headlight ( bulb ) question

headlight ( bulb ) question

I was planning on getting Sylvania SilverStar light bulbs for my new rolla, but I recently went to a local store and saw that xenon bulbs were cheaper then the silverstars. I have 3 questions, which lasts longer? will my DRL shorten the life of any of those light bulbs? Which ones are actually better? The guy working there told me they guarantee one month on the xenon bulbs but I got the feeling that the guy didn't know what he was talking about so I decided to ask here. Give me some input plz...it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

they arent true xenon bulbs if they are cheaper than the silver stars, ive hear good things about the silver stars, im thinkin about getting some when i got an extra 50 bucks

well it looked like " true " xenonz..it had the size and everything H4 etc..all the right packaging..it was only 20 bucks for 2 light bulbs. Could this be fake? :?:

H4??? :roll:

He meant HB4.

Good! I was about to say....umm...yeah, wrong bulb type..haha.

They're partially xenon filled. True xenon (true HID), you ain't gonna get for 40 bucks. Well, you could get the bulbs themselves for that, but not the setup you need to use them.

DRLs won't "shorten" the life of your bulbs, but because they're on all the time, you'll use up the rated life of the bulbs sooner than if you just ran them at night. It's going to be that way no matter which bulbs you put in there, long as the DRL circuit is still as originally installed.

I tried several el-cheapo "xenon" "blue" bulbs when I first got the car home. Then someone here pointed me toward the Silverstars. Wish I'd started with those, could have saved the $$$ I threw away buying the crap first.

get silverstars, they're the next best thing to true HID, i love mine

hey Zero, you've got the JDMs on your ride too, yes? What did you do with the spare little holes in the low-beam reflectors, where the city lights would be if we had them like the Jap rollas do?

the hole is for a 194 wedge bulb, you can get the socket from toyota, i forgot the toyota genuine part number but ill look for it and post it...i think i posted it on an earlier thread. All i did was put the socket in, to fill the hole, my main concern was to keep moisture out. I haven't wired them up so the don't light up at all, i may do it later

here's a pic hope this helps

Yeup, 194 wedge bulb socket. Picked up a couple from Pep Boys, a couple yellow 194 bulbs too. Wanted to plug the holes to prevent fogging too, wasn't gonna put bulbs in them but figure what the hell for two bucks.

I'm digging on Radio Shack's Web site now, looking at reed relays. I'm going to wire them thru relays to the LED for my alarm system. Or, build a 555 timer circuit and flash them like once every 30 seconds when the alarm is armed. Wouldn't be so likely to draw a crowd if it only flashed twice a minute.

Just something to keep me busy until it cools off outside and I can wash / wax the car, or dinnertime, whichever comes first. Boring day.

Do you have State inspection where you live still? Are you worried about the JDMs failing since there's no reflector in the front (why they're not DOT approved)?

topic 1136&highlight=citylights 194

heres the thread as promised... 8)

huh? i've never heard of state inspections before, i had my 97 corolla for 5 years and never had to deal w/ anything like that...if there is i'm not really worried about it

They must have done away with them since I was out there (80 - 83). Cool. They were real fargin bastages back then, if they opened your hood and saw even a chrome oil breather cap they'd crawl up your butt with a microscope and fail you for anything they could. They told me to get my Charger out of the state within 30 days or I'd face some rediculous fine like 1500 bucks a day after 30 days. I did.

Up here I'll fail for non-DOT headlights, so for inspection I'm going to do the stick-on yellow reflectors and point the State reg out to whomever wants to argue. When I get the sticker, off they come.

Tnx for the link!

Do they have sylvania silverstars for the fog lights? I am gonna be adding fog lights to my CE and would like the slyvania silverstars as well for the fogs.

Brian Weber

...there are no Silverstars available in the H3 size required for the OEM fog light. Hey Zero how did you get that night shot to come out so cleanly? I tried a similar shot w/my car everything came out either blurry or the light looked very yellow.

they have silverstars for every regular bulb type.

