phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

Sorry to roll several questions into one, but here goes:

I have been on SilverStars since the fall, but recently I had one die on me. Being a packrat, I still had the receipt, so I returned it last night and got a brand new one. Sounds good, right? Sure. Now for the quandry:

I have recently been getting water in my headlights, which may or may not have contributed to the premature failure of the first silverstar.
Additionally, there has been the discussion over how well silverstars actually lay down the light on the road. The OEM headlights on my wife's 2k3 celica clearly outshine my silverstars and PIAA fogs.

I have been considering the switch to XtraVisions. Defiantely not as "pretty" to look at from the front, but from what has been said on here, maybe a better light out in front. SHould I return the new, unopened silverstar and get a pair of xtravisions (and sell the other silverstar for cheap), or should i just put the new silverstar in there and hope for the best?

One other thing- could last week's moisture in the housing be the cause of premature failure? If so, if there are no visible cracks or leaks, what is the best way to prevent future moisture from entering the housing?

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Sylvania Xtravisions are nice, Sylvania Cool Blues are a tad cleaner looking then Xtravisions and seem to lay down about the same amount of light. Same rectangular wide beam pattern. I think they match or compliment the PIAA 3800K H3's very nicely. I've been running them since I baught and promptly returned my SilverStars.

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

So return the unopened silverstar and use the money for CBs?

What is your opinion on the water-in-the-housing issue?

(BTW- congrats on completing your "frankenstien" suspension!)

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

I'd return them.

Is it just some moisture or a lot of water? Try to leave the bulb out on a nice sunny day while the car is facing the sun. It it can dry out really good, maybe you'll be OK. If the seal is broken maybe you can put a light coat of clean sealant along the glass seam.

LOL

The more I drive my car, the more I absolutely love it. It rides so smooth you would never know it's dropped. It has a heavy car feel on the highway yet corners very flat. I should have tossed the front AGX's last summer when I first coupled them with my H&R's. What a tremendous improvement in the ride. All that nonsense, bouncyness, harshness, completely gone, it absorbes it all.

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

Good fro you. I only have one unopened silverstar. I suppose I coudl return the other one and say that I was displeased with the overall performance, btuthat might be pushint it.

Regardig the moisture, it is just a fine mist on the inside of the lens- no standing water. I left the bulb out when I discovered that it was burned out, and despite some wet weather, it seems to have dried out. This happened a week or so ago as well, so I am suspicious that I have a failed seam somewhere.

Now I just need some headlight removal instructions...

kmoney56

Just wondering - what's so bad about the silverstars? I've had them for a while now and they are much better than stock and don't look ricer blue...Am I missing something?

99Maxima5sp

Hmm, ive heard about the silverstars, but havent had any personal experience with them. Im running Philips BlueVisions and they are great, not blue in any way, just whiter than stock...Buts down the light better...


Eric

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

SIlverstars do not actually put more light on the road than regular halogens. While they look a lot brighter (when you look at the bulb), I have 1 silverstar and one OEM bulb in ther eright now anf there is really no big difference in the 2 in terms of light output. My PIAA crystal Ion fogs make a much bigger difference in the amount of light on the road. Many people hate those as well, but I see a HUGE improvement with them versus standard fogs. Fog lights shoulf be yellow and close ot the ground. While the crystal ions do not LOOK yellow when you look at the bulb, the light on the road its clearly yellow.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Thats interesting. Good description of their performance!

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

I really like the crystal Ions.

I am debatign whether to return the silverstar for a pair of CBs or xtravisions or just be lazy and put the silverstar in, just because it is already in my posession. I hate making decisions like this...

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Put the Xtravisions in.

Then let me know how you like that setup.

kmoney56

If you return the stars, keep your old bulb in and put whatever your new bulb is on the other side and let me know the difference (if you don't mind . I haven't seen the other bulbs you've mentioned and wonder how they would perform against the silverstars...

DR-Max

iTrader: (3)

I have a pair of Silverstars on and the light output is not any brighter than stock. I'm pretty disappointed at this after paying $50 for the pair. Plus I don't like that violet hue. I just want pure white light that lays down more light on the road, w/o dishing out the cash for a pair of real HIDs. What is a good alternative?

njmaxseltd, you mentioned that you have the the PIAA 3800K H3's. These are just bulbs that go into the stock fog light housing right? Don't they generate more heat in there, is this going to hurt the integrity of the lamp assembly? I don't want mine to crack.

wrongway15

iTrader: (1)

ill trade you my xtravisions for your silverstars seriously

ive never run the silverstars, but id like to give them a try

anyways i have xtravisions now and think they are nicer than stock and a good bargain...so its really your choice...maybe someone has comparision pictures

Iron Scimitar

iTrader: (38)

Take back the silverstars and get some HIDs. you won't be sorry.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

There just a replacement H3 bulb that goes into your fog lights. They are stock 55 Watts and do not generate any excess heat, just some nice clean light.

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

The whole hype about Silverstars is that they are close to pure white while at the same time being about as bright as stock bulbs. If you've ever tried other aftermarket blue or white bulbs, the output is appreciably worse than regular halogens. Silverstars are for people who want the color but don't want a big drop in performance.

DR-Max

iTrader: (3)

I used to have a truck with H4 headlight bulbs and I've used the PIAA Extreme White bulbs to replace the stock ones. The improvement is minimal and the bulb only lasted about 6 months and burned out. It never ceases to amaze me how marketing ploys always get people. As I try different types of bulbs I realized that its not how the bulb looks when you look at it, its really about how it lays down light on the road ahead of you. I ended up buying the Silverstar because of how good it sounded in paper, plus they have a comparison picture in the back of the package between a regular halogen, cool blue, and silverstar. However, the picture depicted how it looks like when you look at it which is still not a good way to compare light performance. I wish that there's a source online somewhere that compares all these bulbs against each other on how they light up the road head.

wrongway15, are the extravisions also a sylvania brand? How long have you had them? I have had mine for almost 2 months.

Cumalot

iTrader: (8)

I used to have Nokya headlight bulbs on my car. Sure they looked great from the outside, but they didn't do a thing fo visibility. So I switched to the Xtravision bulbs. What difference! Visibilty is greatly improved at night and in the rain. They look as good as the Nokya bulbs from the outside, but I don't care for that anymore. Combined with amber bulbs in the factory corners and sidemarker, they don't look that bad.