sylvania cheating on silverstars?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Rand

Rand

Joined
Aug 20, 2003
Messages
23,937
Location
NE,Ohio
I was reading about how silverstars arent really better.. they just look better because the whiter light reflects off some objects and appears brighter.

then I see this

The brightest and whitest light. Up to 50% brighter, up to 40% more downroad visibility and up to 50% more sideroad visibility.*


Note the asterisk


* SilverStar and SilverStar Ultra Products brightness comparisons based on coil luminance measurements. Headlights dim over time by 20% or more and timely replacement results in increased lighting performance.

Claims based on measured comparisons between SilverStar and SilverStar Ultra product families at 100% light output and standard halogen bulbs at 80% light output. Actual performance may vary by product use, vehicle model and usage.

seems kinda cheezy..


link
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/SilverStarUltra/
 
Last edited:
Funny... I looked at that page myself today and thought the exact same thing.

On top of that, the SilverStars don't last nearly as long as regular bulbs. I have one in my bike currently, and it does appear brighter though, but again, part of it is simply because I'm comparing it to an old bulb.
 
This is not news, unfortunately. SilverStars are terrible bulbs that just won't go away. People keep buying them due to misleading specs and advertising.
 
Originally Posted By: wallyuwl
I am happy with the lighting of Silverstars. Their longevity (if you can call it that) is laughable, though.


Yep....bright, just don't last long at all...
 
It is amazing how many people confuse the inability of the cones in the human eye to process whiter light at low light levels (aka irritation) with the light being brighter.

The blue bulb fiasco plays exactly on this shortcoming & the power of marketing/fine print...they get you hook line and sinker...to go buy another set of Silverstars that are actually dimmer than the factory OEM bulbs at 4x the frequency and pay 2.5-3x the amount. Its a gold mine!!!
 
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
The blue bulb fiasco plays exactly on this shortcoming & the power of marketing/fine print...they get you hook line and sinker...to go buy another set of Silverstars

Silverstars aren't blue. You must be thinking of some 7K HIDs...
 
I just checked the light output of standard H4 and SilverStar H4 bulb. The number of lumens is exactly the same. So, saying that Silverstars are dimmer than factory OEM bulbs isn't correct. But again, you're not gaining anything with Silverstars either, and life expectancy is shorter, too. I'll definitely be going back to a cheaper ordinary H4 bulb once the SilverStar burns out, which shouldn't take long.
smile.gif
 
My Silverstar Ultras have no blue look to them at all, just much whiter and noticeable longer beam while traveling beside other cars on the expressway at night.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I just checked the light output of standard H4 and SilverStar H4 bulb. The number of lumens is exactly the same. So, saying that Silverstars are dimmer than factory OEM bulbs isn't correct.


Well, yes and no. The rated lumens (1,000 lumens +/- 15% for example) is just that, a nominal rating. By law, a certain bulb type (HB2, H7, etc) has to have a minimum number of lumens and a maximum number of lumens. This is usually expressed as a single rating, +/- a certain allowable percentage. So yes, a Silverstar will have the same nominal rating as an Xtravision, as a Long Life, as a standard bulb, etc. This is simply Sylvania giving you the nominal rating, not the actual output.

(Very much like Noack being "
There are a number of objective tests out there on the interwebs that demonstrate reduced lumen output (even though it might be whiter) with Silverstar and similar bulbs. Beam length isn't a good measure because the filament placement can be tweaked by the bulb maker to produce a longer beam in a standard headlamp housing. Beam width is similar: filament placement is key here. It's my assumption, and my assumption only, that the Silverstar and Xtravision bulbs are identical mechanically. That is, they have the same superior internal gas and the same overdriven filament system. The main difference is the Silverstar has the blue coating. So the Xtravision could be giving 1,100 lumens and the Silverstar 900 lumens. Both are legal and both are within nominal specifications.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Silverstars have a blue coating. I'm sure that's what Smokescreen is talking about.


THIS

ANY bulb that has a color filter on it REDUCES the light output!!!!!

If you want the best light output NEVER buy a "blue bulb"!

Philips Vision PLUS!!!! a very good bulb even in 9004 version!
 
I will vouch for the Philips Vision Plus; I had them in H13 in our Chysler T&C. That said, I don't think they were worth the higher price and waiting for S&H from an online purchase. They also started dimming pretty quickly in my opinion (about a year) and replaced them with Sylvania Xtravision from Walmart and I think they were as good as the Philips bulbs were when new. I could not test the longevity of the XVs though, because we sold the van probably a year later.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I could not test the longevity of the XVs though, because we sold the van probably a year later.


I've been sold on the XVs for years. I put a set of sealed beam XVs in my 1984 F-150 about ten or eleven years ago, with a noticeable improvement over the previous halogens. They're still going strong. I've had them in the Audi for a relatively long period of time, too, with no hassles. The price is definitely right, too.
 
8/19/11
I had GE halogens.
I replaced one with Silverstars,so I could compare together.
Same lumination results. No better and no worse.
At least it only cost me $27 buying just one.
So...Back to my $10(?) GE Halogens
 
Last edited:
I have silver star ultras in my high beams. VERY bright light output on dark country roads. Much better than the OEM bulbs.
 
My last set of XVs went 2 1/2 years; however I do a lot of night driving and have a relay kit as well so I was not expecting them to last forever.
I did some rough math and I got rated life out of them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

1 SX
Upgraded the headlight H11B and reverse light 921 bulbs
Replies
4
Views
3K
guy48065
C
  • Locked
From CR headlight tests(2)
Replies
12
Views
4K
Kestas
mclasser
  • Locked
Sylvania Ultra vs Phillips X-tremeVision
2
Replies
31
Views
97K
NYEngineer
O
  • Locked
Sylvania Silver Star XFE bulbs : Anyone using ..
Replies
9
Views
7K
rfeir
Klutch9
  • Locked
Silverstar 'ZXE' - Another Sylvania Failure
Replies
15
Views
12K
Klutch9
Back
Top Bottom