Review with pics: Stock Headlamps vs. Sylvania SilverStar

[kenzo]

I took a chance and replaced the stock OEM headlamps in my 2005 Legacy GT Limited sedan with Sylvania SilverStar lamps (low and high beam). Since I rarely use fog lamps, those are still stock (not sure if replacements are available for the fog lamps). Are the replacements worth $20 each / $80 for the high+low set? My opinion so far: barely. The stock lamps are pretty good, the replacements are very good. My 2004 STi had excellent (HID) lamps and is (so far) my "gold standard" for automotive lighting. The SilverStars are slightly brighter and slightly whiter than the OEM lamps; the difference is more noticeable in real life than in the pics. The link below will take you to a crappy web page I put up for the occasion: (Web page taken down after this thread died out) Hope this info helps someone, kenzo :idea:

[CombatCQB]

I've had mixed reports of US silverstars The set in my dad's mustang work flawlessly. However, a few people I've talked to with Mazda6s have had nothing but trouble with silverstars burning out within 3 months. I'm planning to order some EDM silverstars to try out since they are better than US versions.

[kenzo]

One thing people should be aware of with any headlamp - be very careful not to touch the glass bulb when installing it. This can greatly reduce its life. (I held the bulbs with a clean paper towel while installing.) This is the first time I've used the SilverStars, so I don't have any info on premature bulb failure, etc. I'll provide updated info here if anything unusual happens. kenzo

[BernardP]

From your pictures, I would say the Silverstars are somewhat brighter and noticeably whiter I have been followed on the highway by a '05 legacy, and looking in the rearview mirror, I found the stock lights looked whiter than anything else not HID's Here in Canada, we have mandatory daytime running lights. So it is easy to do such a comparison even in the daytime. OEM lights will be good enough for me, as I am not too fond about driving at night anyway.

[momo]

My old G35 had HIDs and fog lights right next to each other. I changed out the halogens with silverstars to get a whiter light. Next to the HIDs, the silverstars still looked yellow. I tried the same thing on my Honda Civic. I ran a regular halogen on one side, and a silverstar on the other. Compared to regular halogens, sliverstars are whiter, but not when compared to HIDs. I guess nothing compares to HIDs when it comes to white lights.

[SUBE555]

I'd have to say after having been through a couple sets of silverstars in the family, I am going to be staying away from them for good. While they perform well in the vehicles they have been installed in, their life expectency is beyond horrible. My dad had them in his '00 Leg L Wagon and they burned out in probably 4 months. He put on 12-15k a year, but cummon, that long! That's a joke! I had a set go in a hair under a year too. Don't think about saving the reciept for that but right now, the stockers work great! I know Silverstars aren't what you want in a snowstorm.

[TLS]

Thats the first picture represented comparison of bulbs that CLEARLY shows the difference! Good job! How hard is it to change bulbs? Can it be done "tooless" on the road? Reason I ask, is that on my 300M, you have to physically remove the front nose! Takes about an hour to do a set of bulbs (you DO a full set just because of the PITA factor of getting to the sockets). I have heard that most aftermarket bulbs do have a shorter lifespan. But then, if you owned a lightbulb company, wouldn't you want your product to "repeat sell"? :wink: If they made them last 5 years, they'd likely be out of business!

[kenzo]

[quote name='TLS']Thats the first picture represented comparison of bulbs that CLEARLY shows the difference! Good job! How hard is it to change bulbs? Can it be done "tooless" on the road? Reason I ask, is that on my 300M, you have to physically remove the front nose! Takes about an hour to do a set of bulbs (you DO a full set just because of the PITA factor of getting to the sockets). I have heard that most aftermarket bulbs do have a shorter lifespan. But then, if you owned a lightbulb company, wouldn't you want your product to "repeat sell"? :wink: If they made them last 5 years, they'd likely be out of business![/quote] It wasn't that difficult. Most of the time involved was to take the pictures; I'd say all four bulbs could be done in 10-15 minutes. An earlier post by gtguy in a different thread here helped: [url]http://www.legacysti.com/viewtopic.php?t=1455[/url] A tool isn't strictly necessary; I found that I could turn the inner part of the plastic captive screw/snaps without a small Phillips. Longevity is definitely an issue; if these don't last at least a year, I'll probably put the stock bulbs back in.

[kenzo]

[quote name='SUBE555'] ... I know Silverstars aren't what you want in a snowstorm.[/quote] It'll be a while before we see snow again, but I'm interested in your experiences with SilverStars during a snowfall. Does the whiter light actually cause more "snow glare"? Thanks in advance for any comments you can provide. I'd hate to have to change out the "summer lamps" (SilverStar) for "winter lamps" (OEM or other) when the tires get changed over... where does it end? Winter/Summer... tires/wheels lamps (?) wipers washer fluid Maybe a second Legacy GT outfitted for winter... Hmmm... :)

[Ridgeracer]

I don't know why you guys are beating around the bush with this issue. Somebody just put a set of D2S bulbs in with an H7 adapter and let us know what it looks like. I'm sure the results won't be that bad.

