I needed to buy new headlight bulbs. I was considering to buy them off of eBay. I was wonderin what are the good ones and which ones to avoid.


thanks,

omair

 

i too am in the market for new bulbs, right now im lookin at some NOKYA arctic purple bulbs. i seen em on a mazda 626 and they look nice as hell. i found em on ebay for like 20 bux. are these a nice set of lights or should i steer clear. any other recomendations on a nice purpleish bulb

 

i have some sylvania silverstars and they kick ****. really bright white. if you're looking for some with a blue or purplish tint, nokyas are good. southwestautoworks has good prices on them:

http://store.yahoo.com/southwestauto...eadbulrep.html

 

I'll second the sylvania silverstars, picked them up at meijers for $40 for the set, look really really nice, and I can actually see at night.

 

With the Nokyas, do they run on stock wattage or would they burn up the wireing harness? Im interested in them and i was wondering if i would have to upgrade my harness for them.

 

PIAA are way too expensive for me. I definitely need a better alternative.

 

Here is your alternative , go to AutoZone and purchase Slyvania Xtravison . I will not go into detail about the Silverstars reputation during inclement weather and asphalt. So kindly do not ask me. Xtravision lasted for me about 2 years and then the lowbeam fillament will burned out .

 

i just bought a pair of brand new PIAA fog bulbs off ebay for $40, and a pair of PIAA headlight bulbs for $50.

 

Sylvania Xtravision for best night and bad weather vision. They last MUCH longer than those 'cool' looking white/blue blubs and won't burn out your harness.

 

i too would like to know if it is safe to run on stock wiring

 

the nokyas run at 90/100 watts... not safe for stock wiring

 

when i had bulbs i used Nokya as well. be sure to get upgraded wiring harnesses.

 

where can i get upgraded harnesses??

 

I recommend the sylvania silverstars. They're a little pricing, you have to look for them. I like my bulbs....

 

Get Sylvania Xtravisions if you care about seeing in bad weather, far better than the silverstars, at only half the price. Had the silverstars for about 3 days this past winter and took them back as soon as I had the chance. Brighter to look at but worse to drive with. Think about what's more important, being able to see in all conditions, or having someone see your lights and think, "cool lights".

 

With either of the Silverstars or Xtravision bulbs, will the harness need to be upgraded?

~THT

 

No the harnesses don't need to be upgraded. They run on the regular wires.

I used to be a believer in the Silverstars, but I had one burn out in less than a year. That is just way too short of a life for how much each bulb lasts. I never had any complaints about seeing in rain(and it rains a lot here in Mississippi....in fact it was raining this morning) or at night. I just don't like the fact that they didn't even last a year.

Anyway, I might give the Xtravisions a try. I know they will not "look" as cool, but I am going more for longevity and functionality rather than just "looking cool."

 

how hard is it to change wiring harness, is it a DIY, and how long does it take on average. is there a writeup anywhere?

 

I don't know how hard it is to do, here's what they cost:

Jegs harness

 

I don't think I would buy the APC(All Parts are Crap) harness from Jegs.
I would go to www.southwestautoworks.com and get one from there. I think they are cheaper, but I have heard good things about them.

 

To tell the truth, I have yet to come across a really GREAT pair of 9004's.
Ive had the coolblues, which were slightly better then stock. The silverstars, which arent that much of a true white, thier still is some yellow and their not as bright as every one claims but brighter then the coolblues. Ive also used the Piaa extrem whites, which were really expensive and were exactly the same as the silver stars. I put one in one haedlight and left one silver star in the other and could not tell a difference.
Im currently using Nokya artic Whites. Their notreally bright at all, but do have a blue tint to them. Their okay, nothing great but im tired of experimenting with bulbs.
You will need an upgraded harness for these bulbs or they will melt the stock plugs.
The only way to get a a nice light output is to go with HID's.
9004's just suck in general.

 

I think that is the conclusion I have come to as well:
"The only way to get a nice light output is to go with HID's."

 

The SWA harnesses are just the pig tail, meaning no realys. All you get is the plug and a few inches of wire. The APC one is a good harnes and takes as little as 10 mins to install, no cutting and splicing like the SWA crap. I myself made a 12 gauge headlight harness compleat with relays and it noticebly boosted the output of the headlights.

