The way i look at it, Sylvania is OE manufacture while PIAA isn't. Now I'm making a huge assumption and in a argument class this would be completely wrong, but if Sylvania qualifies for OE and PIAA doesn't, I'm going to say the Sylvania stuff is better.

 

Had a chance to speak with the Silverstar reps while at the LA auto show, and I ended up buying a pair of low beam bulbs. For me, the deciding factors were that Sylvania, as mentioned, provides OEM bulbs for many car makers, there is no heat problem, and the Silverstars are DOT approved (no tickets). The reps indicated that the life of my bulbs should be about 2-3 years, depending on use. BTW, very noticeable difference between the new bulbs and original. Very pleased with the purchase.

David Liske

 

hey See_fu, nay ho,
I don't really go by who is OE or not. There are many reason's auto makers choose their parts. It may be the pricepoint Sylvania was willing to deal with, it could be the fact that Sylvania's are available at more retailers and easily replaced, or it could be that they are better (they must provide some reliability to qualify). Who knows. I've always liked Sylvania until I bought my Cool Blues. Both blew within 3 months. Sylvania may have the volume but doesn't necessarily mean they are quality. I've always liked PIAA bulbs because they are willing to put it in writing for a year.

Dliske,
I think I will give the SilverStars a shot because of price. I hope they last 2-3 years but it bugs me they will tell you that but not put in writing. I could tell you they will last 100 years but it doesn't mean anything if they blow out in 5 months and Sylvania tells you "too bad, we don't warranty our bulbs". I'm just playing devils advocate and looking a worst case senerio. Oh and PIAA's are also DOT approved and SAE certified.

Anyone know if 1000 lumens = 110 watts output?

Thanks for your input. It helps a lot.

 

Blikkem, thanks for the heads-up with the PIAA's, as to being DOT approved. I sure didn't mean to imply that the Silverstars were the only ones. I had always considered going to a "whiter" bulb, but just never really did the research to compare. When I saw the Sylvania display at the show, I was able to speak with the rep for a long time, and he answered all of my concerns to my satisfaction. Thus, I made my purchase. If you do get the Silverstars, try to find a rebate coupon. Currently, you can get $10 back on one pair. PIAA may make an outstanding product, and I don't doubt that they do. However, with what I have seen written about their price compared to the Silverstars, is there that much of a difference in light quality that justifies the extra cash? (I know, subject of much debate.) In any event, good luck with your purchase.

David Liske

 

like i said, my cool blues are 3yrs old...... and work fine. You might want to check to see if moisture is entering your headlight housing, which will make any bulb die fast.

 

No, no moisture, I put the stock bulbs back in about a year ago and are still fine. It was definitely the bulbs. Maybe I got a bad batch. You having the Cool Blues for 3 years makes think I probably just had bad luck with those bulbs.
Maybe the Silverstars with last longer for me.

Dliske,
I see it this way PIAA's have been seen as Premium (with it so expensive and all) but maybe not better. Silvania is trying to do the same but at a lower cost to the consumer through volume. They probably sell 100 times more bulbs then PIAA and can sell them cheaper because they have partnerships with Autozone, Pepboys, etc. So that's why I want to give them a try. Maybe they are just as good or better.
I have no doubt the two bulbs are comparable in efficiency and brightness. I'm currently looking for that coupon. They have it on their site but it says I have to send in the "original coupon". I went to Autozone tonight and they were out of Silverstar 9006ST and I didn't see any coupons. I'm going to try Pepboys tomorrow.

thanks for your input.

 

I wish I still had my PIAAs so I can do a side by side, but here's my take. PIAAs had the best color output, silverstars have the best light output. However neither hold a candle to HID

Here's a pic with OEM fog halogen(known for being some of the whitest halogen fogs around), and rebased osram d2r, known for being one of the more yellow hids. Now my camera doesn't like taking night pictures(the red over saturates), so they aren't that great but you can get the idea. Again top is 4300K hid with foglamps below on a white tarp, bottom pic is 4300k hid with silverstar highbeam on the same tarp.



PIAAs super plasmas have the closest to HID color, but not the best output, Silverstars are still pretty yellow(no where near as yellow as halogen) but they do have some pretty good output. I'll do this experiment again in a week or so with philips d2s bulbs in hella 90mm projectors for low beam, philips are a lot whiter and more blue than osram bulbs are, versus the silverstar 9005 high beams, then we'll see a clear difference.

 

here I went out and played with the white balance, and exposure a bit till you can actually see the beams and not just the glare.(and froze my cajones off in the process)




these pictures are unedited other than for size, so you can truely see how yellow silverstars are. my hid is identical in color to an oem TL, as they use osram bulbs in a reflector too, so that will give you a bit of reference, next week I shoudl be done with my projector retrofit then I'll have philips bulbs in which are what audis use

 

Wow, big difference. Makes me want a Hid setup. But price is too steep for me. I don't want to spend that much on headlights. Maybe if I have some money to burn on my car again I'll think about it. Great comparison. It really puts the Silverstars in perspective but at 12 times the price I think the Silverstars will be fine for me.

They look great!

 

Hahaha...ummm...no. It's pretty cold here and I like the Silverstars better. I have been in cars that have PIAA's, it's just too blue for me (at least what they have).