I don't think that SilverStars are available in the US in H3's

You might want to try PIAA's for that size.

hmm, we have H3's, i never checked into that cuz dont have foglamps. that is gettin written down. hey bimmernut, do ur piaa's tend to brun out quick. ppl told me good bulb, but short life span.

Japanese PIAA's (non DOT compliant) are expensive and have a short life span. I've had several permutations of bulb sizes as well as different tints (Super Plasma FX, Xtreme White, Superwhite...). All PIAA's, in my experience, have had a life of under one year. I've had the best luck with the Silverstars. That's why I continue to recommend them.

so then it is ture, i will wait till i get the black housing lamps later this year. i wanna do real HID's but they cost so damn much

yea i cant find teh silverstar h3's anywhere, dont think they make em. i checked their site. i'm waiting a lil while to go buy the yellow osrams from the england site so i can get the IS300 look going.

think the stick on reflector will really work? thats the one reason keeping me from clearing out my headlights. stupid state inspections

Are you kidding? In Mass? There's a saying up here...if you hear, see, or smell something not right while you're sitting at a red light, look for the car with the Red White and Blue plates!

Seriously, that's the only reason the JDMs don't pass NH state inspection. I was standing outside at work just watching time go by, and checking out the cars running the stop sign in front of my building. More than one car went by that had no yellow reflector built into the headlight assembly, rather they had one down lower on the skirt.

So, if ya add two and two... of course if you get some anal Mister GoodWrench and he actually LOOKS for the DOT molded into the housing, it won't be there.

Here's the NH reg on headlights. The part about reflectors is vague. It says any reflectors must be [sic] in good shape. So, what if there's no reflector there at all?

266:31 Front Lights. – Every motor vehicle driven during the period from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise, and whenever rain, snow, or fog shall interfere with the proper view of the road so that persons and vehicles on the way are not clearly discernible at a distance of 1000 feet ahead, shall display at least 2 lighted lamps on the front; provided, however, that one suitable lighted lamp on the front of a motorcycle shall be sufficient. The headlamp shall throw sufficient light ahead within the travelled portion of the way to make clearly visible all vehicles, persons, or substantial objects within a distance of 200 feet, except that the headlamps of motorcycles shall be sufficient if they make clearly visible objects within a distance of 150 feet. No headlamp shall be used unless it is approved by the director and is equipped with a proper lens or other device designed to prevent glaring rays. All headlamps on every motor vehicle shall be located at a height of not more than 54 inches nor less than 24 inches from the ground on an unladen vehicle. The measurement shall be made from the ground to the center of the lens. No device which obstructs, reflects, or alters the beam of such headlamp shall be used in connection therewith unless approved by the director. Every lens or other device to prevent glaring rays, the use of which on motor vehicles has been approved by the director, shall be arranged, adjusted, and operated in accordance with the requirements of the certificate approving the use thereof. Every lamp, bulb, or light used in any headlamp shall be of such candle power as may be specified for the approved device in the certificate approving the use thereof. Every reflector which is used as a part of such headlamp shall have a reflecting surface approved by the director after satisfactory tests have been made, and every reflecting surface shall be free from dents, rust and other imperfections. The driver of every motor vehicle shall permit any properly authorized person to inspect the headlighting equipment of such motor vehicle and to make such tests as he may deem necessary to determine whether the provisions of this section are being complied with. No brown M&Ms will be accepted as bribes.

i used a tripod...thats the only way i can get clear shots in the dark

Damn and i thought it had to do with the exposure or camera... learn somethin new everyday...

Im stuck in the same boat but a friend in Cali said I could get HID parts yanked out of car that has it in a junkyard

Folks,

Just another vote of approval for SilverStars. I've got 'em in mine, and I'm very happy with them. This is the second car I've put them in, and I do like them a whole lot!

I haven't had a chance to "burn any of them out" yet -- we'll see how long they last!

BTW, everyone with SilverStars do this test -- turn the brights on, and stick your hand in front of the bright bulb in the headlights. (Hehehe -- stop the car, first, then try this!) REAL HEAT!! :shock:



thoots