GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Has anyone put the Sylvania Silverstars on their Vibe. Are they worth the $25 per?

quote:Has anyone put the Sylvania Silverstars on their Vibe. Are they worth the $25 per?I bought the APC Plasma SuperWhite Xenon bulbs for my Vibe and they were around $20.00 each. Pretty much all the same, but I am going to say the Sylvania's are better. I would go for it. $25 isn't all too bad really, plus you will get better and brighter light.rasermon has them on his.. we will wait to see his reponse.. plus any others with experience with them.

Hello, at first I had bought the same bulbs that (NSimkins) has, but had a problem with one of the bulbs. I think someone at the store had open the package and put there greasy fingers on the bulb. That's a no no. So I removed the other one and bought the SilverStars. I have to get them for my fogs because they make them look yellow-orange. The color temperature of SilverStar is comparable to Xenon bulbs and High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights. At white hot 4,000 K. = I miss my beer Standard Halogen SilverStar
[Modified by rasermon, 6:25 PM 10/1/2002]

Did you notice any improved differences with the SilverStars than the APC's?

quote:Did you notice any improved differences with the SilverStars than the APC's?Yes, the SilverStars are more crisp with a clean look.
[Modified by rasermon, 10:40 PM 10/2/2002]

quote:Are they DOT approved?Their website (http://www.sylvania.com/auto/silverstar.htm) says:quote:Available in 9004, 9005/6 and 9007, the street legal performance of SilverStar is available for most vehicles on the road...but nothing about DOT approval. rasermon, can you check the bulbs/packaging if you still have them?

The SilverStars have the DOT label on the base of the bulbs.

Ok. I had gone with Xenon's that were 100/90, and they were great! Unfortunately, they drew too much power and I'm not gonna start upgrading my wiring just for that. So, my quesiton is, if you get the 70/50 SilverStar's, seeing how they're essentially the same wattage, is there still a visible improvement? Cause I want brighter whiter light, but if there isn't a real difference, I'm not popping $50 a bulb. Also, are there any retail chains carrying the silverstars? I've yet to see them at pep boys, r&s, autozone, or other stores around here...

So tell me which bulbs produce that nice Blue Beam like in th BMW's...I think they would be awesome on my Neptuge GT

quote:So tell me which bulbs produce that nice Blue Beam like in th BMW's You will need a complete HID conversion kit. The cost about $500 for the kit. Im sure you can find them on ebay for less...

great.........I found them, what happensd when a bulb burns, are they expensive to replace??? Do these last long or merely a gimmick job?

Silverstars or HID?

I got some "OPTA" xenon white bulbs, but the glass has a bluish tint. They are 100/80w, 9007They'll fit right?

Headlights are H4 (9003)Fogs are 90069007 will not work.Never heard of Opta. That "bluish tint" is not actually a blue tint Those are illegal. Look at the bulb and make sure the blue color goes all the way to the metal base. If there is a clear gap, then the blue is painted on and these lights aren't worth a damn. Should burn out in about 3 months. You need to look for a uniform color distribution and complete coverage all the way to the metal base.Good luck!

Now that's an interesting point you make, because the stock lights all have gray tips and the rest is clear. What is that all about?Also, anyone else find it odd that they use GE as stock heads, and Sylvania's as stock fogs? You'd think they'd go with one brand. *shrug*

Sweet they're illegal....Too bad they dont fit, Umm is there anyway that i can "make" them fit?

I need to replace my "yellow" fogs. The fogs used to look white, but now look yellow compare to the headlights. Anyone know the bulb # for the Fogs? Incidently, the Silyerstars are on sale at Advance Auto for $37 for 2, before a $10 rebate. So, a net of $27+ tax. Well worth it ! Sweet looking !

quote:Anyone know the bulb # for the Fogs? If you look above, frostyGT already said:quote:Fogs are 9006quote:Incidently, the Silyerstars are on sale at Advance Auto for $37 for 2, before a $10 rebate. So, a net of $27+ tax. Well worth it ! Sweet looking !Yeah, get them while they are on sale. Definately worth it at this price.

