SilverStars, EuroLights, X-treme Power & other Halogen Bulbs

9006 low beam
9005 high beam

While your looking for the 9005's (high beams) Eurolights, see if there is something other than 100 watt bulbs.
That's what they sent me and I'm a bit leery of using such a high wattage bulb.

Rickw wrote:

While your looking for the 9005's (high beams) Eurolights, see if there is something other than 100 watt bulbs.
That's what they sent me and I'm a bit leery of using such a high wattage bulb.

I say try them and let me know what happens.

Quote :

it sounds like all you guys that have had the silverstars and switched to the Euros are liking them. Anyone disagree?

I like the 80W low beams a lot, and have used them 3 years so far. I don't run the 100W high beams, so don't know how these would hold up. I certainly would not try running both high and low beams on at the same time when using the Eurolights.

GMFreak8 wrote:

Rickw wrote:

Did I buy the wrong bulbs for my High Beams.?
Haven't installed them yet but they are Eurolight's mentioned on here, are 9005's, but the box is marked 100 watts.
Is that too hot for our housings and wiring.????

So to break it down, which bulbs do I need for the lows and the highs? I wanna get the euro lights. I was going to get the silverstars but it sounds like all you guys that have had the silverstars and switched to the Euros are liking them. Anyone disagree?

So far I like the Eurolights just as good as the SilverStars. The question is which ones last longer. The Eurolights are a little cheaper than the SS bulbs, so if they last at least as long, they are worth it. I am still running my SilverStar high beams, which have been in for over 5 years without replacement.

This is the response from the e-mail I sent them regarding the 100 watt bulbs, 9005's.

"The bulbs require 65watts and produce brightness equal to 100watt bulbs.

They are designed as direct replacement upgrades."

Best
Regards
Mike C.
EuroLights(tm)

They shouldn't call them 100w bulbs then. Something in their documentation should state 65w, but equivalent to 100w, much like PIAA does.

deekster_caddy wrote:

GMFreak8 wrote:

Rickw wrote:

Did I buy the wrong bulbs for my High Beams.?
Haven't installed them yet but they are Eurolight's mentioned on here, are 9005's, but the box is marked 100 watts.
Is that too hot for our housings and wiring.????

So to break it down, which bulbs do I need for the lows and the highs? I wanna get the euro lights. I was going to get the silverstars but it sounds like all you guys that have had the silverstars and switched to the Euros are liking them. Anyone disagree?

So far I like the Eurolights just as good as the SilverStars. The question is which ones last longer. The Eurolights are a little cheaper than the SS bulbs, so if they last at least as long, they are worth it. I am still running my SilverStar high beams, which have been in for over 5 years without replacement.

I'm not as worried about longevity as I am sharpness and accuracy. I want something that lets me see as clearly as daylight as possible. Although longevity is a plus.

As far as clearness and whatnot go, what are your opinions?

My personal opinion is spend the money for the PIAA's for at least the Low Beams, but if that just isn't in the budget then get the $35.00 w/free shipping Eurolights

Rickw wrote:

My personal opinion is spend the money for the PIAA's for at least the Low Beams, but if that just isn't in the budget then get the $35.00 w/free shipping Eurolights

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is PIAA? I've been seeing the name, but kinda of just ignored it.

Google PIAA for a better understanding of what they offer.
When it comes to buying a set they can be had for less than what the PIAA site sells them for I think.
I can't remember at the moment where I bought my set from but if your sure your definitely going to buy some I will look it up.

yeah definitely if you can let me know I'd appreciate it.

Quote :

I'm not as worried about longevity as I am sharpness and accuracy. I want something that lets me see as clearly as daylight as possible.

For ultimate visibility, you need the highest brightness (HID). Also, in poor weather, yellow light actually provides greater contrast than blue light, so may want to take that into consideration.

AA wrote:

For ultimate visibility, you need the highest brightness (HID). Also, in poor weather, yellow light actually provides better contrast than blue light, so may want to take that into consideration.

Yeah I know I need HID for the ultimate, but I don't want the hassle of the ballasts and whatnot. I found the 9006 intense white series PIAA bulbs on Amazon for 42.99, which is cheaper than the Silverstars and only a few dollars more than the eurolights. Plus I have prime so I can get them here overnight if my bulbs burn out before I get these.

Are the intense white what you guys run or do you use one of the other varieties?

Edit: Cool, they have the H3 bulbs my foglights take too.

I've got the PIAA Intense White plus, They are the 4,000k, 9006, low beams.
I love them and have had them installed for over 2 years without a problem.
Nice bright White Light.
I'm glad you found them for such a good price. IIRC, I paid closer to $80.00 for the pair a couple of years ago and am still glad i bought them at that price.

