Waste of money
03-24-2017, 03:14 AM
#21
Safety Car
Prior to doing an HID in projector conversion (Sunguns) I did try the Silverstars, and I have to say they made a big difference. Way better light and visibility.
We didnt have HIR before I went with the HIDs, they may be better......
03-24-2017, 07:59 AM
#23
Agree with the above. Radio Flyer conversion really works, takes the fear out of night driving. A hurricane lamp bolted to the hood would be better than the stock headlights. Horrible work GM.
03-24-2017, 09:56 AM
#24
Drifting
The 9011 and 9012 HIR bulbs are a good cost effective alternative to going (properly) full HID.
Years back when HIRs first came out, they were initial proprietary and quite expensive for one bulb. They've been out for a while though and are now getting easier to get. They'll still be expensive over most comparable 9005s and 9006s, but not by much.
The biggest initial complaint when the bulbs came out was how they simply weren't manufactured to fit 9005 and 9006 housings out of the box. It really doesn't make sense to make a bulb NEAR exact to 9005s and 9006s in construction but then not actually have them fit existing housings out of the box. There's no difference in electrical hook up, and due to the refraction construction of the bulbs they actually run cooler in most cases than 9005s and 9006s.
Years back when HIRs first came out, they were initial proprietary and quite expensive for one bulb. They've been out for a while though and are now getting easier to get. They'll still be expensive over most comparable 9005s and 9006s, but not by much.
The biggest initial complaint when the bulbs came out was how they simply weren't manufactured to fit 9005 and 9006 housings out of the box. It really doesn't make sense to make a bulb NEAR exact to 9005s and 9006s in construction but then not actually have them fit existing housings out of the box. There's no difference in electrical hook up, and due to the refraction construction of the bulbs they actually run cooler in most cases than 9005s and 9006s.
03-24-2017, 01:29 PM
#25
THey did next to nothing in my 01' S10 but I didn't have them in there very long before I sold the truck.
My step-dad likes them in his Avalanche but apparently after 3 sets under warranty in 2 years they stopped replacing them!
Previous owner put ACAs (H1bulbs) in my C5 and they work great. They are every bit as good as the OEM projectors in my wife's TSX. The high beams are basically not needed...
03-24-2017, 02:05 PM
#26
Melting Slicks
I went with the HIR on the low beams and installed the High 4 harness that keeps the low beams on when in the bright mode. It made a big difference for me and did not cost that much. Made the night driving much better IMHO.
03-24-2017, 02:30 PM
#27
sorry. 2 different things. I ran HIR bulbs in my STOCK halogen housings and light output is the best you will get with any halogen housing like the C5, and then I was saying that I did a retrofit with projectors in my wrx and will also be doing them in the vette this summer as that is the absolute best light output you can get.
Price of HIR ~$30
Price of a decent retro fit ~$300 if you do it yourself
Price of HIR ~$30
Price of a decent retro fit ~$300 if you do it yourself
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Volk2142 (03-24-2017)
03-24-2017, 04:58 PM
#30
Race Director
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Haven't tried them in the Vette but I did try the Silverstar Ultras in my Ford Expedition (winter vehicle) and they made a positive improvement over the stock bulbs (I assume they were stock). I was told the Ultras would not last as long as a regular bulb though. They have a 1 year warranty.
On my 02 Vette I have PIAA driving lights, don't really need headlights as the PIAA lights put out more light.
On my 02 Vette I have PIAA driving lights, don't really need headlights as the PIAA lights put out more light.
03-24-2017, 05:10 PM
#31
Melting Slicks
On the family Legacy, which uses low beams for DLR's, the low beam bulbs did not last very well. First replacement was with Silverstars. No brighter than OEM, and they did not last long either. Got a full set if HIR's from Candlepower in Rockville, MD. Noticeably brighter and they have well outlasted the previous bulbs - which I was not expecting.
As an aside, the low beams are projector units on the Leggy, and are really very good - I was going to do an HID conversion, but quite honestly the projector/HIR combo is perfectly satisfactory. Unlike the OEM C5 low beams for instance.
As an aside, the low beams are projector units on the Leggy, and are really very good - I was going to do an HID conversion, but quite honestly the projector/HIR combo is perfectly satisfactory. Unlike the OEM C5 low beams for instance.
Last edited by jackthelad; 03-24-2017 at 05:11 PM.
