Cheap Silverstars!

[lhsa]

just wanted to pass on a good deal. right now pep boys has the silverstars for our car at $30 with an extra $10 mail in rebate, it brings the price to $20.

 

there is an additional mail in rebate with sylvania for $5, bringing it to $15. the sylvania rebate can be found here, but the site is having problems.

 

http://www.sylvania.com/Sylvania/Templates/Summary/RebatesAndCoupons.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fConsumerProducts%2fAutomotiveLighting%2fCouponsAndRebates%2fdefault%2ehtm&NRNODEGUID=%7b4E4BC804-32AC-4CA8-A3D3-8369AE1A0AF9%7d&NRCACHEHINT=Guest

 

there is also a printable coupon at the pepboys site for 5 off of 30 for signing up for coupons, bringing the total cost to $10.

 

they didn't have silverstar ultras, but they would be the same price as well with a 15 mail in for pepboys and 10 rebate at sylvania.

[Guest]

Are these really worth it over generic bulbs?

[Guest *Jedimaster*]

Are these really worth it over generic bulbs?

[VTsullyman]

+1

[bosco]

Are these really worth it over generic bulbs?

 

yep

[Guest]

Care to elaborate?

[itsme]

I had them on my '04 WRX. They are much whiter and brighter. It made the stock bulbs look dim and yellow. That's for the heads up I will get a set for my head and fog lights. I already did the DRL mods so I'm ready for it.

[ex-ma hole]

I had them on my Audi, HUGE difference.

 

They seem to be much brighter.

[bosco]

Care to elaborate?

 

what the last two post's said pretty much sums it up. i have all six bulbs they work great. bosco

[lookslikeanevo]

While they are Brighter...they dont last long...i wear rubber gloves when i insall lights...had four burn out on me in less than 6 months...after that i went HID

[bosco]

i have them in all three cars i own for a over a year no problems. if they fail i will do something different. btw http://www.autobarn.com has them discounted. bosco

[yamie700]

I had a pair and one burned out in under 2 months, no I didn't touch the bulb. I put them in my fiance's Rav4 (with DRL) at the same time and they have been fine for about a year. I think their quality control is not very good as I hear stories like mine all the time. I am just saving up for HID.

[lookslikeanevo]

I had a pair and one burned out in under 2 months, no I didn't touch the bulb. I put them in my fiance's Rav4 (with DRL) at the same time and they have been fine for about a year. I think their quality control is not very good as I hear stories like mine all the time. I am just saving up for HID.

 

 

not much to save up for...especially at $212 shipped

[Magic]

I have used them In 3 diffrent cars, and have never had one burn out.

These are the Brightest halogen bulbs you can get, at just under 4000k.

If you want brighter, you have to go HID. I am currently running the Silverstars in my Low, High, Fog, and Turn signals.

[slowlane]

$212 shipped from who??

[Garandman]

Are these really worth it over generic bulbs?

Yes, if you want the HID look.

 

Otherwise buy the XtraVisions, which are less than $20 per pair at WalMart and have a $3 rebate.

 

http://www.sylvania.com/content/display.scfx?id=003679428

 

http://www.sylvania.com/content/display.scfx?id=003679422

[Drewski]

$212 shipped from who??

 

you can get "kits" cheaper than that on EBay... I saw some as low as $150 SHIPPED...

 

shop around. PS, all "kits" are crapola anyway, a kit is a kit is a kit.... the only thing that is much better is OEM stuff.... that will run you $200 or more. But worth it.

[bosco]

you can get "kits" cheaper than that on EBay... I saw some as low as $150 SHIPPED...

 

shop around. PS, all "kits" are crapola anyway, a kit is a kit is a kit.... the only thing that is much better is OEM stuff.... that will run you $200 or more. But worth it.

 

Subaru makes an OEM HID for my LGT? bosco

[lookslikeanevo]

Subaru makes an OEM HID for my LGT? bosco

 

 

No...maybe JDM...what he meant by OEM is using OEM products, from other cars, which makes it non-OEM on our car.

 

HID's on our cars work fine, retroing a projector, would be better...but not needed, as the stock lights do not produce glare(very minimal with the Chrome housings).

[Drewski]

yes, I meant using OEM parts. They are put through some insane testing (the kits are NOT) to be sure they will 1) last long enough to keep out of warranty 2) work in all climates and weather and 3) not be a piece of sh1t.

 

Basically I am just saying that the OEM parts (taken from donor vehicles) are vastly superior to the cheap Asian made "kits" you get for around the same money.

 

And yes, you can retro the suby lights without glare fairly easilly using OEM grade parts. You will have MUCH better results than if you use a kit.