[kenzo]

[quote name='Ridgeracer']I don't know why you guys are beating around the bush with this issue. Somebody just put a set of D2S bulbs in with an H7 adapter and let us know what it looks like. I'm sure the results won't be that bad.[/quote] Beating around the bush? And what are D2S bulbs? Sounds like you're volunteering to do another test and share the info like some of us have done. Thanks!

[Ridgeracer]

D2S...those are one type of HID bulbs. As soon as I buy a Leg GT Il will be taking some pics. I have a set of 4300K OEM bulbs with ballasts already. Nothing for nothing i'm not a big fan of replacement headlamp bulbs every year.

[kanoswrx]

I ran silverstars in my JDM STI headlights in my WRX for well over a year with no issues. I don't see why you would have any issues with them in the legacy as long as you keep your fingers away from the bulb itself. Thanks for the pics though, I think it shows you get a little more light, and a little whiter light, should be a good upgrade in the future.

[TAckhouse1]

I agree with others, touching the bulb will greatly reduce its life. I have been running Sylvania XtraVision bulbs in my car, for 3 1/2 years now, with no problems. -Nick

[Ed328Ci]

[quote name='momo']My old G35 had HIDs and fog lights right next to each other. I changed out the halogens with silverstars to get a whiter light. Next to the HIDs, the silverstars still looked yellow...[/quote] Color aside, how does the Silverstars compare to the HID in terms, of beam distance and width of view, at night? Thanks. Ed

[brady_bunch]

Kenzo, Where abouts are you? Are you in the US or in a RHD location? I ask because in the last pic, it looks like the stock beam is lower than the Silverstar which made me think of the "cutoff" for oncoming traffic. Or is that just a difference between the two bulbs?

[SUBE555]

I've always installed the bulbs with clean gloves to make sure I didn't get any oils on the bulbs. I just don't want to see people shelling out $40 or whatever they are for a set every 6-9 months. That's sort of stupid if you ask me. We are definitely a throw-away society with that kind of quality. Yes, they want a return buyer, but 2-3 years use is fine, under a year repeatedly, that's not good.

[Deer Killer]

pictures = dead (Correction, it just doesn't work from japan???) DRL disable will probably multiply bulb life greatly. They are tinted bulbs. I bet they'd be brighter if they didn't try to make them blue. Also that makes them run hot, which is probably why they don't last very long.

[kenzo]

[quote name='brady_bunch']Kenzo, Where abouts are you? Are you in the US or in a RHD location? I ask because in the last pic, it looks like the stock beam is lower than the Silverstar which made me think of the "cutoff" for oncoming traffic. Or is that just a difference between the two bulbs?[/quote] I'm in the US. My guess is that any difference seen is just bulb variance (?)

[kenzo]

[quote name='Deer Killer']pictures = dead (Correction, it just doesn't work from japan???) ...[/quote] I just checked the link... works fine for me...

[Deer Killer]

[quote name='kenzo'][quote name='Deer Killer']pictures = dead (Correction, it just doesn't work from japan???) ...[/quote] I just checked the link... works fine for me...[/quote] *shrug* I have to remote desktop back home to get to it..

[brady_bunch]

[quote name='Deer Killer']pictures = dead (Correction, it just doesn't work from japan???)[/quote] It didn't work the first couple of times I tried it but then I got in on the third time or so. Maybe just a site error/outage?

[IwannaSportSedan]

[quote name='Ridgeracer']I don't know why you guys are beating around the bush with this issue. Somebody just put a set of D2S bulbs in with an H7 adapter and let us know what it looks like. I'm sure the results won't be that bad.[/quote] About HIDS... [url]http://www.legacysti.com/viewtopic.php?t=1425[/url] Take a look at the latest posts in this thread, where we have recently been discussing the legality of aftermarket HIDs, and how they are affecting legislation in the US, jeopardizing the future of HID usage, due to complaints about aftermarket HIDs causing glare to other drivers. It sucks, I know... But we should realize what is going on in the legislatures that affect our car culture negatively. Does anyone know if the US OEM Left Hand Drive H7 headlight reflectors are rated or designed for HIDs? I am doubting that they are. I would love it if Subaru would update the reflector and bulb recepticle for HID from the factory, though. There is a place in the fuse box for it, for those markets that have it already. Check out this article, if you are interested in learning more about OEM vs Aftermarket HIDs. [url]http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/disadvantages/disadvantages.html[/url] As for the silverstar Halogens, I would prefer the (rest of world, Not US) Osram Silverstar bulbs, that put out more lumens, and don't have the color filter to push the light through. [url]http://www.powerbulbs.com[/url] has them, if you're interested.

