Sylvania SilverStar bulbs - nice upgrade
04-10-2004 | 02:49 PM
#1
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From: Highland Park, IL
Sylvania SilverStar bulbs - nice upgrade
From time to time I'll read about the weak stock headlights found on the 964. I never got it. Did the US cars come with a different item than the RoW versions? Should I be cleaning out my front lenses periodically? Is the H4 or HID conversion worth considering?
Well, we no longer need to worry about all of that (those of use who use 9004 or H5 bulbs, that is). The fine folks from Sylvania have come out with a bulb that nearly matches the performance of a much more expensive HID kit: SilverStar. Here are the numbers:
I always thought my H5's performed effectively but these bulbs do make a noticeable difference. They're not bluish or rice, they're just a brilliant white. Illumination on the road is superb and, best of all, they're $30-$40/pair and available through your local parts store.
Bear in mind, headlamp replacement IS NOT a simple swap and you should have a modicum of mechanical ability before attempting this mod. It's very easy to mistake the directional adjustment screws for the mounting bolts, so consult your manual before proceeding. Also note that there are plastic retaining washers that keep the screws attached to the headlamp. Once you've disengaged the screws from the mounting bracket STOP UNSCREWING! Otherwise, the screw and washer will fall into the hole at the bottom of the headlamp well (ask me how I know
).
But after a few miscues, I got it all back together and, man, it's a nice upgrade. Well worth the effort. And FTR, I'm not affiliated nor employed by Osram Sylvania ... just a satisfied customer.
Well, we no longer need to worry about all of that (those of use who use 9004 or H5 bulbs, that is). The fine folks from Sylvania have come out with a bulb that nearly matches the performance of a much more expensive HID kit: SilverStar. Here are the numbers:
I always thought my H5's performed effectively but these bulbs do make a noticeable difference. They're not bluish or rice, they're just a brilliant white. Illumination on the road is superb and, best of all, they're $30-$40/pair and available through your local parts store.
Bear in mind, headlamp replacement IS NOT a simple swap and you should have a modicum of mechanical ability before attempting this mod. It's very easy to mistake the directional adjustment screws for the mounting bolts, so consult your manual before proceeding. Also note that there are plastic retaining washers that keep the screws attached to the headlamp. Once you've disengaged the screws from the mounting bracket STOP UNSCREWING! Otherwise, the screw and washer will fall into the hole at the bottom of the headlamp well (ask me how I know
).But after a few miscues, I got it all back together and, man, it's a nice upgrade. Well worth the effort. And FTR, I'm not affiliated nor employed by Osram Sylvania ... just a satisfied customer.
Last edited by joey bagadonuts; 04-10-2004 at 03:12 PM.
04-10-2004 | 11:59 PM
#7
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 637
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From: Tulsa, OK
Although their color temperature is pretty close to HID systems like Litronic, the total light output of even the Silverstars is only about half that of most HID systems.
The worst thing about the U.S. H5 964 headlights is the illumination pattern, I really hated it. My solution was to use 80W/100W bulbs. I adjusted the low beams until I had pretty good road illumination but didn't seem to bother oncoming cars. At that adjustment, the high beams pointed so high as to be useless so I never used them.
Apparently the Euro lights (H4?) have a better pattern, and they can be adapted to U.S. cars but I never did it.
The 993 headlights are a little better but not great. Converting them to HID low beams helped a lot, and making the high beams 100w (with their own separate power relay) puts a lot of light on the road.
Chip
The worst thing about the U.S. H5 964 headlights is the illumination pattern, I really hated it. My solution was to use 80W/100W bulbs. I adjusted the low beams until I had pretty good road illumination but didn't seem to bother oncoming cars. At that adjustment, the high beams pointed so high as to be useless so I never used them.
Apparently the Euro lights (H4?) have a better pattern, and they can be adapted to U.S. cars but I never did it.
The 993 headlights are a little better but not great. Converting them to HID low beams helped a lot, and making the high beams 100w (with their own separate power relay) puts a lot of light on the road.
Chip
