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headlights Sylvania Silver Star XV or ST?

silverstars are the better light. they usually retail for 19.99 for a single 6054. the Xv is the Xtra Vision line. its a brighter halogen than the basic model and does provide more line of sight but it isn't going to be as bright or as white (which aids in night vision). i think i saw the xtravisions at walmart for 14.99 a bulb. I figured it was worth the 10 bux to get the best as opposed to the 2nd to the bottom of the list.
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/Products/ProductComparison/default.htm
you may also wanna look into the GE nighthawks. they are a bit cheaper than silverstars but not quite as bright, but still better than stock.
 
cklaus said:
silverstars are the better light. they usually retail for 19.99 for a single 6054. the Xv is the Xtra Vision line. its a brighter halogen than the basic model and does provide more line of sight but it isn't going to be as bright or as white (which aids in night vision). i think i saw the xtravisions at walmart for 14.99 a bulb. I figured it was worth the 10 bux to get the best as opposed to the 2nd to the bottom of the list.
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/Products/ProductComparison/default.htm
you may also wanna look into the GE nighthawks. they are a bit cheaper than silverstars but not quite as bright, but still better than stock.
Click to expand...
Silverstars or any other light that uses a coating to filter light and change it's color are LESS BRIGHT than GE Nighthawks, or even normal Halogens for that matter.

Nighthawks are among a handfull of Ultra High Efficiency normal halogens that produce the most DOT legal light. Philipps Visionplus are another.

Silverstars are JUNK... what's worse they are the kind of garbage that we all cuss at, at night when we're driving down the road and some GLARING blue tinted **** comes down the road and half blinds us from the refractions and diffuse glare that Blue filtered lights (As opposed to real HID blue colored lights) ALWAYS put out.

The glare is from light being bounced (by the filtering) in directions it shouldn't be. This is why "Projector" head lamps only blind us when they're pointed RIGHT AT US, and but garbage like Silverstars will make us squint to see the road even when they're pointed away in the opposite lane.

1) Dangerous glare
2) LESS LIGHT OUTPUT than NORMAL CHEAP Halogens
3) 19.99 PER LIGHT
4) Much better "Ultra High Efficiency" Halogen lights available (30 to 40% further "reach" than normal)
5) Sylvania's "XtraVision" has more light output and is cheaper than the Silverstars but they are just "High" NOT "Ultra" efficiency.

Note I found all this stuff out after hours of researching when I was PLANNING to buy Silverstars. A good place to start is here:
<hrefhttp://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.autos.driving/browse_frm/thread/4fe34d6f118ac07f/8f200ad31d300732?#8f200ad31d300732
 
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If you want to do it right go with Hella E codes or CIBIE housings then pick the H4 bulb of your choice. The housings I mention use replaceable bulbs, H4's mostly, don't bother with the Hella Visions Plus housings they are not much better than stock. To really do it right pickup a headlight harness from www.rallylights.com or one of the other suppliers, those harness's will get you more voltage/current to the bulb than the stock harness, it will even improve factory light output by probably 30%. The quality of the housing though and the cut of the lense has alot to do with it. I have an old pair of CIBIE 7" rounds in my TJ and Hella E codes in my XJ, I forgot how good the CIBIE's were till I put them in a couple of weeks ago.
 
I have had Silverstars for a while now and really like them.

They don't have "the annoying blue glare", that is the cheap wannabe HID bulbs that are tinted blue. The silverstars have a very slight blue tint, but not annoying.

The difference is big between the Xtra Vision and the Slverstars. One of my silverstars blew, I happened to have a XV around and threw it in for now, the difference is very noticeable. The side with the silverstar has much clearer white light, the other is more yellow and dim.
 
I just put on Wanger TruViews and am happy with them. They still suck compared with newer vehicle headlights but a huge improvement over regular halogens.
 
Simon 88YJ94XJ said:
Silverstars or any other light that uses a coating to filter light and change it's color are LESS BRIGHT than GE Nighthawks, or even normal Halogens for that matter.

Nighthawks are among a handfull of Ultra High Efficiency normal halogens that produce the most DOT legal light. Philipps Visionplus are another.

Silverstars are JUNK... what's worse they are the kind of garbage that we all cuss at, at night when we're driving down the road and some GLARING blue tinted **** comes down the road and half blinds us from the refractions and diffuse glare that Blue filtered lights (As opposed to real HID blue colored lights) ALWAYS put out.

The glare is from light being bounced (by the filtering) in directions it shouldn't be. This is why "Projector" head lamps only blind us when they're pointed RIGHT AT US, and but garbage like Silverstars will make us squint to see the road even when they're pointed away in the opposite lane.

