[shadowtag88]

hey

anyone have/had these? what did you get out of them?

my drivers just went out after 8 months of constant running on my subaru.
i thought 8 months isnt very long so i tested the bulb.. and it worked on my battery pack just not in the socket.. so i tested a regular standard bulb and it worked in the battery pack and socket...

i cant tell if i have a bad understanding of basic circuitry... or the car outputs it differntly out of the socket since ther are 3 prongs....

ill test with a multimeter tomorrow morning.... in the meantime....

anyone know the lifespan of these bulbs?

thanks,
Fred

 

[mikered30]

I think the lifespan is 200 hrs, which is horrible. I dont know how Sylvania can put out crap like that and charge that amount. 8-12 months is standard for the bulbs.

 

[PhatRoyale]

Silverstars have a notorious reputation for having a short life span.

8 month sounds pretty normal. There are many better options out there for the money.

 

[falnfenix]

ugh, total crap bulbs.

 

[shadowtag88]

Silverstars have a notorious reputation for having a short life span.

8 month sounds pretty normal. There are many better options out there for the money.

hmm okay. so what are better alternatives would you say?

 

[desentrix]

You can't go wrong with sticking with regular Sylvania XtraVision. It won't get you that super white hue, but its brighter than regular OEMs and lasts quite a while too.

 

[Jeddak]

GE Nighthawks. Whiter and brighter than OEMs. I've run them on three different vehicles, sold one car 4 years after I put GEs in, bulbs were still working. I use headlights as day time running lights, so so that set logged in over 4000 hours (conservative estimate) without any problems.
Remember to wear latex/rubber gloves when you handle light bulbs. Oil from your skin will drastically decrease bulb's lifespan.

 

[shadowtag88]

GE Nighthawks. Whiter and brighter than OEMs. I've run them on three different vehicles, sold one car 4 years after I put GEs in, bulbs were still working. I use headlights as day time running lights, so so that set logged in over 4000 hours (conservative estimate) without any problems.

impressive. ill consider that when my oem bulbs i pulled out die.. i have three i need to kill off... wish me luck. hah

 

[PhatRoyale]

Koito, Polarg, and Raybrig all make some pretty good bulbs that last long. There are too many models to list.

You should look into the light temperature ratings of the bulb, and find one that lands in the range of 4300K, which should produce as close to a pure white light as possible. Also, try to avoid coated bulbs or ones with top caps, that will help to increase your light output.

 

[Jeddak]

You should look into the light temperature ratings of the bulb, and find one that lands in the range of 4300K, which should produce as close to a pure white light as possible. Also, try to avoid coated bulbs or ones with top caps, that will help to increase your light output.

Very, very true. Blue-coated light bulbs are actually dimmer than clear bulbs of the same wattage.

 

[mikered30]

If you have the money, HIR bulbs are awesome on high beam.

 

[Tideland Prius]

mmm.. my Silverstars (not ultras) lasted 10-11 months.... twice (I got a pair replaced for free under warranty from that particular store) so I gave up given that it's pretty consistent in lifespan.

 

[shadowtag88]

mmm.. my Silverstars (not ultras) lasted 10-11 months.... twice (I got a pair replaced for free under warranty from that particular store) so I gave up given that it's pretty consistent in lifespan.

hmm nice... what store was that? mine are from pep boys i think..

and ps why do you have license plate kills on your prius?

edit: oh woops i thought that said kills not lights.. wow im tired..

 

[Tideland Prius]

hmm nice... what store was that? mine are from pep boys i think..

and ps why do you have license plate kills on your prius?

edit: oh woops i thought that said kills not lights.. wow im tired..

Canadian Tire lol.

LED licence plate lights? They're e-bay ones (JPWarren). One blew out, the other still works. I have good quality ones on my smart and they're white and look more OEM than ebay ones which look blueish.

 

[SnakeEyes]

I've been wanting to try Philips Xtreme, which are the whitest and brightest halogens on the market, something like up to 80% more light.

 

[mikered30]

I've been wanting to try Philips Xtreme, which are the whitest and brightest halogens on the market, something like up to 80% more light.

I would question that marketing claim and how they measure 80% more light. If it was really 80% more light, wouldn't that be illegal?

 

[Tideland Prius]

I've been wanting to try Philips Xtreme, which are the whitest and brightest halogens on the market, something like up to 80% more light.

Go for it. I had them and they were fantastic. When one of them blew out, the other side was bright enough to safely illuminate a dark alley.

Of course use them judiciously or they will have a short life. Mine lasted < 1 year (used as DRLs at 80% intensity because the Prius has a dual filament bulb)

 

[Corolla 8th gen]

I've used ultra silverstar bulbs in two S10's, a mustang, dodge intrepid, Grand Am, Alero and a 99 Corolla. Now the corolla is driven the most and the ultras life are the shortest in the 99 Corolla, the first three sets averaged 2 year life and now for the last 8 month used 2 sets of ultras. I have checked the battery voltage and charging voltage several times and it is good. One mechanic said I should install new light sockets because they get a greenish corrosion on terminals and wires, (I haven't done that yet). My son just bought a pair of plain silverstars for i, so we will see how long they last.
I also wanted to NOTE here, approx. 5 years ago there was a class action law suite against Sylvania because of their silverstar bulbs were not last very long and bulb life was not as advertised. I received a cheque for $8.00 in that settlement. I am open for alternative auto headlight bulb ideas that will provide an equal quality of light as the ultra silverstar, work with small gauge of wire being installed in cars, simple plug & play install, and most importantly last more than two years.