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Sylvania Silverstar headlights



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 2nd 05, 09:17 PM
Daniel J. Stern
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Default Sylvania Silverstar headlights

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005, SRG wrote:

> I just bought the 9006XS 's (low beam) for my PT Cruiser. They look a
> little whiter and brighter than the 2.5 year old originals. They are
> 55 watts and the originals were 51 watts, I think. Has anyone else
> here got them? What do you think? DS could you explain what you
> think about them?


They produce *less* and *bluer* light than standard bulbs, and have a
shorter lifespan. The claim that "Whiter light helps you see better" has
no factual basis, and "brighter" is being misused. ("Brighter" is like
"Louder": It's a subjective term that doesn't mean you have more light or
more sound, respectively).

A bulb of given parameters with clear glass is ALWAYS better than a bulb
with colored glass -- always. Doesn't matter whose name is on the blue
bulb (Sylvania, PIAA, etc.), all of the bulbs with blue glass are gimmick
products that do not help you see better under any circumstances. (Ha ha,
joke's on the buyer, they don't fool anyone into thinking your car has HID
Xenon headlights, either.) The "brighter" impression is an optical
illusion, and these bulbs are _markedly_ worse in any kind of bad weather.
You'll run into people who swear they can see vastly better with
Silverstars or PIAA, etc. This is nothing more than self-delusion; I call
it the "Slick-50 Effect" ("Of _course_ my engine runs smoother and
stronger and gets 5 more miles per gallon; I just spent $40 on a bottle of
Slick-50!")

There aren't many options in the straight-base 9006XS and 9005XS bulbs
used by a lot of Chrysler products, but the PT Cruiser happens to
physically accept the regular angle-base 9005/9006 bulbs (it's just a
question of whether the angled base part will clear the housing, and in
this case it does). That opens up the options considerably. You might want
to go over and look at

http://bmwz.org/articles/lighting/0506trick/

And now the in-depth tech talk:

Here's manufacturer data for output and lifespan at 13.2v for all the
Osram/Sylvania H1 bulbs. Lifespan is given as Tc, the hour figure at which
63.2 percent of the bulbs have failed. Though I've chosen H1 bulbs for
this comparison, the relative comparisons apply to any given bulb type:

Osram or Sylvania H1 (regular normal): 1550 lumens, 650 hours

Osram or Sylvania H1 long life: 1460 lumens, 1200 hours

Osram H1 Super (if Sylvania Xtravision line included H1, this'd be it):
1700 lumens, 350 hours

Osram H1 Silver Star (NOT Sylvania Silver Star!): 1750 lumens, 350 hours

Osram H1 CoolBlue or Sylvania H1 Silver Star: 1380 lumens, 250 hours

Now, looking over these results, which one would you rather:

(a) Buy?
(b) Sell?

The answer to (a) depends on how well you want to see versus how often to
change the bulb. If you want the best possible seeing, you pick the Osram
Silver Star. If you don't care as long as it works and you don't want to
hassle with it, you pick the long life or Daytime Running. The answer to
(b) is determined by how rich your company's shareholders want you to be,
and is obvious: You want to sell the bulb with the shortest lifespan and
highest price. That'd be the Sylvania Silver Star.

More? Su

AutoExpress finally released the results of their new H4 (=9003, =HB2)
bulb tests.

Standard and blue bulbs ("Osram CoolBlue" is what is sold in North America
as "Sylvania Silverstar"):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product...y.php?id=39920

"Plus 30" high efficiency bulbs ("Osram Super" is what is sold in North
America as "Sylvania Xtravision", while "Philips Premium" is available in
North America as "Wagner BriteLite" and "Candlepower Bright Light"):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product...y.php?id=39919

"Plus 50" ultra high efficiency bulbs (Osram Silverstar is available in
North America as Candlepower Super Bright Light, or -- like the Philips
VisionPlus -- can be ordered from one of the overseas websites that ships
worldwide):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product...y.php?id=39917

The AutoExpress website will let you view up to two articles before it
wants you to "register" -- throwing phony info at it will make it shut up
and let you see more stories.

DS

Ads
  #2  
Old March 2nd 05, 10:11 PM
SRG
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Posts: n/a
Default

DS

Thanks for the informative reply, I had already gone ahead and replaced the
bulbs in my PT, but held off on my wife's car. I've since read your and
other posts that talk about the shorter bulb life.

In a side-by-side comparison with another PT with OEM bulbs (which were
Sylvanias in my car, btw) the Silverstars were whiter and brighter looking,
the OEM bulbs looked to have a brownish tint comparatively. They seem to be
pretty good, but not enough difference to be worth $20.00 each and certainly
not for a shorter bulb life. So I'll just see how long they last and hope
to get a reasonable amount of use out of them.

Thanks again;
SRG

"Daniel J. Stern" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 20 Feb 2005, SRG wrote:
>
>> I just bought the 9006XS 's (low beam) for my PT Cruiser. They look a
>> little whiter and brighter than the 2.5 year old originals. They are
>> 55 watts and the originals were 51 watts, I think. Has anyone else
>> here got them? What do you think? DS could you explain what you
>> think about them?

