Do u find ur light bright?

[ericem]

I have a 93 legacy, but the lights just don't seem like there on. I got the cool blue bulbs. But i heard they dim over time. What bulbs can you recommend that are super bright. I know off silverstar, but they only last 1 month and then i need to spend another $50. Any ideas, thanks guys.

[Manarius]

Cool blue are dim as all hell. I've had Silverstars on my car now for almost two years and they are the same brightness as they were when I got them.

 

If you want bright, get some halogens and wire in some relays to help the poor electrical job Subaru did with the lights.

[nipper]

also cool blue loose a lot of light on wet roads, i had them and couldnt see a thing. Get a pair of silverstars, i love them.

If you have plastic headlights, polish them and that will help a lot too.

 

nipper

[Dr. RX]

At first I was going to post something silly, "I had a lite brite when I was a kid", but then read the posts and want to add to that positive posts about silverstars, I've got them in my Impreza, they are still as bright as the day I got them.

[Manarius]

also cool blue loose a lot of light on wet roads, i had them and couldnt see a thing. Get a pair of silverstars, i love them.

If you have plastic headlights, polish them and that will help a lot too.

 

nipper

My silverstars really wash out over wet road. I personally like my silverstars, but vikash and a lot of the people on the bbs don't like them and think they're not worth the money. I'm not really sure I agree with that at this point, but maybe I'll change my tune if they just decide to blow on a random occasion.

[ericem]

also cool blue loose a lot of light on wet roads, i had them and couldnt see a thing. Get a pair of silverstars, i love them.

If you have plastic headlights, polish them and that will help a lot too.

 

nipper

 

That was my big problem. I couldn't see when it was raining. But again silverstars don't last long. I know there bright. But is there any other light bulbs that are bright, and last long? I saw these xenon's lights for 1 dollar plus shipping and they show a before and after picture. ANd it was super bright. Or even these. Are they good?

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/97-00-Suzuki-GSXR-600-750-H4-XENON-HID-Headlight-bulbs_W0QQitemZ250025158428QQihZ015QQcategoryZ34284QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[nickb21]

I wouldn't trust anything that is a traditional bulb and says xenon (how can coloring a bulb increase light output?). I've been running XtraVisions for ~2 years in a '00 Legacy and so far they've been great.

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/Xtravision/

 

I don't think they're quite as expensive as the SilverStars.

 

You might also check out http://www.danielsternlighting.com/ I've heard lots of good things.

[jamal]

That was my big problem. I couldn't see when it was raining. But again silverstars don't last long. I know there bright. But is there any other light bulbs that are bright, and last long? I saw these xenon's lights for 1 dollar plus shipping and they show a before and after picture. ANd it was super bright. Or even these. Are they good?

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/97-00-Suzuki-GSXR-600-750-H4-XENON-HID-Headlight-bulbs_W0QQitemZ250025158428QQihZ015QQcategoryZ34284QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Do not buy any of that crap or silverstars.

 

Silverstars are okay I guess, but they're tinted blue, which is a big no-no for a halogen bulb. HIDs look blue because they actually put out light that has more blue in it.

 

A light that is tinted blue must be overdriven to meet light output standards So while it may look brighter, it actually isn't because that blue tint is taking so much away. Most of the light from a halogen bulb is in the yellow-red spectrum. Blue tint takes away everything but blue.

 

The best readily available bulb in the US is the Sylvania Xtravision. I have them and they're great. In europe the Osram Silverstar is a non-tinted bulb that is apparantly a step above the Xtravision. But they're not the same as a Sylvania Silverstar you find in a parts store (even though Osram and Sylvania are the same company).

 

Anyway read everything on daniel stern's website.

 

Good bulbs and clear lenses will make a huge difference. If that's not enough, do what I did and get some quality driving lights. Another thing people do is run relays to the headlights to replace the thin and old factory wiring. It can make a difference, and I'll probably do that eventually, along with 100w bulbs in my Hella FF1000s.

[nipper]

ive had silverstars for a year now and they seam fine. Once again it goes back to how foggy your lense is. Some of our road surfaces here, anything short of sunshine get washed out on a wet road.

Xenon bulbs for a buck, think about it, you get what you pay for.

There are HID conversiond for 250-500 bucks, im wating for someone to try them first.

Also make sure your headlights are aimed properly. No one ever checks the aim.

 

nipper

[jamal]

wow how did I forget to mention aim. That's the most important part.

 

i had having everything pointing the general right direction, then I went to a parking structure with a level and some tape and aimed everything properly (directions on daniel stern's site).

 

The difference is incredible. The light only where it should be, and very bright when I turn everything on.

[subyfreak]

I went with the 90\100 ultra blue bulbs from JC Whittney. The results even after running relays were unimpressive. Expect to see less and get brights from other people if you go with the blue ones.

