Sylvania Silverstar Bulbs

[D. Dub]

...are as useful as teats on a boar!!

Although they threw a nice white light they lasted less than a year!!!

Premium price...but shitty longevity.

[Weapon_R]

They have a 1 year warranty, don't they?

[big_k]

I don't want to hear this, I just bought a set a couple weeks ago......hope mine last.

[GTS Jeff]

They have a 1 year warranty.

Anyway, my first set (H6054) lasted well over a year and my second pair (H4) have last a few months already.

The reason they burn out quicker is because they burn hotter and brighter. All xenon charged halogens work this way. The xenon retains heat around the filament making it burn brighter at the expense of longevity. So if you are looking for the lifespan of a conventional bulb, then get a conventional bulb with conventional brightness.

When my current set of Silverstars burn out, I'll be buying super high wattage (85/115w) Hella Yellowstars that'll probably burn out every 4 months, but it's a tradeoff that I'm making for the brightness.

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
They have a 1 year warranty, don't they?

I think so but it's probably not worth the hassle to ship em etc

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
They have a 1 year warranty.

Anyway, my first set (H6054) lasted well over a year and my second pair (H4) have last a few months already.

The reason they burn out quicker is because they burn hotter and brighter. All xenon charged halogens work this way. The xenon retains heat around the filament making it burn brighter at the expense of longevity. So if you are looking for the lifespan of a conventional bulb, then get a conventional bulb with conventional brightness.


I understand that...but for the premium price why can't they just use a stronger filament that would last longer?!?! :dunno:

[FatboyTheHungry]

I have had mine in both my highbeams and fogs for two years... And no problems yet.

[rony_espana]

^yeah I had them in my 4runner for more than a year without any problems, loved them too.

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by D. Dub


I understand that...but for the premium price why can't they just use a stronger filament that would last longer?!?! :dunno: The premium that you pay is for the increased brightness and the amethyst blue coating which makes the light whiter.

I don't really know the specifics to how filament thickness affects bulb life, but to my knowledge, filament thickness doesn't really play a huge role in halogen lights, since it's the chemical reactions that keep the filament from burning up.

[D. Dub]

This is from the Sylvania website FAQ's


"2. What is the life expectancy of SilverStar?

The life expectancy of a SilverStar halogen light source is dependent on the driver’s use of the lights, which vary by season, time of day and number of miles driven. We estimate the SilverStar halogen lights to have a life span of up to one year under average driving conditions. "

I guess I shoulda read their website first rather than just expecting a premium product for a premium price.

:rolleyes:

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
The premium that you pay is for the increased brightness and the amethyst blue coating which makes the light whiter.

I don't really know the specifics to how filament thickness affects bulb life, but to my knowledge, filament thickness doesn't really play a huge role in halogen lights, since it's the chemical reactions that keep the filament from burning up.

I said stronger ;)

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by D. Dub
This is from the Sylvania website FAQ's


"2. What is the life expectancy of SilverStar?

The life expectancy of a SilverStar halogen light source is dependent on the driver’s use of the lights, which vary by season, time of day and number of miles driven. We estimate the SilverStar halogen lights to have a life span of up to one year under average driving conditions. "

I guess I shoulda read their website first rather than just expecting a premium product for a premium price.

:rolleyes: Ok, let's try this again.

YOU PAID FOR BRIGHTNESS, NOT LONGEVITY!!

You know how people spend thousands on turbokits for their cars? It's to make the car faster, not last longer! Same shit.

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by D. Dub


I said stronger ;) I have no idea how they design bulbs to be long life, but it's pretty obvious that it's incompatible with brightness.

You won't find ANY halogen bulbs that will be brighter and still last as long as a regular bulb. Let's face it, you paid $50 for these bulbs. If you want brightness as well as longevity, buck up $500 for HIDs.

[GTS Jeff]

As another example, rally racers sometimes pay extra for insanely bright rally lights (we're talking triple digit wattages here) and guess how often those get replaced? Before every race if you don't want any burning out mid-stage...

[Tomaz]

A nice tip for people: When installing lightbulbs do NOT let your fingers or anything touch the lens. Oils on your fingers can casue the lightbulb to blow or short. My silverstars have lasted 3 years and work great!

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
I have no idea how they design bulbs to be long life, but it's pretty obvious that it's incompatible with brightness.

You won't find ANY halogen bulbs that will be brighter and still last as long as a regular bulb. Let's face it, you paid $50 for these bulbs. If you want brightness as well as longevity, buck up $500 for HIDs.

