Sylvania Silverstar Ultras

[Casper]

I know that quite a few people on the board are currently running the Sylvania Silverstars and thought I would take the time to express my thoughts on the new silverstar ultras. I wasnt expecting a whole lot since the originals were mainly a even exchange in terms of usable light with a higher Kelvin rating. After having said that, im actually pretty impressed with the new Ultra versions. They do appear to be brighter (even in 9006 guise) than the previous and provide an even slightly higher Kelvin rating than before.

They do retail for a higher price than the previous version but they are also said to last some 20% longer than the previous version (which were known to have fickle useful life times).

At $50 for a set of two they compare in price to Hoen Xenonmatch bulbs (albiet a bit lower in the kelvin scale) and are easily found at any local automotive store.

If you guys havent swapped out for something already..or arent really happy with what you have now, these would be a good investment. While they arent quite as bright as Xenon H.I.D systems they are quite good especially for the difference in price.

 

[nh00gts]

Now we can just hope they last longer than the the other Silverstars...

 

[Elton]

i like my sliverstars had them about 2 years i might get the ultras if they made them in h4

 

[RonMAIDEN]

My Silverstars are just over two years old and are still goiung and if they went out tomorrow they'd have been worth it.

 

[fitzt4r]

I just put these ultra's in my wife's Accord. I was very impressed with the light they put out. They are much better than the stock 9006's I took out of it. I just hope they last much longer than the silverstars that blew pretty much within a week of each other last year on her car.

 

[cdoyle]

Anyone know the specs of these new bulbs compared to the old ones?

I haven't been able to find any actual specs for them yet.

All I find is

SilverStar shines with a luminance up to 20% greater than other halogens. They light up 25% more arem and last 30% longer than regular SilverStar's.

and also

SilverStar's color temperature is a white hot 4,000 K

Which I believe is the same as the original SS's.

but no real numbers on brightness that I can find.

 

[Kmvreter]

Anyone know the specs of these new bulbs compared to the old ones?...

Hopefully they don't discontinue the originals but I suspect they will because of their short life. They have probably just beefed up the filament to get longer life without changing the colour output. If they last 30% longer then they will likely go past 1 year (which is the satisfaction "policy".) As some of you may know, I'm into an active SS free replacement system (yes, search the SS threads.) I won't be able to get free replacements if they last more than a year so then I will switch brands or go back to stock bulbs.

 

[Kmvreter]

Anyone know the specs of these new bulbs compared to the old ones?...

Couldn't find any product info for the SS Ultra on the Sylvania website. They are, however, listed in the replacement guide.

 

[cdoyle]

I'm thinking it's pretty much like you said, a new bulb that costs more, only benefit is it might last a week past the 1 yr warranty.

I think brightness wise, it's the same as the normal SS.

 

[Koz]

My Silverstars are going on two years old. I will not hesitate to replace them with the Ultras. Real Important - Do NOT Touch the glass part of the bulb.

Koz

 

[OUTRNNR]

I only got about a year out of my Silverstars. The left one went first, then the right one about a month later. I did a lot of night driving on them though, leaving for work before the sun came up and getting home after the sun went down.

Since I just installed a new set of Silverstars a month or so ago I guess I'll have to wait a while to get the new Ultras as I'm only putting 500 miles a month on the 4Runner now that I'm driving a work vehicle during the week.