Headlight bulbs – Silverstars, Nighthawks, or other?
 

I was doing a bit of night driving in the last couple of weeks and I thought about upgrading my headlight bulbs. The ones I'm using now are pretty dim and I can only see a short distance on highways with them (I'm pretty sure they are adjusted properly, though).

Do the Silverstars, etc. make any tangible difference for highway driving and are there any of them that last about as long as standard bulbs? I don't care about HID-look or blue colors, but I do care about seeing what's ahead of me on unlit roads and through foggy or inclement weather.

If all you want to do is see then you should upgrade to a HID retrofit like the SBG kit or do it your-self. It is the best solution to the dismal output of the stock lights.

www.theretrofitsource.com has all the info you need.

Thanks! I might set some money aside in case I decide to go HID, then. Most of my driving is during the day, but upgrading to HID might be worth it in the long run.

Also, the PIAA bulbs seem comparable to the Sylvania and GE offerings.

For the high beams and low beams in my Cayenne, I used the Silverstar Ultras. They are cheap and VERY bright, but still have that yellowish color to them. I'll probably try the Sylvania ZXE in my next Cayenne, solely so the extra lights will match the HID lows.

In the FD, I'm using HIDs.

The Silverstars are a great update for the stock light housings. I personally prefer Sylvania's over the PIAA's as the PIAA's are typically more "blue'ish" which I dislike. As MADDSLOW mentions, the Ultras still have that "stock" look just with better output light.

FWIW, I just put a set of those in my FJ Cruiser and so many people think the high beams are always on. ;)

OK, I'll look at the Silverstar Ultras, then. I don't need the blue color, just more light.

I've been tempted to put on the high beams a few times, but there's too much traffic on our freeways for such an extreme measure.

I vote for retrofit, do it yourself and you'll save 50% and have all OEM component.

I have had the Sylvania Silverstar bulbs in my FD for several years. They are a big improvement over stock bulbs, are easy to install, and are affordable. As I recall, they were about $20-$25 each.

Thanks, Adam. The 1-star Amazon reviews where cheap guys are complaining about buying $40 headlight bulbs are kind of entertaining.

I assume you're using the "regular" Silverstars.

When I bought my bulbs, there was only one option for a "Silverstar bulb". I bought the only one they had. It has been many years since my installation. They are still working fine.

Check out the Phillips Xtreme Power headlight bulbs. I've owned both Silverstars and the Phillips bulbs, and the brightness is about the same. I picked the Phillips because people were saying they lasted longer. Don't touch the bulbs with your bare hands when you get them!

The stock bulbs are woeful (I think mine had old crusty looking stockers when I removed them- they looked old) and the bulb tech of circa 1992 is not as good as the bulbs on the shelf these days.

If anyone still runs what might be stock (or very old) bulbs, I'd recommend upgrading. I used "Narva Plus 100" H4 base bulbs in mine, and the difference was big.

Ive had a set of the regular silverstars for probably 8-10 years, still working great.

+1 for the Silverstar Ultras

Thanks for the reminder. I'll wear gloves when I am installing them.

The new Philips X-tremevisions look promising, but pricey.

Update: took out the 'Narva Plus 100' H4 bulbs in mine, and replaced them with the more expensive H4 PIAA Xtreme White H4- 4100K bulbs.

Result: no difference. Light output with the expensive PIAAs is very much the same- average.

PIAA claims in advertising and on the packaging, these bulbs have an equivalent output of 125w/135w out of only 55w/60w. Dont be fooled. They dont.
PIAA also claims these to be the brightest bulbs in its halogen range. If thats the case, their other bulbs must be woefull...!

(Oddly, I had the same PIAA Xtreme White 4100K bulbs fitted in my E39 BMW M5. And in that car, they were fantastic, and incredibly bright... So there must be something wrong with the reflector design of the FD RX-7?)