Silverstar Ultras...nothing amazing

[user 64972]

Put a set in and not much difference between the stock bulbs IMO. Not worth the 50 bucks and the anticipation.

 

[LaRue Medlin]

Sorry to hear that. They made a world of difference on my E series van

 

[Mark Price 2]

Sorry. That's a stinker. I debated giving those a try. I was mostly concerned about their price to life ratio. Also I think I read on here that you really need the appropriate wiring to get the full benefit from them.(at least on the Gen1's) Last weekend I ended up going with Phillips VisionPlus for $16 on Amazon.($26 @Carquest) They're nice. Especially after a little polishing compound and wax job on the lenses and the " "fog" lights on with high- beam mod". I got them for my Wife's '01 Accord a few weeks back and really liked the white light(not the yellowish light that most bulbs give off) and performance. Nothing crazy but definitely better than my original bulbs that were in there from the assembly line. I'm no light guru. But, they work fine for me and I drive on long, winding, unlit back roads every night and my Wife drives all night delivering pizzas in our town that has no street lights in the neighborhoods. Anyway, sorry. No one likes getting all amp'ed up to be let down.

edit: I read some have had good life out of SS Ultras (yrs) and some only 6 months(even when handled properly) . I couldn't afford the risk.

 

[A1cntrler]

Did you put them in one at a time and do a side by side comparison, or did you swap them all out and do the comparison that way? This is the first review of the Silverstar series bulbs I have seen in which someone was not satisfied. I have been happy with mine and have had them in 3 different vehicles.

 

[Mark Price 2]

For those interested....Philips 9007 VisionPlus Headlight Bulb, Pack of 2

supposedly 'UP TO' 50ft longer beam and 50% wider beam. I don't know about all that. But, I would say they fall in between regular and "the best".

 

[gyates]

I have the SS Ultras in my Gen. 1, and regular SS in my fog lamps. I am very satisfied with the light output. My wife noticed the different immediately and asked for the bulbs in her Explorer. And I did not have to mod the wiring at all. I have had both sets in for about a year now and no issues.

 

[swshawaii]

Surprised also. A very worthwhile plug and play lighting upgrade, IMO.

 

[Mark Price 2]

hmmmm....'07 ST, how's you battery? Have a few years on it? Swing by Autozone and have them test it. Cold Cranking Amps in particular. Compare to your CCA rating on your battery. Also, (maybe obvious) bulbs are much dimmer without the ST running. Just throwing a few things out there. Like A1cntrler said-Did you try the side by side comparison? I got a great visual idling about 10ft from my garage door at night. Maybe pull the Miss's or buddy's car up to a wall at night and do a comparison. May be revealing. idk

 

[Gavin Allan]

The SSs are nice and bright, but their short life really sucks.

 

[EddieS'04]

I have the ultra's for headlights. A world of difference. Going on 3 yrs now.

I have the SS's in my fogs they burn out yearly. But Im using the 65watt 9005's.

They are a good combo driving country roads'.

 

[Richard L]

I think the difference is in the difference between the Gen1 and Gen2 Sport Trac's. The older Gen1 Sport Tracs really show a big improvement in lighting when SilverStars are installed.



I had SilverStars in my 2001 Sport Trac and even swapped them over to my 2003 Sport Trac and they made a big difference in lighting up the roadway. I think if you have a Gen2 Sport Trac, there may not be any significant difference.



...Rich

 

[Alan Peters]

Gavin I agree. Still on the stock factory fog lamps bulbs. Been through 3 sets of silver stars on the head lights over 10 years with the trac.

 

[victor dobrucki]

I have silverstars zxe,s they are great but I also installed a headlight harness kit and that really made a big difference I tried hid,s but I,m much happier with the setup I have now

 

[Johnny O]

The bulbs do get dimmer over time. If you replace them on a fairly new vehicle you won't see any difference. Replace older bulbs and the new ones will be brighter.

 

[Richard L]

JohnnyO,

That is not true with modern Halogen bulbs. Older conventional bulbs would allow microscopic metal particles from the filament to be deposited on the inside of the bulb's glass which will cause the light to dim over time. Halogen bulbs do not do that, so they will be as bright years later as they were when they were new.



Now that does not mean that the reflector cannot become dirty or dull from moisture or condensation which will reduce the amount of light beamed down the road, but that is not caused by the bulb.



The brighter light from bulbs like Silver Stars are created by the bulb design which includes a higher wattage, special curved internal bulb reflectors, as well as a higher output because of the higher Kelvin temperature and whiter color of the light.



...Rich