F1GT

Ok here it is, the comparison of the Silverstars compared to a 100watt Nokya Artic White Stage II bulb. I will say this one last time, if you want more light output, the only way is to change the housing, the bulbs can only do so much. Its kewl if you want to "look" different, but if you want to be able to see, then don't get ANY HID Hyperwhite bulbs that promises HID effect and and BMW, BENZ type look. The only thing they do is spread light over a wider area and giving you a softer flourescent like glow. When you park up to a wall, it does actually look a lot better and brighter cause it looks whiter, but its not as strong. One more analogy to drive the nail in: The Nokya is like a Maglite on flood mode while the DOT approve bulbs are more at the spot mode.

I'm no expert at lighting, but my GF thinks I'm crazy about lights as Ive gone thru many sets of headlight bulbs and I also got about 15-20 flashlights ranging from LEDs to small pocket flashlights, to lithium power small bright ones, to 2-D and 3D Maglights, to 2 million CP Spotlights.

The Silverstars are slighlty brighter than the Sylvania Xtra-Vision that I replaced them with. The Xtra Vision was ever so slightly brighter than the regular stock bulb, you can hardly tell except that I compared them side to side. They Nokyas and all the other aftermarket white/HID like lights are all pretty much like this Nokya, image how much dimmer the 55-65 watt HID-like are

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/669341


I will take some pics of the Silverstar compare to Stock soon as well, as the silverstar now look like regular bulbs after driving around with the bluish Nokyas for a week now.



EDIT: Not really an edit but an addendum. When I took out the passenger side to put the other Silverstar in. I layed the Nokya on top of the battery and I continue to install the Silverstar, then I pointed the flashlight to the Nokya and it was smoking! There was a small stream of smoke coming up and I went to the car to grab the camera, but I was too late to capture a pic of it. DOH!! I only drove 300-500 ft from my house to this spot, so I didn't even turn on the lamps for that long. These are new OEM headlamps I have and I don't want to F them up like the previous set, so I am weary of puttin those Artic whites back on. I don't want them to fog up and u know they will if you ever sat in a smokers car.

94BlackBowtie

Excellent post!

I always said the Silverstars weren't crap.
I have yet to try them in the FF75's, but I just might do it now.

(Paul [pu12en12g] will still deny it.) Just kidding buddy.

pu12en12g

1) Illumination (in your photos) looks very similar except for color temp

2) You should have upgraded to a heavy duty headlight harness to provide consistent high voltage to the bulbs

3) Bulbs smoking = indication of the real problem

4) With your goals in mind.. you should have just tried 100w clear bulbs (Cuzo, Luks, Ichibahn)

5) Stage II 7000k is a extremely high color temp. The higher the color temp, the more light is filtered out. You went to the extreme, exact opposite of what your goals were.

6) For a FAR MORE ACCURATE, and fair comparison click here:

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/403803/2

7) Specifically, this photo shows where you went wrong:

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member...03_14_full.jpg

As you can see, 5000k (left) is the "sweet spot" where illumination isn't sacrificed, and the color temp is almost as good as the 7000k (right):

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member...03_14_full.jpg

AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE IS A FREAKIN REASON WHY AFTER TRYING ESSENTIALLY EVERY SINGLE BULB AVAILABLE, I AM RUNNING FX 5000k 100W bulbs.

SixSpeedShifter

pu12en12g, are you running stock housing/harness or aftermarket?

pu12en12g

Currently running Aftermarket Hella FF75's with H7 100w 5000k FX low beams but I've run just about every bulb combo there is (most of them siliconed in the stock housings).

ImportKILLER

My pics will be up by this time next week. I'll let them speak for themselves.

F1GT

1) it DOES NOT look similar in illumination as can be seen when you look at the IN CAR photos. The first 3 looks brighter because I'm OUTSIDE. Look at pic 2 and you can see the Nokyas getting drowned out.

2)Stock wires can handle up to 130watts.

3)bulbs smoking yes, but it is the same output as it was when new and it's the same output as the other bulb that was not smoking. A lot of these aftermarket bulbs run HOT and quite a few starts smoking, killing your headlight housing prematurely.

4)Clear bulbs? Stock ones and silverstars are decently bright enough, why run HOT 100watt bulbs(shorter life as well) in there? besides they are usually higher kelvin as well. I want the HID look with better illumination as do what most people here are trying to do. I'm just saying you won't get better illumination with HID effect bulbs. I know higher wattage bulbs can give better illumination, common sense.

5)yes it's a higher kelvin, but with 100watts in it. On top of that I have tried 4300 kelvin ones as well, same deal.

6)That is not accurate as you are showing signal strength. Of course in peoples mind they will corelate Whiter=Brighter. Look at that ONE shot you have of the wall. How much weaker(yet whiter) that beam is. For an accurate comparison, you need to take a picture from the drivers point of view. I have taken the first 3 pics on top of the windshield on the outside, so it looks brighter in the pics. The last 3 was taken next to the mirror, just below the tint strip. In summary, the first 3 looks brighter than how it will look when you are driving and the last 3 looks dimmer than how it looks when you are driving. Just imagine the output, btween the two.

