Sylvania Silverstar Headlamp Review
by Liv | Published on November 19th, 2010, 4:55 pm | Sports
So the war on deer continues in North Carolina. Combined with my cloudy headlights and my 5 AM journey to school each morning, I figure it's just a matter of time till I kill Bambi. Part of it is the factory headlamps, which I'm told by Sylvania that even though they still work, have become less efficient merely from age. In fact they claim my headlights could have lost 20% or more of its lighting by the time I buy their product! How do they know? Is it a gimmick, do Sylvania SilverStar bulbs work? Well I must confess, I've used their products before and have had good luck with them. They do work. Sylvania sells four types of automotive headlamp bulbs, from stock to their ULTRA version. I happened to pick up this set of SilverStars on close-out that happen to be called the 4000K, and serves as their second to brightest/expensive lamp they sell. Capable of being 3x brighter than factory with increased distance and peripheral lighting the downside is their life. Apparently, (and they warn right on the box) the increased ability to illuminate come at the price of longevity. I however have never had to replace a pair but I've heard plenty of stories. (They are warrantied for 12 months.)
This all seems like a sane price to pay when you're hurdling down the freeway in a big rolling metal box at 70 mph and every extra bit of road illuminated may mean your life or your death. Replacing them even once a year or two seems like a reasonable trade off in comparison to having a 300lb deer impact your engine cradle then fly through the windshield, pierce the passenger cabin and shove its antlers through your wind-pipe.
Installing them is a breeze. (Though if you feel uncomfortable most service stations will be glad to pop them in for a wink and a smile.... or for you guys: $10) Pop your hood and find the back of your headlamp. Sticking out of it should be the headlight pigtale. Lightly pry up on the clip and slide the harness out of the factory headlamp socket. Turn the retaining ring counter-clock wise and carefully remove the current bulb.
Then you'll want to purchase a pair of Sylvania Silverstar or ULTRA SilverStars with matching part numbers. In my case it's the lovely ole 9007 for my 1995 Taurus. They should cost between $30-$60 depending on how much of a discount you can find them for.
Here's a pair of ULTRA's for $39 at Advance Autoparts.
"SilverStar headlights are closer to the color of natural daylight, compared to standard halogen bulbs."
Now one of the huge lessons you'll ever learn about headlamps is never touch the glass bulbs with your fingers. The oil and grease, even on clean hands can shorten or damage the bulbs life. Always handle the bulb from the plastic end and act like your playing the child's game of Operation re-installing it in the hole. If by some chance you do touch it, or touch the bulb to a portion of the car that you believe transferred dirt to your over-priced performance headlights, then remove, clean with a dry towel and re-attempt until you get it right. If your a person who has had too much coffee, it's best to take some downers before attempting to install Sylvania SilverStars. Once you succeed, take a breath and re-install in reverse order and plug your pig-tale back in.
And that's it.... about 5 minutes worth of work to drastically improve your safety.
I drove the car this morning for the first time about 25 miles in the dark and it's noticeable improved. The first obvious change is the color of the light. It's white rather than yellow. While I wouldn't quite say it's 3x brighter, I would say that Sylvania's SilverStars are maybe 1-1.5 magnitude better at providing the driver a better view of the road. (They're more effective.) It's not all in brightness though. It's a wider, more contrasted view. It's a combination of factors that provide a clearer picture.
There are rumors that the main difference between these SilverStars and the 4100K are the wattage. The idea is that Sylvania is using higher wattages, while still packaging them at the 55 watts (underrating them) to meet DOT standards. It's this that provides the greater vibrance in the ULTRA versions. I cannot validate this of course but I do feel an extra 5 or 10 watts would be great for these bulbs.
So the verdict? Safety is priceless, and they do work better than factory. I'd say if you can afford them it's worth the money.