Just got mine from advance auto on the way home. Plan on putting them on tomorrow. Anybody think of a good reason to stay DOT on the fogs? I hardly ever drive with them on, so I was thinking I could get a set of 100W 9006's. Then I thought - if I got a nice bright set of foglights, they might not do me much good in actual fog. Anybody with non DOT fogs actually ever try to use them in a fog? All I'm wondering is - are the fogs in that case any worse than DOT approved low beams?Congrats on the NYTimes exposure Mr. Simkins, I feel like I should be asking for your autograph before you go gettin a big head and forget about all us little people...

I have to believe if you got 100w 9006 you'd melt the housing for the fog lights...I remember seeing that in an earlier thread, some guy put higher wattage lights in and ended up melting the lens or something. *shrug*

One word of advice. APC sucks. I had LED in the tails for my clears on my GA, and they stopped working after a month. Tried their color bulbs, and they lasted about 2 months before fading. Now, the only bulbs that actually kept their color was the 194's I have in the sides. But, they dont get as bright as stop lights, so the cheap paint doesnt burn off as fast.

If anyone is still interested in getting these bulbs, they are still on sale at AutoZone. I just purchased them for my headlights and put them in. They made my fog lights look yellow so I had to replace those as well. They are far better than the stock bulbs (as most everyone has said on this post) and I highly recommend them to anyone that has to do a lot of driving in the dark. They really make your visible area much more clean and crisp.

Do you know how much longer they're on sale for, and what they're running (cost)? Thanks dude! I need to replace my fogs, so if they're on sale, I'm GOLD!

I believe the rebate is good through June of '03. Don't quote me on that, but I think that is what the date on the rebate slip was. I got mine at AutoZone for about $20 bulb. The rebate is for $10 off a pair, so you end up gettin' the pair for $30. Go check it out... it's well worth it!

I just went to autozone and got me a set, but couldn't find anything abotu a rebate. Nothing on the package. I checked sylvania's web site and autozone's, neither said anything abotu it. Where did you find the rebate slip?

The offer expires 6/30/03. Just ask one of the clerks for the rebate, or check another store (Advance Auto). I do have and extra rebate on hand.

Unfortunately, advanced auto is a bit far from me, it's in AZ, i'm in NJ...but i'll check again. Thanks.

I was looking at these Silver Stars on Saturday @ Advance Auto and as you said the price is great with the rebate! The rebate is on only until the end of December.My Question is about the DRL's, if the main bulbs are on with the DRL's what's the life expectancy going to be?Will these Silver Stars, or any bulb need replaced more often???

Well obviously, since your lights are on full time in some matter, your life will be shortened. BUt I had a car for 10 years without the headlights going, so you just never know with these things. But from waht I understand, sylvania's have a good life span.

Hey everyone...I'm looking to get silverstars or plasma GT's but i have a quick question, I've never even so much as replaced a bulb before, so i'm not 100% sure how to go about it...i just take out the headlight housing and straight up switch the bulb? also, do i need to do any sort of mods to the electrical system to handle these new bulbs? i'm not going to blow a fuse or anything am i?

quote:I just take out the headlight housing and straight up switch the bulb? Just remove the stock bulb as it shown in owner manual, pages 6-42 and above. See here for on-line owner manual http://www.mygmlink.com/pdf/go2content/ ... dfquote:do i need to do any sort of mods to the electrical system to handle these new bulbs? i'm not going to blow a fuse or anything am i?You don't need to change anything in the stock wiring. The only time when you have to change electrical system or change wiring, it is when you buy different bulb number then stock one (I mean changing 9003 to 9004 or someting like that) or whne you change them for much higher power bulb (stock are 45w/60w and you chage them to 90w/100w). Stock wiring cannot handle so much power, it is designed for 45/60.

