Creedence85

I'm trying to figure out my options for headlight bulbs. The car came with PIAAs when I bought it, which work great, however one of them has recently burned out, and I'm not all that excited about paying $80 for new bulbs, especially considering PIAAs are sold in sets of 2.

Sylvania Silverstar seems to be decent from how they're rated, not to mention more wattage than OEM which is hard to find in a 9004, plus they're a more reasonalbe price at $20 each. Also, I know Euro Lite is another popular one, however I have no experience with either of these.

dkris42

i like the silverstars they light up nice and better then the others not the PIAAs i would say get but next go a head and go w/ silverstar i havethem and i like them

BML94GXE

iTrader: (1)

Silverstars is what i have and they are nice

Ninty-two-se

I have silverstars on my white maxima and they are great... My only complaint is that they dont light up the road so well on rainy nights... might just be me.

AscendantMax

iTrader: (7)

i got the silverstars as well. nice white light with stock wattage. problem is, people are getting mixed results on their lifespan. mine lasted for awhile before burning out, while some othersburned out within 6 months.

dkris42

2 years and mine are still strong......actually they make silverstar's in a long life option.

Ninty-two-se I second on the rainy day thing.

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

Nubiannupe recommended XD5 bulbs, so I bought them. They are nice and white (no yellow at all). They make my fogs look crappy.

I have been extremely happy with the XD5s and they were around $30 shipped on ebay. I stuck with the stock wattage, since I didn't want to fry my harness, but they make them in increased wattage versions, too.

BensMax93

I have the Slyvania XtraVisions and they work great. It's a nice upgrade from stock. It won't be as white as the SilverStars, but I can see where I'm going in the rain. Check out the pic in my sig...Also, they go for $20 for 2 at Pep Boys

Creedence85

Rain is a definite consideration where I live, so I'll want something that performs well in the rain. The PIAAs to date have seemed alright in the rain, however I really haven't found them to be that much better than other headlights, in the rain. In the dry though, they've been great. That's probably due to the frequency of the light, as you get closer to blue, it looks nice in the dry, but harder to see on a wet surface or on snow.

Maybe I'll check out the xtravisions.

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

I dont recommend silverstars. I have not had good luck with their life span


edit: I'm going to go turn on Chris's XD-5's for a few seconds, its been a long time since I've seen them and need to get jealous again

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

Chris's XD-5 bulbs (see his post above)



The fogs are not yellow bulbs like what some people do, they are just normal fog light bulbs.

Ninty-two-se

I have not had a problem with the lifespan of the silverstars... they have outlasted my first Maxima and are in my second... a few years and no problems...

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

that pic looks nice, Shawn. It shows how crappy the "blue" side marker lights are...

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

I had to take it from an angle, otherwise the light just messed with the camera

I have an open directory of about 6 or so pictures, feel free to use them

KLoWnPR109

iTrader: (9)

stock is da best

AscendantMax

iTrader: (7)

those are stock fogs? nice cut off line

Creedence85

I think I'm sold on the Sylvania XtraVisions, or something similar to them, partly due to the testimonies in this thread, as well as something from here...
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...good/good.html
I found this site a long time ago when I was doing research on e-code headlights, and this is when I started to question PIAAs and similar lights. Since getting my Maxima, it has PIAAs installed, and headlight performance has seems alright, however I haven't been all that impressed by rain performance.

Something I thought was interesting, is the difference between the Sylvania SilverStar in North America vs. the Sylvania/Osram SilverStar sold outside North America. Also interesting, how the N.A. SilverStars overrun the filament to get the light level up, due to the loss through the blue filter, which causes shorter bulb life. What's one of the biggest complains in this thread about these bulbs, the lifespan!

This is a good site to keep bookmarked, I'll post the link again, http://www.danielsternlighting.com as it has an assorted array of lighting information, pertaining to different bulb types, differerent reflector types, and wiring. There are some nice diagrams on how to rewire side markers to flash, something I plan on doing to my Maxima soon.

artythe3rd

i have euro designs bulbs and there very white with a tint of blue and i see fine in the rain

AscendantMax

iTrader: (7)

whats the wattage on them

Creedence85

You very well might see fine, but do you see better? That's the point. Plus, it's going to depend on the frequency range that the filter on the glass of the bulb uses. It could be some combimation of higher wattage, or overboosted filament to produce more light, to get the light level back up to standard after going through the filter, which then leaves you with enough light in the rain. But, think of how much light you'd have with higher wattage and overboosted filaments if that filter wasn't on the bulb. That's what is being presented on this website, just something that I think should be taken into consideration. There again, like with many mods, it's performance vs. looks. I always tend to default to performance, because I think safety and performance are more important than just looking good. I like to look good too, I just don't want to sacrifice performance.

artythe3rd

there 45 65 watts and are deffinetley more visable in the rain then my old halogen bulbs and i owned the slverstars and got rid od them in a week not bright enought just looks like a brighter stalk yellow and believe the eurodesigns has the looks and the peformance all in one

Knight4

Thanks, Creedence85 for the great link to information on headlights. It sheds some new light ;o) on this issue. I agree that safety and performance should always be considered above looks.

stinga

hey bensmax and everyone else,
where can i find a working cupholder for 3rd gen max? any pics & links would be appreciated. thanks

aw89maxSE

iTrader: (3)

Alright, I might be putting myself up for some flamming but i'll ask anyways. If it all possible, I want the superwhites/xenon that have just a slight blue tint to them but can also put out maybe around the stock wattage or something around it. I have the e36 setup and it already has a slightly burned connector to the bulb so if something like this exsists....throw me some possibilties

Creedence85

Thanks, I hope the info helps, this guy seems to have done quite a bit of research in the area of automotive lighting. Of course some if it can be opinion too, so I'm not trying to say that everything he says is right, and that certain bulbs are exclusively junk, just that he'd done more research than "that looks cool."

As for bulbs for your lights aw89maxSE, I think you're getting into an area where you're trying to combine two different things. However, the higher output bulbs like XtraVisions are brighter, and therefore should have a more intense look, allbeit I don't know how much white/blue they'll be over stock. I think your best bet might be to use HID bulbs, so you get the look and performance. But, that's more money, and it's your car, so it's really up to you, not us. If you really want that look, then go for it. artythe3rd seemed to think the Eurodesigns were good in the rain, and better than stock, or silverstars.

BensMax93

I installed a cupholder from Pep Boys with an "L" bracket right on the passenger side of the car. Check out the pics --->





you can also go to my cardomain site for closeups http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/333074/2