Sylvania Silverstars bulbs: phooey!

123c · Post by **123c** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 6:58 am

I personally like the Silverstar's, that's what my brother has in his 1990 Legacy, and they have made a huge difference. I will make sure to get a 1992-1994 Legacy, when I get around to buying one. I would have to agree that the true European beam pattern is the best, since my Mercedes 300CD has some...

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 7:20 am

Oh yeah! The 123-chassis European lights were great. I had an '84 300D, Germany-spec... Those lights were just awesome.

QuickDrive · Post by **QuickDrive** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 3:41 am

I just put a set of Silverstars in this weekend and I can see a huge difference.

I did however polish the lenses at the same time so it could just be that. but I can see at night much better, and they look like glass now

rallysam · Post by **rallysam** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 3:51 am

In my humble opinion, polishing lenses makes a big difference, installing silverstars doesn't.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 4:03 am

Yeah... Get Xtravisions and swap them in place of the Silverstars, and you'll see even better! Xtravisions are cheaper than Silverstars, too. You can keep the Silverstars in the glove box as spares just in case a bulb burns out in the middle of nowhere at night.

Bheinen74 · Post by **Bheinen74** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 6:11 am

I cleaned my yellowed/oxidized lenses with mequires clear plastic cleaner-big difference in light output, but not satisfied. My previous cars were all honda 91 civic si's, and those lights are always hellish bright, produced light output so good it was like it was daytime. just regular sylvania lamps.

Question here is, should i buy NEW bulbs for my 94 legacy? or am i still not gonna have lights like i was used to? sounds like subaru lights suck.......

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 6:18 am

94 Legacy headlights are actually quite good.

The weak point, though, is the wiring. Subaru used pathetically thin wires for the headlights, and that really cripples their light output. A heavy-duty lighting harness is a cheap easy way to make your lights a lot better.

If you fix the wiring, put in a decent pair of bulbs, and aim them, I'm sure you'll find the lights at least as usable as your Civics'.

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:33 pm

I installed a set of Silver Stars about 2 weeks ago because I had one low beam out. I got them for $28 after tax. They seem a bit brighter then my old ones and I like the "whiter" color. They were olny a few dollars more then the regular bulbs so I figured why not? I like them, I'd like to tray these xtravisions or whatever that Vikash mentioned though.

Who makes those V? Are they still Sylvania?

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 3:55 pm

Yep, Sylvania makes both.

They're brighter than your old bulbs because your old bulbs are old... halogen bulbs do get dimmer as they age.

The "whiter" color is achieved by reducing the amount of light the bulbs put out in more useful frequencies. This is a handicap, especially when it's raining or snowing or foggy. Trust me; the Xtravisions will let you see better. They're cheaper than the Silverstars (primarily because they're not marketed as heavily) and put out more light.

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:14 pm

Hmm, well the next set I throw in will be xtravisions then.

I've been out in the rain with these silverstars and didn't notice any reduction in performance.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:21 pm

Again, you're comparing them to your old bulbs. Try good new bulbs and you'll see (literally).

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:44 pm

Hahahahaha. OK, right on.

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:16 am

vrg3 wrote:Yep, Sylvania makes both.

They're brighter than your old bulbs because your old bulbs are old... halogen bulbs do get dimmer as they age.

The "whiter" color is achieved by reducing the amount of light the bulbs put out in more useful frequencies. This is a handicap, especially when it's raining or snowing or foggy. Trust me; the Xtravisions will let you see better. They're cheaper than the Silverstars (primarily because they're not marketed as heavily) and put out more light.

Second this motion. I tried the silverstars, but they also burn out twice as fast. The xtravisions work just as good and have lasted much longer.

jamal · Post by **jamal** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:30 am

vrg3 wrote:once I do my lighting wiring upgrade and document it, you might consider doing the same.[/b]

I'm doing that. Along with my FF1000 driving lamps, I should have a pretty good lighting setup. The big lights are off the car at the moment though, because I'm working on making some new mounts that won't vibrate at all and I need to take out some extra wiring and the butt spices I did and break out the soldering iron.

I think I have most of it figured out, but a nice detailed description by the expert would be awesome. Are you just going to put the relays in at the wiring right near the lamps?

Which relays are you using and where did you get them? I hear about how I don't want to use cheap ones.

Also Xtravisions for the win.

jnorion · Post by **jnorion** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 11:30 pm

Try Osram Silverstars, not Sylvania Silverstars. Osram is the parent company... the Silverstars they make (for sale in Europe only) are not coated and are nearly pure white, with a little more yellow and a little less blue. I have had them in two of my cars in the past... they are insanely bright, and I have done a direct comparison with the US Sylvania version and they are much better.

Also, you can buy them at http://www.powerbulbs.com for about $35 shipped free from the UK. Cheaper than the US version and better. The only drawback I know of is that you may have to convert your harness to accept H4 bulbs.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 12:01 am

Yes, Osram Silverstars are very high-performance bulbs. H4 bulbs are essentially the same as 9003 bulbs; no conversion is necessary.

fireytom · Post by **fireytom** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 1:42 am

tehehe butt spices

jnorion · Post by **jnorion** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 3:35 am

vrg3 wrote:Yes, Osram Silverstars are very high-performance bulbs. H4 bulbs are essentially the same as 9003 bulbs; no conversion is necessary.

I was under the impression that the pre-facelift lights used 9004 bulbs.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 3:55 am

They do.

You can't "adapt" H4 bulbs for pre-facelift lights.

jnorion · Post by **jnorion** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 4:05 am

Isn't it just a matter of different wiring, though? I know there are a lot of guys on the Mazda board I've been on for a while that have wired in new plugs specifically to use the Silverstar H4s. I never did it myself so I'd have to look around a bit to find the procedure, but it seems easily possible.

Post by **Legacy777** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 4:23 am

No....the H4's will not work because the optics are completely different then the 9004 bulbs. The reflector will not focus the light where it needs to be, and you'll just have a scattered mess.

jnorion · Post by **jnorion** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 4:28 am

Oh, ha, my bad. I wasn't even thinking about that part... the system for the Mazda was when they replaced their lights with the EDM version. I was just thinking about the wiring. Never mind.

0perose · Post by **0perose** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 12:14 am

wish I would've known this before I bought a silverstart to replace the regular bulb that exploded when I pushed my friend's mazda up an icy hill in the woods with my bumper

Jr.SubaruLvr · Post by **Jr.SubaruLvr** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 5:22 am

anyone hear any reviews on nokya's.. i want to get some super yellow's

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:25 pm

Nokya bulbs aren't very good.

Any bulb manufacturer that tries to tell you their bulbs somehow create x "watts of light" with y "watts of electricity," where x>y, is likely selling complete garbage. And of course, any bulb that comes in packaging that looks more expensive than the bulb itself is likely to be worthless. The best bulbs tend to come in plain cardboard boxes because the money is spent on engineering instead of marketing.

If you're looking for a good selective-yellow bulb, try a Hella Yellowstar or something. Most good bulb manufacturers (Osram and/or Sylvania, Philips, Narva, Wagner) make selective-yellow bulbs for the world market.

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Sylvania Silverstars bulbs: phooey!

what bulbs are best for given good night driving?