Why? Silverstars really aren't that much brighter than OEM to have less than a year of life.

From what I've read GE Nighthawks are apparently as bright as Silverstars and still have significant longevity.

The reason Silverstars don't last is b/c they've done a cost-benefit analysis and decided that they'll make more money selling this shoddy product rather than one that lasts longer and the few people like me who won't buy them again doesn't matter in the equation.

It's not an engineering issue it's a case of built in product obsolesence and consumers who'll put up with it.

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
Ok, let's try this again.

YOU PAID FOR BRIGHTNESS, NOT LONGEVITY!!

.


Why? they're really not that bright.

I just assumed (stupidly perhaps) that I was getting a premium product with brightness AND longevity.

[93hustler]

I had a set on my Honda Element for 2.5 years, and 65000 km. So I guess mine aren't gonna last much longer:( . I paid $25 a bulb and they are worth every penny. The stock headlights suck big time.

[Tomaz]

i guess it all depends!

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by D. Dub


Why? Silverstars really aren't that much brighter than OEM to have less than a year of life.

From what I've read GE Nighthawks are apparently as bright as Silverstars and still have significant longevity.

The reason Silverstars don't last is b/c they've done a cost-benefit analysis and decided that they'll make more money selling this shoddy product rather than one that lasts longer and the few people like me who won't buy them again doesn't matter in the equation.

It's not an engineering issue it's a case of built in product obsolesence and consumers who'll put up with it.


Just from reading this thread, you've seen several people tell you that their Silverstars last quite awhile, so it could be the same for the Nighthawks. Do you realize that you are selectively ignoring those posts?

As for saying Silverstars aren't that bright, well yeah they're advertised to be 30% brighter, so what do you expect? They're the same wattage as stock...

And really, how do you know what's going on at Sylvania? Do you sit on their executive board? haha if you don't want to buy these bulbs again, you don't have to justify your choice by making up shit about what a big bad company Sylvania is.

I'm not buying Silverstars again either man! Calm down!

[403Gemini]

ive had mine for about 1 1/2 yrs, sorry bout your shitty luck ;)

with OEM i couldnt even fucking see 10 feet infront of me on the high way without high beams, even in some residential zones.

Silverstar i havent had a single problem.

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff



Just from reading this thread, you've seen several people tell you that their Silverstars last quite awhile, so it could be the same for the Nighthawks. Do you realize that you are selectively ignoring those posts?

As for saying Silverstars aren't that bright, well yeah they're advertised to be 30% brighter, so what do you expect? They're the same wattage as stock...

And really, how do you know what's going on at Sylvania? Do you sit on their executive board? haha if you don't want to buy these bulbs again, you don't have to justify your choice by making up shit about what a big bad company Sylvania is.

I'm not buying Silverstars again either man! Calm down!




:rolleyes: You're right I should be happy I wasted my money on this American crap product.

I did some more research and Daniel Stern "the guru of car lighting" also agrees that the American Silverstars are crap. The reason they don't last is because they have a useless blue coating that means they have to overdrive the filament which in turn shortens life. They put the useless blue coating on to appeal to the American "import" market.

Their is a EU Silverstar from the parent company Osram that is clear, is brighter and lasts longer.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html

I researched the Nighthawks this time and they don't have a useless blue coating and they are purported to last much lnger than US silverstars.

and me calm down?!?! You're the one jumping in to this thread and defending this crap product .:D

[phat97yukon]

damn i got em, they better last for more than a year... for how much it cost for 4 of em for my truck mabey i should go pull em now and return em before its been over a year.... before these i was runnin the plasma glows and didn like em ,these are soooo much better i find alot cleaner light, and at dawn and dusk i can see where im goin VS the plasma glows...

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by D. Dub





:rolleyes: You're right I should be happy I wasted my money on this American crap product.

I did some more research and Daniel Stern "the guru of car lighting" also agrees that the American Silverstars are crap. The reason they don't last is because they have a useless blue coating that means they have to overdrive the filament which in turn shortens life. They put the useless blue coating on to appeal to the American "import" market.

Their is a EU Silverstar from the parent company Osram that is clear, is brighter and lasts longer.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html

I researched the Nighthawks this time and they don't have a useless blue coating and they are purported to last much lnger than US silverstars.

and me calm down?!?! You're the one jumping in to this thread and defending this crap product .:D

sorry that you and a man who prides himself about being an expert on lightbulbs arent happy about a reasonably cheap, yet reasonably reliable product.

