with your fingers, right? hopefully my Silverstars keep on a' workin' for a lot longer....

[immortal_suby]

Nope, no finger touchy for this n00b. :) Glad to hear yours are still working.

I do drive with the headlights on all the time and my 92 is fastAr than your 97 so that may have reduced the life some. :p

[Landshark]

Originally posted by immortal_suby

I do drive with the headlights on all the time and my 92 is fastAr than your 97 so that may have reduced the life some. :p


bring it, O Fast n' Furious One. :D

[THAWA]

Originally posted by soobiesvx93


Their definitley not crap....i have them and love em.

Do you even understand why I said they're crap? Do you even understand why they're bad bulbs? This isn't an objective opinion, this is factual.

And I said I was done on the lighting subject :(

[n00b on demand]

If your done on the lighting subject then dont reply. You saying the bulbs are crap is your opinion not factual. There are plenty of people who use them and love them.

[shelfy]

Originally posted by immortal_suby
I bought silverstars last year - one burnt out in 2 months, the other in 5 months.going over a year and a half on the silverstars. :)

[Weasel 22]

ive used the silverstars in several of my vehicles and now in my SVX and no problems at all..the Subaru club up here..several Evos in the group too lol..use the silverstars..love em..and I recommend em :D

[THAWA]

Originally posted by soobiesvx93
If your done on the lighting subject then dont reply. You saying the bulbs are crap is your opinion not factual. There are plenty of people who use them and love them.

Yeah, I guess I'm not done then. Good to see you didn't even bother to research anything about the bulbs before trying to contradict me. You could argue that my calling them "crap" is an opinion but you can't argue that they are a good bulb. Read the facts and then try to explain why they're a good bulb: http://danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/blue.html instead of just going by what you think you know. You are only going by your preception. That is a qualitative measurement. You're letting your checkbook influence your brain. Congratulations, Silvania's marketing plan worked on you! To suffice Silvania Silverstars are not good bulbs.

Seriously though, I give up. You guys can do whatever you want.

[Landshark]

Originally posted by THAWA


Yeah, I guess I'm not done then. Good to see you didn't even bother to research anything about the bulbs before trying to contradict me. You could argue that my calling them "crap" is an opinion but you can't argue that they are a good bulb. Read the facts and then try to explain why they're a good bulb: http://danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/blue.html instead of just going by what you think you know. You are only going by your preception. That is a qualitative measurement. You're letting your checkbook influence your brain. Congratulations, Silvania's marketing plan worked on you! To suffice Silvania Silverstars are not good bulbs.

Seriously though, I give up. You guys can do whatever you want.

maybe YOU should read the facts. per danielsternlighting.com:

"It took Osram-Sylvania, Philips, and other major-name bulb makers quite a bit of research and development to produce blue filters that would not drop the bulb output below the legal minimum while still altering the appearance of the operating headlamp enough to appeal to consumers after a "whiter" appearance to their headlamps........
There's no conclusive evidence that the type of light produced by this sort of bulb actually allows drivers to see better than the type of light produced by a regular, clear bulb. And there've been no studies on the effect of this type of light upon seeing and glare in bad weather, for instance. Can you see better with this sort of bulb? Perhaps, and perhaps not. Some people seem to think so. But what if that's exactly the problem — they think they can see better than they actually can?"

are they worse that regular bulbs? no. blue-coated ebay crap may be, but Silverstars have some technology behind them. are they "better"? probably not. i happen to like the way they look on the car and the road. so i spent an extra $20 to get bulbs i'm happy with - i think my wallet will survive this massive expenditure..

[Rotorflyr]

From Daniel Sterns page:Question-Why do you specify "Outside North America only" on the SilverStar bulbs

Osram, the well-established German lampmaker, sells a line of automotive bulbs they call "SilverStar". These are Osram's top-of-the-range headlamp bulbs, equivalent to Philips VisionPlus and Tungsram Megalight Premium. They produce the maximum legal amount of light while staying within legal power consumption limits. They have clear glass.

Osram bought the well-established American lampmaker Sylvania in the early 1990s, so Osram is now Sylvania's parent company. Sylvania also sells a line of automotive bulbs they call "SilverStar", but it's not the same product at all. These bulbs have a blue coating on them. Light output is of legal levels, but as with all blue-filtered bulbs, you do not get more light from them. The Sylvania SilverStar bulbs have a very short lifetime, because the filament is selected so as to be overdriven. This is necessary because the blue filtration coating "steals" so much light that only an overdriven filament can push enough light through the filter to be legal. The Sylvania SilverStar bulbs are also priced quite high. This is not because they cost a lot to make, and not because they're based on some exotic new technology. It's because the goal with this product is to take market share away from other overpriced bulbs like the PIAA line.

For best headlamp performance and best value, choose only bulbs with clear glass.



This is where Thawa get's (some) of his "hate" for silverstars.
The question I ask you though Thawa is "Have you ever tried them or just went with what is on this page?"

I installed them on my wife's Outback, and they are infinatly better the stock bulbs, Have (so far) lasted over a year without a problem and IMHO worth the money I spent on them. Are the better bulbs out there?? Probably, but Im satisfied with them and would buy them again.

[BordeauxComet]

I bought some 9005 Cool Blue's ($10 a piece), did the mod, and installed them. I have to say, it was $20 well spent. They're defiantly brighter and it's nice and white. I can't compare them to the silverstars, which were $37 for a pair, but I'm happy with what I got.