03-24-2017, 05:13 PM
#32
Advanced
Another vote for HIR's. I just replaced all four on my car. 2x Philips Crystal Vision HIR2 (9012CVB2) @ $33/pair and 2x Wagner 9011's from Amazon @ $13.25 ea. The wagners are re-boxed Philips. I am completely fine/happy about how much light my previously useless headlights put out now, all for a cost of $65.
03-25-2017, 01:44 AM
#33
Le Mans Master
I have HID.'s also, but never use them in the city.
I have matching 6K converted driving lights which are plenty bright for the street...and I hate 'air brakes' (I mean pop ups)
frank
I have matching 6K converted driving lights which are plenty bright for the street...and I hate 'air brakes' (I mean pop ups)
frank
03-25-2017, 10:21 AM
#34
Safety Car
The Lucks 100W and the 80W if you can still buy them work better that all the others if you want to just change the blubs .. Been there done that with the others like you said not any better .. I have box full of them waste of money and time ..
03-25-2017, 10:43 AM
#35
Melting Slicks
03-25-2017, 01:03 PM
#36
Team Owner
I put the Silverstars in my C-5, about 12 years ago. It was before I retired, and I was always on the road to work, while it was still dark. Did they make a "night and day" difference? No, not really, but they DID provide more light, as well as a "whiter" light. They were an inexpensive, easy upgrade.
I've since retired, so it's no longer an issue in the morning, and I'm usually "home before dark" in the evening. On the nights I'm out late in the evening, it's mostly in my Grand Cherokee.
I've since retired, so it's no longer an issue in the morning, and I'm usually "home before dark" in the evening. On the nights I'm out late in the evening, it's mostly in my Grand Cherokee.
03-25-2017, 07:25 PM
#37
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
I ran across an old 2015 thread this PM about a "special harness" that enables BOTH high and low beams to be on at the same time (for high) and ONLY low beam when on low. Any experience with this, pro or con ? I figure I'll go for the 9011 & 9012 once the Silvania Ultras burn out. (Shouldn't be long).
03-25-2017, 08:12 PM
#38
Melting Slicks
Hi-4 harness
I ran across an old 2015 thread this PM about a "special harness" that enables BOTH high and low beams to be on at the same time (for high) and ONLY low beam when on low. Any experience with this, pro or con ? I figure I'll go for the 9011 & 9012 once the Silvania Ultras burn out. (Shouldn't be long).
http://shop.radioflyerinnovations.co...arness-003.htm
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claf (03-25-2017)
03-25-2017, 09:31 PM
#39
Pro
03-25-2017, 11:56 PM
#40
Burning Brakes
This is my go-to reference for all things halogen bulbs:
Daniel Stern Lighting - Blue Bulbs
To paraphrase his site, the Silverstars do not produce more lumens than OEM bulbs. The blue filter makes the bulb output appear white / brighter. However, because the blue filter robs lumen output, the manufacturer alters the filament in the bulb to produce the legal lumen output at a cost of filament life.
To those who don't want to go HID / LED / HIR, look at lumen output of the bulb you want. You want something with the highest possible lumen output.
Right now, the Philips bulb seems to have the best lumen output:
http://www.rallylights.com/philips-9...mens-pair.html
vs
http://www.rallylights.com/9006-hb4-...ogen-bulb.html
You can see the sheer difference in lumen output. I'd be quite curious what type of life you'd get out of the Philips.
That being said, I went RadioFlyer and never looked back. The only thing I'm not wild about with the Radio Flyer is the cutoff shake due to the stiff suspension and weak pop up mechanism.
Daniel Stern Lighting - Blue Bulbs
To paraphrase his site, the Silverstars do not produce more lumens than OEM bulbs. The blue filter makes the bulb output appear white / brighter. However, because the blue filter robs lumen output, the manufacturer alters the filament in the bulb to produce the legal lumen output at a cost of filament life.
To those who don't want to go HID / LED / HIR, look at lumen output of the bulb you want. You want something with the highest possible lumen output.
Right now, the Philips bulb seems to have the best lumen output:
http://www.rallylights.com/philips-9...mens-pair.html
vs
http://www.rallylights.com/9006-hb4-...ogen-bulb.html
You can see the sheer difference in lumen output. I'd be quite curious what type of life you'd get out of the Philips.
That being said, I went RadioFlyer and never looked back. The only thing I'm not wild about with the Radio Flyer is the cutoff shake due to the stiff suspension and weak pop up mechanism.
Last edited by MikeyMcFly; 03-26-2017 at 11:06 AM.