Since I do a lot of driving at night I want my headlights to be as bright and visible as possible. I initially installed 7200K Xenon HID-lookalike bulbs on my headlamps and these looked great:
http://www.powerlabs.org/images/carnight.JPG
Untill 4 months later when I turned the car on and both low beams burned out at the same time! Now I'm looking for a substitute but I don't want to spend the cash on a true HID kit, so whats the next best thing? Hopefully something that will last more then 4 months?

dude thats like a oxy moron ... best hid immitation bulbs ... they'll burn your sockets!!

silver stars are the best bet, or real hid kits... check out hidplace.com

Silverstars are what people consider to be the closest, and longest lasting. Never buy those eBay brand bulbs.. they'll burn out in a few months.

Sylvania Silverstars are the one "tried and true" brand that I know of. Or Raybrigs too. I have one set of each for sale, by the way.:p

technically, non-tinted "NORMAL" halogens put out the most usable lumens of light. I vote for sylvania xtra-vision bulbs. like $6 each.

Other "brightest bulbs" you should consider are the ones found on www.powerbulbs.com

I'm sure they're not being made anymore, but I LOVED Hella Optilux - purplish quartz glass made a really sharp white light - not bluish, and didn't scream (NOT HID!) IF you could find some 80w/80w, it'd be worth paying a little more.

I went the other way - All Yellow.

dude thats like a oxy moron ... best hid immitation bulbs ... they'll burn your sockets!!

Provided they are not rated at any higher power than the stock bulbs I don't see why they should get any hotter.

What about PIAA bulbs? They are very expensive; are they any good at providing a bighter, whiter (more HID-Like :) ) look?

If you are talking stock-wattage bulbs, I would say Silvania Silverstars are your best bet. They look noticeably whiter than stock, and you do not sacrifice as much in terms of light output (brightness) as you do with other blue bulbs.

In my opinion they do not look like HIDs though. But at least you can see the road while you're driving.

Originally posted by powerlabs
I want my headlights to be as bright and visible as possible.

and then:

I initially installed 7200K Xenon HID-lookalike bulbs on my headlamps

Those two statements are completely opposite of each other. Color temperature has nothing to do with brightness.

www.danielsternlighting.com <--- read the "Tech" sections on bulbs.

If you want the brightest and most usable bulbs, get ahold of Osram Silverstar bulbs to fit your lights. I need to emphasize the Osram because they are definitely a different bulb from the Sylvania Silverstars that they sell in every parts store in the USA.

Osram Silverstars are clear bulbs with an honest and very noticeable increase in USABLE light output.

llamas :lol: just kidding for the GC the best bulbs that i have tried, and i tried everything...are the Polarg Plasma Purple VIP's they are pricey, but well worth it. PIAA's are good, but are notorious for short bulb life. my polargs lasted 2 years....they are a very white light, with a yellow band on the bottom for foul weather, and they have a pinkish purle tinge like the silverstars. they also "LOOK" good....

i bought some bulbs.. xenon ones from an auto store.. melted my driver side socket.. Now if i dont tape the socket the light wont work :rolleyes: ...

back to stock now :furious:

I'm thinking of going to silverstar now....

If you want the brightest and most usable bulbs, get ahold of Osram Silverstar bulbs to fit your lights. I need to emphasize the Osram because they are definitely a different bulb from the Sylvania Silverstars that they sell in every parts store in the USA.

Osram Silverstars are clear bulbs with an honest and very noticeable increase in USABLE light output. [/B][/QUOTE]


Osram and Sylvania are the same company arent they?

i have had every bulb mentioned in the thread so far, other than the orsam, on my three cars. my mom's buick, my old s10 blazer, and now my suby.....my blazer and my suby share the H4 connector....i have used nokyaa artic whit bulbs....they had no out put, they were a very nice blue tint, but you couldn't see anything, and then ii moved to sylvania silverstars and they are a nice bulb.....then i got my blazer, and that came with the ebay blue "hid" bulbs, which were about as equal as the nokyaa bulbs, nice and blue, but you couldn't see in rain or snow or wel..night. and then..i made the best headlight bulbs purchase (IMO) PIAA Plasma GT-X. they never once melted my harnesses, or my connectors, and they were as bright, if not brighter and whiter than most car's with HIDs... i loved them, but that's my opinion...PS: they lasted 4 years before i hit a kid on a four wheeler and smashed the whole headlamp. and now i have wal mart "cool blue" which suck ass.

I've had my PIAA high beams for over 2 years. They produce a fantastic amount of light. If you're all poser and need the bluey HID, this may not be the way to go, but if you're into a less yellow, certainly brighter bulb, PIAAs rock!

Originally posted by nn8dg
Osram and Sylvania are the same company arent they?
Yes, OSRAM owns Sylvania. OSRAM Silverstars are sold overseas and are one of the best halogen bulbs you can buy. These bulbs are clear glass. In the U.S., Sylvania sells a bulb that are also called Silverstars. These bulbs are completely different as they have a blue coating to achieve a whiter light, at the expense of light output (brightness). I guess they think that we here in the US are more concerned about looks than actually being able to see the road.

I'm not sure if OSRAM silverstars are available in 9007 sizes. So you 2002-03 owners with stock headlights may be out of luck.

I don't think they have Osrams in 9007s :(

www.powerbulbs.com

I have tried and used almost evey one mentioned here in the forums already. Were trying them for my Fog lights to match my Hanabi 8700 HIDs Projectors. But with those HIDs, everything looked yellow ... even the stock STI HIDs looks yellowish against it. In the end, I gave up and went with the Hanabi HIDs Fogs. Now, its an exact match but it is a little too bright. So I only switched them on when I am driving on really dark or inclement weathers.

Jin

Originally posted by JIN
. In the end, I gave up and went with the Hanabi HIDs Fogs. Now, its an exact match but it is a little too bright. So I only switched them on when I am driving on really dark or inclement weathers.
Coincidentally, that is precisely what foglights are for :D

I also needed a better bulb for nighttime driving, and went to the Silverstars. They indeed do put out a whiter light, but the bulbs do not reflect the ground well, so I would not really recommend those for night driving. I do hear a lot of good remarks on the PIAA and Raybrig bulbs as far as light output and reflectivity is concerned.

.

Originally posted by topdaytrader
if you want the best, get MotionR 6000k. I use them on my M3 & Porsches for over 2 years w/o any problems. They also offer lifetime replacement warranty.

http://www.gaywhitebulbsrus.com

didn't you say that exact same phrase in like 4 other old threads that you dug up? It's a bit too obvious, buddy.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=696547

He has been dealt with ;)