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So, for those of us who want upgraded lighting for our older model Camrys (mine is a 92 DLX), but don't want to shell out big bucks for retrofits and HID's, what are the best alternatives? I hear Sylvannia Silverstar's are good, what do you guys think about them. What do you guys think about colored bulbs, like blue or purple? Are those legal? Would they give off less light than other bulbs since they're colored? Will HID bulbs still work on a stock headlights (I know they won't produce HID lighting, but will they still give off light and colored light if one were to purchase them)? Is there such a thing as HID replicas? By this I mean, are there bulbs out there that sort of look like HID's, but aren't? Thanks for you input guys!
Last edited by chuloloco; 11-13-2007 at 10:22 PM.
Reason: Forgot to add
The closest legal alternative is the Sylvania silverstars. Good light and DOT approved. Coloured bulbs (like mine :P) are not technically legal and actually produce slightly less light then stock bulbs. HID setups that are just bulbs are illegal and dangerous since the light produced is not usable in the stock reflector and scatter the light, causing glare for other drivers. Stick with the silverstars.
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Is there such thing as paint or spray paint that you can put on something but the light will still shine through? Like if I were to buy Silverstars and paint the bulb blue or purple do you think the light would shine through as if it were not painted?
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I highly recommend the Silverstars because they are much cheaper than HID and significantly brighter and whiter than stock bulbs. If you want more color selection then try PIAA. They have blue, purple, yellow and other cool colors but they are probably illegal. PIAA are more expensive than Silverstars too.
Is there such thing as paint or spray paint that you can put on something but the light will still shine through? Like if I were to buy Silverstars and paint the bulb blue or purple do you think the light would shine through as if it were not painted?
Some bulbs have a blue tint on the outside, however it does restrict light output somewhat, and much more so if you painted them yourself. It really doesn't do a whole lot though, I know I painted the bulbs on my dash (previous car), and it didn't make any difference.
I highly recommend the Silverstars because they are much cheaper than HID and significantly brighter and whiter than stock bulbs. If you want more color selection then try PIAA. They have blue, purple, yellow and other cool colors but they are probably illegal. PIAA are more expensive than Silverstars too.
Alright, I've looked into PIAA bulbs and I've found one that sounds good, but I'm a little confused by the description. Can you guys decifer:
Super Plasma GT-X Technology
The new GT-X provides an exclusive purple low beam and an Xtreme White high beam. And if that's not enough, PIAA has added a purple colored top coat giving the headlamp a purple look even when the lamp is turned off.
So, does this mean that it actually gives off a purplish light?
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I used to have a pair of the Super Plasma GT-X bulbs and let me just say THEY SUCK! I was using them for my high beam, hoping to get a purple color but they were actually more like a faded green/teal color and weren't even as bright as stock bulbs!!! I think they are the worst model from PIAA. Sorry I forgot to mention them earlier. However, I now have PIAA Extreme White Plus and the light output is intensely white and bright. Much better than the GT-X. I think the Spark Blue and Hyper White from PIAA would be good too.
I used to have a pair of the Super Plasma GT-X bulbs and let me just say THEY SUCK! I was using them for my high beam, hoping to get a purple color but they were actually more like a faded green/teal color and weren't even as bright as stock bulbs!!! I think they are the worst model from PIAA. Sorry I forgot to mention them earlier. However, I now have PIAA Extreme White Plus and the light output is intensely white and bright. Much better than the GT-X. I think the Spark Blue and Hyper White from PIAA would be good too.
Did they turn green/teal after awhile or were they green/teal when you first used them? Did they have the purple tip? Was the light output on the road green/teal? I'm just trying to get an idea of what the color output of PIAA colored bulbs give on the road. Like is there a slight, for example, green tint to the lights on the road in front of you or is it mainly white?
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Yes, they were green/teal immediately when I put them in. The color output on the road was the same color and the brightness was much dimmer than Silverstars. The purple tip is pretty much un-noticable on my gen4.5 camry. But they look great on my bro's 06 tacoma since his truck has a much bigger reflector housing (he had the Extreme White Plus bulbs). If you want color then I suggest staying away from the Super Plasma GT-X. Don't know why PIAA designed them to be so bad compared to their other bulbs.
Have you guys heard of Nokya or Luminics headlight bulbs? If so, what do you know/think about them? If you haven't heard of them, but know a good bit about headlight bulbs and lighting here are some links to the products on eBay.
I have Sliverstars in my coupe, they're great. In fact I've had Sliverstars in the last 3 cars I've owned. The color is "close" to HID and light output is much improved over stock blubs.
Slyvania has a new Sliverstar model out now that is a little brighter.
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I have Sliverstars in my coupe, they're great. In fact I've had Sliverstars in the last 3 cars I've owned. The color is "close" to HID and light output is much improved over stock blubs.
Slyvania has a new Sliverstar model out now that is a little brighter.
What specific model of Silverstars do you have? I think I may buy some, but I would like some with a little hint of blue not too much though.
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I have the original Sliverstars. The model number for low beams is 9006 ST/2. Got them at Walmart for $38. They have the hint of blue you are looking for. The difference between standard bulbs and the Sliverstars is very dramatic.
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1985 AW11
Past Toyota products --1989 Corolla SR5, 1995 Camry LE Coupe, 2002 MR2 Spyder, 2006 Scion xA
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