I have experiance with many bulbs,

Good experiances:

Sylvania Cool Blues.....last long, stock looking but better output
GE super blue....same as Cool Blues
APC Sim. HID....havent blown yet and have been running for countless years, they light output is identicle to cool blues.
Wagner Truview.... my current bulb, a bit purple and great visibility
Koito (dont remeber the style)....great stuff white and bright
Sylvania OEM replacements...the best OE bulb

Bad experiances:

No name 80/100 watt blue bulbs...junk
APC Superstreet whatever blue 80/100...blue blue blue....output sucks but better then the APC really blue 45/60 which really stink just like
Target blue bulbs....blue blue blue...and junk junk junk
Euro lights....crap
Liteformz Hyper White Xenon..... best color blue but still junk, blew in a month
Cuzo blues and purples.....color fades, short lifespan 1-2 months
APC Icy hot Gold Ion.....great color, short life 1-2 months


Mixed feelings:

Wagner Lazer Blue....great white light.... 5 month life
Optilux blue.....nice and cheap....6-7 month life
Silverstars....less then a year lifespan but look rather nice

Stay away from the blue bulbs...they all stink. Really.

 

Good write-up.
Thanks for the info in your experience.

 

on another note, why would you want to change your bulbs...?

I mean here in LA I for sure don't need to attract any more cops, I'd put the money to better use

 

Damn I'm confused....lol

guess the xtravision looks like the best bang for buck.

 

For a different color light, mostly. That is why most people do it.
Also, just more light if the OEM ones are fading.

 

I switched for better lighting. IMO, the Silverstars provide better/brighter lighting than stock.

~THT

 

i've been running nokya arctic whites (100/120w ) for about 8 months now. i am pleased with the light output. i have been watching my harnesses carefully, and no signs of overheating/melting yet *cross fingers*

 

that why i got hids.

 

I have nokya arctic purples. The are stock wattage (45/65w). Nokya has several different wattages, but they do have stock (as I have). Just look around for them. These lights are extremely bright. I have used cool blues and hypers and these are clearly the best in my opinion.

As with most non-HID aftermarket bulbs, rain vision is worse. This is because yellow light penetrates raindrops, and blue, pure white, and purple bulbs lack yellow. This is why stock bulbs in cars have a yellow tint, so that you can see in all types of weather best. I have no problem in the rain with them though.

 

i got my silverstars from here http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW It's a lot cheaper than what they charge at Kragen or Pep Boys. They're a lot better than stocks but they still suck.

 

Got my Silverstars at Walmart for $37.

~THT

 

Waste of $37.

 

Maybe for you. I perceive them to be brighter than stock and can see better at night because of them. I can't afford an HID setup so I went with the next best thing and feel my money was well spent. We're all entitled to our opinions though.

~THT

 

Another vote for Silverstars paid 40 for a pair at Autozone back in December they last and are brighter and look cooler than stock. I drive at night in the pitch dark everyday.

 

where did you find your arctic purples with the stock wattage, every site i see they are like 80/100 watt bulbs.

 

if you care about function.
-phillip or sylvana weather vision or x-tra vision-
+brighter than stock because of lower color temp. good life.. no cops will notice you, u can see in rain or fog. inexpensive
- doesnt look "cool" and trendy.

-legal "blue" bulbs-
silver stars- nice color white. outputs about stock amount of brightness.
+nice color, you dont lose much dry visibility compared to stock,
-not too great in rain or fog, costly, you probably wont get more than a year out of them.. my first set blew at 8 months.

(u can see pics of silverstars lit at night on my homepage)

phillips bluevision ,slvanna cool blue
+last long, slightly(very slightly) whiter than a stock bulb, good/decent bad weatehr visibility. inexpensive
-still look kinda halogenish.

"blue" bulbs
waste of money
+looks kinda cool sometimes.
- you lose DRY visibility. higher temp color means less lumens, blue light dispeses alot more easily than white/yellow so rain and fog visibility will suck. usually they are poorly made and blow very soon. cops hunt for you.your headlight housings will look blue in the day time..(if you have a warm color car, this looks stupid)


if you got cash.. HID's..
+best lighting upgrade availible. even better if you add projector lenses to focus the beam. they are suppose to last forever..
- expensive, the 9004 kit usually is too bright and people high bean you all the time

-i support YELLOW FOGS-
sorry i had to add that in.

 

 

lamin-x.com

its thick stuff..very durable... it will shrink a little bit frm the heat..but its not much.. they say it takes about a week to cure..if you have air bubbles they dissapear after a week.