GMFreak8 wrote:

As far as clearness and whatnot go, what are your opinions?

I am overall very impressed with the improved light from both the SilverStars and the Eurolights. The whiter, crisper light output is a massive improvement over stock. When I got the car, the first rainy night I was out I realized I couldn't see any of the lines on the road, and it was like I barely had any lights on. With the SS or Eurolights, it's like having headlights on in the rain. I know that's a crappy description, but the difference is striking.

I'm really looking forward to getting these PIAA's swapped, just haven't taken the time yet. I want to take before/after pics of the lights on the garage door too, for comparison.

Looks like I'll try the eurolights considering I've had the silverstars before. I might as well compare.. If they lasted for two years or so that's a nice bonus. Thanks for the opinions.

AA wrote:

Speaking of EuroLights, mine should be ready to fail soon. First pair burned out Dec 17th, 2007. Next pair lasted until Dec 18th, 2008. It's been warmer lately, so maybe I'll get more out of them this time.

On the 399th day, my driver side Eurolight finally expired last night. I think that's a new record; will be reordering today. Hope the other one lasts through the weekend.

GMFreak8 wrote:

I found the 9006 intense white series PIAA bulbs on Amazon for 42.99, which is cheaper than the Silverstars and only a few dollars more than the eurolights. Plus I have prime so I can get them here overnight if my bulbs burn out before I get these.

Kyle,
Did you end up getting the PIAA's or the Eurolights.?
And how do you like whichever ones you bought.?

I really don't understand the hype behind the Sylvania Siver stars? We started carrying them a little over a month ago and I gotta say their nothing special. Piaa is far best of our high end bulb line and we have 7 different lines from, Wagner True view, Sylvania Siverstar, Phillips Nightguide, Phillips Crystal Vision, GE Nighthawks, PIAA, Hella as well as all your standard OE equivalents.

From what I have seen, what I have sold , and what I have seen returned... spend the extra $, buy the Piaa's you would'nt ever be sorry you did.

I would imagine that the reference to Halogens in the above chart and how many Lumens they can put out based on Kelvin rating would also be dependent on the manufacturer of bulb. Do you agree?
Unfortunately not all Mfg's will report the Lumen output. At least that's been my evaluation.
A for instance is the PIAA 4,000k Halogen bulbs i have. I have been unable to find the output rating in Lumens.
But based on the above chart they should be about 3,000 Lm. Is that correct or am i reading the chart incorrectly.?

Different halogen bulb manufacturers use different wattage ratings, and their bulbs emit light of slightly different Kelvin temp (color). So we could assume that a higher wattage bulb or a higher Kelvin (above 3200ºK) bulb could yield more Lumens output. If they don't state the Lumen output, you take a chance. I think I read a review where the PIAA had less luminous output than Silverstars.

Understand the above chart is comparing HID bulbs to a 3200ºK halogen of unknown wattage. The 35W HID bulbs are more efficient, and so produce more Lumens, regardless of Kelvin temp (but have less advantage at higher Kelvin). So you can't assume a 4000ºK halogen will put out as much light as a 4000ºK HID. But you can assume a 4000ºK halogen will be brighter than a 3200ºK halogen. FYI, I've not seen a halogen bulb advertise more than 2000 Lumens output.

EDIT: some info on PIAAs from: http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17639

Quote :

9005
piaa______60w, 1200 lumens, 4000k $65ish
silverstar__70w, 1700 lumens, 4000k $19.95
sylvania xl_70w, 1700 lumnes, 3150k $10.99

AA wrote:

Understand the above chart is comparing HID bulbs to a 3200ºK halogen of unknown wattage.

The chart makes more sense now.
The bottom only said Halogen, so it wasn't all that clear.

Yeah, I see what you mean. As far as I know, there are very few halogen bulbs spec'd much over 4000ºK. The Eurolights are 4100ºK according to the spec.

I've been looking into alternatives to the Eurolights. $35 per year is okay, and they are bright, but there are some newer bulbs on the market. I checked into the HID route, but the only ones I feel comfortable buying are Philips ($350) or McCulloch ($250). All of the $50-80 options are basically the same Chinese product, imo. And based on some of the problems I've seen people having in the HID thread, I'm not convinced it's worth doing.

After some searching for better halogens, I found these:



Lots of good reviews from other forums, and some good photos of the beams. Since the X-Tremes are legal 55W bulbs, I'm curious to see how they stack up next to the Eurolights. Bulbs are on the way, so if they get here before my other bulb fails, I'll try to get a photo of the new & old for comparison.