piaa vs silverstar vs sylvania xv

[GF7PE]

here is the basic rundown of each, cost, kelvin temps, power useage, etc

 

9005

piaa          60w, 1200 lumens, 4000k  $65ish

silverstar   70w,  1700 lumens, 4000k  $19.95

sylvania xl 70w,  1700 lumnes, 3150k  $10.99  

 

9006

piaa           51w, 1150 lumens, 4000k $65ish

silverstar    60 w, 1000 lumens, 4000k $19.95

sylvania xv  60w, 1000 lumens, 3150k $10.99

 

 

the piaa's actually draw less power because of the gasses used in the lamp.  Worth the money if you are concerned about power loss.  

 

the silverstars are a much better bang for the buck over the piaa.  they offer the same kelvin temp (that bright white look) and the highbeams have a much higher output (lumens) than the piaa

 

the sylvania xv/xl 9006/9005  in my opinion are the best bang for the buck.  same light output (lumens) as the silverstars at almost half the money but the silverstars do have a $10 coupon that expires in june

 

the advantage of the xv/xl is the kelvin temp.  since it does not have that bright white look, people dont flash you as much and the signs are not murder on the eyes (from reflection) and they give you about 15 feet more distance too

 

the advantage of the silverstars however, is that they offer a much better cri (color rendering index)  this means that red looks more red infront of a silverstar than the xv/xl

 

my rep a GE said that they are coming out with a new lamp soon that is supposed to blow away the silverstar @ the same price.  Also said that they had an hid kit in the works

 

hope this helps

[Z71GUY]

I dont buy into that "gas" crap one bit.  The voltages required to light a halogen bulb (which those are) is NO WHERE near enough voltage to ignite gas or have gas effect the light.  The reason Piaa's use less power is because the bulb was designed to use that much power...just like your standard halogen.  You can get different wattage rated halogen bulbs with NO mention of this "so called" gas.

 

IMO, the only SAFE and TRUE improvement over your OEM halogen bulbs are the full HID kits from Sylvania...Xenarc.  Anything else is either unsafe or illegal.  I guess no one can put 2+2 together and get 4.  When you install a new headlight bulb and people start flashing you all the time...YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR HEADLIGHT!!!  Either re-adjust them or pull the dam rice bulb out.  I guess people like the idea of blinding the other cars so they cant see anything.  Makes me feel better having people driving cars that cant see...

 

 

Eric

[RyanbabZ71]

When you install a new headlight bulb and people start flashing you all the time...YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR HEADLIGHT!!!  Either re-adjust them or pull the dam rice bulb out.  I guess people like the idea of blinding the other cars so they cant see anything.  Makes me feel better having people driving cars that cant see...

 

amazingly i have been flashed more times with my stock bulbs than with my silverstars (never)

[GF7PE]

Z71GUY

 

this is why you should buy into the "gas" crap

 

a halogen lamp is a gas lamp, an hid lamp is a gas lamp etc.  the piaa lamps use a combination of halogen and xenon gases that allow a lamp to produce more light, whiter light and use less power also

[Z71GUY]

Z71GUY

 

this is why you should buy into the "gas" crap

 

a halogen lamp is a gas lamp, an hid lamp is a gas lamp etc.  the piaa lamps use a combination of halogen and xenon gases that allow a lamp to produce more light, whiter light and use less power also

 

Tell me why they must use a blue coating on their glass then???  Sylvania states it right on their site.  The American version uses a blue coating on the glass.  Sorry, but that is why the light seems "whiter" to you because the orange and darker colors in the spectrum are filtered out.  IMO anytime that ANY light is filtered that is not good.  

 

Halogen & HID lighting are two completely different systems.  You cant even put them into the same catagory other than to call them both "lights".  HID has no filaments that light up.  A VERY high voltage spark ignites the gas that burns.  In a halogen light, your filament produces the light...not the gas.  

[cowboy02]

So then what is the advantage of the new "Projection" lights that are on the denalis?

 

Why if you ask anyone at the parts store or at a GM Dealer they tell you it ain't worth the green backs to buy the HID!!

 

Sure anytime you filter out light it sounds like a bad thing.

