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

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.

Phillips makes a good bulb I have the Crystal Visions in my Bush Buggy. Pretty bright even through my bush gaurd.

AA wrote:

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.

Aaron can you provide a link to where you purchased them and possibly any links to peoples reviews of them.
Thanks

I ordered from http://www.suvlights.com

At this time, I can't recommend the seller, as I've not received the bulbs yet, and have never dealt with them before. These bulbs have only been available in the US for a year, and still are hard to find. Supposedly Meijer and K-Mart dept stores carry, but I could not find them locally.

Here are some links with more info: