What type of headlight (low/high) bulbs do you guys use? [Archive]

JScullin

12-13-2005, 03:38 PM

I have a set of SilverStar high-beams dremeled down to fit in my low's. As for my normal high-beams I have a set of StreetGlow's (some hyperblue Xeon things) I bought from a member a few years ago and they still work. Tho I don't use them often of course.

I love the SilverStar's because unlike almost any other "Xenon HID style" bulb these throw off a very clean, sharp white light. No blue or purple hue's at all. They last for a good amount of time (if you don't touch them when installing) and they will vividly light up any reflective material (signs, cop cars) a good mile away.

If you don't want to spend the money on PIAA's these are the next best thing. $40 for a set for the high's/lows, and if you can find them ~$30 a set for the fogs (H3's).

KnappstamaN

12-13-2005, 11:15 PM

i have silverstars in my low beams. silverstars in my high beams. Silverstar high beam bulbs in my fogs. I have done the relay mod to allow my fogs/lows/high to be all on at the same time. I removed the half moon in my low beam projector, so thats even brighter. I also have 4 angle eyes and 2 red led turn signals. Basically when im driving, its like i have the sun in front of my car, its so freaking bright.

azbobbybooshay10

12-14-2005, 02:47 AM

I used the "Ricer HID wannabee's" before my crash, and they seemed to work pretty good for me. I got them at Versus Motorsports for $15 per pair. I'll most likely throw those in the new headlights as well, until I get a full HID conversion.

Goldie

12-14-2005, 03:34 AM

I have silverstar lows & fogs and stock highs (since I don't really use them).
Since it's dark and raining more often then not here, they make a big difference :D

Anthology

12-14-2005, 03:55 AM

Silverstars in the lows and stock highs

1phatxr7

12-14-2005, 09:44 AM

Eurolite.....works awesome and looks almost H.I.D.

skater

12-14-2005, 04:54 PM

Stick with regular bulbs. Cheaper, no chance of damaging your wiring, and you don't need to buy 3 sets of them so all of your lights match.

Jaguars

12-14-2005, 06:38 PM

Anthology

12-14-2005, 08:00 PM

yeah i was wondering the same thing

JScullin

12-14-2005, 08:19 PM

Stick with regular bulbs. Cheaper, no chance of damaging your wiring, and you don't need to buy 3 sets of them so all of your lights match.

If you buy the correct bulbs for your car you won't have this problem. eBay bulbs that have wattages twice that of the stock will fit fine, sure. But talk to Nemesis about what happens later on.

Buying bulbs that are the correct wattage (like SilverStar's) are going to cause no harm what so ever. And the SilverStar's make the stock cheapo bulbs look like a cheap flashlight in comparison.

Removing the metal plate from your low-beam housing isn't doing you any good. It's there to control the throw of the light so it's focused in front of you where you need it. The high-beams don't have this because they are ment for illuminating everything, everywhere. So the reason your low's look so much "brighter" is because they're projecting light everywhere and not focusing on the road directly ahead. I recommend to leave them in.

KnappstamaN

12-15-2005, 02:11 AM

If you buy the correct bulbs for your car you won't have this problem. eBay bulbs that have wattages twice that of the stock will fit fine, sure. But talk to Nemesis about what happens later on.

Buying bulbs that are the correct wattage (like SilverStar's) are going to cause no harm what so ever. And the SilverStar's make the stock cheapo bulbs look like a cheap flashlight in comparison.

Removing the metal plate from your low-beam housing isn't doing you any good. It's there to control the throw of the light so it's focused in front of you where you need it. The high-beams don't have this because they are ment for illuminating everything, everywhere. So the reason your low's look so much "brighter" is because they're projecting light everywhere and not focusing on the road directly ahead. I recommend to leave them in.

after taking them out i notice its made the light scatter better, it looks like more of the light is focused right straight infront. Besides, its too late anyways and i have no regrets.

i mean, with just my fogs on its bright enough for me to drive around at night time, i can see nearly everything. my silverstar high beam fogs are better than my old halogen lowbeams. Ill have to take some pics at night time to show how bright my damn car is.

azbobbybooshay10

12-15-2005, 03:20 AM

Buying bulbs that are the correct wattage (like SilverStar's) are going to cause no harm what so ever. And the SilverStar's make the stock cheapo bulbs look like a cheap flashlight in comparison.

