Silverstars or bust?

[TheDirtyGoatee]

So I am about to go buy some new bulbs for my MSP since my driver's side bulb went dead. However, I read somewhere that the Silverstars don't last too long. I am not a very rich person so I want something that'll last v. something that looks good. Plus, I don't even know if the Silverstars are all that great to begin with. So here is my ?

What bulb is the longest lasting?

What bulb is the brightest (without being HID)?

Is there a good compromise?

I was fully intending on spending around 50 bucks for those Silverstars but I want something that'll last.

Anyone?

 

[axisboldaslove]

slyvania cool blues....look pretty good...i am running them now..i did have 10k xenon bulbs but they burnt out but those were probably my favorite...so i switched them back to the cool blues...they are only $35 at most auto stores...and they last long too ...just my 2 cents

 

[eszoom]

depends on which one you get. sylvania silverstars burn out fast on the average maybe 2-3 months. i got osram silverstars, going 2 years now. my son has hid's on his 240sx. it's getting cheaper now and looks great. maybe...

 

[axisboldaslove]

a little off topic....but dirtygoatee...have you gone catless on your exhaust yet?

 

[ForceFed]

Aftermarket High output bulbs are junk and never last for any decent amount of time.
Your money would be better spent on a set of HID's.
Period.

 

[TheDirtyGoatee]

a little off topic....but dirtygoatee...have you gone catless on your exhaust yet?

Not just yet. Some unexpected bills came up. Plus, I haven't spoken to my friend to see if it's something he could do (being that he did it to his Turbo GTI VR6, I expect he could). I just need to check to see how much it'd cost for him to do it (labor would be on the house but what parts would I need.)

About the lights. I just picked up some basic Sylvanias (nothing spectacular). I told the Joe at Advanced Auto that my forum guys said the Silverstars don't last more than a couple months. He said "I think it depends on the vehicle." Since you guys have MSP's, I'll take your word. I believe I will be going HID soon. IIRC an HID kit only costs in the ballpark of 100-175 bucks or something. I believe I saw where a member was selling his used for cheap but they came brand new for not much more. Am I correct?

Having said all that. I've never purchased an HID kit in my life. What's the difference between 4K, 8K, 10K, etc? What's better, more costly, less costly, worth the money?

 

[NCZ13]

HID kits are under 100$...

well nvm, not for the MSP since you guys have that shared low/high beam...

so yeah it is in the 150 range for you...

 

[mspdfreak]

I had Silverstars on my MSP. They lasted about 18 months before burning out.

 

[TheDirtyGoatee]

either way, for the price of three light changes, I could have HID's.

roughly speaking, how long to HID's last?

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

Aftermarket High output bulbs are junk and never last for any decent amount of time.
Your money would be better spent on a set of HID's.
Period.

+eleventy billion. 2 years with this car and I've gone through 3 and a half sets of bulbs...OEM, Osram and Sylvania Silverstars. I was initially opposed to getting HIDs, but at this point I think it's the only way to go.

 

[eszoom]

either way, for the price of three light changes, I could have HID's.

roughly speaking, how long to HID's last?

had this guy come into a shop my son frequents and his lasted 3+ years and burnt out. so he bought new ones. he didn't buy it at this shop and his warranty was over.
hid warranties varies on the brand. i don't know what brand my son has, but he said it's lifetime on the ballast and bulb. in hawaii if your car don't come stock w/hids you can get a ticket. guys here get 5-6000 hids. 5000 is safe and white but not super white and no bling. 6000 is pushing it but MOST LIKELY safe and most popular. 8000 and up is on the blue side and garens get attention from the popo's. maybe don't apply in your state?

 

[Operator]

The Silver Star Ultra's have been awesome in my Montero; so I'd recommend them. Also look into HIR bulbs.

 

[red95_240sx]

I just sold my HID to fund a blown strut, and i put in sylvania extravision regular halogens, they actually cover the same amouth of ground my HID did once i re aimed them, but u cant see signs as well. (peep) you can also crank the beam WAAYY up without giving off any glare to the opposing driver.

Im thinking about polka dotting them with a blue permanent marker to get rid of the dull look, but keeping much light as posible. anyone think thats safe?

then again if u get a cheap or faulty HID kit, ull end up buying new bulbs and ballast, dishing out more moeny, So I'd get something with a decenst warranty and brand. My HID was an ebay kit, but it was xentec, and the only problem I had was one bulb to go out wihtin a whole year. They are getting cheaper.

 

[davens]

A testimony of length of time e.g. I had them for 3 years...is worthless.
Bulb life is measured in hours. So how many hours of use were in that 3 years? No way of knowing or comparing.

But take this into consideration...a 9006 bulb estimated hour rating:
Sylvania Silverstar: 200 hrs (4000k)
Sylvania Xtra Vision: 850 hrs (3200k)
...is that slight difference in color worth a bulb life that is ridiculously shorter? Three sets of SStars and you could've easily gone HID. Pros and cons of HID conversion kits aside (because that horse has been beaten to death) I like HIDs.

But maybe another option...get the Xtra Vision and buy a set of headlight film covers in "optic blue"...I had these on my fog lights, they looked/worked great. One time cost up front, no shorter bulb life...win/win. Hell, the film is cheaper than standard bulbs. Plus you get rock chip protection.

 

[NCZ13]

I just sold my HID to fund a blown strut, and i put in sylvania extravision regular halogens, they actually cover the same amouth of ground my HID did once i re aimed them, but u cant see signs as well. (peep) you can also crank the beam WAAYY up without giving off any glare to the opposing driver.

Im thinking about polka dotting them with a blue permanent marker to get rid of the dull look, but keeping much light as posible. anyone think thats safe?

i wouldnt recommend it. Halogen bulbs get very hot, and the marker could **** it up.

 

[red95_240sx]

what about marker scribble(ughdance)

I had came to the conclusion that the "cool blue" colored lights give off white light rather than dull yellow, and there is no clear bulbs that are filled with xenon that Ive seen, and the xenon thing was the blue tint hoax.

Your right about measuring by hours than years, I was real conservative with my HID cause i knew they had a shorter life expectancy, or were more prone to failuer. I see some who run theirs in the daytime.(ricer)

 

[red95_240sx]

i wouldnt recommend it. Halogen bulbs get very hot, and the marker could **** it up.

yea they do get flaming hot. Ive also done experiment and found that the cool blue lights of a very light shade dont really trap in more light to the human eye, and actually help to see signs, while giving a better lookin light. I compared them side by side.

 

[NCZ13]

its not about light output im talking about.
Its the same reason you dont touch Halogens with your fingers when your putting them in. The chemicals in the marker could mess with the bulb causing it to break.

 

[red95_240sx]

oh ok. I wasnt sure if it was just for the skin or not.

 

[TheDirtyGoatee]

Well I've gone ahead and just bought some cheapies from the auto store just so I don't get a ticket for having a headlight out. This will give me plenty of time to contemplate what to get.

There's been a lot of good arguements about what to get and what not to get. I am going to run through this thread when I have more time and figure out through all this mess what would be the best solution. It's looking like I might go HID but I gotta check with my local GA law to see if that's ok. I am pretty sure it is because I've seen a s***-ton of people with old cars that have HID's. Better safe then sorry though IMO.

Also, the idea of getting those regular bulbs with film covers is a good idea. However, I've seen on another members car that when you put (in his case RockBlockers) on his fog lights, there is a little "burn" mark where the bulb shines through. Is that a common occurance?


Edit: Oh and Red99Pro, I would not mark up the bulb like the other guys said. To me that sounds potentially hazardous and costly.
Lastly, does that film link have yellow tint for my fog lights? I want to tint my fogs yellow so bad but again, I don't want to have a scorch mark where the light shines through the film.

Thanks for all the advice folks.