Which bulb should i use?

[sentra]

One of my 2002 Sentra's headlight bulb (9007) is burnt out, and i am looking to get a replacement. Which brand or kind would you suggest?

I don't think i need anything fancy, as the stock bulbs were good enough for my liking and the conditions i drive in. Also, should replace both bulbs or wait for the other to fail and then replace it?

 

[BigBuck]

Replace both. You'll get better output and they aren't terribly expensive. Just save the working bulb in your garage in case you have a freak blow out. I'd get 2 xtravision bulbs.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I would replace them with a pair of Sylvania Xtravision. You can usually find these inexpensively. Also, make sure your head lamp lenses are clear of hazing or yellowing. That significantly reduces the light output.

 

[jorton]

OEM Sylvania lasts forever. Bulbs marketed as making NN% brighter light cost more and are not long life bulbs.

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/LampReplacementGuide/

 

[Klutch9]

x2 on the Sylvania Xtravision recommendation. They last a long time and are ever so slightly whiter than OE bulbs, but without the blue coating. I like to look at them as a very good quality OE style bulb.

 

[sciphi]

x1,000,000 on the XtraVisions. They are about the best bulb readily available over the counter.

Also x2 on making sure your headlight lenses are clear and free from haze. We cleaned up my neighbor's Grand Prix headlights, and he was amazed at how much more light they put out. Read around here for good product/kit recommendations.

 

[Klutch9]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Also x2 on making sure your headlight lenses are clear and free from haze. We cleaned up my neighbor's Grand Prix headlights, and he was amazed at how much more light they put out. Read around here for good product/kit recommendations.


Agreed. I have used Meguire's Scratch-X with good success on plastic headlight lenses in the past. Plast-X may be more applicable, since it is designed for use on plastic and may be a slightly finer abbrasive. But either one will do wonders. I've tried one of those wetsand headlight restore kits, and it didn't really do much. Maybe I didn't do it right, who knows. But the Meguire's is good stuff.

 

[bigmike]

Philips are OEM for both my cars. Using that in the Honda and Sylvania Xtravision in my truck. Both appear to be good lights.

 

[bigmike]

Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Also x2 on making sure your headlight lenses are clear and free from haze. We cleaned up my neighbor's Grand Prix headlights, and he was amazed at how much more light they put out. Read around here for good product/kit recommendations.


Agreed. I have used Meguire's Scratch-X with good success on plastic headlight lenses in the past. Plast-X may be more applicable, since it is designed for use on plastic and may be a slightly finer abbrasive. But either one will do wonders. I've tried one of those wetsand headlight restore kits, and it didn't really do much. Maybe I didn't do it right, who knows. But the Meguire's is good stuff.


I've used Meg's Ultimate compound and an orange pad with good success. It buffs out nice and clear.

 

[Klutch9]

I'm still perplexed as to why some manufacturers still design their vehicles to use 9007 bulbs. I think that the 9006/9005 low and hi beam dual bulb setup usually gives a good beam pattern, even on older cars. I do understand that visual styling sometimes rules out the use of 2 bulbs in one headlamp, but there are still better options than a 9007 if a manufacturer wants a single bulb low/hi beam combo setup.

 

[Hokiefyd]

There are better options, especially now. But this is a 2002 Sentra. Frankly, I'm surprised Nissan used the HB5 (9007), rather than an HB2 (9003); the HB2 is a slightly modified (in terms of filament placement precision) H4, which is used extensively in the rest of the world.

Most vehicles today using a dual-filament bulb will use either the HB2 or H4, or the newer H13. The H4 is a very old design but still with good lumen output. And with the integral Graves Shield, supports a wider variety of optic patterns, most commonly the European 60%/40% optic pattern, where 60% of the reflector housing is used to generate the low-beam pattern while 40% remains "dark". The entire housing is used to generated the high beam pattern.

The H13 is the most recent dual-filament, usually replacing the HB5 in new headlamp designs. But it does not have a Graves Shield so the optic pattern is typically confined to one style (usually the DOT style with a straight-across upper cut-off).

 

[mechanicx]

If you want brighter or brightest Sylvanias, the SilverStar and SilverStar Ultra are the ones to get.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
If you want brighter or brightest Sylvanias, the SilverStar and SilverStar Ultra are the ones to get.


Yea, but if you dig into the reviews and testimonials you will find out that most people think that the "extra" brightness does not even begin to live up to the marketing claims.

And, more important, their life (hours) is pathetic. Many complain they can't get one year of use out of them. The mfg. data doesn't lie on this.

 

[mechanicx]

I don't know. One person I know had them in for 3 years in one car and they blew only because of a 20 year old dimmer switch went out, and in another car for 3-4 years and were working when he sold the car. The normal bulbs sometimes blew with in a year

. He also said the headlights were noticably brighter and whiter and I thought so too. I usually just use standard replacements though.

 

[diane21]

I would love to do is to upgrade the headlight 9005 bulb to a bright enough Cree or Luxeon LED that would be sufficient as a replacement so may tinker with that later on and post results if positive.
Saluna Green

 

[Seguino]

As long as you avoid avoid avoid any bulb with a blue tint, just head down to CT or Lordco and get any pair of 2007s . If the bulbs you had in there were adequate for your driving style then upgrade bulbs are probably not worth the extra cost, unless the xtravisions are only a couple of bucks more.