SteveD0603

Hopefully I'm not with this thread, but I was thinking of buying a set of Sylvania Silverstars for my 4Runner, but after putting a set in my Dodge Ram work truck the other day, I'm not so impressed. They're OK and the white light is cool, but overall they are not a HUGE improvement over standard halogens. Marshallmay mentioned in one of my threads that he was using Hella 80w/100w H4s with no problems with his wiring and that they're really bright. Cost on those is roughly $5 each. I found a set of European import IPF H4 Halogen Bulbs that are rated at 85/75W and claim to be brighter than the Sylvania Silverstars with no overheating issues, as well. These are $20 to $25 for a set.

Just sort of polling to see if anyone else had experience with brighter, higher wattage H4s without any overheating issues to the stock wiring and to see what bulb type might be best. Another issue, will the higher wattage bulbs blind oncoming drivers so that I'll be constantly getting bright lighted even while on low beam?

Thanks for the help!

mtnwheeling

I was luck to get a free set of the PIAA bling Extreme white bulbs and they are nice....just no way I would pay $70pr for them. One thing to keep in mind is to keep the wattage change from lo to hi similar to stock.....so when you use your brights and go back to the lo beams, you can still see. I think the 75/85W bulbs sound like a good idea!

humanoid

If you're going higher wattage then I would suggest upgrading your harness. If you don't want to do that, I would suggest going to powerbulbs.com and take a look what they have. I know others who have bought from them and are very impressed with what they bought.

Localmotion

20-25$ for a set of the IPF lamps? Where?

Check the voltage of your factory harness and see if you need it.

www.4crawler.com has a page where he tells you if you need it. He also sells it.

4Rocker

I got some composite housings and H4 silverstars to replace my stock sealed beams, and as soon as one of them burnt out i bought a new pair of sealed beams. In my experience, the silverstars were awful as far as useable light. I am now a big fan of my old sealed beams and feel much safer driving at night with them. I wouldnt recommend the silverstars.

Jerm

I have been running a set of PIAA Super Plasma GT-X bulbs for over a year now, and have had no problems. This is the second set of PIAA's I have bought, the other set is over three years old and still working fine in another vehicle. I looked at the Silverstars as well, but I think the money was very well spent on my PIAA's, if you are looking for the most output make sure and get something around the 4300k range.

Weekend_SR5

I would recommend GE nighthawks @ walmart. People on the forums recommend and I gave them a shot $25 for a pair. Overall better then stock both distance and brightness.

SteveD0603

Cool, some good info here. Please keep it coming. I'd like to hear what everybody is using! Thanks!

2KTacoma

I am also using the H4 Hellas 80/100w on the stock harness, much brighter, I dont get flashed at all either. The headlight harness doesn't heat up either

Mason Dixon

does anyone know anything about the Philips X-Treme Power H4 bulbs? They are claimed to throw 80 percent more light than regular H4's

mtnwheeling

If it doesn't draw more current than the stock bulbs it can't be much brighter. More power = More light....go with the higher wattage bulb!

mtnwheeling

True, CFL's are nice, but the only technology that is even close to that for a car is an HID (high intensity discharge) set up. Usually about a $500 upgrade!

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Easy to test the voltage at the back of the headlight connector to see if you are getting full voltage to the lamps:



If you are not getting with 1/2-1 volt of the battery voltage across the headlight connector (when the lights are on), then an upgraded harness is a good idea. If you are getting good voltage, then you are fine. More info:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...ryBeforeYouBuy

MARSHALLMAY

I second that. Go to this link http://www.autobarn.net/hellah4.html.
Look at the amperage the high watt bulbs pull. That's not much. My harness doesn't even heat up either. Like i previously posted. Go to the grocery store, buy a 50w bulb and a 100 watt bulb and plug them in 2 lamps side by side. And go figure...
they're brighter than anything but hids and they're only 7.99 each.

MARSHALLMAY

Since there is only 2 types of car bulbs currently available (incandescent and hid) Manufacturers go by watts on incandescents and lumens on hids. We might see that change when led headlamps hit the market...http://www.worldcarfans.com/news.cfm...headlamp-study
http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/04/...xus-ls-600h-l/

SteveD0603

Thanks to the 4crawler web site, I found a ton of good information on the Daniel Stern web site (4crawler has a link to it), partucularly this article: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...good/good.html

After installing the Silverstars in my Dodge Ram work truck, I couldn't decide whether they were better than regular halogens or actually worse!. I really thought they might be worse, but told myself that surely they're better with all this hype and the added expense! Well, that write-up clears that all up and I'm just glad I only spent $16 for those suckers and not $40 plus!! I got a huge deal on them, thank goodness, which really wasn't a deal after all!

I am now convinced of what some of you are saying about the stronger regular Hella halogens and GE Night Hawks, etc. That is definitely the way to go. If any of you want to clear up the "brighter whiter" light controversy, I highly recommend reading that article, as well as some of his other stuff. Great web site with very well written and informative lighting articles! Thanks 4Crawler!

SteveD0603

eBay, but the seller was a jerk and has a fairly high negative feedback rating. I e-mailed him with a simple question about application and reliability and he e-mailed me back with a pretty nasty reply. Guess he doesn't like selling to people with "antiquated old vehicles with rotted out wiring harnesses" like mine (his words, believe it or not!)! So, obvioulsy I ruled those out!

toyotaoffroad91

i just picked up and HID kit for my bike on ebay..the seller has very good reputation ..i will most likely order a kit for the 4runner cost 138 shipped and its next day from china

coot

I too have used ebay to put HID lights on my taco. You will def go from seeing part of the road to seeing all of the road. Yeah they cost more than 20 bucks, but I got mine total for around $120 shipped. Def was worth the money IMO.

Coot

Mason Dixon

link please