headlight bulb install

question: after installing new headlight bulbs in a 2014, would I have to readjust? or would a new bulb (silverstar, for example) end up with the exact same dispersion pattern/beam height as the stock bulbs?

I'd like something a little brighter but don't want it go LED or HID. I just want another halogen, but I've seen some people say they get flashed all the time because the silverstars are too bright. might this be because they didn't adjust after installation? or are they really that much brighter? I don't want to annoy other drivers either.

 

All your doing is changing a bulb. No adjustment needed, they will be brighter and you will probably have lights flashed at you. But no adjustment needed. Good Luck

 

Nothing to adjust. Just make sure the bulb goes back in the same position as the bulb you removed was in.

 

I have Silverstar Ultras and I get flashed occasionally on dark strips of unlit roadway, which is going to happen with any bulb. Normal halogens aren't as bright, and they're more yellow which I think is the real reason I get flashed more than anything. They're brighter, but being closer to white I think they are just more of an annoyance even if they weren't brighter.

Everybody in my area had HIDs anyway since most are wealthy or driving newer cars, so it's very rare I get flashed. I have never been flashed by any oncoming car with HIDs, FWIW. I think it's generally older vehicles with very dim headlights that see mine and assume the brights are on. YMMV.

Nothing wrong with Ultras, and I wouldn't hesitate to install them in your car.

 

haha... you are one of the ones I saw in another thread talking about getting flashed. thanks for your input!

 

your comments are appreciated. thanks!

 

sounds like we'll get about a year out of the silverstar ultras. that seems to be the consensus. are you familiar with the zxe's? can anyone comment regarding the longevity or quality of any others in the sylvania line-up?

 

I had the ZXE's and they barely lasted 6 months both times

 

I have been using Silverstar bulbs since 1998 on 5 different vehicles, and I've only replaced one set, on a truck that sold in 2012 - a 1998 Chevrolet. Driver side failed, so I replaced both.

14 years, 2 sets of bulbs. I have had Ultras in 3 vehicles and the longest vehicle so equipped still in my possession is my Tacoma, my Ultras are 2 years old and still working wonderfully.

This includes fog light bulbs, headlight bulbs, and turn signal lamps in a previous vehicle.

I have never had a premature burnout that so many others have HEARD of people having, and fewer have actually experienced. I will run them with every halogen vehicle I own, and have done so for over a decade. YMMV.

Wear a glove when handling the bulbs to resist oil contamination and be attentive not to damage the bulb when installing.

 

My experience with ultra star bulbs is yes they a brighter and yes they are short lived depending on how much you use them. As for the adjustment if needed it is a 5 minute job on a 2nd gen with just a Philips screw driver and a blank wall.

 

are the ultras a huge improvement over the standard silver light? I think gonna go with the ultras regardless, but just curious.

could I just upgrade the low beams and leave the high beam stock? or is it recommended to have them both the same? (assuming the hi/low are separate bulbs- that's what I've gathere on here). this is all new to me. I'm just getting into modding from stock.

 

I'm not sure. Once I saw Ultras available, I bought them and replaced OEM bulbs. As I've never had to replace a set but the one time (which got Silverstar replacements) I can't really comment on how they compare. I've not gone from Silverstar bulbs to Silverstar Ultras.

 

gotcha. thanks for your input.

 

I run my lights all the time and my ultras lasted a year. I might try the silver light just to see if I notice much difference in longevity and brightness.

Btw- what is the comparison to the stock OEM bulb?

 

I was also wondering about comparison of other sylvania bulbs to stock- if the xtravision or standard silverstar (non-ultra) are somewhat better than OEM, it might be a good compromise concerning longevity.

 

I believe the back of the packaging has a chart of some kind comparing their different bulbs.

 

That's crazy. My Chevrolet truck had DRLs, and we're illuminated anytime the truck was running and went years and years with the same bulb, and IIRC that bulb pulled double duty as DRL and regular headlight low beams.

 

Yes BUT when used as D.R.L. they are running at a reduced voltage and will last much longer. Not relevant to the Tacoma as the D.R.L is a different bulb

 

it sounds like make/model/year of vehicle correlates with longevity of the silverstar ultras. different wiring, amps delivered to bulb, etc.

ok I'm getting conflicting info. does a '14 have two separate bulbs for the high/low beams? I thought so, but now I see that the H4/9003 is dual filament for high/low beams.

 

Yes and no.. My point was the DRL and low beam headlight on the Chevrolet was the same bulb, regardless of voltage used when in DRL mode, you still have the same bulb running constantly.

Driving in the day or driving at night, the same bulb provided light and still lasted me 4 years or so.

Your Tacoma with different bulbs for those functions didn't really have anything to do with what I was saying, which was that I'm surprised yours lasted 25% as long as my other truck referenced above, and I even had a bulb getting a far longer burn time each day/night than yours.