7) yes its more towards the yellow side of the spectrum and less blue/purple. but again you are taking the picture from outside towards the vehicle. If you ever driven on the freeway, you see riced up civics coming at you and you look at the rear view at nite and you think its a HIGH end car. You can especially see the difference because of all the other regular halogen factory low beams around you. Then as the car comes closer, you see its a regular accord or civic. Then when you look at the ground, it's so faint.


I'm not trying to argue with you and I don't doubt you dislike the silverstar. Maybe you got a bad one, maybe some moisture got on it, I don't know. I am just telling what I have experienced with just changing the bulbs.
Didn't you change the housing?? maybe that's why you have a better experience.

It would be kewl if I could mail it to one person to try, then he in turn mails it to another, and so on.....

F1GT

uh oh, back up for purenergy JK

Please take some from inside the car as well and some half and half. Thx.
BTW I have the peanut style lamps.

pu12en12g

Those weren't my pics sherlock. Those were Importkillers

Not to mention that you have a 99 Camaro so we are comparing apples and oranges. Your photos from inside the car don't really show anything... doesn't show the cutoff you describe either.

What it does show is very similar illumination, with a drastically different colortemp, proving that Silverstars AGAIN, are WORTHLESS in what they are trying to achieve.


Silverstar Xtravision:

9003/H4 55/60W $25.00
9004/HB1 45/65W $25.00
9006/HB4 55W $25.00
9007/HB5 55/65W $25.00

F1GT

Like I know you guys by first name besides you posted the pics so it would be proper assumption it belonged to you. Not only that, I never said it was yours or not. I was responding to those pics...sheesh.

Yes, it is kinda comparing apple to oranges.
One more time boys and girls:
I am posting MY EXPERIENCE of the lights and I have PROVIDED pics of what I DON"T LIKE ABOUT THEM. If you like it, fine. I'm just letting other people see what my experience was with them. All the other olds ones I used to have are just like the Stage II, I would show them, but they don't last. They bubble up, smoke up, or get so hot they start flaking into pieces.

Yes, diff Kelvins is a good way of deciding whether another product is worthless or inferior

Like I said I'm not arguing with you. I provided pics of my experience and a reasons why I don't like it. Why are you trying so hard to tell me otherwise?? If YOU like them, more power to you. Fill up them lamps with those bulbs til the car runs to the ground. As long as you like them, it won't matter if I don't like them.

As for other people deciding on what to get, just consider what I provided and what I said before buying. But if you are really curious, just buy a set and try it out for yourself and see if you like them. Its up to YOU if you like them not me.

One more thing I can get those Silverstars for 37 bucks a pair at Wally-Mart It's not a huge difference compared to stock, just a little bit brighter and a little whiter. I'll take some more pics later of these(head on) and also park in front of the garage door for people to see the difference in color and also pics of how it looks on the asphalt. Again, up to you to decide if you like them.

ImportKILLER

Bay Area, eh?

If you like Silverstars, great. Just know there are cheaper and IMO, better options available. For close to $40, you'd be better off just sticking with stock or spending half and getting clear Luks.

Like I mentioned, I will have new test pics up by next week. I went ahead and ordered some CLEAR 80w Luks for the test as well. I have no doubt that the 80w clears will bury the 55w tinted Silverstars.

I'm done with this post. Like I said, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

F1GT

Yep, not where u are in San Hoe though.

With 25 more watts and the same kelvin, it WILL prolly blow it out of the water. But it is the same color as stock, just 80watts though, right?

I'm about to install some Pilot foglights(just ordered). It's supposed to be about the same output at the headlights from what another guy told me. If it's on the whiter side then it won't look good if the headlamp looks slightly yellow. So I will have to stick to silverstars, or if it's bright enough to where I don't even need my headlights, I might put some low wattage cheapo ones for looks.

For the record silverstars is not all that, just a tad brighter and a little whiter than stock, but better than HID wannabe bulbs. With the Silverstars, when I drive on the freeway, flip the mirror to nite mode and look at the headlamp, you can see it is whiter than the other halogens on the road. So colorwise, it does stand out, but not as much as HID types or the REAL HIDs. IMO Silverstars seems to be the best compromise between style, quality, and output. But, of course, that's just me

I'll take some more pics as well. And compare stock to silverstar, and some more pics of the Nokya vs Silverstar inside the car and head on. If you can, take some pics from inside the car looking out. Thx.

pu12en12g

...this thread makes me wanna break stuff

ImportKILLER

I've got some Silverstars sitting around collecting dust if you want them...

eagleknight97

Well, I might as well throw in my experience with the Nokya's and Silverstars also. Im not terribly pleased with either one of these bulbs. The Nokyas are supposed to be more wattage, but dont seem to put out much more light, if any. The silverstars seemed a TAD brighter than stock, they looked better than stock, but I dont think they were worth it for the price. Way to expensive for the modest help they give in an LT1 Camaro. Next up,im going to be getting some FF75's and attempting to put them in my foglight locations, and hopefully that will give me all the light I need, so I wont have to really worry about my headlights putting out all that much light. Anybody got any sites on what exactly needs to be done to make them work in the stock fog locations? Im sure once I get them ill start messing around with them and ill figure it out, but gettin some help before hand is always a good thing! However, I wont be doing this until Spring rolls around, cuz that is the first time ill be driving my car, cuz ill be at school with my car sitting at home all year basically. At least its something to look forward to for me!