[momo]

[quote name='"Ed328Ci"'][quote name='"momo"']My old G35 had HIDs and fog lights right next to each other. I changed out the halogens with silverstars to get a whiter light. Next to the HIDs, the silverstars still looked yellow...[/quote] Color aside, how does the Silverstars compare to the HID in terms, of beam distance and width of view, at night? Thanks. Ed[/quote] The HIDs seemed to cast light farther than the silverstars because when I turned off the foglights, the only difference I could see was that the road immediately in front of the car was less illuminated. Part of the difference could also be that the reflectors for the fog lights are different than the HIDs, and the fog lights are about 4 inches lower on the car than the HIDs. I'm assuming that my foglights are focused in the same direction as the HIDs as they doubled as high beams. The silverstars are better than normal halogens for brightness, but it won't beat HIDs.

[IwannaSportSedan]

[quote name='momo'] The HIDs seemed to cast light farther than the silverstars because when I turned off the foglights, the only difference I could see was that the road immediately in front of the car was less illuminated. Part of the difference could also be that the reflectors for the fog lights are different than the HIDs, and the fog lights are about 4 inches lower on the car than the HIDs. I'm assuming that my foglights are focused in the same direction as the HIDs as they doubled as high beams. The silverstars are better than normal halogens for brightness, but it won't beat HIDs.[/quote] You are right, but perhaps you don't know how right you are. Reflectors by type: Fogs - they are wide flat beams that cut under the headlights, for seeing obstacles in the road through the fog/rain, and create front-end beacons for oncoming traffic. They are wide, and short distance, to limit "backdazzle" from fog. Driving beams (most cars don't have OEM driving lights) are narrow long distance beams, auxiliary to high beams. They usually have longer range, with less spread. Low beams. medium distance, wide beam, with a sharp horizontal cutoff. To illuminate most of the road most of the time, without blinding oncoming drivers. High Beams. Long distance, moderately wide beams, meant for general highway speed use whenever possible, and are turned off to avoid blinding oncoming drivers. Fogs usually come on with marker lights, and low beams, and usually shut off with high beams, due to regulations for how many headlights can be on at one time. (usually 4 beams total) Driving lights usually come on with high beams only. Bulbs, Halogen Vs HID: HIDs will almost always put out more lumens than Halogens. HIDs are arc-lights, like searchlights. There is no filament, just a spark from one electrode to another, which requires thousands of volts, but requires less wattage for more lumens. The thing is, a filament has an actual measurable shape, and the reflector can focus the light based on that shape, especially for the cutoff of the low beam headlights. HID arcs are harder to focus on, but there are more lumens there to use. Given reflectors of the same efficiency and pattern, designed for the bulb specifically, Hids will throw more lumens up to and past the range of the halogen bulb. Sylvania Silverstars are blue coated bulbs, which removes a certain frequency from the light, in this case, the yellow-orange-red end of the spectrum, letting the white to blue color temps through. To get more light out of a filtered bulb, they have to pump a lot more light through the filter. They are typically over-driven (heating the filaments hotter than normal, for less bulb life, and more heat on the glass.) which could explain part of the longevity problems reported. Osram Silverstars (Sylvania's parent company) are not the same thing, they are not over-driven, and not blue filtered, but they are very efficient, and put out near the maximum lumen level of a halogen bulb. They look whiter than standard, but not as blue as the sylvania bulbs, and they get their color purely from output level, not from filtering. check the powerbulb link in my previous post. I personally wouldn't use blued bulbs for foglights, because blue wavelengths are more easily reflected, yellow less so. In a fog situation, a selective yellow filtered bulb (blocks blue/white light) will be more penetrating, with less back-dazzle. Fog lights have such limited range that the lumen loss of the yellow filter makes less of a difference. Blue/white tinted headlights (hotter white, not ricer blue) aren't so bad for long range lights, because HIDs and high efficiency halogens of that output level, paired with good reflectors, can throw that light farther downrange, where it will reflect back at you. Lighting objects far away doesn't work if the light isn't reflected back to your eyes. Some claim worse color recognition with blued light, but I'd rather see something sooner, than later with slightly better color representation. the color rendering gets better as the objects (highway signs and such) get closer. You can't read most of that stuff at much beyond 50-75 yards at night anyway. The danielsternlighting.com link I posted above has some articles about all this stuff. That is not the only source, either.