The manual is a bit unclear about how to change out the headlamps. Ok...-- Remove the wire harness.-- Lift off the rubber gasket - each one has tabs on it you can use to pull it off.--Now, there's a metal "clip" that locks over the base of the bulb to hold it in place. Push the clip in and down kinda to remove it. The bulb will come loose. Grab it, but NOT BY THE GLASS!--Put the new bulb in, with the three contacts up, and the missing contact downward. The bulbs fit in only one way.--Replace the metal retainer clip.--Replace the rubber gasket. Be sure to push it in on all sides, you'll feel it "click" into place...--Replace the wire harness.--Give it a go!Like previously state, these bulbs are whiter not really brighter, though they seem it. As long as your new wattage is close to stock, which the silverstars and plasma GTs are similar, if not the same, you're fine. Just DON'T use the 90/100 bulbs, those will def fry the wiring!To change out the fogs:--Reach underneath the front bumper, and stretch over to the fog. --The bulb is twist-lock...turn it towards the outside of the car to release it (if it doesn't move, DON'T FORCE IT, try to turn the other way!)--Pull it down under the bumper, and you'll see a clip on the harness that holds the wiring onto the bulb. Release the clip, changeout the bulbs. Be sure the new one clicks into place.--Go back to the fog housing, and you may have to twist it aruond to find the grooves to get it back in place. But when you do, side it in, then twist to lock it. You will definitely feel it lock into place. That's it!

I agree with ragingfish... the bulb are a bit tricky to change, with that funky metal clip that holds in the bulb and the manual is not much help. Thanks for the writeup... I was gonna do one myself, but you beat me to it. I think this will help out a lot of people because the manual is NO help. NEVER TOUCH THE BULBS BY THE GLASS... don't forget that part!

For those who aren't too afraid, it's MUCH easier to change the fogs if you park on a smooth surface (i.e. cement garage floor, paved lot, etc.), park the car, engage the parking break, get on your back, and just kinda slide underneath. I's easier to line them up when it's time to reinstall them. I tried it both ways...MUCH harder to do it from the front.

quote:Did you notice any improved differences with the SilverStars than the APC's?I just replaced my Eaglite Xenon headlights with Silverstars because I lost one of my low beams.In my opinion, the Silverstars are no where near as white in color compared to the Xenon but are MUCH brighter with regard to light output.I now plan on replacing my Xenon foglights with either the Silverstars or the PIAA Plasma ION Yellow.I'm leaning towards the PIAA's but still undecided.

I was off work today, and decided to go find my new silverstar heads/fogs. Ragingfish said I needed the following: Heads 9003 ST 910/1500 MAX 65/72 4000K and Fogs 9006 ST 1000 MAX 60 4000K; What a pain.... First went to Auto Zone; Just singles no twin packages ($19.99 ea.)Second, Advanced Auto Parts; Twin packages but in 9004's and 9007's (37.99/set) Third, Pep Boys didn’t even carry them! Any suggestions for $37.99 or less? I may go back to AAP and ask to see if they will order them for me!

Twin packs at Wal Mart.I understand it's sacriledge to go into a Wal Mart, but for this one thing, we won't tell.

You just said you've never seen a twin pack before. Make up your mind! LOL!

Ya, I needed one, and Walmart here in MI carried only a twin pack, so I had to make another trip over to Advance Auto Parts where they sell them in the single pack.

quote:Ya, I needed one, and Walmart here in MI carried only a twin pack, so I had to make another trip over to Advance Auto Parts where they sell them in the single pack.What was their price? Recently?

quote:What was their price? Recently?It was about a month ago, and if I remember right, Walmart's 2-pack was $37.xx, and Advance's single pack was $19.xx.

quote:if I remember right, Walmart's 2-pack was $37.xx, Sounds like the "winning" price.....

You get 'em yet? If so, get them installed ok???

quote:You get 'em yet? If so, get them installed ok???Not yet....quote:I was off work today, and decided to go find my new silverstar heads/fogs. Ragingfish said I needed the following: Heads 9003 ST 910/1500 MAX 65/72 4000K and Fogs 9006 ST 1000 MAX 60 4000K; What a pain.... First went to Auto Zone; Just singles no twin packages ($19.99 ea.)Second, Advanced Auto Parts; Twin packages but in 9004's and 9007's (37.99/set) Third, Pep Boys didn’t even carry them! Any suggestions for $37.99 or less? I may go back to AAP and ask to see if they will order them for me!

Can anybody with silverstar headlights tell me if you can see any of the blue when the lights are off? I just replaced my turn signals with silverstars and the blue tint looks awesome when the lights are off.