I'm using Osram-Sylvania Xtravision 9006 low beams right now. They are miles ahead of the OEM bulbs which truly SUCK. I think they are a little high right now, and the high beams need replaced. Going to get some Sylvania Xtravision 9005 which is what it calls for. The high beams illuminate much worse than the low beams do if you can believe it.
Your favorite non-OEM halogen headlight bulb?
- Thread starter mshu7
- Start date
If you want the best get the philips xtreme vision...
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
I'm using Osram-Sylvania Xtravision 9006 low beams right now. They are miles ahead of the OEM bulbs which truly SUCK. I think they are a little high right now, and the high beams need replaced. Going to get some Sylvania Xtravision 9005 which is what it calls for. The high beams illuminate much worse than the low beams do if you can believe it.
Ok, I'll try these for my very poor low beams on my Saturn SL1.
I'm using Osram-Sylvania Xtravision 9006 low beams right now. They are miles ahead of the OEM bulbs which truly SUCK. I think they are a little high right now, and the high beams need replaced. Going to get some Sylvania Xtravision 9005 which is what it calls for. The high beams illuminate much worse than the low beams do if you can believe it.
Ok, I'll try these for my very poor low beams on my Saturn SL1.
If you want more light, the best route is to add auxiliary driving lights and maybe some fog lights (only use in bad weather, I can't understand why people drive around with these things on all the time!)
As for spending big dollars on shorter life primary bulbs, I can't justify it anymore. Seems that the "regular" version sold by the big names (GE and Sylvania seem top be the most popular) for around $7.50 each are very close to the performance of the fancy bulbs costing $15 or more per each. And in my experience, all of the fancy ones burn out with much greater frequency, further increasing the cost of operation. The amount you will save on buying the cheap bulbs through both lower purchase price and longer bulb life will quickly pay for a couple pairs of auxiliary driving lights.
A little food for thought:
If you drop the average bulb life to 1/3rd of OEM, then you can achieve about a 25% gain in output with the same wattage (not counting IR coated bulbs, totally different class there). Many of the "fancy" bulbs do this, and really are about 25% brighter when fresh out of the package. However, as it would turn out, when the filament runs at a higher temperature to achieve this increased efficiency, lumen maintenance gets worse in most cases. Which means that after a hundred hours or so, it may not be any brighter than the "cheap" bulbs. To make matters worse, running the filament at a higher temperature makes the filament more susceptible to premature failure, especially from vibration and shock loads which are going to b prevalent in a moving vehicle. I just skimmed through the 9 pages here in this thread, and I think one could argue that the point I am making about bulb life has been proven right here in this thread, lots of reports of fancy Halk-StarVisionX-UltrasupermEGA-G9 bulbs failing after 3 months.
It takes about a 30% difference in light output to "see" or "notice" in a non-side-by-side comparison. The human eye responds to illumination and perceives it in a logarithmic fashion. To notice "substantial" changes in illumination requires a large change, like double or more. (this is why I suggest just installing some auxiliary driving lights, you can have double the illumination when you are out away from traffic where you need it)
Here's an idea: Buy the cheap bulbs, but replace the wiring in the car that leads to the bulbs with 2 sizes heavier gauge. This will result in an output similar to the expensive bulbs with the same sacrifice of bulb life but you can pay less each time you replace them
(NOTE: this would cause the fancy bulbs to burn out EVEN FASTER than before!)
Eric
As for spending big dollars on shorter life primary bulbs, I can't justify it anymore. Seems that the "regular" version sold by the big names (GE and Sylvania seem top be the most popular) for around $7.50 each are very close to the performance of the fancy bulbs costing $15 or more per each. And in my experience, all of the fancy ones burn out with much greater frequency, further increasing the cost of operation. The amount you will save on buying the cheap bulbs through both lower purchase price and longer bulb life will quickly pay for a couple pairs of auxiliary driving lights.
A little food for thought:
If you drop the average bulb life to 1/3rd of OEM, then you can achieve about a 25% gain in output with the same wattage (not counting IR coated bulbs, totally different class there). Many of the "fancy" bulbs do this, and really are about 25% brighter when fresh out of the package. However, as it would turn out, when the filament runs at a higher temperature to achieve this increased efficiency, lumen maintenance gets worse in most cases. Which means that after a hundred hours or so, it may not be any brighter than the "cheap" bulbs. To make matters worse, running the filament at a higher temperature makes the filament more susceptible to premature failure, especially from vibration and shock loads which are going to b prevalent in a moving vehicle. I just skimmed through the 9 pages here in this thread, and I think one could argue that the point I am making about bulb life has been proven right here in this thread, lots of reports of fancy Halk-StarVisionX-UltrasupermEGA-G9 bulbs failing after 3 months.
It takes about a 30% difference in light output to "see" or "notice" in a non-side-by-side comparison. The human eye responds to illumination and perceives it in a logarithmic fashion. To notice "substantial" changes in illumination requires a large change, like double or more. (this is why I suggest just installing some auxiliary driving lights, you can have double the illumination when you are out away from traffic where you need it)
Here's an idea: Buy the cheap bulbs, but replace the wiring in the car that leads to the bulbs with 2 sizes heavier gauge. This will result in an output similar to the expensive bulbs with the same sacrifice of bulb life but you can pay less each time you replace them
Eric
Originally Posted By: Buffman
aren't PIAAs normal wattage bulbs just "rated" at a higher wattage because of the "extra light they put out".
Please go to this site and find out, from an expert on lighting, why PIAA bulbs are a complete waste of money, and put out LESS light, not more. "85 watts of light from a 55 watt bulb "is just a marketing sham. 75 bucks for a light bulb? Give me a break!
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/superwhite/superwhite.html
aren't PIAAs normal wattage bulbs just "rated" at a higher wattage because of the "extra light they put out".
