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EddieS'04

EddieS'04

In Memoriam 1950-2022
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This was an article in consumer reports about aftermarket replacment bulbs...silverstars,etc...the complete article is in my library or the link if it works....



EDIT: I have now posted the link to page 2 scroll down or see lights 2 in my library



[Broken External Image]:
 
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I have compared the difference between the light from a stock bulb and a Silverstar bulb.



I used a calibrated light meter certified to NAS-410. Both bulbs were measured in a dark building at the same distance. The engine was running so the bulbs would get the same voltage.



The Silverstar bulb was brighter then the stock bulb. It was also brighter then a 9007 HO bulb and MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH broghter then a EuroDezins bulb.





Tom
 
It is an actuall CR report, not an advertisement...I will try to redo the complete article as a word document.....the complete article is readable though if you upsize it, in IE...
 
Tom....I dont think the article was comparing brightness...It is comparing lighting distance....
 
The article does seem to be suspiciously bias towards GE bulbs ????



It also appears that different brands of bulbs perform bette than others on different vehicles, and no Ford or GM vehicle were listed so the results may not be accurate for Ford or GM vehicles



I have the Sylvania SilverStars and never felt the low beams necessarily gave better distance. The light is whiter and brighter and gives a wider swath of light that improved night time driving visibility. High beams are definely whiter and brigher and give better usable light at least as far as the standard bulbs and perhaps even somewhat better.



I think the reason for different performance levels of the different bulbs in different vehicles is probably the way the bulbs work with various reflector and lens shapes on the different vehicles.

...Rich
 
Wonder how long before the nay-sayers acuse CR of being 'Import' biased....



Light is a tricky thing, it can be measure a ton of different ways, depending on how you want to skew the results, or how accuratly you want measure the light, as it will be used. For instance, pointing a light meter at a light source and taking the measurement is one way to measure a light. Great when you want to use the light/fixture as a direct view device, like a homing beacon or location lights. You can also measure reflected light, which is how we use light the majority of the time, like headlamps, table lamps, etc. Add to this the various other light properties like temperature, CRI, and apparent brightness, not to mention how well our brains are able to light based on these proeprties....technical measurements are great, but not always applicable.
 
I use to go to school in a little town out in the sticks with no ambient light like here in downtown LA. Swapping the OE bulbs out with Silverstars was very noticable for me. Granted, i didnt get all scientific and measure the distance they went but it was a noticable improvement in MY OPINION :p
 
I just relized that I did not scan the whole article(second page reveals how they tested)...I need to scan it all to another format...sorry guys..
 
a way to measure brightness would be comparing the lummens... i think silverstar have something like 1300 lumens where as HID has about 3500...



silverstars are whiter than most...



what i'm wondering is about this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BLUE-XENON-8500K-9006-HEADLIGHTS-02-04-FORD-EXPLORER_W0QQitemZ8019667780QQcategoryZ36476QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



vendor says they are whiter than anything (even hid) and that they have a lifetime warranty; when on the eurodezing page they say they have only 1 year warranty and are only 6000k white.... I am tempted to try them anyway..... for that price????
 
As far as I know the Silverstars are only "Whiter" light, not "brighter".
Click to expand...



They are whiter and deffinatly brighter. I tested them with a light meter.



Check the link below.





Tom
 
Like Richard said above, they do state in the article that it all comes down to the way the reflector and lens is made. Every bulb will be act different in different makes. What may be a good bulb for our ST might suck in another vehicle. So would listen to the members testimonials on this site.
 
I know they're whiter, and my eyes tell my brain that they're brighter, then my brain releases endorphines and<b><i> I'm sooo happpy! </b></i> :lol: :wacko:



(Music from Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense & peppermint" starts to play)



<img src="http://visualparadox.com/images/no-linking-allowed-/peacesign.jpg" width="512" height="384">
 
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rama-

No filament bulb is brigher then an HID bulb, or at least the HIDs used in cars, as low-pressure sodium bulbs (the kind typically used in street lights) are also HIDs. However, the color of the bulb has a lot to do with the apparent brightness of the bulb. A bulb with a bluer color (about 6000K to 10,000K) will appear brighter to our eyes then almost anything else. Violet bulbs (10,000K-~18,000K) appear very intese to us direct view, but have little use to us as an illumination source.



Stone-

I'd agree with you. The bulbs shouldn't be much brighter at all, considering the input voltage and teh wattage of the bulbs are the exact same. The SS bulb might be slightly more efficient, making it slightly brighter, but not by a lot. The different color temperature of the bulb (and the higher CRI) makes them appear brighter to our eyes. We're able to use the whiter light better.
 
Something else to keep in mind may be the wire harness used to get the power to the bulb. I say this because I don't really understand why there is such a seemingly large difference in the distances light is provided between one model and another. The only obvious factor I can think of is vehicle height. If it does have to do with the reflectors why would a camry need so much less distance visibility over a ridgeline? I guess we'll see how much detail went into the article if/when it's posted.
 
You are right, 21% brighter isn't really anything. You could never tell the difference.



Same goes for a 21% discount and 21% more horsepower.





Tom
 
I put Silverstars in my Trac right away, only because I pulled them out of my Ranger before I turned it in. Frankly I didn't see any difference. I DO think bulbs get dimmer as they get older.

OT: an issue or two ago CR tested car batteries. The Die Hards that I've bought all my life were at the bottom. Best were NAPA Gold, AC, and Wally-World's EverStart.
 

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