viperbaron
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Baghdad, Iraq
Which is "better"; Sylvania Silver star H6054ST or the H6054XV for a stock headlight sealed beam replacement?
Silverstars or any other light that uses a coating to filter light and change it's color are LESS BRIGHT than GE Nighthawks, or even normal Halogens for that matter.cklaus said:silverstars are the better light. they usually retail for 19.99 for a single 6054. the Xv is the Xtra Vision line. its a brighter halogen than the basic model and does provide more line of sight but it isn't going to be as bright or as white (which aids in night vision). i think i saw the xtravisions at walmart for 14.99 a bulb. I figured it was worth the 10 bux to get the best as opposed to the 2nd to the bottom of the list.
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/Products/ProductComparison/default.htm
you may also wanna look into the GE nighthawks. they are a bit cheaper than silverstars but not quite as bright, but still better than stock.
Simon 88YJ94XJ said:Silverstars or any other light that uses a coating to filter light and change it's color are LESS BRIGHT than GE Nighthawks, or even normal Halogens for that matter.
Nighthawks are among a handfull of Ultra High Efficiency normal halogens that produce the most DOT legal light. Philipps Visionplus are another.
Silverstars are JUNK... what's worse they are the kind of garbage that we all cuss at, at night when we're driving down the road and some GLARING blue tinted **** comes down the road and half blinds us from the refractions and diffuse glare that Blue filtered lights (As opposed to real HID blue colored lights) ALWAYS put out.
The glare is from light being bounced (by the filtering) in directions it shouldn't be. This is why "Projector" head lamps only blind us when they're pointed RIGHT AT US, and but garbage like Silverstars will make us squint to see the road even when they're pointed away in the opposite lane.
1) Dangerous glare
2) LESS LIGHT OUTPUT than NORMAL CHEAP Halogens
3) 19.99 PER LIGHT
4) Much better "Ultra High Efficiency" Halogen lights available (30 to 40% further "reach" than normal)
5) Sylvania's "XtraVision" has more light output and is cheaper than the Silverstars but they are just "High" NOT "Ultra" efficiency.
Note I found all this stuff out after hours of researching when I was PLANNING to buy Silverstars. A good place to start is here:
<hrefhttp://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.autos.driving/browse_frm/thread/4fe34d6f118ac07f/8f200ad31d300732?#8f200ad31d300732
Ronbo said:The Silverstar H6054 sealed beam headlight is absolutely the best $40 I've ever spent on my Jeep. I can now see at night, with the largest gains made in rainy weather.
The stock Wagners are not even close, contrary to what the bullsheet laced tirade above says. Perhaps he is referring to the H4 Silverstar? - because the 6054 has no blue tint IMHO.
Simon 88YJ94XJ said:I wouldn't say it's a tirade, and there's no bull in it, Just things I found out in the process of finding out that Silverstars are glare inflicting garbage.
A lot of people will go to great lengths to justify money they've spent, especially when it was actually a waste of money.
Just look at the Acetone improves gas mileage thread, lots of people wanting to believe something is true all of them wrong, even though they swear they can see a benefit. None of them found WORSE gas mileage even though that is exactly what happens when measured using the scientific method, and not "feel"
I'm glad you "feel" you got your moneys worth. I to was CONVINCED that silverstars were the best thing I buy until I read a little further and found something besides uninformed "I put them on and they are the BEST" feel based opinions.
John90XJ said:They are a different color temperature than the basic halogens we're used to but are certainly not blue. When properly aimed they should not cause any more glare than any other bright light.
They are brighter than the stock lights I had and I suspect they last for a shorter period of time for exactly that reason. The tradeoff seems to be brightness is opposite of bulb life in most of these situations. YMMV.
viperbaron said:I just wanted a viable sealed beam unit upgrade.
viperbaron said:I just wanted a viable sealed beam unit upgrade. The H4 upgrade would entail wiring, reflectors, work, work & more work. A simple sealed beam bulb swap offers me a quick fix with a cost effective solution.
A brighter sealed beam offers me a better choice for now, rather than re-wiring for an H-4 setup.
My thanks to all who offer me a user comparison from "stock" to Silver Star types.
Blue beams...I really dislike those cars that use those dang things. They are as annoying as the uneducated kids with the loud, discourteous stereos blasting in tight traffic.
You keep focusing on the alleged filter...have you considered that the filament construction could be different? That it could be a different material? Could it be a different composition of glass? A different type of inert gas? Could your possible use of contacts or glasses be affecting your sense of glare? Do you have a particular sensitivity to light?Simon 88YJ94XJ said:Basic physics says that ANY filter is going to lower the amount of light, Silverstars achieve their cold color temperature by... guess what... a blue filter coating.
Also due to the FILTER (not the blue) they are more glaring and annoying for other drivers... This applies to ANY headlight with a coating that filters light. any color.
Where do you think that filtered light goes to? It doesn't just disappear magically.
ANYTHING is going to be brighter than the old lights you're replacing, they get dimmer with age, in addition to the improved technology you're probably using for a replacement. So yeah they seem pretty impressive under those circumstances.
Everything I've read says the same thing, the gist being that Silverstars appear impressively bright for a short period of time and have a shorter life span, but that the UHE (to coin an abbreviation) halogens listed in the link I posted are brighter and last longer due to increased efficiency (Thus the E in UHE).
Anyway you guys use whatever you want. Just trying to throw out some information I had found on the subject. As I've said I was just about to buy a set myself based on all the glowing reviews, until I looked into it more.