i need new 9003 halogens for my 93 legacy. Wal-mart has plain GE's and GE super blues? anyone have good luck (better light than stock) with any aftermarket bulbs? in the stock wattage? ( I don't want to melt my lenses with higher than normal wattages. Thanks

Originally posted by johnd911

i need new 9003 halogens for my 93 legacy. Wal-mart has plain GE's and GE super blues? anyone have good luck (better light than stock) with any aftermarket bulbs? in the stock wattage? ( I don't want to melt my lenses with higher than normal wattages. Thanks

 

Sylvania Silverstars are probably best suited to your needs. They are standard wattage, but use a more efficient filament so they do produce quite a bit more light. They are coated to produce "white" light which only looks "blue" when compared to the standard "yellow" halogen bulbs.

 

You will not melt the lenses with higher wattage bulbs, but you will likely melt the wiring harnesses. The wiring harnesses barely handle the stock wattage, even a 10 watt increase has been known to melt the wires.

In my opinion, stick with anything white. I tried blue with higher wattage in another car and was sorely disappointed.

who's got the silvania silverstars? autozone? wal-mart? napa? thanks for the replies

I saw them at the front counter display when I was in Advance Auto Parts the other day; I believe they were around $20 a piece.

Read some info on Daniel Stern's site about lighting, bulbs, etc.

 

http://lighting.mbz.org/

 

Some may not agree with him, but he is very reputable and knows his stuff.

I did a little research before I bought my bulbs. I learned the hight the color terperature the more wattage you need. The higher the color temp the less visible the light is but the light is whiter. I think stock bulbs are around 3000k in color temp. I bought 4300k bulbs and the wattage went up to around 110 to 130 watts to get the same light output. They are nice and white and very visible. The only downside is they were $45 per pair and I have 3 pair in the fromt of my 04 WRX. A pretty price to pay but very worth it.

john! can you tell us mroe about the conditions you expect to encounter? I have spent a small fortune on testing different types of bubls, and will freely dispense my wisdom if you care to listen

Just installed one (1) Wagner hibrite, it's made by Philips in Germany. in my dark and wet driveway, no difference that is visable between it and the wal-mart GE blue ($8 dollar bulb). putting my high beams onto my garage door 50 feet away, no visable discernable difference in brightness or visable light at all. Looking at the headlights head on from a distance, I see no difference. From what I've found on the net, these Wagners (aka Philips premiums) are supposed to be the brightest zenon bulbs that you can get in the stock wattage. So, I'll just leave the 2 different bulbs in there. I drive in Buffalo NY.

The new Sylvania Silverstars are great! We got them for Rox's Miata several months ago, and it made all the difference in the world. They are about $20 each and worth it. Stock wattage and over wattage by a small bit, depending on application. You will like them for sure.

HTH-

I second that recommendation. I put silverstars in the headlamps and in the fogs. It's a bright idea!!!!!!

Ken

Go with the Sylvania Silver stars. Advance Auto has then on sale until 12/31.

PepBoys is now running a sale for 12.99 each.

Standard halogen bulbs run at 3200k color temp. This is as close to natural light as you'll get from a filament (generally, there are some exceptions) and is standard in most halogen applications, including TV studios, theatrical lighting, etc.

 

Avoid anything that filters color, like, um, Blue. A blue paint filters out the light that would otherwise be on the road. ALSO, blue is a BAD color for visibility-- it tends to scatter more than lower freqs, creating harshness and even worse, glare. Even HID does not look blue to the driver. Oncomer's see the fringe which does have a blue tint, but that's not what the driver gets on the road, which is "whiter," with a higher color temp.

 

It was posted a while back that the oem wiring sees a voltage drop due to thin wiring up to 1 volt or so, and that this last volt is responsible for 10-15% of the bulb's output potential. Therefore, upgrading the wiring can provide a very useable improvement while using normal bulbs.