1) Dangerous glare
2) LESS LIGHT OUTPUT than NORMAL CHEAP Halogens
3) 19.99 PER LIGHT
4) Much better "Ultra High Efficiency" Halogen lights available (30 to 40% further "reach" than normal)
5) Sylvania's "XtraVision" has more light output and is cheaper than the Silverstars but they are just "High" NOT "Ultra" efficiency.

Note I found all this stuff out after hours of researching when I was PLANNING to buy Silverstars. A good place to start is here:
<hrefhttp://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.autos.driving/browse_frm/thread/4fe34d6f118ac07f/8f200ad31d300732?#8f200ad31d300732
Click to expand...

Everyone has their opinion... Go lift your jeep and run the stock lighting and you will still get people mad at you b/c your lights are in their eyes... So who cares what other people think? I have ran the Silverstars for about 6 months and really like them. Much brighter than stock.
 
I just wanted a viable sealed beam unit upgrade. The H4 upgrade would entail wiring, reflectors, work, work & more work. A simple sealed beam bulb swap offers me a quick fix with a cost effective solution.
A brighter sealed beam offers me a better choice for now, rather than re-wiring for an H-4 setup.
My thanks to all who offer me a user comparison from "stock" to Silver Star types.
Blue beams...I really dislike those cars that use those dang things. They are as annoying as the uneducated kids with the loud, discourteous stereos blasting in tight traffic.
 
The Silverstar H6054 sealed beam headlight is absolutely the best $40 I've ever spent on my Jeep. I can now see at night, with the largest gains made in rainy weather.
The stock Wagners are not even close, contrary to what the bullsheet laced tirade above says. Perhaps he is referring to the H4 Silverstar? - because the 6054 has no blue tint IMHO.
 
I'm running the Silverstars in my Eagle Vision which is not a sealed beam unit. However, the inflamed opinion above prompted me to post.

They are a different color temperature than the basic halogens we're used to but are certainly not blue. When properly aimed they should not cause any more glare than any other bright light.

They are known to not last as long as some people would like though I've had mine turned on for ~260 hours and they have made it past the 200 hour mark which had been shown as a common failure point.

They are brighter than the stock lights I had and I suspect they last for a shorter period of time for exactly that reason. The tradeoff seems to be brightness is opposite of bulb life in most of these situations. YMMV.

I would be tempted to run them in my Waggy XJ but the small headlights make it difficult to get anything but stock replacements.
 
Ronbo said:
The Silverstar H6054 sealed beam headlight is absolutely the best $40 I've ever spent on my Jeep. I can now see at night, with the largest gains made in rainy weather.
The stock Wagners are not even close, contrary to what the bullsheet laced tirade above says. Perhaps he is referring to the H4 Silverstar? - because the 6054 has no blue tint IMHO.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's a tirade, and there's no bull in it, Just things I found out in the process of finding out that Silverstars are glare inflicting garbage.
A lot of people will go to great lengths to justify money they've spent, especially when it was actually a waste of money.

Just look at the Acetone improves gas mileage thread, lots of people wanting to believe something is true all of them wrong, even though they swear they can see a benefit. None of them found WORSE gas mileage even though that is exactly what happens when measured using the scientific method, and not "feel"

I'm glad you "feel" you got your moneys worth. I to was CONVINCED that silverstars were the best thing I buy until I read a little further and found something besides uninformed "I put them on and they are the BEST" feel based opinions.
 
Simon 88YJ94XJ said:
I wouldn't say it's a tirade, and there's no bull in it, Just things I found out in the process of finding out that Silverstars are glare inflicting garbage.
A lot of people will go to great lengths to justify money they've spent, especially when it was actually a waste of money.

Just look at the Acetone improves gas mileage thread, lots of people wanting to believe something is true all of them wrong, even though they swear they can see a benefit. None of them found WORSE gas mileage even though that is exactly what happens when measured using the scientific method, and not "feel"

I'm glad you "feel" you got your moneys worth. I to was CONVINCED that silverstars were the best thing I buy until I read a little further and found something besides uninformed "I put them on and they are the BEST" feel based opinions.
Click to expand...

I'll try to remember and take some night shots for you to show the difference. You said you researched the info? How about 1st hand experience? Don't always believe what the Internet says!

I have had them on 3 different vehicles now, I wouldn't keep getting them and "wasting my money" if they weren't better.
 
Ive had the silverstars for about 6 months as well, amd am super pleased. I got them at advance auto when they had a sale on them 15$ a piece if i remember. Much brighter than stock yellow craps and no blue tint that i can see.. I showed a friend at work the difference and he put a set in his wifes xj the next month. Shes pleased as well.
 
John90XJ said:
They are a different color temperature than the basic halogens we're used to but are certainly not blue. When properly aimed they should not cause any more glare than any other bright light.
Click to expand...

Basic physics says that ANY filter is going to lower the amount of light, Silverstars achieve their cold color temperature by... guess what... a blue filter coating.