I've seen differing viewpoints on this. I know Fett has said in the past that you should not use Silverstars because they toast the wiring. I had a guy at a Mercury dealer tell me last year that even the Sylvania Cool Blue bulbs should be removed and standard OEM put back in. This is when I was having all sorts of alternator problems. He was asking me about if I had anything aftermarket that would draw excess current and discharge the battery. When I told him about the bulbs, he said "You need to take those out, they cause excess load on your electrical system."

IDK, I don't think thats the case, but I'm not an expert on the matter either. Either way I don't care, I'm still gonna upgrade to HID's when I have the money to do it.

mosoblkcougar

12-15-2005, 03:23 AM

mosoblkcougar

12-15-2005, 03:27 AM

I've seen differing viewpoints on this. I know Fett has said in the past that you should not use Silverstars because they toast the wiring. I had a guy at a Mercury dealer tell me last year that even the Sylvania Cool Blue bulbs should be removed and standard OEM put back in. This is when I was having all sorts of alternator problems. He was asking me about if I had anything aftermarket that would draw excess current and discharge the battery. When I told him about the bulbs, he said "You need to take those out, they cause excess load on your electrical system."

:bs: Silverstar's draw no more current than oem bulbs do. That guy was a jackass and didn't know what he was talking about.

skater

12-15-2005, 08:12 AM

:bs: Silverstar's draw no more current than oem bulbs do. That guy was a jackass and didn't know what he was talking about.

Fett? Or the guy at the dealer? Fett knows what he's talking about most of the time. I don't know about the other guy Bobby mentioned... FWIW, I think Silverstars and other reputable brands should be absolutely fine, and if they do cause a problem, they should pay to repair it.

I have Silverstar low beams (side note - why are people "trimming down" the high beams to fit the low socket? Why not just buy the low beam bulbs?), and they're okay, but I won't bother putting them back in. I'll put regular halogen bulbs back in - the Silverstars are nice at first, but they tend to fade somewhat over time and aren't that much better than normal halogens after a while. (Remember, when you first put Silverstars in and notice the difference, you're comparing a new Silverstar to an OLD standard halogen - a better check would be to compare two new bulbs.)

The only other thing is that if you do put aftermarket bulbs in, you'll want to put them in all three places if you mind that they look different - and it is VERY obvious even with Silverstars. Because of that, I now use my fog lights only when I really, really need them - having different-colored bulbs makes me look cheap. ;)

Moraki

12-15-2005, 12:36 PM

I accidently installed some fog lights that were 50 w i think. When one burned out fast I opened it back up to check. The bulb had created enough heat to start to melt the rubber backing cover. So I personaly see no problem with after market bulbs as long as you match factory wattage.

And I normally run silverstars in the lows but thats it.

crazyoldcougar

12-15-2005, 02:23 PM

i believe the highs are 10 watts higher and therefore throw a "little" more light then the 55 watt lows...but there again going with higher watt bulbs leaves loads of room for warrenty problems and such when your car catches fire..

mosoblkcougar

12-15-2005, 04:13 PM

Fett? Or the guy at the dealer? Fett knows what he's talking about most of the time. I don't know about the other guy Bobby mentioned... FWIW, I think Silverstars and other reputable brands should be absolutely fine, and if they do cause a problem, they should pay to repair it.
No, I meant the dealer. Fett is a good guy and I've learned a lot from him just by reading his posts.

skater

12-16-2005, 08:35 AM

Just to add - replace your headlights regularly, even if you go with normal halogens.

I saw an old Cadillac (late 80s or early 90s, I think) the other day with headlights that were a dim yellow color. I think they were the stock bulbs that had never burned out, and they just got more and more yellow. At that point, ANY replacement bulb would be a major improvement.

(The car wasn't modified in any way, so I'm guessing they weren't some specialty bulb or something - if yellow headlight bulbs even exist...)

seven

12-19-2005, 12:40 AM

If I wanted the brighest headlights with a tint of blue which would I get without going HID?

XplosivePlushToy

12-19-2005, 12:52 AM

If anyone is interested I can talk to my buddy about HID kits for roughly $250 (running up into the 10,000+ wattage range) I can get the lower wattage HID for cheaper than that, I do believe.

JScullin

12-19-2005, 07:52 AM

If I wanted the brighest headlights with a tint of blue which would I get without going HID?

You don't want blue, they don't work as good. Only reason they're tinted blue is so they look like HID's when viewed at an angle. But you want a clean light in front of you.

