2009-2010 Vibe Headlights

[JetBlack09VibeGT]

There seems to be a lot of debate about the Vibe Headlights. I noticed 5 months ago when I got my 2009 GT that the headlights were less than stellar. I corrected the problem two ways. 1) I adjusted them, they were dipped much lower than my G6 so I brought them up a degree or two. 2) I replaced the bulbs with Silverstars and they are much brighter as advertisedNow I am wondering what an HID kit would be like, is it easy to install and given the clear lens setup on the Vibe, do they look good or will my car look like some boy racer?Below is a before and after with the Silverstars.

Attached files

[Whelan]

HIDs are brighter, but not made for your reflective lenses. HIDs come two ways D2R and D2S, one is for reflex lenses like what most cars have with the clear lens and the fragmented reflectors that angle the light. As opposed to older hazed lamps that had the actual cover lens be the light disperser. Then projector style where a shield is inside the conves glass lense to provid point light with a cutoff.Putting an HID kit in your car is not condusive as the light scatters and thus you will have less visibility in inclement weather. The recommendation is if you are going to do HID, then get a full retrofit where you remove the headlight, open it up, install projectors from an Audi or Acura and then buy the HID kit to fit. There are people who do this on the side and it is pricey, up to $700 or more in some cases.Silverstars are also something I tend to stay away from. The light output seems better and whiter but it is not. You need to look at Lumens for light output, not Kelvin rating. Kelvin is a temperature scale based on color. Any bulb that is colored glass or tint is going to be less than a standard clear bulb. You may think its more light because the color is whiter but the reality is there is no gain. Not to mention lifespan being only 300 hours for a SS while a standard halogen is 1000. I wont get into other bulbs, but right no the best on the market is probably the Xtreme Power by Phillips and after that you move into GE Nighthawks.

[JetBlack09VibeGT]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan » but right no the best on the market is probably the Xtreme Power by Phillips and after that you move into GE Nighthawks.So what are you using?

[lovemyraffe]

Quote, originally posted by JetBlack09VibeGT »So what are you using? I think Whelan is using the Phillips Xtreme Power. I am using the Phillips and love them. I used to use the Silverstars but got sick of changing them every 3 months.Check out this thread http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=38452 A bunch of us have switched to these bulbs.

[Whelan]

Correct, I am currently on Phillips Xtreme. The problem with older Vibes is they used a 9003 low beam which left many options off the table. One such being HIR (Halogen Inra Red), which you can find many posts on around here by myself. Now that the Vibe uses the same setup as the Matrix has since 2003 (9006 low, 9005 high, 9006 fog) the options are readily available. Brands I have used and still say Phillips Xtreme are the best:-PIAA Super White-PIAA Plasma-Naxos-Xentec 6000K HID kit-Phillips Blue Vision-9012 HIR bulbs-Phillips Xtreme Power-Sylvania Silver StarsAlso take note that Sylvania and Osram are the sam companies but different shores. The Osram company makes the better Silverstar in Europe, Sylvania has been plagued with problems.

[vibenvy]

I am not going to get into this debate again on here, I am simply going to state my personal experience on this subject...I have had Silver Stars installed in my '09 GT (low beams, high beams and fog lights) since April when I bought it. They have yet to burn out on me and are as bright as the day I installed them (yes, they have been installed for approximately 9 months with no issues). I couldn't be happier with them. I am actually waiting on Silver Star Ultras to arrive to see if they are really brighter like Sylvania claims they are. If they aren't, no big deal I will continue using the regular Silver Stars, but if they are I will definitely be switching to the Ultras for the low and high beams (unfortunately they don't make Ultras for the fog lights ). I have also had Silver Stars in my mom's '09 GT (low beams, high beams and fog lights) since May when she bought it, and again, they have yet to burn out and are still as bright as the day I installed them (approximately 8 months with no issues). I disabled the AHLs and DRLs on mine back in September to help increase the lifespan of the bulbs and for a cooler look . My mom does not want her AHLs disabled, so therefore the DRLs remain as well. I am curious to see how long her bulbs last compared to mine. Also, to help see even better at night I made the fog lights independent on both of our Vibes which means they stay on whenever you want them on, including with the high beams. This makes night driving in the country a breeze. My mom used to get nervous driving at night. Not anymore!To summarize... I don't ever see myself using anything besides Silver Stars. Whether it be regular Silver Stars or Ultras remains to be seen. They are cheap (eBay is your best friend for Silver Stars; I just got two pairs of Ultras (9006 & 9005) for $65.00 total! One pair is $49.99 at Auto Zone.) and readily available. I had them in both my Sunfires and they were still working great when I sold and traded them. They had been installed for at least a year in each car.In my opinion, Silver Stars are excellent. They do exactly what they say they do. They produce a nice bright white light which greatly improves your vision at night. For someone who does not want to shell out $700 for projectors, they are a very cheap and excellent alternative.Again, this is just my $.02 so please don't start bashing Silver Stars . Thanks.As a reminder, I have a ton of pictures of the my Silver Stars at night on my Car Domain page. Quote, originally posted by Whelan »Now that the Vibe uses the same setup as the Matrix has since 2003 (9006 low, 9005 high, 9006 fog)FYI the fog lights for the 2009 - 2010 Vibes use a 9145 bulb .

[Whelan]

what the heck is a 9145 bulb? Random. You may have gotten a good set, but I can definitely point you to the internet (google) and see many complaints on that bulb. I guess it's similar to other items bought, not all of them can be bad, but they mostly were not positive reviews. When SS first came out I was on the bandwagon and liked the color, but over time people started having burnouts and it was definitely a known issue. Sylvania addressed the issue with the Ultras claiming better life and a little better light output. Better life still did not come on par wtih a standard halogen of at least 1000 hours. But I never gave Ultras a try after spending $150 on SS time and again.

[vibenvy]

Yeah, I had never even heard of the 9145 bulbs but that's what Sylvania has listed and that's what was in there from the factory . Although, I see now Sylvania also has H11 listed for the fog lights . Again, as far as price goes, I can't stress enough, if you're going to buy Silver Stars buy them on eBay. I myself would not spend $100.00 for two pairs of Ultras at Auto Zone, but $65.00 including shipping for two pairs of Ultras on eBay isn't nearly as bad IMO.All personal preference.