HIR bulbs

[08civiclx]

Thanks av911, I was having problems convincing myself to spend that kinda money. Ah well, I guess I wait for another sale.

[rjl]

Originally Posted by 08civiclx

Thanks av911, I was having problems convincing myself to spend that kinda money. Ah well, I guess I wait for another sale.

Av911 is probably the only person I've ever heard who didn't rave about HIRs the moment they installed them.

The numbers don't lie--they're significantly brighter than stock, and much better than a standard HID bulb replacement without an entire headlight-housing retrofit.

[rjl]

Originally Posted by Firestrife

Wow those HIR's look really similar to HID bulbs

Why the "oh snap"?

[av911]

Originally Posted by rjl

Av911 is probably the only person I've ever heard who didn't rave about HIRs the moment they installed them.

The numbers don't lie--they're significantly brighter than stock, and much better than a standard HID bulb replacement without an entire headlight-housing retrofit.

It may be because my previous bulbs were Silverstar Ultras. But, I did put the stocks back in when I was waiting for the HIRs to come. IDK, I just couldn't see a difference. I might put the stocks back in to compare it again.

[dentrecords]

if switching back from HIR to stock, you'll notice things are less visible farther down the road, especially signs.. it can be deceiving until you go back to stock and see just how little is illuminated in comparison.

the silverstars just made things look blue then burned out when I used them..

[rjl]

Originally Posted by av911

It may be because my previous bulbs were Silverstar Ultras. But, I did put the stocks back in when I was waiting for the HIRs to come. IDK, I just couldn't see a difference. I might put the stocks back in to compare it again.

Silverstars sold in the United States are worse than stock. They achieve their color appearance by tinting the bulbs blue, essentially blocking light the same as the blue strip on the top of some windshields does.

You might think they're brighter because of the color, but the truth is in fact the opposite.

[Si_ESQ]

Just placed my order---$73.46 for bulbs! HA! I'm a little nuts but curious to "see" what's going on with these.

[dentrecords]

you'll love them.

[djdisturbed]

Originally Posted by rjl

Silverstars sold in the United States are worse than stock. They achieve their color appearance by tinting the bulbs blue, essentially blocking light the same as the blue strip on the top of some windshields does.

You might think they're brighter because of the color, but the truth is in fact the opposite.

hmm.. my silverstars are not tinted blue.... but I'm running the silverstar Ultra's, they have a slight "crome" tint to them.

[av911]

Originally Posted by djdisturbed

hmm.. my silverstars are not tinted blue.... but I'm running the silverstar Ultra's, they have a slight "crome" tint to them.

If you look at the actual bulb, it is tinted blue/purple-ish.

[djdisturbed]

Originally Posted by av911

If you look at the actual bulb, it is tinted blue/purple-ish.

are you sure... i look at them yesterday and they ULTRA's were not (and yes im looking at the bulb)
I know the normal silverstar's have a blue tint to them, but the ultra look like they are silver.

[rjl]

Originally Posted by djdisturbed

are you sure... i look at them yesterday and they ULTRA's were not (and yes im looking at the bulb)
I know the normal silverstar's have a blue tint to them, but the ultra look like they are silver.

When they were installed, did the light they projected have a blue tint to it?

If so, the glass is tinted. HIDs are the only lights that naturally project that color without tint.

I know that the last time I researched bulbs a few years back, all the 'Silverstar" marketed bulbs sold in the United States were blue tinted jokes. In Europe, however, they sold some more legit bulbs that upped the brightness a bit by using more exotic gasses in the bulbs, but weren't nearly as bright as HIRs.

If you're really interested in headlights, or you're just bored and want something to do, you can check this site out:

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

I know that I've bought some European versions of the Osram Silverstar H1 bulbs from him before for the low beams in my LX470.

[djdisturbed]

no.. they dont have a blue tint at all to them, the light that comes out is much whiter then the old PIAA blue tinted bulbs i ran in my Dodge Ram with alot less glare..... I have a pritty decent cut off line with them

[Si_ESQ]

Rec'd them yesterday delivered to my door, will install this weekend! Outstanding service from in A A Equipment in El Cajon, CA

[08civiclx]

Let me know how they look Si ESQ, I'm interested again

[Si_ESQ]

Installed.

I had to trim one of the pieces (as posted above) but it was really easy. It added about 15 minutes to install time.

They are brighter than stock. Don't expect to see HID quality lighting. That said, they are definately brighter than stock and noticably so.

Are they worth the almost $80? Only you can decide. I definately see the difference. If you want brighter bulbs, it's a great option.

[djdisturbed]

Went by the John Deere Dealership today to orderthe bulbs.... and the price has gone up to $27

[tehcodeman]

Just installed mine a couple days ago. I had to modify both the tab and the base on each bulb to make them fit. Dremel can in real handy. Noticeable increase in light output over my Silverstars. However, the hint of blue is something I'm missing a bit.

[Firestrife]

blue does nothing its just looks.

[ZeroFighter]

Has anyone tried the new Phillips X-Treme Power, which claims to have 80% more light? How do they compare to HIR bulbs? On rallylights.com, they claim that a standard 9006 bulb outputs around 1000 lumens and HIR 9012 does 1700 lumens. If the X-treme Power does 80% more, that's 1800 lumens. They're considerably cheaper than HIR bulbs too. Anyone have any experience?