Higher intensity headlight bulbs-Your opinions please?

[Minou]

What's been your experiences with higher intensity headlight bulbs, such as Sylvania Silverstar, GE Nighthawk, etc. I'm looking to find something a bit brighter than stock. Stock wattage only though, melting harnesses and sockets is not something I want to experience.

My brother just replaced his burnt bulbs (04 Golf TDI) with GE Nighthawks and is extremely pleased with the amount (reach and width) of light he now has over stock.

Is the Sylvania XtraVision at 3200 Kelvin (same as OEM lights) worth the price, or better step up to either the Nighthawk or the Silverstar at around 4000 Kelvin (and double the price), although I couldn't find any specs for the Nighthawk.

My car (05 Corolla) uses 9006's single filament 55W low beams.

[si]

the differences between halogen bulbs will be minor at best.  Aftermarket bulbs can tend to burn out quicker (especially if you get finger oils on them).  I would suggest buying a set of 'performance' bulbs, and the higher priced ones should be a bit better.  Warranties are also good, as some of the aftermarket shops offer.

For best improvement, you can do a HID conversion for about $300-$450.  Although your headlight is not specifically built for HIDs, the improvement would be huge and you shouldn't expect any detriments including from police.

[tpl]

I dont think that the Kelvin is the guiding factor.   That is a colour temperature and refers to the spectrum of the light emitted.  I remember from school that the suns apparent colour temp is 5500K which is what our eyes have evolved to expect.

The important thing IMHO for auto lights is the pattern.  Easiest done with big, carefully designed reflectors or even more carefully designed projectors.  also IMHO the euro pattern with the sharp cutoff and the extra light on the right hand side is the best but as that is still a no-no in the US you dont find it on may cars in Canada.

You might find that replacing the Golf headlamp units with a pair bought in Europe using euro bulbs would do the trick... I suspect that there are companies who import them marked for "off road use only"   

Aftermarket HIDs have the problem of the discharge shape, that is the shape of the emitting "surface" is not the same as a filament bulb and therefore does not match the reflectors. You will note that practically all factory HID lights are projectors for that reason.  ALSO HIDs take a certain time to ignite, your golf assumes that the switch from low to high beam can swap filaments instantly.  Many HID equipped cars have separate high beam halogen lights becasue of that and some have a mechnaical hi-low switch that actually moves a shutter in the light assembly. HIDS also have a problem of cost!   Bulbs, igniters, control electronics are not cheap.

[bmorton]

Upgrading your halogen bulbs is a worthwhile investment, if you avoid the blue-tinted bulbs and focus on ones that actually put more light on the road. GE Nighthawks are an easy-to-find example, ditto for Sylvania's Xtravision. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these choices.
There are other good bulbs out there, but you're limited by your Corolla using the 9006/HB4 type of bulb and there aren't as many bulb choices for that bulb type as for others.

I've been using Philips VisionPlus bulbs in my Impreza for over two years now and have been very satisfied with the improvement.

[johngenx]

Many Mercedes owners used HIB bulb assemblies inside lense housings designed for halogen bulbs and all found the results disappointing.  The reflector is not designed for the bulb and the light output is no better than with the OE bulb, and the money was wasted.  The only way to really have HID lights that work properly is to replace the entire assembly.

[asdf]

I just swapped out my oem-bulbs for GE Nighthawks this week.  The difference is noticeable but not huge.  I haven't decided if it is worth the $65 I paid for the pair (9007).

[Minou]

A full HID conversion is out of the question.  I mostly want to know if I can realistically expect a 20-30% claimed better illumination with a limited $60. outlay consisting of only replacing the bulbs? 

asdf,

On what car did you install the pair of 9007's?

This is exactly (9007 GE Nighthawk) what my brother put on his Golf and he says the difference is very significant.

[village]

I run both Sivanyia's XtraVision and Silverstar's in my cars.  They are a mild improvement over the OE's but nothing to write home about.  Overall though, I'm happy with them and they were worth the slightly extra cost.

[tortoise]

If you are installing aftermarket bulbs make sure they use the same amount of power as the stock bulbs.  I have read of many wiring harness' being fried by pulling too much current through them.

Also, I think the level of improvement depends on how good the stock lighting system is.

[asdf]

On what car did you install the pair of 9007's?

This is exactly (9007 GE Nighthawk) what my brother put on his Golf and he says the difference is very significant.