>
> They produce *less* and *bluer* light than standard bulbs, and have a
> shorter lifespan. The claim that "Whiter light helps you see better" has
> no factual basis, and "brighter" is being misused. ("Brighter" is like
> "Louder": It's a subjective term that doesn't mean you have more light or
> more sound, respectively).
>
> A bulb of given parameters with clear glass is ALWAYS better than a bulb
> with colored glass -- always. Doesn't matter whose name is on the blue
> bulb (Sylvania, PIAA, etc.), all of the bulbs with blue glass are gimmick
> products that do not help you see better under any circumstances. (Ha ha,
> joke's on the buyer, they don't fool anyone into thinking your car has HID
> Xenon headlights, either.) The "brighter" impression is an optical
> illusion, and these bulbs are _markedly_ worse in any kind of bad weather.
> You'll run into people who swear they can see vastly better with
> Silverstars or PIAA, etc. This is nothing more than self-delusion; I call
> it the "Slick-50 Effect" ("Of _course_ my engine runs smoother and
> stronger and gets 5 more miles per gallon; I just spent $40 on a bottle of
> Slick-50!")
>
> There aren't many options in the straight-base 9006XS and 9005XS bulbs
> used by a lot of Chrysler products, but the PT Cruiser happens to
> physically accept the regular angle-base 9005/9006 bulbs (it's just a
> question of whether the angled base part will clear the housing, and in
> this case it does). That opens up the options considerably. You might want
> to go over and look at
>
> http://bmwz.org/articles/lighting/0506trick/
>
> And now the in-depth tech talk:
>
> Here's manufacturer data for output and lifespan at 13.2v for all the
> Osram/Sylvania H1 bulbs. Lifespan is given as Tc, the hour figure at which
> 63.2 percent of the bulbs have failed. Though I've chosen H1 bulbs for
> this comparison, the relative comparisons apply to any given bulb type:
>
> Osram or Sylvania H1 (regular normal): 1550 lumens, 650 hours
>
> Osram or Sylvania H1 long life: 1460 lumens, 1200 hours
>
> Osram H1 Super (if Sylvania Xtravision line included H1, this'd be it):
> 1700 lumens, 350 hours
>
> Osram H1 Silver Star (NOT Sylvania Silver Star!): 1750 lumens, 350 hours
>
> Osram H1 CoolBlue or Sylvania H1 Silver Star: 1380 lumens, 250 hours
>
> Now, looking over these results, which one would you rather:
>
> (a) Buy?
> (b) Sell?
>
> The answer to (a) depends on how well you want to see versus how often to
> change the bulb. If you want the best possible seeing, you pick the Osram
> Silver Star. If you don't care as long as it works and you don't want to
> hassle with it, you pick the long life or Daytime Running. The answer to
> (b) is determined by how rich your company's shareholders want you to be,
> and is obvious: You want to sell the bulb with the shortest lifespan and
> highest price. That'd be the Sylvania Silver Star.
>
> More? Su
>
> AutoExpress finally released the results of their new H4 (=9003, =HB2)
> bulb tests.
>
> Standard and blue bulbs ("Osram CoolBlue" is what is sold in North America
> as "Sylvania Silverstar"):
>
> http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product...y.php?id=39920
>
> "Plus 30" high efficiency bulbs ("Osram Super" is what is sold in North
> America as "Sylvania Xtravision", while "Philips Premium" is available in
> North America as "Wagner BriteLite" and "Candlepower Bright Light"):
>
> http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product...y.php?id=39919
>
> "Plus 50" ultra high efficiency bulbs (Osram Silverstar is available in
> North America as Candlepower Super Bright Light, or -- like the Philips
> VisionPlus -- can be ordered from one of the overseas websites that ships
> worldwide):
>
> http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product...y.php?id=39917
>
> The AutoExpress website will let you view up to two articles before it
> wants you to "register" -- throwing phony info at it will make it shut up
> and let you see more stories.
>
> DS
>



  #3  
Old March 2nd 05, 11:36 PM
Bill 2
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Posts: n/a
Default


"SRG" > wrote in message
m...
> DS
>
> Thanks for the informative reply, I had already gone ahead and replaced
> the bulbs in my PT, but held off on my wife's car. I've since read your
> and other posts that talk about the shorter bulb life.
>
> In a side-by-side comparison with another PT with OEM bulbs (which were
> Sylvanias in my car, btw) the Silverstars were whiter and brighter
> looking, the OEM bulbs looked to have a brownish tint comparatively.


Were the bulbs in the other car brand new or were they a couple years old?
No sense comparing new to old. Old will always be dimmer.

Also did you just look at the headlight or did you see how well they
illuminated (point the car down a road and see how far you could see)?