[gcleeton]

Autozone sell some grease to put inside the bulb holder to keep out moisture - probably moisture gets on to the bulb by capillary attraction and reduces the bulb life. I will try it with some Sylvania Ultras.

[jamal]

I went with the 90\100 ultra blue bulbs from JC Whittney. The results even after running relays were unimpressive. Expect to see less and get brights from other people if you go with the blue ones.

 

 

Yeah probably because those are crap garbage bulbs.

 

Sylvania Xtravision is the only bulb anyone should get when they're browsing autozone or e-bay checking out the magical "like xenon," "cool blue," "100w equivalent," "hyper white," or whatever bull************ marketing description lights.

 

(wow that's a lot of * for a four letter word)

 

If you really want a step above that get a set of Osram Silverstars or Narva Rangepower +50 etc. Do not get higher wattage bulbs without upgrading the wiring harness and/or the housings, and even then, don't do it. If anyone still wants to disagree, read all of the danielsternlighting.com site before you post.

[GeneralDisorder]

I have the Silverstar's and don't find them to be "blue" at all (and there's no tint on the bulb itself either). They are quite bright and very white looking to me. And I get them for $39.95 locally. I suspect the info on that site may be outdated and that Osram has replaced the blue tinted Sylvania bulbs with their own "Silverstar" line. They now make a Silverstar "Ultra" as well so that may be a clue.

 

I'm probably going with an HID drop in kit here soon though. My local import house (discount import parts) just got them in. They have plug & play HID kits for all bulb models for $155. Pretty neat and trumps all regular bulbs.

 

GD

[wondercow2]

I use XtraVisions too. My headlight problems are clearly the crappy headlight fixture's problem, not the bulb's. Throwing a bigger bulb into a poorly-designed or scratched/fogged/mis-aimed headlight won't do anything useful.

[Manarius]

I have the Silverstar's and don't find them to be "blue" at all (and there's no tint on the bulb itself either). They are quite bright and very white looking to me. And I get them for $39.95 locally. I suspect the info on that site may be outdated and that Osram has replaced the blue tinted Sylvania bulbs with their own "Silverstar" line. They now make a Silverstar "Ultra" as well so that may be a clue.

 

I'm probably going with an HID drop in kit here soon though. My local import house (discount import parts) just got them in. They have plug & play HID kits for all bulb models for $155. Pretty neat and trumps all regular bulbs.

 

GD

Silverstars are blue in that they are not yellow. A natural Halogen bulb has a yellowsh tint - the silverstars are just dyed blue to make them white.

 

I have an update on mine: About a month after my first post in this thread, my left headlamp low beam filament decided to stop working, so I had to swap in my old headlamp bulbs. Barely a year and a half old and the bulb already crapped out. Thanks Silverstars....

 

In my SVX, I don't have any Silverstars, but my headlamps are tons brighter than the ones were in my 1991 Legacy. I think that's due to design and a higher wattage bulb. There are not Silverstars in and nor do I plan putting any in. The white of the Silverstar Bulb made night driving on wet roads darn near impossible. The road just reflected the light.

[jamal]

Sylvania silverstars are tinted, silverstar ultras are tinted.

 

Drop in HID bulbs in your regular housings is about the worst thing you can do as far as lighting goes, since the filament is in a different place and the reflector is not designed to work with them. Sure, it will seem "bright" but you won't have a defined beam pattern and it will not light up the road very far in front of you.

 

Steps for better lighting:

 

1. proper aim

2. new, good bulbs

3. cleared headlight lenses

4. upgraded wiring harness and relays to the lights

5. European glass headlights (LHD)

6. quality aux driving lights

 

I've done 1-3 and 6, and upgraded wiring is next. When I really need to see far down the road in the dark, I flip on the Hella FF1000s.

[GeneralDisorder]

Sylvania silverstars are tinted, silverstar ultras are tinted.

 

I really don't see the problem - they are brighter than the old ones I had, and I can see just fine. I think this is one of those areas that's much like car/home audio. You have people known and "Audiophiles" that can hear and feel things that - strangely enough - no one else can.

 

I'm going to start refering to this type of personality with automotive lighting as an "illuminaphile".

 

The point is to be able to see the road clearly - which the Silverstars do. They may not last terribly long, but to my eyes they are brighter than stock so that makes sense in a weird way. If you get a year out of them that's fine in my eyes - they don't claim to last forever.

 

Drop in HID bulbs in your regular housings is about the worst thing you can do as far as lighting goes, since the filament is in a different place and the reflector is not designed to work with them. Sure, it will seem "bright" but you won't have a defined beam pattern and it will not light up the road very far in front of you.

