I have used SilverStars, SilverStar Ultras and / or SilverStar zXes in every vehicle I've owned (1994 Pontiac Sunbird LE Sedan, 2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT Coupe, 2002 Sunfire SE Sedan and both our 2009 Vibe GTs *both Vibes currently have SilverStar Ultras in the high beam headlights*). Every pair I've ever had has lasted at least a year. IMO, they are all significantly brighter and whiter than standard halogen bulbs. The brightness and whiteness does increase between the three levels of bulbs obviously. As Mark said, it says right on the package that the life of these bulbs is decreased compared to a standard halogen bulb, so I don't know why some people seem so surprised when they don't last 10 years. I still think many of the people who complain about SilverStars not lasting long are the ones who are touching the glass on the bulbs when installing them, therefore "contaminating" the bulbs and decreasing their life. Just my $0.02 though

.
On a bit of a side note, I definitely can't see paying what Walmart, Auto Zone, etc. charge for even regular SilverStars which is why I have always ordered them from eBay. You can get them for half the price, or less, of Walmart, Auto Zone, etc. on eBay.