My guess is you fingered the bulb and thus the oils from your skin drastically reduced the life span of it.

User fault, not product.

if not, well shitty luck then, cause you're the only one bitching about it.

[b_t]

I've had my silverstars for about two years now with no problems, still the same set. They look great, and are far far brighter then stock (my lowbeams illuminated almost as much as my highbeams, so then I got silverstar highs too.. borderline on HID haha).

And what blue coating is that guy talking about? My bulbs were clear and actually have a pinkish tinge in the bulb, not blue. The light is still very bright white.

[Tomaz]

Well, like i said, sometimes you win, somtimes you loose.

Most people installing bulbs touch that blue filiment or any part of the glass bulb, which puts you finger oils on the bulb. Turn on you lights and the ois heat upthe glass to an even higher, undesirble, temperature which can crack/destroy the bulb.

Sometimes it depends on what vehicle you throw them in. Some do not have enough heat disipation in the capsule to release the access heat.

On top of that the bulbs dont exactly illuminate the road better, but you should ahve noticed a difference in the way signs refract the light. You can see signs and cat-eyes, animals from a further distance.

Most people will not notice the difference in light bulbs unless they do a lot of driving outside of city limits.

One more thing, for the people that said they did nothing to increase your visability. You might want to re-angle you lenses to accomadate for the different type of light. Like I said these bulbs work better on refraction and reflection. "Bulbs are not HID's ppl!" lol

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by D. Dub





:rolleyes: You're right I should be happy I wasted my money on this American crap product.

I did some more research and Daniel Stern "the guru of car lighting" also agrees that the American Silverstars are crap. The reason they don't last is because they have a useless blue coating that means they have to overdrive the filament which in turn shortens life. They put the useless blue coating on to appeal to the American "import" market.

Their is a EU Silverstar from the parent company Osram that is clear, is brighter and lasts longer.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html

I researched the Nighthawks this time and they don't have a useless blue coating and they are purported to last much lnger than US silverstars.

and me calm down?!?! You're the one jumping in to this thread and defending this crap product .:D Read more carefully, the coating doesn't overdrive the filament, it just tints the light coming out. The EU Silverstar you're talking about is marketed here as the Sylvania XtraVision, which is just as bright (and just as shortlived) but it doesn't have the blue coating. What does overdrive the filament is the added xenon gas, which is present in ALL extra bright halogens.

I'm not here to defend a crap product, I'm here to show you that you can't read.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
Read more carefully, the coating doesn't overdrive the filament, it just tints the light coming out. The EU Silverstar you're talking about is marketed here as the Sylvania XtraVision, which is just as bright (and just as shortlived) but it doesn't have the blue coating. What does overdrive the filament is the added xenon gas, which is present in ALL extra bright halogens.

I'm not here to defend a crap product, I'm here to show you that you can't read.

GTS Jeff, Helping illiterates on beyond since 2002 :thumbsup:

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by D. Dub
Their is a EU Silverstar from the parent company Osram that is clear, is brighter and lasts longer.

I researched the Nighthawks this time and they don't have a useless blue coating and they are purported to last much lnger than US silverstars.

I call :bullshit:. You have NOTHING to show that these bulbs last any longer than the Silverstars. NOTHING.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff


I call :bullshit:. You have NOTHING to show that these bulbs last any longer than the Silverstars. NOTHING.

common man he has his prided lightbulb guru!!!!

[Tomaz]

BTW nighthawks are starting to liqudate. Canadian tires is starting to sell them off the shelvs

[Celica TVS3]

It says this right on their website:

2. What is the life expectancy of SilverStar?

The life expectancy of a SilverStar halogen light source is dependent on the driver’s use of the lights, which vary by season, time of day and number of miles driven. We estimate the SilverStar halogen lights to have a life span of up to one year under average driving conditions.

[Tomaz]

^^^ HAHAHA! Talk about the fine print! ;) lol

[Celica TVS3]

ALSO:

They burn whiter but they don't run brigher. I remember seeing a chart with the lumens of their regular bulbs compaired with the lumen outpu of the silverstars. They were identical. Given that they have the same lumen output the shift to a higher colour temp through the use of a blue coating makes actuall visibility worse then the standard yellowish bulbs, expecally in rain or snow conditions.