Please go to this site and find out, from an expert on lighting, why PIAA bulbs are a complete waste of money, and put out LESS light, not more. "85 watts of light from a 55 watt bulb "is just a marketing sham. 75 bucks for a light bulb? Give me a break!
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/superwhite/superwhite.html
^+1. I changed my entire head light system from stock units and wasted my money on PIAA. I have 2 separate bulbs now that are brighter.
I simply put 9005 HIGH beam bulbs in my 9006 LOW beam lenses.
Tried all the so-called "brightest" DOT bulbs on the market,
and NONE were brighter than a $4.99 65watt 9005 halogen bulb from the local tractor supply.
Tried all the so-called "brightest" DOT bulbs on the market,
and NONE were brighter than a $4.99 65watt 9005 halogen bulb from the local tractor supply.
I finally got around to installing the PowerPlus bulbs I had purchased from the UK PowerBulb website. After driving them for few nights, I like them. They put more light than the original and the auto-store bought Wagner generic H4 bulb. I paid approximately $40 for total of 4 H4 bulbs.
If your car takes H4 (better if you have multiple cars with H4), consider this option.
- Vikas
If your car takes H4 (better if you have multiple cars with H4), consider this option.
- Vikas
Originally Posted By: ENGINEER60
I simply put 9005 HIGH beam bulbs in my 9006 LOW beam lenses.
So now you are blinding other drivers, since 9005 does not have a glare shield.
To the OP--GE Nighthawks. Run for many years and nice output, brighter than OEM. I've tried both 9006 and H4 versions, liked both (different cars)
I simply put 9005 HIGH beam bulbs in my 9006 LOW beam lenses.
So now you are blinding other drivers, since 9005 does not have a glare shield.
To the OP--GE Nighthawks. Run for many years and nice output, brighter than OEM. I've tried both 9006 and H4 versions, liked both (different cars)
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Originally Posted By: Ursae_Majoris
Originally Posted By: ENGINEER60
I simply put 9005 HIGH beam bulbs in my 9006 LOW beam lenses.
So now you are blinding other drivers, since 9005 does not have a glare shield.
Not necessarily. Many modern headlamp housings have a glare shield in front of the bulb, erradicating any extra glare. I've used the HB3 bulbs in my low beams before as well, and the optics control was still very good (because the placement of the filament in the lamp housing remained the same as with an HB4 bulb). I ultimately put the HIR2 bulbs back in (which also don't have a painted-on glare shield) because of the short life of the HB3 when used all the time.
Originally Posted By: ENGINEER60
I simply put 9005 HIGH beam bulbs in my 9006 LOW beam lenses.
So now you are blinding other drivers, since 9005 does not have a glare shield.
Not necessarily. Many modern headlamp housings have a glare shield in front of the bulb, erradicating any extra glare. I've used the HB3 bulbs in my low beams before as well, and the optics control was still very good (because the placement of the filament in the lamp housing remained the same as with an HB4 bulb). I ultimately put the HIR2 bulbs back in (which also don't have a painted-on glare shield) because of the short life of the HB3 when used all the time.
PIAA bulbs....I have no idea how they get people to justify so much money for their bulbs..........I just installed Philips NightGuide on my Eclipse and Philips Crystal Vision Ultra on my Saab and I must say, I'm loving it a lot. Especially the NightGuide, it's actually really interesting how the idea behind the bulb kinda works.
ive got a 92 gmc s15 jimmy and ive looked all over but i cant find where these side marker lights go in does not seem to be any acess panel any ideas
NOKYA Cosmic White
HALO Platinum White
HALO Platinum White
Sylvania XtraVision
Originally Posted By: hpichris
PIAA bulbs....I have no idea how they get people to justify so much money for their bulbs..........I just installed Philips NightGuide on my Eclipse and Philips Crystal Vision Ultra on my Saab and I must say, I'm loving it a lot. Especially the NightGuide, it's actually really interesting how the idea behind the bulb kinda works.
which B/M stores carry the night guide?
The right side 9007 on my Tbird is out and i have to replace it...might as well go for a new type...
PIAA bulbs....I have no idea how they get people to justify so much money for their bulbs..........I just installed Philips NightGuide on my Eclipse and Philips Crystal Vision Ultra on my Saab and I must say, I'm loving it a lot. Especially the NightGuide, it's actually really interesting how the idea behind the bulb kinda works.
which B/M stores carry the night guide?
The right side 9007 on my Tbird is out and i have to replace it...might as well go for a new type...
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
The right side 9007 on my Tbird is out and i have to replace it...might as well go for a new type...
Check your PM. I have a set of near-new 9007 Nightguides that you can have for cheap. No shipping either if we meet locally.
The right side 9007 on my Tbird is out and i have to replace it...might as well go for a new type...
Check your PM. I have a set of near-new 9007 Nightguides that you can have for cheap. No shipping either if we meet locally.
I like 'PIAA Extreme White Plus' bulbs. They really do the job...been using them for several years now; haven't burned one out yet, they seem to last and last.
I acquired the Nightguide 9007s from Hokiefyd (Thanks!!) - will try them soon on the Tbird. However, I need to clean the headlamp lens covers at least a bit before trying them out, otherwise I won't be able to judge any difference effectively...Might just use the 3M plastic polishing and cleaner by hand for now...it does an OK quick job I think...too cold to do anything like CV kit outside...
will update in a few days - it's way too cold to do all that right now - Brr!
will update in a few days - it's way too cold to do all that right now - Brr!
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I think they'll work good in your Thunderbird. My Dakota has the type of head lamp with the faceted lens cover, and the light "zones" of the Nightguide just didn't work good with that type of lamp. I'll be interested to know how you like them when you install them.