I installed the bulbs in my bug-eyed Impreza.  The beam pattern on my car seams to be pretty low and wide so I guess it may not seem as bright.  Don't get me wrong though, they are brighter than oem.  When I installed a set of Phillips bulbs in my dad's MkIV Golf, which seemed to have a higher and narrower beam pattern, I would say the difference was definitely more noticeable.

But then again, it could be just my aging eyes or too many hours in front of a blindingly bright LCD monitor.

[gta_driver]

I live in a rural area with plenty of wildlife and have noticed are marked improvement between using simple halogen bulbs and something like Silverstars. With the Silverstars, I tend to use my high beam function a lot less. I can see more of the road. In urban settings it doesn't matter.

[random006]

What about beam alignment?  Is this still an issue with bulb only replacements?

The reason I ask is that I've seen several cars with their lights clearly mis-aligned, blinding pedestrians and/or other drivers alike.

[Trainman]

This has been a huge topic on the Pathfinder forum I am on, no clear winner.

One thing not mentioned in the above replies is the wiring on today’s cars.  Consensus seems to be that by going to a relay system for your headlights (bypassing the stock wiring) you can get 20-30% more light from the same bulbs.  Has to do with voltage drop due to the smaller wire used in today’s cars.  The relay system ties into the batter directly with larger gauge wire, uses the stock switch/wire to a relay that activates the lights.  Cost is about $150 cdn for my Pathy.  Have not done it yet but am thinking about it.

For good info on car lighting, check out this web site:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/home.html

[sleepyzippy]

I'm using Sylvania's ExtraVision in my 94 Civic and the output is on the mark as what Sylvania has claimed, about 30% brighter than stock. But with all those deflector on the lense the lense, the ouput is diffused. I assume they'll be brighter on clear lenses.

As for the Silverstars, they have the same light output as the ExtraVision. The only difference is the white light SS produced. From my pass experience of those so-called white light, it's harder to see in the night with white light than yellowish light, especially in rain. If you want white light then you got to go HID.

I'm satified with the EV and the SS doesn't justify the premium over the EV (it's like 20 bucks more than the EV). Btw, when I had my Protege5 the lights were superb, even with stock bulbs.

[Snowman]

I have been using Silverstars now for three years. I am happy with the performance but have changed four bulbs in that timeframe. I always keep a spare in my glove box. I went back to the OEM bulbs a year ago and noticed the difference after blowing a bulb. I will continue to use the Silverstars……until the bug-eye JDM HID’s come in my price range. The price is dropping slowly and as soon as they are under $1000 I will get a set.

[random006]

Another problem is the comparison made between the old bulbs and the new, aftermarket ones.  To what, exactly are they compariing?
--> Brand new OEM bulbs and brand new aftermarket bulbs?
or
--> Several year old, tired OEM bulbs and brand new aftermarket bulbs?

Don't forget that most bulb technologies dim with time and use.  Thus putting in a new bulb of any kind might very well look better and brighter than what was installed.  Certainly my home halogen lights exhibit this phenomenon.

Also, voltage and other electrical requirements must be met.  Otherwise, a dimmer light might be had or one might destroy the wiring harness from overheating and such.

Personally, I'm happy to stick with a new set of OEM units, be they the original spec or an improved spec.  Naturally, if the spec changes, I would expect my dealer to upgrade the surrounding electrics to go with it.  So far, though, there is no need to do that. 

[bmorton]

My comparison was with brand-new bulbs. I replaced the brand-new stock bulbs in my Impreza with brand-new Philips VisionPlus +50% bulbs the week after I got it in the fall of 2003. Noticeable difference. I was looking for increased performance vs. the "white look" you get with Sylvania's Silverstars, so I didn't consider those, and at the time the Nighthawk bulbs weren't on the market yet. Still on my original set of Philips bulbs, too.

[eddy4]

I run silverstars in my Caravan , as the old bulbs were quite weak... oil lamp weak , the silverstars made a great improvement .
In the case of the Caravan , the Daytime running lamps  utilize the parking lamps so the headlamp bulb life is very good. But at 22 dollars a bulb they are a good deal.

[03_ap1]

also IMHO the euro pattern with the sharp cutoff and the extra light on the right hand side is the best but as that is still a no-no in the US you dont find it on may cars in Canada

Its not a euro pattern at all.  Many projector headlightsi in both Canada and the US have this pattern, including my s2000 (with HID) and my 06 Grand Vitara (halogen). 

[picard]

I replaced my stock bulb on Honda accord 1993 with sylvana bulb. It is significantly brighter than stock bulb however, I don't have light meter to measure it.