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Headlights bulb help

9K views 136 replies 18 participants last post by  saltshaker185 
#1 ·
What's the brightest bulbs i can buy for my headlights that wont cost me hundreds of dollars? I just bought a new set of Euro glass headlights, half projector, and I'm confused on what kinda bulbs i should use to get maximum light output. What temp Xenon's would be best for a combination of looks and lighting? What are some other possibilities for increasing light output?
 
#2 ·
I would use whatever the was recommended for your lights. I like the silverstars, but many people like the OEM bulbs. Did the lights not come with bulbs or tell you what to buy? Usually H1's or H7's, but you need to find out for sure.
 
#3 ·
if they are inpro lights then they would be H7... but depo, zkw, and bosch.. would be h1...

as to your lighting question...
id suggest buying silverstars... now, they do cost aprox 20 bucks a bulb... x 2.. is 40... just think for another 150 u can buy HID's on ebay...
 
#7 ·
You can get higher wattage H1 bulbs from different sources on the net. But they are not street legal. I think the standard wattage is 65 watts, I have seen them up to 100 watts. They will probably be too bright, and could get you pulled over.

I have saved some money by buying Silverstars on Ebay. But be careful and check feedback score.
 
#9 ·
green325is said:
Yea I have the Silverstars and love them. Personally though I like having the OEM bulb in the high beam slot. Then when you flash someone the contrast between the high and low beams is kinda cool - yellow vs. white. Don't use high beams much anyway.

Same setup I have. The high beams seem to throw a lot of light just as they are. And I don't use mine much either.
 
#10 ·
word of advice on higher wattage bulbs... if u do decide to get those crazy 100watt bulbs.. u have the threat to melt the wireing, and plastic around the bulb, bc it gets too hot..

OEM BULB is 55w...
HID bulb is 35w...

U DO THE MATH!
 
#11 ·
So what is the wattage on standard H1 Silverstar bulbs? Think there is any threat of melting wiring with the Silverstars? I'm going to replace all 4 lights no matter what the cost is, i hate my yellow factory lights. Thanks for all the help, i appreciate it
 
#12 ·
The Silverstars have the same wattage as the factory bulbs. So, no problem switching.
 
#14 ·
MiguelACA said:
on the subject of headlight bulbs...are thos PIAA bulbs really as bright and stuff as they say they are...100 bucks seems quite alot for bulbs that arent HID....
If you go to the Sylvania and PIAA websites, I believe you'll find the K (kelvin) ratings to be about the same. The higher the Kelvin rating, the brighter the lights.
 
#15 ·
i dont know if you have bought the lights yet but Advance Auto Parts has a sale on the SilverStars right now. they are buy one, get one half off plus then you can get a 5dollar mail-in rebate. after all the math you'll be down to 25bucks for two bulbs after the mail-in rebate or 30bucks if you dont do it. i just replaced mine and i think they are 4300k, but that was a 9006 bulb, although the H1 should be right around the same.
 
#16 · (Edited)
not to burst anyones bubble on silverstars... but they don't really look like anything crazy... here is a pic of mine, in both low beams and fogs... and they look allmost factory... this is before HID's and new ccfl angle eyes...
 
#19 ·
as do mine. there is a big difference between the silverstars and the oem bulbs in my car.
 
#23 ·
vince318i said:
Inpro can also be H1.. I have Inpro with angel eyes and they're H1

I don't know about the availability of Philips lamps in the US, but I really liked the Philips Night Vision, really nice white look, and they're not that expensive :)

Silverstars are made by Philips in the U.S. I believe you get the Osram/Philips over there. Our Philips are different from your Philips, if you can believe that.

And you can't always tell by a picture what something looks like. At least when I take a picture, that is.:0)
 
#24 ·
Cruzin 323is said:
word of advice on higher wattage bulbs... if u do decide to get those crazy 100watt bulbs.. u have the threat to melt the wireing, and plastic around the bulb, bc it gets too hot..

OEM BULB is 55w...
HID bulb is 35w...

U DO THE MATH!
Cruzin is right about the wattage.
However, keep in mind that HID bulbs are fitted with ballasts - which act as transformers. Although the bulb uses 35W, it's brightness (Lumens) is 3X that of any halogen bulb (whatever watt it may be).

For maximum brightness, theres nothing brigther than HIDs.
If you dont want to pay the extra $ for HID kit, you can get a wide variety of halogen bulb replacements.

Personally, I've had Silverstars on my car, and they seemed less bright than my stock halogens when I had them. I paid close to $50 for both bulbs and regretted it.

Some aftermarket bulbs are good, but you face the risk of premature burn outs - especially the ones with "super white / blue" colour tints.

In my opinion, they seemed brighter than stocks, but you risk having to replace them more often than OEM bulbs. It's because some of them use higher wattage than what the car original came with.


So in my opinion, if you want something that will last a long time and work well, just go with OEM replacements. If you want more colour, go with aftermarket bulbs, knowing that you might burn them out faster. I wouldn't put my money on Silverstars (IMO).
If you want to invest in most brightness and colour, go with HID conversion kits.
 
#25 ·
tomctx said:
If you go to the Sylvania and PIAA websites, I believe you'll find the K (kelvin) ratings to be about the same. The higher the Kelvin rating, the brighter the lights.

That's actually incorrect. After doin some research i found out that the higher the K the dimmer the light actually is but the bluer the light appears. They give bulbs the K rating so you know what color they will glow. The bulb does not burn at that Kelvin temp or anything like that, but it's related to the color of the light emitted. So actually 3500K bulbs will be much brighter than 1200K bulbs. The higher the Kelving, the weaker, but bluer, the light.

Alright so to summarize this whole entire thread-I should buy Silverstars? I know there are a few of you who dislike them, but as a group that's the most popular answer. I'm a lil concerned with the color tint of Cruzin's car. I don't wanna throw the money at them if i'm gonna be dissatisfied with them. Ninety percent of me buying new headlights and bulbs was to get the whiter/bluer light. Can anyone send me a pic of their Silverstar H1's??
 
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