 

Once again - I think this is hair splitting. The filiment is close enough, and the reflector is too. Drive enough light to them and they will work fine. The HID's are plenty bright for normal driving, you can re-aim the beams once they are installed, and LOTS of people have done it and are happy with the results. As long as my lights work better that stock, and last forever I've accomplished my goal with the HID's. I'm not trying to power a lighthouse here. Others here have done HID conversions - I've seen the pics - they look good and the beam length is amazing. I've read what those folks think of them - they like them a lot. And if I don't like em, I'll take em back

 

Steps for better lighting:

 

1. proper aim

2. new, good bulbs

3. cleared headlight lenses

4. upgraded wiring harness and relays to the lights

5. European glass headlights (LHD)

6. quality aux driving lights

 

I agree for the most part, but I haven't yet come across a set of 92-94 EDM headlights. Wouldn't mind having some (I'll still put HID's in them )

 

Mostly I'm going to do the HID's because I know they will be bright, and will last forever. I hate changing bulbs or driving with one out. Yes I keep spares in the car but it's a hassle and cops hate me.

 

GD

[jamal]

read all of these articles:

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/blue.html

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/superwhite/superwhite.html

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/HID.html

 

Then do whatever the hell you want I guess.

[GeneralDisorder]

read all of these articles:

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/blue.html

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/superwhite/superwhite.html

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/HID.html

 

Then do whatever the hell you want I guess.

 

Well the guy sells bulbs - what do you expect him to say? Sure there's lots of science behind lighting, but it doesn't always have to be that technical. The differences, while I acknowledge their presence, can, and often are, overstated (ahem - for the purposes of selling stuff for example). It's the "Illuminaphile" gene that you are experienceing - the need to have great volumes of light, and the need to make it perfect no matter what - OCD for lighting. At the end of the day many, many folks are happy with their HID conversions, and while "stern" may claim they are unsafe he doesn't provide any evidence of it. It's easy to sound technical, and to provide all kinds of "science" and claim it applies and that ALL HID conversions are horribly wrong, but frankly that just doesn't seem to be the case emperically.

 

Lots of people claim that recycling isn't wastefull, and that we caused global warming - and they have charts, diagrams, and numbers to back this up. Sounds very convincing till you realize they are full of $hit.

 

GD

[jamal]

Okay so in this article:

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

 

What specifically do you think he's just saying to sell light bulbs?

 

You would rather take this empircal evidence from some guy saying "yeah dude they're way bright and awesome" instead?

[GeneralDisorder]

Okay so in this article:

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

 

What specifically do you think he's just saying to sell light bulbs?

 

He uses many (probably true) allusions to "science" and then claims the drawback is greater than the gain without one single shred of actual real-world data or experimentation. He's doing what is known as "arm chair" science. Any good skeptic (I consider myself one) should be able to point that out. It's all good to postulize about what may or may not happen "if" I do something, but it's not a substitute for actual data based on real lab-condition experiments.

 

And what are you comparing it to? Some ebay company that says "super bright hid #1 best performance?"

 

I'm not comparing it to anything - the skeptics challenge does not require it. He isn't following the rules of science. He's making claims without any experimention at all - just like those ebay auctions. I can shout anything I like - doesn't make it true - even if it sounds pretty.

 

Here's a thread from one of our own members - he actually took pictures , and likes the results quite a bit:

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68913&highlight=HID+conversion

 

GD

[jamal]

A xenon bulb places the arc in a different location and orientation than the filament in a halogen bulb. A headlight works by reflecting that light onto the road. Move the filament, and you mess up the beam pattern.

 

How is that armchair science?

[GeneralDisorder]

A xenon bulb places the arc in a different location and orientation than the filament in a halogen bulb. A headlight works by reflecting that light onto the road. Move the filament, and you mess up the beam pattern.

 

How is that armchair science?

 

You're not listening - I'm not disputing that the effect exists - just that it matters. You can compensate for the fillament being moved by re-aiming the headlights. My point is that this isn't a super-precise environment we are dealing with - it's a 10+ year old car with plastic lenses and a bit of chrome coating to throw light down the road. A few inches here or there doesn't make any difference worth worring about once the headlights are re-aimed properly. Emperical evidence bears this out. What has not been shown is a single case by you, or this stuffy Stern fellow, showing anything you are claiming. I've already shown one example of a respected member here that switched and will not go back he loves them so much. And I could find countless examples like that - that's why a market exists for these things and they aren't $1 on ebay like all the worthless blue bulbs that no one wants. These kits have a market - at their relatively high price point, and that indicates there is actually a demand for them (ostensibly because they work!).

 

GD

[jamal]

I would like to see all your examples of this working perfectly. Re-aiming the lights does not compensate for all the extra light going every which way.

 

Look at the cutoff for a real set of HID lights:

 

 

 

Then look at the cutoff for a set of bulbs thrown into the stock housings:

 

 

Uh, I mean what cutoff?

 

Those are very bright bulbs and the halogen reflectors simply cannot handle them. That's why they are illegal, and that's why it is a very bad idea to use them.

 

Without a proper reflector, there is way too much light going all over the place, which blinds oncoming drivers and adds too much foreground light.