Sliverstar's, Piaa's, or cheapo headlight bulbs...?

[138742]

I was curious if anyone here notices a difference between the sliverstar's, piaa's, or the regular cheapo's headlight bulbs? In distance of illumination and noticeably from drivers.

If so, is it worth double the cost?

Thanks for your input as always!

 

[miles]

Silverstars rock.  They are worth the money.  

[bomber]

I put a PIAA into the low beam of my 07 Tiger -- much more light, still a crappy throw -- it increases the amount of light very noticably, but the POS still has a lousy focus -- kind of a Bat-light pattern

A good bulb will make a decent or good light better -- it'll only improve a marginal one, well, marginally.

[squeezer]

I use the Philips Vision+80 X-treme bulbs.  Noticeably much better than standard bulbs.  

I picked them up here (usual disclaimers -- no business relationship other than being a happy customer):  
http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=8&products_id=304

[desert_rider]

+1 on the Silverstars.  I noticed a notable difference when I switched.

[1moreroad]

+1 on Silverstars.  There are two kinds -- US and Euro.  US have a slight blue tint that attenuates light in part of the spectrum.  Euros have the same wattage but put out a little more light.  Euros are not DOT legal but you can buy them on-line.

I have US in my Nissan, and I had them on my ZX6R.  I rode the 6 before and after the install.  IIRC I could see reflective signs almost 2x as far and non-reflective detail maybe 50% farther.

After I installed the S-stars I got highbeams flipped at me a lot where I never got them with the old OEMs.  I had to adjust the S-stars to keep other cars from thinking I was riding with my high beams on.

The only complaint is that the Silverstars have a noticeable top cutoff where the OEM halogens just gradually got darker at the top of the beam.

[roadthing]

I'm with the Silver Star fans.

I found a Noticeable difference in the quality of vision at night. As far as being seen by other drivers part of the question, I couldn't say. If a way to remove the "invisible" factor from motorcycles is discovered, it will be a miracle.

[Andrew]

OSRAM NIGHTBRAKER    http://www.osram.com/osram_com/Consumer/Automotive_Lighting/Products/Headlights/NIGHT_BREAKER/index.html

I have a set in the FJR and I love them. The temp is about 4300k (white on white, no blue or yellow) Longer vision, better color.
a bit about me, I suffer from poor night vision and I like to ride at night. I have spent a lot of $$ and time in a quest to find the best light for my needs
I have tried Philips extra vision + better than the original bulbs.  
Osram Silver Stars about the same as Philips but with less blue light.
PIAA (several different colors) all were over priced crap to me (over driven filament burns out too quickly)  
HID kits, 4300k give off the most usable light for me. The draw backs are many and as such should only be used in focused lenses designed for them (with the exception of add on driving light that can be turned off when any other vehicles are front of you. That and it is not legal anywhere in the USA to "retrofit" headlamps to HID.

One last word, your light output is only as good as the focus pattern can project it.  

[shil]

Where did you buy the Night Breakers?

[thatguy]

I believe he's over there.

And I found them here.

[Explorer]

you can find Osram Nightbreaker H4 Bulbs here for a much better price!(2-pack) http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com/product_info.php?products_id=5771

[Andrew]

Where did you buy the Night Breakers?

E-Bay

[birdrunner]

I use the Philips Vision+80 X-treme bulbs.  Noticeably much better than standard bulbs.  

I picked them up here (usual disclaimers -- no business relationship other than being a happy customer):  
http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=8&products_id=304

+++

I had them years ago on my 1st XX,  back then they were tested and found to be the only lamp that actually were 30% brighter.  PIAA are not better than these, save your money.

[Long Lonesome Hwy]

I tried a Sylvania Silverstar once. It only lasted about 2000 miles/3 months. I don't know if it was the same as the Osram Silverstar.  It did seem brighter, but too expensive for me.

[Canuck]

I've never tried any, but can comment on whether it improves visibility. I passed a couple of Harleys this summer. As I gradually pulled away from them, I noticed in my mirror that the newer H-D had much, much brighter headlights. They had the blue light of some of the aftermarket bulbs. The one bike really stood out compared to the other and for a much longer period of time as I got farther away from them. I tend to avoid night riding, since I have an unreasonable fear of hitting a deer or other wildlife. However, I've been thinking about getting improved headlights just for the sake of improved visibility in daytime.

[Explorer]

I tried a Sylvania Silverstar once. It only lasted about 2000 miles/3 months. I don't know if it was the same as the Osram Silverstar.  It did seem brighter, but too expensive for me.

the Osram Silverstar's are the Euro make, much different then the US.  US have a slight blue tint that attenuates light in part of the spectrum.  Euros have the same wattage but put out a little more light.  Euros are not DOT legal but you can buy them on-line.

[zer0netgain]

Went through this years ago.

For the most part, if you aren't installing a true HID system, they most all are a waste.  Just get the brightest output bulbs available (often found in Wal Mart) that are OEM replacements.

The "white" light bulbs that have the blue coating are actually bad.  Yellow light is needed for vision in foggy conditions.  HID looks white because of light temperature but it has a yellow output.  Those coated bulbs created the look of HID by filtering out certain spectrums you need in the dark.

I had them for a while, and while brighter, I noticed it was harder to see things at night.  More light but not in all frequencies.

[scrape]

I tried a Sylvania Silverstar once. It only lasted about 2000 miles/3 months. I don't know if it was the same as the Osram Silverstar.  It did seem brighter, but too expensive for me.

Same Silverstars here but the EU version.....one bulb lasted about 3 months, the other bulb only about 30 days .  OEM lasted about 1.5 years.  I know the brighter bulbs (SS, Nightbreaker, X-Treme, etc) have a shorter lifespan, but this was a bit too short for me.  I am going to try a different brand of high power bulb one more time though, before justifying wether the additional cost of these bulbs is just a waste of money.

[blakebird]

I'm with Andrew on this one.

I've tried PIAA bulbs, Osram Silverstar (+50%), Sylvania Silverstar (+30% DOT), Phillips Vision Plus (+30% DOT), Narva Rangepower (+30% DOT) in a variety of bulbs from H3, H1, H7, and H4 on various bikes over the years.

I got a pair of H4 Osram Nightbreakers (+90%) off ebay for $26, and they arrived quickly (from Estonia)....they're in the FJR and so far, so good. Life expectancy unknown at this point, but I've never had a bulb blow and they're always in service for many miles.
An overdriven, standard wattage bulb is expected to have a shorter lifespan, I have not experienced this yet.

I added a pair of PIAA 1100X's recently after a recent trip to the west coast covering desert at speed during the wee hours. My buddy's 990 S w/ HID was amazing, made the very good stock FJR lighting seem weak by comparison.

I would expect the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra's to be a very good combination of quality lumens with some longevity, and if the Nightbreakers are short-lived I will go that route.