Brightest and Whitest Halogen?

[SkylineR34X]

I now have Philips BlueVision H4 on my 2000 Maxima SE.
It was quite bright and I liked the white. But juz curious if there's anything else HALOGEN THAT IS! NOT HID! surpasses it alot?

Yes I do like white lights... hopefully no YELLOW AT ALL! but if it has to be a bit bluish, that's fine, just no yellow.

So from what I have researched, Silverstar and Bluevision are almost the same.

Reason why i am asking is because BlueVision still has a slight yellow tint to it on low beam, VERY BRIGHT AND WHITE ON HI, but very yellow on DRL.

Any suggestion on whiter/brighter bulbs? (havta run on stock wattage though)? And where to purchase? (I got mine from powerbulbs)

[Andro]

i use sylvania bulbs in my accord 03 coupe and they are nice white colour.....got them for like 30-40 for both at canadian tire, and they also have 1 year warranty.

[KelticSlob]

All I know is people rave about Silvania Silverstars. I'm probably going to get some for my fog lights. Xenon lowbeams + yellow halogen foglights = ugly

[seftonm]

Osram (not Sylvania) Silverstars and Philips VisionPlus are two highly rated bulbs. They should be brighter. I'm not sure about the Philips, but the Osrams don't have a blue tint so they may put out a bit of yellow.

[wing0]

one of my friend's sylvania silverstar just died a couple days ago. Less than a yr and he can't find his receipt. sucks...

[B0000rt]

Just point your highbeams down to the level that lowbeams are at. There, you will get the brightest halogens :twisted: :twisted:

[Ry079]

There is a thread on this already, use the search to find it.
Basically silverstars are the whitest and brightest, but they usually don't last very long around 5-6 months in my case

[kickster]

Before upgrading your bulb make sure your headlights are getting at least 13.5V. If not rewire them so they get fed directly from alt. This way you will get much hotter light = whiter lighte.

If you are not getting enough voltage then no bulb upgrade is going to help you. you can buy a quality relay kit for $30. Best upgrade for older cars.

[Neb]

one of my friend's sylvania silverstar just died a couple days ago. Less than a yr and he can't find his receipt. sucks...

U have these on my car also, they are pretty white. But bulb life sucks! i would never buy them again. I kept the receipt knowing this woudl happen. One blew 11 mos and 10 days, and the other one blew 11 mos and 27 days. Just under teh 12 mos, so CT gave me a new pair, but my OEM ones lasted 3.5 yrs..

And these are so much more than a reg halogen bulb.

[SkylineR34X]

Yes i did a search on different bulbs. However, everyone seems to have a different opinion. Some said SilverStars are the same as Bluevision. And some said Eurodezigns are better than all of them, and yet others say ED's are the worst ever...

[seftonm]

Sylvania Silverstars are overdriven to compensate for the blue coating on them. That makes for acceptable light output but a very short life. Since they Osrams don't have a blue coating, they won't need to be run as hot to make the same light output, so they should last longer.

I cannot imagine Eurodezigns being better than any stock bulb, 8500K isn't good for vision or light output.

[kmltick]

Brightest halogen, the Osram Silverstars or the Philips Visionplus bulbs.
If the bulb is tinted blue, you're actually losing light. In the end take your pick, the brightest unfiltered light (may be a bit yellow) or a not so bright white light.

For those looking to get the philips & osram unfiltered bulbs, I ordered a set of them (2) for around $33 cdn from powerbulbs.co.uk, it's free shipping.

You may get nailed with duty and taxes, but considering Silverstars are around $25 each at CDN Tire, I'd rather take that chance.

[SkylineR34X]

So overall speaking, there's no bulb in the market that is both very bright and very white?

[kmltick]

Unless you go HID, no.

The very nature of the blue tint filters out the yellow (longer) wavelengths of light. Which makes it LOOK whiter, but is NOT brighter.

If you absolutely have to have the white look, go for the Sylvania Silverstars or GE Nighthawks (a bit cheaper) but they aren't the absolute brightest. Consider them a happy medium.

[B0000rt]

So overall speaking, there's no bulb in the market that is both very bright and very white?
Brightness is a function of the output power.