  #4  
Old March 3rd 05, 04:50 AM
Daniel J. Stern
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Wed, 2 Mar 2005, Bill 2 wrote:

> > Thanks for the informative reply, I had already gone ahead and
> > replaced the bulbs in my PT, but held off on my wife's car. I've
> > since read your and other posts that talk about the shorter bulb life.
> > In a side-by-side comparison with another PT with OEM bulbs (which
> > were Sylvanias in my car, btw) the Silverstars were whiter and
> > brighter looking, the OEM bulbs looked to have a brownish tint
> > comparatively.

>
> Were the bulbs in the other car brand new or were they a couple years
> old? No sense comparing new to old. Old will always be dimmer.


That is true. What's more, "brighter and whiter LOOKING" is not the same
as "more intense". The impression of "brighter and whiter light" from the
Silverstars or other blue bulbs is, diplomatically speaking, quite
subjective. (in plain talk: it's an optical illusion).

> Also did you just look at the headlight or did you see how well they
> illuminated (point the car down a road and see how far you could see)?


That's the insidious part of the optical illusion: People will swear they
can "see better" with blue bulbs, when they actually can't. When you think
you can see better than you actually can, safety is *reduced*, and not
increased.

DS (and that's not even accounting for the increased glare and
backdazzle).
  #5  
Old March 3rd 05, 12:27 PM
Bill Putney
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Posts: n/a
Default

Daniel J. Stern wrote:

>
> DS (and that's not even accounting for the increased glare and
> backdazzle).


Backdazzle - wasn't that a movie with Kurt Russell? 8^)

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')
  #6  
Old March 3rd 05, 06:38 PM
Richard
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Bill Putney" > wrote in message
...
> Daniel J. Stern wrote:
>
>>
>> DS (and that's not even accounting for the increased glare and
>> backdazzle).

>
> Backdazzle - wasn't that a movie with Kurt Russell? 8^)
>
> Bill Putney
> (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
> adddress with the letter 'x')


I recommend you visit this web site: http://www.hirheadlights.com/index.htm

I put a pair of these into my 98 RAV4 and the low beams on my PT Cruiser and
they did everything claimed for them. These are the real deal, but they cost
about $30.00 a bulb. The RAV4 really needed them, the PT Cruiser already had
decent lighting with the Xtravision bulbs.

Richard.


  #7  
Old March 3rd 05, 07:35 PM
Daniel J. Stern
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 3 Mar 2005, Richard wrote:

> I recommend you visit this web site: http://www.hirheadlights.com/index.htm
>
> I put a pair of these into my 98 RAV4 and the low beams on my PT Cruiser
> and they did everything claimed for them. These are the real deal, but
> they cost about $30.00 a bulb. The RAV4 really needed them, the PT
> Cruiser already had decent lighting with the Xtravision bulbs.


Yep, as I mentioned in my response, these are a very hot ticket. BUT, they
cannot be used indiscriminately in just any ol' low beam or fog lamp that
takes a 9006. The 9012 puts out nearly 90% more light than the 9006; that
is a huge amount more light and if there's not adequate glare control,
massive glare and backdazzle results.

See http://bmwz.org/articles/lighting/0506trick/

DS (And yeah, the PT Cruiser has decent lights with Xtravision, but they
get even better with the 9011-9012s...)



  #8  
Old March 3rd 05, 08:40 PM
Bob Lutz
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Wed, 02 Mar 2005 20:17:38 +0000, Daniel J. Stern wrote:

> They produce *less* and *bluer* light than standard bulbs, and have a
> shorter lifespan. The claim that "Whiter light helps you see better" has
> no factual basis, and "brighter" is being misused. ("Brighter" is like
> "Louder": It's a subjective term that doesn't mean you have more light or
> more sound, respectively).


Even if they DO help the driver see better, they don't help oncoming
traffic to see better. Getting hit with a set of those coming over a hill
with the high-beams on is like driving into the sun.

  #9  
Old March 3rd 05, 09:21 PM
C.H.
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 13:35:56 -0500, Daniel J. Stern wrote:

> Yep, as I mentioned in my response, these are a very hot ticket. BUT, they
> cannot be used indiscriminately in just any ol' low beam or fog lamp that
> takes a 9006. The 9012 puts out nearly 90% more light than the 9006; that
> is a huge amount more light and if there's not adequate glare control,
> massive glare and backdazzle results.


Is it legal in California to put HIR/9011/9012 bulbs into 9005/9006
sockets? If so I might try that.

Chris

  #10  
Old March 3rd 05, 11:14 PM
Daniel J. Stern
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 3 Mar 2005, C.H. wrote:

> Is it legal in California to put HIR/9011/9012 bulbs into 9005/9006
> sockets?


There's nothing in the letter of the law that says you can't. 9011s and
9012s are DOT-certified bulb types, and I will eat my keyboard the first
time a policeman -- ANY policeman -- knows enough to say "Hey, these 9012
bulbs don't belong in these 9006 headlamps!". But, any given headlamp is
designed and intended to take one and only one type of bulb (9006, 9004,
H7, H11, H13, D2S, 9012, whatever).

It would be Federally illegal for any individual to make this swap on
another individual's car in exchange for consideration (money, goods,
services).

DS
 




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