finally took the plunge and replaced Halo bulbs

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on my wifey's 10 yrs old Camry (low beam, 9006).

Original unit (Sylvania, grey body type) still works but seems a bit dim.

I didn't go for gimmicky ones like Xtravision, etc. but just ordinary Halogen replacement bulbs (by Sylvania).

As a result: I regained approx. 20% brightness on low beam, while all other things being equal.

Observations: it's not a bad idea to replace the same bulb types (not fancy ones, they are not something I desire) after 8~10yrs of service just to regain that 20% of brightness back.

Q.

Next: I'm gonna tackle my 8yrs old fit's bulbs next weekend...same ordinary halogen and no fancy stuff.
 
Best "ordinary halogen" replacement bulb out there is probably the GE Nighthawk. Best actual performance is probably Philips XtremeVision (not overwattage, just optimized). You're right to avoid SilverStar, CrystalVision, anything PIAA, and anything over-wattage.
 
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I'd only be concerned with, or at least aware of, the quality of the replacement-grade Sylvania bulbs. The original ones coming out may be Sylvanias but from my experience the off-the-shelf replacements are of much lower quality and don't last anywhere near as long as the OEMs.

So good call on replacing them to get some of the lost performance back, but don't expect to get 10 years out of them!
 
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
I'd only be concerned with, or at least aware of, the quality of the replacement-grade Sylvania bulbs.


Agreed. Sylvania has been off my list of acceptable products for many years now. It kinda depnds on bulb model- their H1's and H4's are OK because they're built by Osram in Germany. Not so much things like 9006 and 9007s.
 
Originally Posted By: Shaman
I found a wiring harness made my headlights much brighter.
Did you measure the voltage drop at the bulb?
If so, what was it. Half a volt or less probably doesn't matter. One easy way to do so is to place one DVM lead on the plus terminal and the other on the bulb "hot". The voltage read is the drop.
 
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The XtraVision is one of the only ones by Sylvannia that ISN'T gimmicky. +20 efficacy bulb.

GE Nighthawk also not gimmicky..not normal either...its a +30 efficacy improvement over stock

Philips XtremeVision also a good bulb.
 
If it specs a 9006 bulb, why not try a 9012 bulb as replacement? Slight tab modification, and same life as a standard bulb but more output. I did it with my corolla and couldnt be happier. Only thing is, you would end up paying 23$ a bulb for the 9012.
 
Not all 9006 bulb applications are a universally good implementation for the upgrade. Optic design, glare shield are just a couple of large factors that can turn the upgrade into a downgrade for both the user and oncoming traffic.
 
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
The XtraVision is one of the only ones by Sylvannia that ISN'T gimmicky. +20 efficacy bulb.

GE Nighthawk also not gimmicky..not normal either...its a +30 efficacy improvement over stock

Philips XtremeVision also a good bulb.


Are we talking plain Nighthawk or Nighthawk Platinum?
 
The original Nighthawk is similar in market segment to the Sylvania Xtravision and Philips Vision Plus. It's one step up from the "standard" bulbs.

The Nighthawk Platinum aligns with the Philips XtremeVision (or old XtremePower) an OSRAM Nightbreaker...very high efficacy uncoated bulbs. I'll include the new SilverStar Ultra in this group as well, as its new design uses coated segments only off-axis, similar to the Nighthawk Platinum and Nightbreaker.

The Nighthawk Sport is similar to the Sylvania SilverStar, Philips Crystal Vision and others: coated bulbs that should be avoided.

The +20%, +30%, +80%, etc terms are really marketing terms and don't represent actual bulb output improvement. The "+xx%" figure simply means that the manufacturer has measured, in one particular lamp, an 80% higher intensity in ONE part of the beam. This doesn't necessarily mean lamp performance is improved.
 
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
I'd only be concerned with, or at least aware of, the quality of the replacement-grade Sylvania bulbs. The original ones coming out may be Sylvanias but from my experience the off-the-shelf replacements are of much lower quality and don't last anywhere near as long as the OEMs.



Interesting...
 
Originally Posted By: 1kickbuttranger
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
I'd only be concerned with, or at least aware of, the quality of the replacement-grade Sylvania bulbs. The original ones coming out may be Sylvanias but from my experience the off-the-shelf replacements are of much lower quality and don't last anywhere near as long as the OEMs.



Interesting...


This applies primarily to their miniature bulb selection (like 194s, etc) and to bulbs used primarily in North American vehicles. The HB3 (trade number 9005), HB4 (trade number 9006), and HB5 (trade number 9007) are examples of these. Many Sylvania bulbs in these part numbers are made in off-shore factories and may not be of great quality.

Their bulbs for "ROW" specifications, like H1, H4, H7, H11, etc, are usually of very good quality, often being simple re-packaged bulbs made in Europe by Osram.

For people with vehicles that take bulbs like the H4, H11, etc, the Xtravision bulbs are fortunately priced about the same regardless of part number, meaning you get a pretty high quality German-made bulb for about $10 each or less.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
The original Nighthawk is similar in market segment to the Sylvania Xtravision and Philips Vision Plus. It's one step up from the "standard" bulbs.

The Nighthawk Platinum aligns with the Philips XtremeVision (or old XtremePower) an OSRAM Nightbreaker...very high efficacy uncoated bulbs. I'll include the new SilverStar Ultra in this group as well, as its new design uses coated segments only off-axis, similar to the Nighthawk Platinum and Nightbreaker.

The Nighthawk Sport is similar to the Sylvania SilverStar, Philips Crystal Vision and others: coated bulbs that should be avoided.

The +20%, +30%, +80%, etc terms are really marketing terms and don't represent actual bulb output improvement. The "+xx%" figure simply means that the manufacturer has measured, in one particular lamp, an 80% higher intensity in ONE part of the beam. This doesn't necessarily mean lamp performance is improved.


Daniel uses % still... http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/bulb_types/bulb_types.html
 
Philips XtremeVision are amazing in my car and after three years they are still going.
Both had oil spots straight out of the package, I cleaned them good to go.
 
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