LostRacer

12-19-2005, 10:55 AM

If anyone is interested I can talk to my buddy about HID kits for roughly $250 (running up into the 10,000+ wattage range) I can get the lower wattage HID for cheaper than that, I do believe.

I hope you mean 10000k,,and even still, that puts out less than light the 4300k.

Cossack

12-19-2005, 04:53 PM

I hope you mean 10000k,,and even still, that puts out less than light the 4300k.

are you sure because 10000k seems a LOT mor epowerful than 4300k

LostRacer

12-19-2005, 05:12 PM

Actually it means hotter..10000 kelvin. You'll get more heat than light. Around 4300k and 5000k is where the light is white and brightest IIRC..Someone please correct me if I'm off..

BigBalledOX

12-19-2005, 06:08 PM

Actually it means hotter..10000 kelvin. You'll get more heat than light. Around 4300k and 5000k is where the light is white and brightest IIRC..Someone please correct me if I'm off..

Nope, you pretty much nailed that right on the head from what I've read. And $250? I'll take two, at 6k, one in 9005 and one in 9006.

KnappstamaN

12-23-2005, 05:27 AM

Hey KnappstamaN, how did you get the silverstar high's in the 99 fog lights? or do you have an 01-02 front bumper/fogs? And yes, silverstars are the way to go. I got my lows(9006's) off of ebay brand new for $25 shipped, high's (9005's) for $22 shipped, fog's (H3's) for $15 shipped, and the H7 lows for my euro's for $15 shipped. Ebay is the sh!t.

i have 01/02 foglights, and to do the modification was easy. First i had to buy silverstar high beams, then i had to buy this wiring harness below:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/9005-HB3-Wiring-Harness-Headlight-Bulbs-Wire_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ42613QQitemZ802421 8765QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Just cut off the old connector, and splice this new one in
go ahead and take out each foglight, and mate up the bulbs, a small plastic tab on the bulb will have to be cut off to make it fit and lock in place. After that put the fogs back to the bumper, and attach the lights to the new wiring harness adapter and plug in. viola.

1SlowKat

12-23-2005, 08:26 PM

If I wanted the brighest headlights with a tint of blue which would I get without going HID?
NOKYA

Housecat

12-31-2005, 12:04 PM

I use HID's. They are sick.

mond12345

01-01-2006, 11:53 AM

SilverStars all around here! :)

james99

01-01-2006, 07:06 PM

i just installed some silverstars for my lows, and they work great. i want to get a HID kit for my highs and get around to finish hooking up the oem foglights.

XplosivePlushToy

01-01-2006, 08:18 PM

Damn I shouldve been keeping track of this thread. Yeah, I meant 10000k. Im not too familiar with HID lighting, I just know my friend can hook me up with all that stuff. It would be depending on the bulb size and everything. He is going to buy a kit to see how bright they really are and if its worth the money. As of right now the prices would be between $275-$350 for HID kits ranging up to 12000K. Ill get back to you guys more about this as soon as I get more information.

jervyatmsu

01-02-2006, 02:54 AM

i think he is talking about the half moon inside the headlight itself...u have to take the headlight apart to do that

EricF

01-04-2006, 11:44 PM

Silverstars High and Low... over two years just one blew out a couple months ago.

The reason people use Highs in the Low spot is cause Lows have a coating on the front 1/3 of the bulb, highs do not, so more light goes forward I would assume with Highs in the low position. (yes I've got a set infront of me now)

CougarGuy939

01-05-2006, 06:44 PM

ok im looking to buy a set of silverstars for my 99 highs lows and fogs, just wanted to know where you guys all bought yours from i did a little searching and all i found was amazon that carried them

james99

01-05-2006, 07:33 PM

ok im looking to buy a set of silverstars for my 99 highs lows and fogs, just wanted to know where you guys all bought yours from i did a little searching and all i found was amazon that carried them

i bought my silverstars at walmart. i think they were around $35 dollars for 2. 9006 is the low beam i beleive, i dont remember.

cougarblack

02-16-2006, 09:42 PM

Xenonlightshid.com just installed yesterday,much brighter (better clarity)than the SS. I had the silverstar 9006 and I will say they are the most reliable to date. I had those cheap a$$ eurodezigns (bright as hell)but blew in 3 months. fogs(H3) are PIAA ion crystal and PIAA (3157) turn signal. Its the brightest 3157 ive seen so far. Ive tried most brand bulbs so far including eurolite(3157 9006), streetglow(blew an H3), apc(H3 9006). while were on the topic, did anyone replace that lens for the turn signal.