Robert Collins - 96 993TT

As I am not sure I want to delve into the litronics cost barrier, I have considered other options.

I have a friend with an M3 who swears the Silverstar bulbs increased his light by 50%. He also said they have a much whiter light without going to those brightness-stealing blue tipped bulbs.

Anyone got any experience or opinions? If I did it I would want to do both the headlights and the driving lights for consistency of color. Does anyone know what the proper fitments are for both sets, and can you go to a brighter bulb in the driving light bulbs to increase brightness??? I think the bulb for the headlight is an H1??

Robert

STLPCA

Robert
Did he also notice a HP increase?
No personal experience, but I've read reports that support a modest increase in light. However, it won't be anything close to 50%. They are available in H1 for your high and/or low beams & H3 for the fogs.

Sylvania Silverstar site

FlyYellow

i had silverstar's in my 993 headlights. i would report a 20-25% increase in light output. i recently did a (real) hid conversion so i moved those bulbs to my high beam. They do produce a whiter light and I do believe they yield a modest output. I'll also say they are the best bulbs i've used.

hope that helps....
boris

Eyal 951

hey, how long did they last you. Sylvania says they should last 9-12 months. what did you get?
~Eyal

JasonF

I find the Silverstars to be a very worthwhile upgrade for the $35 per pair cost. I doubt that the increase in output is 50%, but it is definitely an improvement over the OEM bulbs. I also replaced my lenses at the same time, which also helped a lot. I too was struggling with doing the litronic upgrade, and after installing the bulbs and lenses, am happy with the results, for a fraction of the cost.

Mark in Baltimore

I agree with the others; increased light output was noticeable but not especially dramatic. It's worth the money, but, then, so are the aftermarket HID's.

mike cap

Robert,

DItto the above. The Silverstars, Phillips VisionPlus and/or a 100w lamp (high beams only) upgrade is worthwhile doing.

But, as Dan said once "there is no substitute for HID". The difference is remarkable. If you live in the country like I do, lots of back roads and no street lighting (but lots of deer) the HID can be a life saver.

Robert Collins - 96 993TT

Thanks guys!! It sounds like they are worth the money since they are not expensive. I am either going to do that or maybe jump off into the deep waters of HID's.

If I decide to go the HID route what is the most cost effective route and what is the best route from a quality perspective?? I have not really looked that far into doing it.

Thanks,
Robert

mike cap

Robert,

The CATZ HID is a great kit and many of us did a group buy last year. I doubt if you would be able to find a kit now, with the laws having changed.

Some guys have bought HID retro-fit kits from autolamps on-line. I believe they are in the UK. They have an HID retro-fit only website at www.hid-online.com. I think most have been very satisfied with this vendor's service and high quality. I have bought replacement lamps from them and they were reliable.

You probably know this already, but you want the 4100k lamps. They are the highest lumen output and "whitest".

Mark in Baltimore

Mike - I couldn't get that link to work.

http://www.hid-online.com/ or http://www.autolamps-online.com/index.htm (same vendor) have been referenced here before. I did a quick search for North American cars and didn't find a listing for Porsche nor was there an application for 993 in the ROW pull-down.

pjc

Mark,

Try www.h-i-d.co.uk

PJC

Rick Lee

Concur with JasonF. I like mine for the money.

I was recently at the German equivalent of Costco and, of course, had to browse their automotive dept. I found Bosch H1's for about $7. The package said they were 55W, but "50% brighter" - whatever that means. I figured for that money, I'd try them out. Haven't installed them yet. Anyone know if they're any good?

Michael-Dallas

IMO, the SilverStars look great from the outside, but from the inside, they are still too blue for me. Sure, it's a little brighter, but clarity when down the tubes.

If you want my recommendation, get the Sylvania XtraVision bulbs. They cost less than the SilverStars and supposedly, they are SilverStars w/o the blue tint. I bought a pair from AutoZone for around $9/ea.

Michael.

Carrera Mike

I have the Silverstars for over a month now. Big diference. Install them at night. Go around the neighborhood with the OEM then put the Silverstars.

mike cap

Mark,

There is a H1 kit listed under ROW at the website for a Carrera 1995-1998: http://www.hid-online.com/products/kit.asp?id=1

The question is whether or not they would ship to the USA with the new regs.