Also due to the FILTER (not the blue) they are more glaring and annoying for other drivers... This applies to ANY headlight with a coating that filters light. any color.

Where do you think that filtered light goes to? It doesn't just disappear magically.


They are brighter than the stock lights I had and I suspect they last for a shorter period of time for exactly that reason. The tradeoff seems to be brightness is opposite of bulb life in most of these situations. YMMV.
Click to expand...

ANYTHING is going to be brighter than the old lights you're replacing, they get dimmer with age, in addition to the improved technology you're probably using for a replacement. So yeah they seem pretty impressive under those circumstances.

Everything I've read says the same thing, the gist being that Silverstars appear impressively bright for a short period of time and have a shorter life span, but that the UHE (to coin an abbreviation) halogens listed in the link I posted are brighter and last longer due to increased efficiency (Thus the E in UHE).

Anyway you guys use whatever you want. Just trying to throw out some information I had found on the subject. As I've said I was just about to buy a set myself based on all the glowing reviews, until I looked into it more.
 
viperbaron said:
I just wanted a viable sealed beam unit upgrade. The H4 upgrade would entail wiring, reflectors, work, work & more work. A simple sealed beam bulb swap offers me a quick fix with a cost effective solution.
A brighter sealed beam offers me a better choice for now, rather than re-wiring for an H-4 setup.
My thanks to all who offer me a user comparison from "stock" to Silver Star types.
Blue beams...I really dislike those cars that use those dang things. They are as annoying as the uneducated kids with the loud, discourteous stereos blasting in tight traffic.
Click to expand...

This is the first I have heard of having to re-wire for H4 upgrades. From what i've heard, the bulbs connect to the standard harness and the housings bolt right in in place of the sealed beams. Is this incorrect?
 
Id like to know where you got the research on SilverStars being annoying and all that jazz. Ive ran mine for over a year aimmed ultra low, and finally reaimmed them about two feet more distance. Trust me I aimmed them low to satisfy myself and other that hate being blinded. SilverStars are the easiest sealed beam lamp on the eyes Ive ever seen. Even real HIDs piss me off because they shine everywhere, and they are real unless Lexus hasnt mastered installing HIDs.

Halogens are the best lamp over anyother form of light. People that go with HIDs need to drive a Honduhh. Everyone that has HIDs on their XJ should take offense to that because you know Im right.

SilverStars are also the most purest white Ive ever seen, except when being pulled over and the trooper shinning his spot light at me. :p

Im done linking my photos of propely installed head lamps, so google "XJoshua SilverStars" and "Joshua86 SilverStars". Youll either go to SupraForums, NAXJA, or Colorado4x4, anywhere else arent my pictures or reviews.
 
Just switching to the 55/60 watt H4 bulbs and the Hella E-code lenses should not require an upgrade in wiring, but it is a good idea anyway. If you run the standard halogen H4's it will be loads better than stock.

And rallylights is the best place to purhcase you stuff at. As an example I called Advance Auto in town as they are suppose to be a Hella distributor. The H4+50 bulbs I was looking at were going to cost $25 each (special order). Rallylights were $11.50 each with $6 shipping from PA to IA.

I had the H4+30 bulbs for a while and then changed to the standard H4 halogen bulbs and it sure made the light less, but still better than stock. I am trying out the H4+50 to see how I like them.
 
Simon 88YJ94XJ said:
Basic physics says that ANY filter is going to lower the amount of light, Silverstars achieve their cold color temperature by... guess what... a blue filter coating.

Also due to the FILTER (not the blue) they are more glaring and annoying for other drivers... This applies to ANY headlight with a coating that filters light. any color.

Where do you think that filtered light goes to? It doesn't just disappear magically.




ANYTHING is going to be brighter than the old lights you're replacing, they get dimmer with age, in addition to the improved technology you're probably using for a replacement. So yeah they seem pretty impressive under those circumstances.

Everything I've read says the same thing, the gist being that Silverstars appear impressively bright for a short period of time and have a shorter life span, but that the UHE (to coin an abbreviation) halogens listed in the link I posted are brighter and last longer due to increased efficiency (Thus the E in UHE).

Anyway you guys use whatever you want. Just trying to throw out some information I had found on the subject. As I've said I was just about to buy a set myself based on all the glowing reviews, until I looked into it more.
Click to expand...
You keep focusing on the alleged filter...have you considered that the filament construction could be different? That it could be a different material? Could it be a different composition of glass? A different type of inert gas? Could your possible use of contacts or glasses be affecting your sense of glare? Do you have a particular sensitivity to light?

You have your opinion and others have theirs....but nobody has pointed at a legitimate source of data that is demonstrably comparative, instead of just more opinion. I suggested that people's experiences may differ from mine....you suggest we're all just wrong. I can't believe you relied on one guy on a message forum as your data source as your link suggests. Share the research!:idea:
 
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