Buy a lightbulb that's 40Watts and compare that to a lightbulb that's 100Watts. The 100Watts is brighter.

All the lowbeams are 45Watts I believe, while highbeams are 65watts. You could buy higher watter low beams, but then run the risk of burning/melting your wiring harness.

[myapple]

All the lowbeams are 45Watts I believe, while highbeams are 65watts. You could buy higher watter low beams, but then run the risk of burning/melting your wiring harness.
um..not ALL lowbeams are 45W. For example, 9004 type bulbs are 45W for Low and 65W for high, but 9007 bulbs are 55Wlow/65Whigh and 9003 bulbs are 55W/60W for low/high. And these are bulbs that have two filaments. It all depends what your car's electrical system is designed for.

[B0000rt]

um..not ALL lowbeams are 45W. For example, 9004 type bulbs are 45W for Low and 65W for high, but 9007 bulbs are 55Wlow/65Whigh and 9003 bulbs are 55W/60W for low/high. And these are bulbs that have two filaments. It all depends what your car's electrical system is designed for.

I see, regardless, the only real way to get a 'brighter' bulb is to get one that has more 'wattage' :p

[SkylineR34X]

Anyone saw or used Philips DiamondVision? They are rated at 5000K so they should be very white and bit blue. And according to various sources, they are also very bright. Of course not as bright as HIDs but comparable to other untinted ones.

[seftonm]

Maybe you should try doing this:
http://www.riceboypage.com/shame/hall_of_shame_9/vis_civic.jpg

[kon_kat]

Out of courtesy for those driving in the opposite lane to you please do not go overboard with your lowbeams. Not everyone likes to have an intense blinding white light shined at them.

[ch1zo]

my silverstars i bought in nov and died earlier this month already...biggest waste of money!

plus they are a rip off compared to most car shops...selling a package for $40 for 2

[Hula]

I'm using a Eurovision knock off purchased from a T.O part supplier. Bulbs only last 6-9 months each, but 2 for $20 so can't beat the price. I know I'll change them more often but my buddies are buying the better bulbs at a premium price and aren't getting much more life out of them.

[robattoronto]

I've went through 2 pairs of 9006 bulbs from these guys - http://www.eurolamps.com/eurolamps/xenon-charged.htm

They're definitely brighter than Silverstars and Philips VisionPlus. If I remember correctly, they're 80w or higher. Silverstar and visionplus still has a tint of yellow in it if you look closely. These were not blue, but just white.

It worked fine in my integra's projector headlights. Make sure you focus it down to the ground properly. Went through 2 pairs in about 3 years, not bad I'd say. They're just expensive after shipping and all.

[SkylineR34X]

Yea, i understand that the higher power will certainly deliver more intensity. But, that will involve changing the existing wire harness... and stuff... BTW, how hard is it to change the stock harness to the higher wattage ones? is there any other parts that i havta change if i want to run higher wattage bulbs?

[robattoronto]

Worked fine for me with the stock harness all these years. Never blew a fuse even once.

Yea, i understand that the higher power will certainly deliver more intensity. But, that will involve changing the existing wire harness... and stuff... BTW, how hard is it to change the stock harness to the higher wattage ones? is there any other parts that i havta change if i want to run higher wattage bulbs?

[akito925]

don't waste your money on silverstars they are expensive, they are like $35 each for one bulb, at canadian tires, just invest in a hid kit for $100, now thats a real white.

my silverstars i bought in nov and died earlier this month already...biggest waste of money!

plus they are a rip off compared to most car shops...selling a package for $40 for 2

[robattoronto]

Where can you get a HID kit for $100?

don't waste your money on silverstars they are expensive, they are like $35 each for one bulb, at canadian tires, just invest in a hid kit for $100, now thats a real white.

[SkylineR34X]

The only HID option i have are:

switch to projector and buy HID kit = $600
or switch to 02-03 HID stock with wire harness = $800

Those are too expensive!

Cant use HID kit with stock lights cuz of beam pattern. It will blind everyone.

[kmltick]

What car do you have? At least you have the HID option.... lol

[SkylineR34X]

I have the 2000 Maxima. So I can switch to 02-03 HIDs with Wire Harness. Many people have done it.

