Brighter headlights possibility
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 11,117
Likes: 671
From: SE Pennsylvania
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Oldtimer
Brighter headlights possibility
What are the brightest bulbs you can get to install with the stock wiring and not going the HID route? Thanks for any opinions !
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 243
Likes: 27
From: New Jersey
Though I don't have a Vette yet, I have had very good luck with Sylvania Silverstars as a stock halogen replacement in other vehicles.
The light is whiter and brighter, and is not blue.
They're about $35 for a set. Well worth it methinks.
The light is whiter and brighter, and is not blue.
They're about $35 for a set. Well worth it methinks.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,000
Likes: 2
I have also had good luck with Sylvania Silverstars. On the other hand I’ve read that Piaa has a brighter bulb but for the life of me can't remember which model it was other than it was more expensive than the Silverstars.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 200
Likes: 0
From: Murfreesboro TN
C5 optics are terrible, there is no free lunch for fixing that problem. Upgrading to the ecode lights, HID's, aftermarket HID housings, etc are all expensive options. The Toshiba HID bulbs would be the brighest. I tried silverstars, they are total garbage - simply blue tinted bulbs and 5x the price. You can't see blue light as well and they are not as bright. These burned out in as little as 2 weeks and the excess heat damaged the housings on my precorvette. I was very happy with the toshiba HIR bulbs. Here is a picture of the silverstar next to the HIR
And a thread I found here discussing them:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...ed-pics-5.html
And a thread I found here discussing them:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...ed-pics-5.html
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,683
Likes: 144
From: Memphis Tennessee
Do the 9005 conversion. It uses the "bright light" bulbs in your "dim" sockets. Takes only a few seconds to knock off a small plastic stud in the 9005 housing to make it fit, I did this several years ago and I cannot tell you how happy I am with it.
Do a search for 9005 conversion.
Do a search for 9005 conversion.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 980
Likes: 18
From: Columbia, SC
OMG!!!! Everyone run for the hills!!! JPRICH said the E-word!!! Moderators, have him drawn and quartered!!!! We here at CF will not stand for this "Free speech" crap.
IMO... No matter what you do, if you're replacing the bulbs in the factory housings, you just won't get spectacular results until you go to HID's. In all fairness I haven't tried the HIR's, but I went from silverstars to Piaas to whatever else I could try, and though the color of the light changed a tiny bit, you really had to try to see the difference. As soon as I put the HID's in, I was sold. There was a phenomenal difference in brightness over anything else I tried. My low beam HIDs were maybe three times as bright as the factory highs.
HIDs are cheap now-a-days, and there's a few vendors here that will sell them to you at a fair price. You could also go to the e-word, but then a moderator will hunt you like the rabid dog you are.
IMO... No matter what you do, if you're replacing the bulbs in the factory housings, you just won't get spectacular results until you go to HID's. In all fairness I haven't tried the HIR's, but I went from silverstars to Piaas to whatever else I could try, and though the color of the light changed a tiny bit, you really had to try to see the difference. As soon as I put the HID's in, I was sold. There was a phenomenal difference in brightness over anything else I tried. My low beam HIDs were maybe three times as bright as the factory highs.
HIDs are cheap now-a-days, and there's a few vendors here that will sell them to you at a fair price. You could also go to the e-word, but then a moderator will hunt you like the rabid dog you are.
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,995
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
Team Owner
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 23,682
Likes: 9
From: Flagstaff Az.
I have tried all the above mention replacement bulbs in the stock housing, and while some of them are a definite improvement, they cannot come close to HIDs. I just installed Radioflier's light cannon setup and they do make a big difference.
Last edited by tiojames; Sep 24, 2009 at 11:52 AM.
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,995
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 11,117
Likes: 671
From: SE Pennsylvania
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Oldtimer
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 804
Likes: 4
Part Number: 9613T155 $9.36 Each
Trade Number
9006/80W
Watts
80
Operating Volts
12/12.8
Amps
6.7/6.3
Bulb Style
Halogen
Halogen Bulbs
Miniature
Halogen Bulb Series
Standard
Bulb Shape
Miniature Halogen E
Glass Type
Clear
Bulb Diameter
1/2"
Overall Length
2.17"
Color
Clear
Application
General Purpose, Vehicle Lights
Notes
Overall length is maximum overall length. Actual length may be shorter.
Part Number: 9613T153 $7.20 Each
Trade Number
9005/100W
Watts
100
Operating Volts
12/12.8
Amps
8.3/7.8
Bulb Style
Halogen
Halogen Bulbs
Miniature
Halogen Bulb Series
Standard
Bulb Shape
Miniature Halogen E
Glass Type
Clear
Bulb Diameter
1/2"
Overall Length
2.17"
Color
Clear
Application
General Purpose, Vehicle Lights
Notes
Overall length is maximum overall length. Actual length may be shorter.
This is what I use. Huge improvement over stock. They are marked for Off Road use only.
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: Knoxville TN
Part Number: 9613T155 $9.36 Each
Trade Number
9006/80W
Watts
80
Operating Volts
12/12.8
Amps
6.7/6.3
Bulb Style
Halogen
Halogen Bulbs
Miniature
Halogen Bulb Series
Standard
Bulb Shape
Miniature Halogen E
Glass Type
Clear
Bulb Diameter
1/2"
Overall Length
2.17"
Color
Clear
Application
General Purpose, Vehicle Lights
Notes
Overall length is maximum overall length. Actual length may be shorter.
Part Number: 9613T153 $7.20 Each
Trade Number
9005/100W
Watts
100
Operating Volts
12/12.8
Amps
8.3/7.8
Bulb Style
Halogen
Halogen Bulbs
Miniature
Halogen Bulb Series
Standard
Bulb Shape
Miniature Halogen E
Glass Type
Clear
Bulb Diameter
1/2"
Overall Length
2.17"
Color
Clear
Application
General Purpose, Vehicle Lights
Notes
Overall length is maximum overall length. Actual length may be shorter.
This is what I use. Huge improvement over stock. They are marked for Off Road use only.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14