Recommendations for headlights

Headlights to tailights and everything in between.

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lgyee4
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Recommendations for headlights

Post by lgyee4 »

Does anyone have experience with replacement headlight bulbs (H4) for our cars? I put a set of PIAAs (blue plasma) into my wife's minivan and it isn't as good as the stock Sylvania white (9007). Any one own the Hella +50s?
1993 Turbo Wagon Stock w/turbo back 3"exh, KYB's
vrg3
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Post by vrg3 »

Yeah, those PIAAs are crap.

The most accessible high-performance H4 bulb in the US is probably the Sylvania Xtravision. Most auto parts stores carry it; the packaging is magenta. They usually put it next to the Sylvania Silverstars. Do not buy the Silverstars! They cost more and perform worse.

If you're lucky enough to live near a place that carries Philips Vision Plus, those are probably a bit better than the Xtravisions.

I wouldn't recommend going overwattage. I tested out some overwattage bulbs on a 1992 headlight and smoke started rising from it. Almost every part of the headlamp assembly is plastic, unfortunately.

Hella doesn't make bulbs; they buy them and resell them. So we don't know exactly what their Plus 50s are... From what I understand Hella Plus 50s are similar to Sylvania Xtravisions and Philips Vision Plus.

You'll also improve lighting noticably by just upgrading your car's lighting circuit; the stock wires aren't really good at handling the headlights' current, so there's a significant voltage drop, which adversely affects light output.
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JasonGrahn
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Post by JasonGrahn »

If you do actually have H4 bulbs, i love the Hella Yellowstar, it's yellow light, which your eye can REALLY pick up on. Yellow is much better then the blue bulbs and "crystal" colors that are out on the market. I also like them better then these "true" white bulbs i've got. You can get the yellowstar in a range of different powers.
Hella doesn't make bulbs; they buy them and resell them. So we don't know exactly what their Plus 50s are...
Where did you get this info?
-Jason Grahn
vrg3
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Post by vrg3 »

92-94 BC/BF headlamps do take H4 bulbs. They're specified to take 9003 bulbs which are for all intents and purposes identical to H4 bulbs.

The Yellowstars will definitely improve your ability when it's raining, snowy, or foggy. Even when the weather is good, they can improve your contrast perception noticably... The coating is dichroic, which is not nearly as bad as a tint, but it still reduces light output a little. It definitely hurts the color rendering index, though that's not usually too important. You also may risk attracting more attention than you want from the wrong people... It's your call, since there are definite pros and cons.

A quick note about Yellowstars -- you may have read other posts where I decry the use of any blue-tinted bulbs. If you look at Yellowstar bulbs they appear to have a blue tint. Don't worry, though; they don't. They have a dichroic coating on them that reflects blue light and transmits yellow light. That means the blue light generated by the burning filament gets reflected back at it where it is again used to heat the filament, and the yellow light comes out of the bulb.

I thought it was common knowledge that Hella doesn't make their own bulbs... I don't have a source off the top of my head. I guess I could be wrong.
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Dave G
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Post by Dave G »

I put Sylvania Silverstars (2 for $38 at walmart) into my Mustang, which also takes 9007. It made a world of difference, as I was also not happy with the high beams before switching over. My 94 Legacy has Sylvania Extra Vision bulbs, which are an improvement over the stock bulbs. I will probably switch over to the Silver Stars when the time comes, although I have heard that they have a short life. Everybody has differrent opinions on whether there is an appreciable difference with these lights, or what other light smay be better. I am a satisfied custmer, even if they only last a year. Another thing I did to improve the headlight performance was to clean the inside of the lenses, using a swab on a stick, and using polishing compound on the outside.
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Post by vrg3 »

Dave G, do a search on this board on Silverstars and Xtravisions; I've explained in another thread about them. The Xtravisions are much better than the Silverstars from an objective point of view. Put simply, the Silverstars perform worse and cost more.
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