However in my experience with the sylverstar lights it's a-lot easier to drive in the rain right around dusk.  Old Halogen "Yellow" lights you can't even see and you are guessing where to drive.  The Silverstars "Blue" lights you can see the road great and don't have to guess where the white and yellow lines are at....  Granted HID's are even better yet however why drop 600 bones on lights???

[GF7PE]

wrong again, why do you think that a 50 watt hallogen house lamp burns brighter producing more lumens than a 50 watt incandesent lamp?  hmm is it because the gases in the lamp help it burn brighter and hotterand whiter?  the blue coating helps to filter out yellow rays thus helping produce a whiter light, resulting in the same lumen output.  The hid's however are completely different but it is the type of gas and or other elements inside of the arc tube that produces the different color.  Have you ever noticed street lights that seem yellow and others that seem white?  Different gases and elements inside of the different lamps

[GF7PE]

cowboy02

 

the projector lights supposedly just magnify and redirect the light output.  The silverstars higher kelvin temp allows the rays to reflect better providing increased vision in the rain

[2000Plow4x4]

wah cry about it, i bought silverstars definately a better bulb, who cares whats on them or inside them its a better light. next winter im putting one in my snowmobile its thats good, and when your whizzing around at 60+mph u need good light and its good. so who ever is saying the silverstars arent good, dont bash em till you try em.

 

   

[Z71GUY]

Well, I may have to try them.  I've only had experience with other bulbs that seem to be exactly the same.  Blue coatings, so called gas injected with a higher wattage output.  Both times the result was lower than the OEM halogen bulb.

 

As for the GM Dealer saying dont bother with HID, not sure what to say about that.  Each dealer is different... EVERY single person, including myself that has experienced true OEM HID lighting systems agree its far superior than any other system out there.

 

Like I said, maybe I'll give 'em a try....

[elboberino]

My dad's car has HID and it is truly wonderful.  I love driving with them and I feel as though I can see more of the road.  HID is more like sunlight than regular Halogen bulbs.  If HID was affordable for my truck, I would do it in a heartbeat.

[black&grayHD]

Ditto on the price. Looking at the price for the Xenarc system makes me queasy. I've never been flashed with the silverstars, and am glad I saved the $700-something for more important things, like gas.

[cowboy02]

well I agree with the price of HID..........

 

I guess if I win the scratch ticket in my pocket for 500 bucks I might think about it  :thumb:   Otherwise I'll stick with the Silverstars...

[mcali17]

I have real HID's on my 2002 Envoy (see the link below to Xenon Depot the site I bought them from, the link is actually to my truck). I get flashed about as much as I used to with my stock bulbs. I think it has to do with the height of the SUV and not the bulbs. I have to send them some more pics in twighlight so you can actually see my truck.

 

 

HID Website and My Truck

[buffy]

This is one of the more painful strings I've seen. I've had experience with it all. I have Silverstar brights and Xenarc HID lowbeams (the full setup from Sylvania) . The Xenarc HID is far superior to the factory bulbs and are superior to any replacement halogen bulb I've seen. The Silverstar brights are also superior to the factory bulbs. For light output, they're a little behind the light output of the HIDs. The big difference is how smooth the pattern is for the HID. You get that wonderful consistently bright white light from your far left to your far right. There's no comparison.

 

Here are some fundamental points:

1. An HID will produce more smooth white light than a halogen bulb with less power. The reason? The majority of the energy that gets converted to light with the HID is within a narrow bandwidth of white light. Very little of the energy is converted to other wavelengths such as infrared and your yellow light. Your halogen lights uses filters to narrow the output to the white range of light.

2. Neither HID or halogen lamps burn gas. The gases do effect what wavelengths of light are emitted. A halogen bulb creates light through resistance in a filament that converts electrical energy to light, heat, yada yada. The HID lamps uses a stable arc, much like a welder, to generate the light.

3. If people are flashing you to tell you that you're blinding them, you probably should have your headlamp positioning checked by a local shop. If you tweak your torsion bars or have done any other suspension work, your headlamps are not pointing in the right direction.

 

Silverstars are the best bang for the buck. If you have the cash, the HIDs are definitely an improvement. There's nothing like the real thing.