 

Mike

http://www.talkaboutautos.com/group/rec.autos.driving/messages/525825.html

excellent article that shows the Wagner Britelites to be a top rated bulb. the US silverstars (also confirmed elsewhere) are nothing more than everyday Osram blues in europe. So according to this article with links to a Brittish bulb test, the Wagners seem the best in the 30% category, (they are Phillips bulbs). I'd like to get my hands on those 50% brighter euro bulbs!!!!

From the article:

 

Bottom line, some people find the appearance of these "extra white" headlamps more pleasing than the appearance of untinted headlamps, but they do not help you see, they cause more glare, they work against you in bad weather, and their lifespan is comparatively short.

 

Most of the manufacturers offer headlamp bulbs that have higher-output filaments _without_ any light-stealing color coating. These tend to run right at the high end of allowable lumens. They're more popular in Europe than in North America, but North American examples are Sylvania Xtravision, Wagner BriteLite, GE High Output, Philips High Visibility, Candlepower Bright Light, Narva Rangepower, and -- confusingly -- Osram Silverstar, an extra-high-output *uncolored* bulb line sold primarily outside North America.

 

I put in Sylvania Xtravision and was very pleased with the improvement.

Oh geez....now someone is telling me and my wife that we can't see better than before with the Silverstars! Try driving a Miata with regular halogens and then the Silverstars, then come back and tell me that. Sheesh!

Each to his own opinion...but mine's correct! :-)

I tried a few of the E-bay "WHITE LIGHTS" with the blue tint. Nope, no brighter and actually darker since it makes "blue" light on a black road. I even tried 100W high beams and according to my photo light meter, they put out as much light as standard 65W high beams. I have Silver Star bulbs now, got them on sale.

Those European bulbs are better but hard to get.

PIAA nothing better

I run "real" Silverstars, 55/60W. They are the best upgrade you can achieve by just swapping bulbs. No question. Out on country roads - four times Silver 60W, thanks to a set of Hella FF's - they really light things up nicely. Animals that stray onto the road are easily seen at long distance. I'm sure my bumper is pleased

I tried the piaa xtreme white in my outback sport and I went through about 5 bulbs, none of which lasted a whole year. At $70 bucks for a pair, it's not worth it.

I think they would just get to hot.

 

I did buy a set of their fog lights though, and they've lasted.

 

-tony

I have tried many different bulbs from many sources, mostly the cheap kind on ebay for $10, but the best yet are the 5800k XD5 bulbs in either low 65W or High 90W. The site is http://www.globalpremier.com they also sell on ebay just enter XD5 in the search box and you will find what you need. I currently have the low 65W XD5 bulbs in my 93 Legacy Wagon, and the High 90W XD5 bulbs in my 94 Legacy Wagon. They are both phenominal, especially the higher wattage bulbs. They are so bright, it looks like I have my high beams on. They are a really bright white light that really lights up the road. No problems with wiring harness melting either. I have had them for several months, and all is well. Check them out for yourselves.

If you aren't in a big hurry and want to save some $$, search Ebay for Silverstars. Just watch the shipping rates. They differ. I got two for a little less than the price of one.

I put in Wagner Ultra-Brites (the pure white ones, not the 'blues'). $14.95 ea, in stock, over the counter at the local NAPA. Much better than stock, and no ' false high beam complaints' from oncoming traffic.

My favorite is the one that I hold out my window with my left hand as I drive w/my right. Its kind of heavy after a while but the 3million candle power really puts daylight where you want it.

 

I've got a Sylv. Silv. on one side and stock yellow on the other......Its a big difference in color temp and makes it at least visually brighter. I'd need to use one of those photo meters to make sure how much actual light increase.

 

One thing that I havent' heard yet is the need for a clear lens. I don't know about yours, but mine scatters a lot of light and is far more opaque than a new one w/all of the rock dings/scratches. Wish there was an aftermarket alternative for the lenses, don't you?

I think the PIAA Intense White are the best. They have a better warranty situation than Silverstar as well. We sell them at our location in Vancouver, 1-800-665-5031 or you can buy on line from http://www.piaalights.com