Sylvania Silverstar upgrade

just did the upgrade from stock on my 2014. Not overly impressed. Maybe a slightly wider beam out front, but i really dont notice increased brightness over stock. Maybe if i get out on the highway i'll notice a difference. One thing i did notice.... The stock light is totally evenly lit out front. The silverstars have dark and light spots. Each bulb had the very slightest little line on them running up to the tip. About 1/4" long. Thinner than a human hair. Very thin. Wondering if that could have an effect. Yeah, not impressed.

 

Dunno what the Silverlight is, but my Silverstar Ultras were noticeably brighter than stock and have no issues with light throw and coverage.

 

Type-o, sorry. Silverstars here (non-ultra verson). May have to take these back- the varigated beam pattern is disturbing. Reminds me of the cheap old sealed beams in my '82 chevy cavalier Wonder if it has to do with the lines on the bulb.

 

Sorry to hear. I've always been very happy with Sylvania's. Can't say for sure I've ever noticed the line you describe, but can't say I have looked either.

 

Well i got that out of my system. Took them back, got ultras instead. The ultras also have marks on them. Put them in anyway cause i didnt want to run around town anymore. I think maybe its from rubbing on the plastic bubble packaging. Maybe. Who knows. Anyway, all done. They do look brighter on the wall of the garage. And the beam is focused a little higher, which i assume would give these bulbs "more distance". Looking forward to testing them outside tonight. Thanks for your responses.

 

Been very pleased with my Ultras, which are about 18 months old. No issues at all. Love the output.

 

I would love brighter headlights (legally blind and have a very hard time at night) but can't afford a retrofit, am not rude enough to run HIDs in my stock housings, and don't want the headache of burned out LEDs on a regular basis. Are Silverstar Ultras my best bet?

 

I've used Silverstar and Silverstar Ultras since the Ultras were released in my bulb type and have been very pleased with them and I do recommend them. I have personally used them for quite a long time (since 1998 IIRC). For whatever reason, I have never had a bulb burn up before several years pass since installation. Some say their bulbs only lasted 6 months, some say a year. I don't know if I have dumb luck or if my attentiveness to keep the bulb clean and unscathed during installation has worked in my favor, but I've only replaced one set of bulbs due to bulb failure. That was on a 1998 Chevy and when it sold in 2012 it had only seen 2 sets of Sylvania's in that time. When I did replace the bulbs, it was because one failed. The other was fine but I changed the pair.

That truck had daytime running lamps, which was the same bulb as the low beam headlights - so they got lots of use.

Again, mileage seems to vary but I really am pleased with the Ultras. @Chopper678 picked some up after I recommended them to him and so far as I know, he hasn't had an issue with them either.

 

cant you remove the foglights or use the the foglight holes to mount a high output driving light as added illumination?

 

I think it's Rigid that has DOT approved lighting options. Probably a little pricey, but street legal

 

My stock fogs add a tremendous amount of valuable light on my 2014 tacoma. Mostly to the sides, but they also add to brightening the center up close. Havent determined yet if its legal to run them all the time with low beams, but i do run them on the highway to illuminate the ditches for deer. I turn them off, of course, if a car approaches.

 

Definitely legal to run fogs. Anytime.

 

Ive come across several reviews by people that state they have bad night vision. And they've been extremely happy with the upgrade to silverstars. Ive also read good reviews about the phillips X-treme vision (there are a few different "super bright" bulbs in the phillips line-up). Im going to try them next if the silverstars dont last. A little cheaper, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-X-tre...TF8&qid=1436755302&sr=1-1&keywords=philips+h4

 

The light would need proper cutoff. Sticking a high output light without proper focusing is no different from running HIDs in stock housing, and maybe even worse depending.

For the price of the Rigids, a retrofit is within reach...

Not necessary to turn them off. However, if there's no cars on the road, you're better off running high beams for the longer reach. Foglights don't help with far range vision, only close range.

+1 for the X-treme Visions.

 

Thanks. Have you used the xtreme visions? Any comments about them specifically?

 

I use the sylvania silver ZXE bulbs in my headlights and fogs. IMO almost as close as you can get to hid output without all the hassle with retro fit. They are just like the silver star ultras just I bit brighter and more of a whiter look. They may seem to look to have a blue tint to them by looking at them from the outside but white as can be from the driver seat!

 

Brightness I believe is the same, just the kelvin rating is the difference.

 

Which would give a brighter apperence. I think the ZXE are 6000k which is as close as you can get to daylight before the color starts turning blue. Not sure about the ultras. I ran ultras before and the ZXE seem brighter to me. Could just be me though.

 

Yes. Brighter appearance. Actual measured brightness IIRC is the same. The difference is in color, which would only appear brighter. I almost tried them but I do not want any blue tint, my Ultras are pure white which is exactly as I wanted. Glad you're enjoying the ZXE. I am a fan of Sylvania bulbs.

 

I came across the specs of all of the sylvania bulbs. Xtravision, Silverstar, Silverstar ultra, and ZXE. The specs (brightness, in particular) are identical for all the bulbs (as we know, there are electrical as well as legal constraints to consider). They overdrive the filaments on the coated bulbs, which in turn dims them back down to legal output. So yes, some appear brighter (whiter), but in actuality, I think they're about the same. Since I've now had both SS and SS ultra installed on consecutive days, I can say the ultras appear to be very slightly brighter (or whiter- BAD in rain/snow/fog) than the non ultra version. But the non ultra version has MUCH better coverage on the sides (maybe due to the lack of the colored bands?). The non ultra has no bands but the entire bulb has a blue tint. The aspect of light to the sides in particular was very noticeable and a selling point to me. I'm returning the ultras I installed yesterday due to the scuffs on the bulbs. That's now two sets of sylvania bulbs from Walmart that came scuffed up.

All things considered, I'm thinking that the Xtravision is the best bet of the 4 sylvania bulbs for me. Slightly better longevity (based on reviews I've read), no blue coating (so better in wet conditions), and hopefully better side lighting (like the non banded Silverstar). Now if I can just find some without scuffs. In any case, all are brighter than stock, based on the reviews I've read.