[ch1zo]

don't waste your money on silverstars they are expensive, they are like $35 each for one bulb, at canadian tires, just invest in a hid kit for $100, now thats a real white.
haha i was thinking the same thing...where can you get a HID kit for that price, cause i had HKB kit on my old car and it was like $600, plus it lasted for over 1 yr and half.

[kmltick]

I have the 2000 Maxima. So I can switch to 02-03 HIDs with Wire Harness. Many people have done it.

Ah that explains it, ya... I do know that those models with HIDs were one of the most stolen cars in the US because thieves were specifically looking for the HID system. (most likely to put in previous years like how you want)

FWIW, my brother has HIDs on his Maxima (02/03, and the last year it was produced in Japan) and it's DAMN bright.

[Desalex]

Nobody has anything to say about PIAA?
I got some cheap blue bulbs at the Pacific Mall for $25/pair. They look ok but are dimmer than OEM.

[sonyminidiscman]

Pmall 25 bucks stuff last maybe 1 yr... max


want white and bright, go HID,

want cheap, go Can Tire

want white and cheap, go to pmall every couple of months to get new bulbs.

[DJ_Peanuts22]

yep, have to agree, don't waste your money on cheap imitation halogens that dont last long when you can get the real thing, retrofitted from the factory. that way, you dont have to deal with blinding others with poorly made and impossible to aim aftermarket hid systems. if you dont have enough cash for the upgrade to 02/03 maximahid headlights, then just forget about the whole idea....

[SkylineR34X]

Besides HID, does anyone has any picture about the lights of their car? and let me know what kinda light you are using? Thank You.

[akito925]

haha i was thinking the same thing...where can you get a HID kit for that price, cause i had HKB kit on my old car and it was like $600, plus it lasted for over 1 yr and half.

the kit is only for the bulbs, and ballists they are 9004 or h4 kits.. you can get them at any import store.. I'd asked around a few import stores where I am..

[SkylineR34X]

I thought of HID, but i heard that it's illegal cuz of the housing is not designed for HID, the beam pattern will blind the oncoming drivers. Anyone actually tried on a Maxima?

Anyone has ne idea on the Brand Name LUMINICS? Because Pure Blue from Luminics looks good, but from a drivers perspective, it looks a bit blue. Is there anything that's in between Pure Blue and Ultra White? So more blue than white and less blue than Pure Blue?

[otaque]

~
Anyone has ne idea on the Brand Name LUMINICS? Because Pure Blue from Luminics looks good, but from a drivers perspective, it looks a bit blue. Is there anything that's in between Pure Blue and Ultra White? So more blue than white and less blue than Pure Blue?

I've had Luminics on my car for a little over 2 years now. They last approx. 1.5 year.
One did melt my harness and I bought a replacement from Canadian Tire and rewired it. It's been OK since.
I like them since they're not too expensive and come with 1 year warranty. I buy the UltraWhite series as a happy median between Pure Blue and Titanium White .

[Trinidad]

I have to say that I made the choice to buy the Nighthawks by GE I believe. I bought them at CDN tire and one of the auto guys told me that although many go for the silverstars, the nighthawks perform just the same and last a bit longer. It pays though to keep your receipt as you have a one year warranty and will probably need it. I replaced both bulbs at the 11 month mark. But I am very happy with the performance.

[MrDisco]

Nobody has anything to say about PIAA?
I got some cheap blue bulbs at the Pacific Mall for $25/pair. They look ok but are dimmer than OEM.

piaa are crap. i imported a pair and they barely lasted a year and they were certaintly no better then my stock bulbs.

i say save your money (and everyone else's eyes) and use OEM bulbs

[rEDSpider]

I have to say that I made the choice to buy the Nighthawks by GE I believe. I bought them at CDN tire and one of the auto guys told me that although many go for the silverstars, the nighthawks perform just the same and last a bit longer. It pays though to keep your receipt as you have a one year warranty and will probably need it. I replaced both bulbs at the 11 month mark. But I am very happy with the performance.


I was just about to write the same thing. Silverstars are rated for "60" hours. while the nighthawks are rated at "400" hours. they are the same price ~ $25 / bulb. the nighthawks are also "whiter" than the silverstars. the silverstars have an ugly blue tinge to them.

hope that helps.