Actually, you are completely right ... I spoke to a Sylvania rep, and she told me that there are 2 main differences between the American and European versions.
1. The american version has a coat of film on the bulb that filters out red/yellow light, for a slightly "whiter" appearance.
2. The european version has a slightly different beam pattern because european road signs are built taller than here in the US.
And Osram is the parent company of Sylvania. I think the silverstars are just marketed under the Osram name because it is more well known over there. But the bottom line is they're all made in the same place
"whiter" ... technically the american versions ... "brighter" the europeans. I'm thinking that the difference between them is minimal at best, however. We'll see ...
hmm... because I was looking for something looks nice and bright.
not like factory one's.
and since powerbulbs offeres that if you buy any pair of headlights you get H3 Osram foglights for free.
Keep in mind that the H3 Osram fog lights are "All season" ... not the silverstars. They may not be the "white" color.
Damn ... I bought my silverstars when they were offering the phillips blue vision sidelights for free ... wtf can i do with those ? I wish i waited a week and got the H3's instead, even if they may not be white.
8 days and counting ... heheh. I ordered them last Wednesday, and the sales rep said they would arrive withing 7 to 10 days. So they've got until Monday night before I start splitting hairs
The silverstars arrived on the 4th, and they were in that night! I'm very happy with them. They don't look much different from stock in the daylight, but they are drastically whiter at night. (2thumbs)