[lookslikeanevo]

yes, I meant using OEM parts. They are put through some insane testing (the kits are NOT) to be sure they will 1) last long enough to keep out of warranty 2) work in all climates and weather and 3) not be a piece of sh1t.

 

Basically I am just saying that the OEM parts (taken from donor vehicles) are vastly superior to the cheap Asian made "kits" you get for around the same money.

 

And yes, you can retro the suby lights without glare fairly easilly using OEM grade parts. You will have MUCH better results than if you use a kit.

 

 

did you not read what i said? kits will be kits and oem products will just be that...i have own some kits that have lasted me years without any problems, but i have seen a tsx bulb go, and an evo bulbs go...its luck of the draw...

 

people are already hessitant on spending $300 for a kit...and some of them are scared shitless in opening their lights to clear them out... and some of them cant even figure out what halogen bulbs they wanna go with...also comsider that these guys are not HID nuts, they couls care less on how much color a sheild will put out and whether or not they NEED that clear lens for the super crisp cutoff...

now...its nice to be able to have the knowledge and resources to do a retro, but consider that not everyone does, and that the stock projectors do just fine with a PnP kit installed, the cutoff is fine, even tho colorless. I have been running my PnP kit for a year...and have not been flashed once, out put is great, its no as wide as a tsx projector, and there isnt as much color, but it does great for what it is.

[CreoSTi]

These are the Brightest halogen bulbs you can get, at just under 4000k.

If you want brighter, you have to go HID. I am currently running the Silverstars in my Low, High, Fog, and Turn signals.

 

Isn't brightness measured in lumens? The 4000K value is the color temperature. Also, there are brighter halogen bulbs available (check out the link below). Now, if you also want the slightly whiter/blue output, then you'll need to get something like the Sylvania Silverstars with the blue tinge on the glass.

 

I might be in the minority, but I was never that impressed by the Sylvania Silverstars. I'm still leary of any bulb that has a (blue) coating. I've used the Philips Vision Plus (+50%) and GE Megalight +60% in other cars, and was happier with their performance.

 

Check out this thread with recommendations by Daniel Stern for Legacy replacement bulbs, as he is an authority in automotive lighting;

 

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45991

 

-Mike-

[Joon525]

I might be in the minority, but I was never that impressed by the Sylvania Silverstars.

You're not alone. I had them before and will never buy them again. They burnt out way too fast and yes they were handled correctly.

[jonklein611]

I personally love Silverstars, they really help on my year of wagon. The OEM bulbs were yellowish and the low beams never really showed up. Yes they do burn out more quickly (prob my fault as i run them as DRLS...) but Advanced Auto has sales like monthly (pack of 2 for $20) and I keep an extra pack around. It seems that normally the Lo beam burns out or just breaks. The HI beam is pretty bright. I'd personally reccomend them for the older Leg's that have the "white" headlights (before 99 I think). I did a test on my folks 02 Forrester (clear headlights) and there's not as much improvement. I'd personally say, never pay full price for these bulbs..... ever. They are on sale all the time, when they are, get two pair and you're good for a long time. My one friend thought he could go to PIAA's and get better time out of them. He got less than i did, and they cosy him $50 a bulb......

[TSiWRX]

Just as Stern is an authority in automotive lighting, so is brother Drewski - he's the brains behind some of truly the most impressive and intense HID-mods that's on the road today.

 

Certainly, a plug-and-play "generic" kit will not cause our LGTs nearly the same amount of headaches (oncoming glare, etc.) as with some other vehicles, but a true OEM-retrofit definitely will be noticeably superior; both in terms of behind-the-wheel performance as well as from the viewpoint of oncoming drivers.

 

It's a matter, though, like brother lookslikeanevo mentioned, both cost (less so, as full-retros can be done on a budget if one is willing to look hard enough and gets lucky enough) as well as technical ability that may make the generic kits more viable to the masses - and since it's "passable" in terms of both performance (more than just passable, IMveryHO) and glare (somewhat less so), it's also easy on the concience.

 

---

 

As for the SilverStars, I truly feel that they offer more of a "color preference" to drivers than a true visibility increase based on actual light output.

 

If your eyes prefer a whiter shade of light than what's typically available through our OEM bulbs - and you also find HID-coloration (even at OEM levels of between 4300 to 4600K) to be too harshly white - then yes, this could be a good investment.

 

However, it should not be overlooked that yes, these bulbs have had a rather unpredictable history when it comes to longevity/durability. Although I've had sets that have lasted me upwards of 3 years now, I've also run into a couple of bulbs that's burned out in less than 3 months of normal use.