Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

Since the SEARCH isn't working (at least until I send some cash, which I plan to do after the holidays) I would like opinions on aftermarket replacement headlight bulbs.

My wife recently went back to schoo and before that I RARELY drove at night. Now I have to drive to my in-laws to drop off my son every morning well before sunrise. Anyway, I realized that the stock headlights really suck.

I would like to do a HID conversion like Spipedong ( keelan) but I don't have the money or the time right now. I looked on ebay and there are about a thousand different lights all claiming the same thing, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Anyway, please give me advice based on the following factors:

1) Brightness
2) Wattage (I don't want to melt anything)
3) Anti-ricer (as little "blue" as possible/as bright "white" as possible)
4) Price

Thanks,

Chris

AscendantMax

iTrader: (7)

Sylvania Silverstars

1) 700 lumens on low beams, 1200 on high
2) uses stock wattage: 45/65
3) 4000k in color temp. white output, no blue
4) 40 bucks for a pair

here's a pic i took last year

Tom

Sylvania XtraVisions.

1) 700 lumens on low beams, 1200 on high
2) uses stock wattage: 45/65
3) stock color
4) cheap - take a look at most autoparts stores.

Nothing fancy, just brighter light.

Living in Seattle, the nights are pretty long in the winter.

KLoWnPR109

iTrader: (9)

anything sylvania

nubiannupe

iTrader: (9)

So, Chris... if you've done your research, I'm sure you've run across these then. I've got these bulbs in my headlights as part of my BMW conversion:



I swear by these bulbs, as I've had the Silverstars (which ARE great - don't get me wrong), Nokya (which I wouldn't recommend to my neighbor's mangy mutt), and some other brand I can't remember off the top of my head. CuZo, I think...

As you can see, they are very WHITE, with virtually NO blue. My friend (prinzII) has a 5th gen with HID's, and side-by-side comparison is awfully close. So much so, that I gave him my spare set of bulbs.

Just MY $0.02 worth...

davebond007

I have silverstars, and if you plan on seeing stuff in the rain, then don't get them. They don't work at all. At least have yellow fog lights.

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

I'm not happy with silverstars... we havent even had them for a year in the 5th gen and my passanger one burnt out sometime in or on the way back from oregon.

I'd go with Nupe's suggestion because he is nupe

nubiannupe

iTrader: (9)

.... and there ya have it!!

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Don't know how they work in bulb only apps.
But I had the Wagner Brite lights in My S-10
And they were Grrrreat!

Mizeree_X

iTrader: (9)

I bought the PIAA Xtreme Whites. Expensive, but give off a nice 6000k-ish light and you can actually see with them, as opposed to the crappy Ebay bulbs I tried and immediately threw out.

harrymay

i have some sylvannia something brites and they are really good, i drive a lot of back roads and they are really good with brights and i can see further wuth the lows.

Spipedong90

Definitely avoid 'Eurolite'. They seem to have a good following, but I was severely underwhelmed with them in my fogs. The pair was almost $20 and they were no more pure than the $3 ones from wal-mart.

Also, I had a very positive experience with the Silverstars. Mine were in for about a year until the HID's. During this time I put almost 20K miles on the car, all with the headlights on, and still no problems.

89sks

I just saw some in napa by wagner called truview that looked like silverstars but were only $15, not sure how they are though, anyone tried them?

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Oh my! not another napa nut!
:aagh:

D-sta

iTrader: (6)

HIDs is the best thing out there and will last probably for the longest

jaguax

iTrader: (1)

They look pretty blue to me... I mean the center is white, but it's surrounded by blue aura. heh

89sks

Gee thanks! Just trying to help out. Wagner is not soley a Napa brand, and is sold elsewhere. Try helping by contributing to the thread instead of flaming someone who is.

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

He's just joking around, not flaming anyone....


Besides, I somehow became the resident napa nut...

89sks

I guess so, however even if I think a post is lame I still appreciate that someone even tried to help. By the way I noticed that he recommended the wagner brite lights, so maybe he'd like the truview they just came out with. http://www.federal-mogul.com/cda/con...682758,00.html

Anway, just trying to help out.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Chill Man Iza only kiddin'

89sks

Sorry dude, Just a tense day at work I guess.

Thanks for the reply,

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

I saw those and I noticed they were 5800k (silverstars and Piaa xtreme white are both listed as 4000k). When I saw the thing on ebay for them, I couldn't really tell how blue they looked. I also couldn't tell if they were very good quality, since they are cheaper than the other "name brands" and they have a whiter (higher kelvin) light output. Normally stuff like that throws up red flags, but that's why I posted this topic. You "tested" them for me.

I only found the 5800k on ebay for the 9004 bulb that had six days to go. The other ones are 5100k and even say in the ad that they show up "with a slight blue tint."

I think I'll try silverstars first and see how I like them. If not, I'll probably pick up a set of those 5800k xd5s like you have.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Hey, MrGone, check your PM. where ya been?

Spipedong90

Come on chris. Quit screwing around. You need to just go with some E36's and swap some Audi A6 Bi-Xenon Projectors into the low beam spots.

Then, when you think its safe, my car will have them and yours won't....


edit: look at this pic here:



The one on the left is stock, the far right has my old silverstars.
lol and I think we all know who's in the middle

As you can see the silverstars are ever so slightly whiter than stock and from my experience, they have a much more focused beam although technically it should be the same.

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

I just got home from school... wet roads and alittle mist from the other cars but nothing much.

I've just got some blue something or another in my car. Previous owner put them in (its the only thing left on my car that I havent changed ).

Now I'm thinking about either going with Nupes lights or the ones Internetsalesma (no, I didnt forget the N ) is selling cheap. I just want to know how they stand up in the rain. I love Spipes HID's (its really too bad you didnt spend the night with us on that saturday Chris, you could have seen them both wet and dry).

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

That's internetautomar(T) darn 15 char limit

nubiannupe

iTrader: (9)

WHAT?? They changed the char limit??? Son of the beach!!!

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

For names you max out at 15 chars