Having said that, I due run a pair of Silverstars in my celica because they do look whiter and nicer then stock bulbs.

[EG_Civic]

mines blew within 3-4 months

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
Read more carefully, the coating doesn't overdrive the filament, it just tints the light coming out. The EU Silverstar you're talking about is marketed here as the Sylvania XtraVision, which is just as bright (and just as shortlived) but it doesn't have the blue coating. What does overdrive the filament is the added xenon gas, which is present in ALL extra bright halogens.

I'm not here to defend a crap product, I'm here to show you that you can't read.

:rolleyes:

the reason they have to overdrive the filament is BECAUSE of the blue coating.

Do you have to be so rude? or are you just insecure:dunno:

[biggie_82]

I had H3 Silverstars and my lasted 3 years! (That's driving quite often at night as I worked night shifts before for about a year). The other two years had a fair amount of night time driving as well as I used to stay at school till evenings.

I give the bulbs :thumbsup:

They are not bad for halogens but if you want something a bit more bang for the dollar get Philips Blue Vision.

They are like $12 a bulb at Wal Mart.

[hjr]

just get extravisions, like me. they are so much nicer than stock, and not tinted blue. and half the cost of silverstars for what some might argue is the same or brighter bulb (no blue coating).

[Bigchuckers]

ok.....

i am ressurecting this thread.....

i have a burnt-out headlight... and i want new bulbs.. i want the HID look, but with the non HID system.

any new info or suggestions for this topic.

thanks

:eek: :eek: :burnout: :rolleyes:

[Bigchuckers]

bump .. any new ideas or suggestions for bright white bulbs??

[jaylo]

I ran Silverstars in 2 of my integras for more than a year with no problems whatsoever.

I tried the Silverstars X-tra Vision and they burned out right away.


I am now currently running PIAA XTreme White and it gives a beautiful light. Drove through 10 hours of highway driving and I must say I did not need to turn on my brights all the time.

[Bigchuckers]

cool thanks...

anyone else have suggestions?

[e36bmw///]

nm

[nobb]

Any more opinions on the GE Nighthawk? Maybe those bulbs will suit you.

[BlackArcher101]

I've tried Silverstars and Nighthawks. I didn't prefer the color of the nighthawks. I felt the Silverstars gave me more light.

[jaylo]

Phillips has two bulbs I was going for. One was the NightGuide which is available at Napa Auto Parts and I tried looking for the X-Treme Power one but cannot find it locally.

_http://www.nam.lighting.philips.com/us/automotive/products/nightguide.php

[Bigchuckers]

i found some PIAA X-treme white 9005 & 9006..

props for jaylo for the recommendation.

but at $90/pair at mopac i chuckled as he told me the price.

but they seem to be the best non HID setup that i have found so far


:drama: :clap: :clap: :cry:

[BlackArcher101]

Here's a good article comparing the 3 common suggestions.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/gk/headlights2.htm

[nobb]

Originally posted by BlackArcher101
I've tried Silverstars and Nighthawks. I didn't prefer the color of the nighthawks. I felt the Silverstars gave me more light.

I am interested in the Nighthawks...so I dont suppose you could tell me what about the color difference that you didnt like? I thought the Nighthawks were supposed to be brighter than the Silverstars...but the Silverstars give a false impression of brightness because of the blue tint.

[Bigchuckers]

cool .. that was a good article that was posted.

so its a cost basis decision..

PIAA=$$$=Best
Silverstar=$$= Better
Nighthawk=$$=Average

[BlackArcher101]

Originally posted by nobb


I am interested in the Nighthawks...so I dont suppose you could tell me what about the color difference that you didnt like? I thought the Nighthawks were supposed to be brighter than the Silverstars...but the Silverstars give a false impression of brightness because of the blue tint.

I preferred the slightly bluer color of the Silverstars. Like that article mentioned, the Nighthawks were also poor on high beams. I do a lot of night driving and through bad weather as well, and to me the Silverstars gave a greater reach, especially easier to spot animals on the sides.

[jaylo]

Originally posted by Bigchuckers
i found some PIAA X-treme white 9005 & 9006..

props for jaylo for the recommendation.

but at $90/pair at mopac i chuckled as he told me the price.

but they seem to be the best non HID setup that i have found so far


:drama: :clap: :clap: :cry:

Hi,

Thanks, I got mine for $70 for a 9003 H4. Let them know that a friend recently bought one and don't see why there is a $20 price difference against a 9005/9006

regards,
jay