GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Is it me or the headlights on the Vibe is weak? I thought about changing it for something more powerful at Canadian Tire. What are you suggesting me?

Don't buy Silverstar's.... too many bad reviews from too many people (except J_TO_ENVY)I never found the stock headlights to be that bad... but I replaced mine anyways... with a $5.99 pair of 80watters from Princess Auto and yes, they're Chinese mass-produced crap that work great and have lasted about 2.5 years so far!

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »Don't buy Silverstar's.... too many bad reviews from too many people (except J_TO_ENVY)LOL! What can I say... I've had great luck with SilverStars in all three vehicles I've owned. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on two pairs of the new SilverStar zXe bulbs to try in the low and high beams soon. Even with the stock halogens though IMO the Vibe has the best headlight output of any vehicle I've owned. I do think the huge GT fog lights really help out though.

I too had good luck with silverstars in my pervious car. Carrie, you're not alone! I haven't changed out my stocks bulbs because the 09 Vibe's lights ROCK. So bright! I'm sure the big round fogs help too.

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »I too had good luck with silverstars in my pervious car. Carrie, you're not alone! I haven't changed out my stocks bulbs because the 09 Vibe's lights ROCK. So bright! I'm sure the big round fogs help too.LOL! Thanks Ethan. That makes me feel better !If you think the factory halogens rock, you should really try some SilverStars ! Talk about rockin' !

I have silverstar bulbs in my 09 and I can't stand driving my car at night. My fog lights I ordered don't even work because they keep blowing my fuses (over 4 blown, making my own wiring harness this weekend to hopefully solve the problem).In my opinion, the fog lights are the only good thing the headlights have going for them, its really hard to see when making turns because the lights have no width.I guess i'm spoiled when it comes to lights though, my other car had Infiniti FX-35 projectors and my current Honda SUV has Acura TL projectors in it.

hahaha! Yeah I've heard a few bad comments about the Silverstars lifespan. Especially that behind the packaging, it says that it's lifespan is only one stripe.

Weird... I'm comparing my Vibe's headlights with the one that was on my Mazda3 and I can tell you that it's headlights was far more better. When I drive during the night, I cannot see a damn thing further than what 6 ft... But the fog lights does help though. What do you guys think about the General Electric Platinum one?

Hmm... perhaps headlights on the new Vibe are better than the one on the first model...

If you can see no further than 6 feet infront of your car, then no change in bulb is going to solve your problem. It sounds like you need to raise your headlights using the headlight adjuster. Adding brighter bulbs won't add distance, they will just make the 6 ft range infront of your car brighter.. so doesn't really solve anything until you raise your headlights more.

How do I raise my headlights?If it works, it'll save me a few dozen bucks.

Open your hood and look for this on your headlight: Once you locate it, drive up to a wall or garage door so you can see your headlight beams against it, put the screwdriver in the ridges and turn it till you see it start raising (if it lowers, then turn it opposite and it will raise) .. raise till you get your desired height. When I raise my lights, It usually takes more than one try. I raise a bit, go drive and make sure im not blinding anyone.. if they can be raised more then I do so..

Silverstars have worked decent for me too (a year and counting on headlight and fog light bulbs), though next time I'll be going to NAPA to buy some Philips bulbs. But after driving in the farmland of Iowa in the dark, I think I prefer cars which DON'T have both beams in a single light. Spread is weak, but the fogs help, and when the brights are on there isn't a large quantity of light concentrated anywhere, but there's light everywhere, except for a distance in front of my car. I got to drive my grandpas Buick Lacrosse last night too, with projectors and two-part beams (like the 09-10 Vibes have) and the light spread was amazing. It just flooded light everywhere, and the little bulbs for the high beams when on with the lows and gave me good light. I really do want projectors... Even the ones in my sisters Celica are nice.

Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »Silverstars have worked decent for me too (a year and counting on headlight and fog light bulbs), though next time I'll be going to NAPA to buy some Philips bulbs. But after driving in the farmland of Iowa in the dark, I think I prefer cars which DON'T have both beams in a single light. Spread is weak, but the fogs help, and when the brights are on there isn't a large quantity of light concentrated anywhere, but there's light everywhere, except for a distance in front of my car. I got to drive my grandpas Buick Lacrosse last night too, with projectors and two-part beams (like the 09-10 Vibes have) and the light spread was amazing. It just flooded light everywhere, and the little bulbs for the high beams when on with the lows and gave me good light. I really do want projectors... Even the ones in my sisters Celica are nice.I agree with this too!

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »LOL! What can I say... I've had great luck with SilverStars in all three vehicles I've owned. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on two pairs of the new SilverStar zXe bulbs to try in the low and high beams soon. I agree with ya. Except for burning out every 6 months or so, I loved the SS. Would still be running them if I wouldnt have gone projector and HID! (Thanks Keith!)

Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »two-part beams (like the 09-10 Vibes have)I think this is the exact reason why the 2009-2010 headlights are really good IMO. For what it's worth, I have disabled the AHLs and DRLs on my Vibe which should help save bulb life with the SilverStars. I also did the independent fog light mod so the fog lights stay on with the high beams which really adds alot of light off to the sides of the road when driving on a dark country road. I have no problem seeing on a dark country road, in town, in rain and/or snow, fog, etc. I love my SilverStars and won't be using anything else anytime soon.

I didnt have any luck with Silvertars in our caravan. I just bought some phillips Xtra vision bulbs & they seem brighter. Polishing the headlights help too....LOL

i put in a set of philips xtreme power bulbs and raised the beam a bit, great view now and bulbs have lasted almost a year

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »I think this is the exact reason why the 2009-2010 headlights are really good IMO. For what it's worth, I have disabled the AHLs and DRLs on my Vibe which should help save bulb life with the SilverStars. I also did the independent fog light mod so the fog lights stay on with the high beams which really adds alot of light off to the sides of the road when driving on a dark country road. I have no problem seeing on a dark country road, in town, in rain and/or snow, fog, etc. I love my SilverStars and won't be using anything else anytime soon.It seems to me that the DRL are not at full power - if so, they would not put much wear on the filaments.

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »It seems to me that the DRL are not at full power - if so, they would not put much wear on the filaments. And the DRL's are on the highbeams, not the lows.

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »It seems to me that the DRL are not at full power - if so, they would not put much wear on the filaments.Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »And the DRL's are on the highbeams, not the lows.True on both accounts, but I'm sure the DRLs being on all the time would start to wear away at bulb life eventually. Not that they would drain the bulbs really fast, but still.

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »True on both accounts, but I'm sure the DRLs being on all the time would start to wear away at bulb life eventually. Not that they would drain the bulbs really fast, but still.It'd matter on the 03-08 Vibes because we have a one bulb for both high and low beams.

To offer a bit of info, the halogen bulbs have a decent rated life because of the "halogen cycle". At proper voltage and temp. the cycle redistributes the filament material back to where it belongs (on the filament). When the bulb runs at low equivalent voltage it actually shortens the life. You may notice some "brown" deposits on the glass of the bulb. That's your filament material. But it is reversible by running the bulb at full voltage for 10-15 minutes. You should notice the "brown" has been eliminated or at least reduced. Hope that helps.

Interesting.... I'll check it out next time I will drive at night.Thanks!