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bulbs one more time

S

SVTJON87

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
3,682
Location
Glen Ellyn, IL
SVTJON87 said:
ok i have been unhappy with silverstars in the past. so I'm thinking of trying philips. i was wondering if the light output is the same between these two bulbs. one has the blue filter to make a white light and the other is clear.
clear:
http://www.suvlights.com/product_info.php?products_id=99

Blue filter:
http://www.suvlights.com/product_info.php?products_id=110

thanks guys. also if you have any other suggestions please let me know. thanks.
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Get the Philips High Vision +50ft bulbs. You aren't going to notice a difference in color temperature, and the blue filter is not helping light output on the Crystal Visions.


Here are my headlights with Philips BlueVision bulbs:
20061210_0005.jpg


Here are my headlights with Philips High Vision +50ft bulbs (haven't been aimed in this picture):
20061211_0007.jpg


Bulb picture:
20061210_0006.jpg



You can't really tell any difference in color temp. Its hard to judge in the picture, but I've been driving around for 3 months with them and they are slightly brighter and project the beam further down the road. Worth the small amount of money, IMO.

Pictures taken at same F stop and shutter speed (no flash) and same white balance setting. Slightly underexposed to get a better gauge.
 
SVTJON87 said:
ok that helps me alot. do you have any pics of the headlamps on your car. blue vs clear? thanks again
Click to expand...

Nope, sorry. I never did a side by side comparison picture (probably should have). I can only see a minimal difference in color temp between the two bubs. The High Vision's seem to 'reach' farther.
 
ok i guess what i should have asked is. is the light white? kinda like silverstars. and using OE as the control, yellow. but yea clear looks whiter and brighter to me. how long have they lasted for you? in my old car i was lucky to get 3 months with silverstars.

edit: what about "night guide"
 
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Pudmunkie said:
phillips.... silverstar, its all the same in the ****ty housing.
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Don't mean to come off as an arse, but while HIDs/retrofits definitely cause us all to drool, they cost a boatload of time, effort, and money.

And yes, there is a huge difference between Philips high vision bulbs and Sylvania Silverstars...one is crap, costs more, and burns out in a few months (Silverstars) and the other produces a bunch more usable light (even in our ****ty housings).

No one's arguing that the headlight system sucks for the 'Tour, but there are plenty of things you can do to make it bearable (and on the cheap!).

$15 for a pair of 9005 Philips High Vision bulbs and another $15 or so for 50W 885 bulbs for the fogs are probably the best things you can do for the stock headlight system.

We LOVE your headlights, but there is no need to drop a line about your headlights everytime someone asks a legitimate question about stock bulbs (you know...the headlight system which say...99.9% of us on the boards have :) ).
 
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SVTJON87 said:
ok i guess what i should have asked is. is the light white? kinda like silverstars. and using OE as the control, yellow. but yea clear looks whiter and brighter to me. how long have they lasted for you? in my old car i was lucky to get 3 months with silverstars.

edit: what about "night guide"
Click to expand...

The light isn't that white, but I honestly don't recognize it compared to my old BlueVisions because the HighVisions are brighter and have a longer beam.

My BlueVisions 9005 were installed as lows from 2001-2006, and I have now switched them over to the highs. I now have the HighVision 9005s in the lows, which seem to be doing just fine for the last 3 months. Either way, they should last a lot longer than the silverstars, which, in every review I have ever read, seem to indicate they blow out in less than a year.

Not sure what you are referring to with 'night guide'?
 
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Um.. I put my silverstars in 17 months ago and they're still good. The fogs though... they only lasted about 14 months, then both blew. But that was right after I reinstalled the front bumper cover without the spongy rubber insulators... so my cover now rattles at idle. Next time I pull off the cover, I'll stick on some new insulators and get some new ST fogs.
 
Toshiba HIR bulbs

Toshiba HIR bulbs

Due to vision problems, I need as much light at night as I can legally use. So, I did some research, and, a year ago, I put Toshiba HIR bulbs, which I obtained on Ebay, in my headlights. The increase in light output is phenomenal! They are pricey, but so much better than the Silverstars, which were in there before. Neither bulb has the dark gray coating on the end, which reduces usable light output, so the headlight reflector configuration is able to use all the light generated by the bulb. The low beam 9012s are 55w, and the high beam 9011s are 65w, so there is no need to change the wiring or add relays to keep from stressing the current carrying capabilities of the stock wiring, and they are street legal. I have never had anyone flash me because my headlights were blinding them.
These bulbs produce white light with no bluish tint, and are rated at 3600 Kelvin color temperature. They will fit our headlight housings with a little trimming on the mounting tabs, which is explained in the Ebay description. Rather than continuing to try different bulbs in hopes of getting the best nighttime light source, I highly recommend these HIRs, even though they cost a lot. Just go to Ebay and type in 'Toshiba HIR' in the search box and read all about them.
 
shaggist said:
Due to vision problems, I need as much light at night as I can legally use. So, I did some research, and, a year ago, I put Toshiba HIR bulbs, which I obtained on Ebay, in my headlights. The increase in light output is phenomenal! They are pricey, but so much better than the Silverstars, which were in there before. Neither bulb has the dark gray coating on the end, which reduces usable light output, so the headlight reflector configuration is able to use all the light generated by the bulb. The low beam 9012s are 55w, and the high beam 9011s are 65w, so there is no need to change the wiring or add relays to keep from stressing the current carrying capabilities of the stock wiring, and they are street legal. I have never had anyone flash me because my headlights were blinding them.
These bulbs produce white light with no bluish tint, and are rated at 3600 Kelvin color temperature. They will fit our headlight housings with a little trimming on the mounting tabs, which is explained in the Ebay description. Rather than continuing to try different bulbs in hopes of getting the best nighttime light source, I highly recommend these HIRs, even though they cost a lot. Just go to Ebay and type in 'Toshiba HIR' in the search box and read all about them.
Click to expand...

Got 'em....love 'em (especially combined with nice new OEM housings).
 
Good recommendation on the Toshiba bulbs. I haven't used them myself but several friends do and they love them. One thing I usually do to all my cars is rewire the headlights to come on via a relay from the stock switch so they get the full voltage from the car without losing any from passing through the headlight and highbeam switch.
 
rewire

rewire

That is the best way to insure that the bulbs get the full voltage and current they are designed to use. By oversizing the wires and running them directly to the battery, through the relay, there is no restriction to current passing through the wires, and no voltage drop. Always an excellent idea to do to any car if you want to maximize the light output.
 
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