I just put the 9005 Silverstars in last night. I used a small wirecutter to remove (nibble away at) the ridges in the bulb. It took just a few snips at each one to get rid of them. Just be careful not to take too much away with each "bite", or you may crack the plastic shell. As far as brightness, they are a bit brighter than what I had in there (a Narva "white light" or something, and a Sylvania Cool Blue), both 9006 bulbs. I was hoping they would be brighter, since the lumen output spec. that came with the bulbs was 1700 for the 9005, and only 1000 for the 9006. There's a +/- tolerance for each of them also, though. Also, that's the FMVSS spec., not the bulbs' spec. Anyway, they're pretty bright, and they go well with the PIAA high beams I have. These cost alot less than the PIAAs (which I've had for a few years) and I'll replace them with Silverstars when they go.

Marty

98 SVT, Black, No. 786, May 7, 1997. K&N, MSDS, Xcal2, Tint, Antennas, Big Gulp(R)-Sized Cupholder, Rear Dome Lt., Koni/Eibach, DMD, Pre-98 Sails, Brake Cooling Deflectors, Sidemarkers, Etc. 147K+ Miles "Get the Door - It's GrooveNerd!"