Head light bulbs?

[KenC]

What would be the best brand of 9005 bulbs to buy?

IIRC, Kris said that the Sylvania's in the pink package were the brightest.

[nando]

why four? (sorry havent messed with the headlights yet)

Well lets see. 2 high beams. 2 low beams. 2+2=4

Should I break it down more or???

lol. i'd only get 2... i never use highs

dude.. they're like $6. holy shit. :roll:

[YAN-3]

kyle i work till 4 pm mon-fri so give me a call and ill try to meet up.

[e304lyfe]

dude.. they're like $6. holy shit. :roll:

$12 better spent elsewhere

[natorious]

why four? (sorry havent messed with the headlights yet)

Well lets see. 2 high beams. 2 low beams. 2+2=4

Should I break it down more or???

the high and low use the same bulb???

sorry... never had a car with H1 headlights before...

[Beej '86 325es]

There's a difference between Osram Silverstars and Sylvania Silverstars? I thought Osram owned Sylvania or vise versa.

I have some 9003 Sylvania Silverstars and they are bright ass white. The bulb has a slight blue/green/silver coating on them, but actually does look silver when lit. I like them...Oh ya but their stupid "buy 2 and get a $10 mail in refund" never comes. My cousin and I have been waiting for a year.

[KenC]

why four? (sorry havent messed with the headlights yet)

Well lets see. 2 high beams. 2 low beams. 2+2=4

Should I break it down more or???

the high and low use the same bulb???

sorry... never had a car with H1 headlights before...

The european ellips use H1s for all.
The US ellips use 9006 lows and 9005 highs

[KenC]

There's a difference between Osram Silverstars and Sylvania Silverstars? I thought Osram owned Sylvania or vise versa.

I have some 9003 Sylvania Silverstars and they are bright ass white. The bulb has a slight blue/green/silver coating on them, but actually does look silver when lit. I like them...Oh ya but their stupid "buy 2 and get a $10 mail in refund" never comes. My cousin and I have been waiting for a year.

Common misconception. The Sylvania and Osram Silverstars are NOT the same bulbs. The Sylvania Silverstars for the US market have a blue tint to them. The Osram Silverstars have no tint. They are a clear bulb.

[natorious]

do the osrams come in 9005 and 9006? and where is a good place to get them

[M42Technik]

dude.. they're like $6. holy shit. :roll:

$12 better spent elsewhere

CHEAPEST. MAN. ALIVE.

Don't get me started.

[bimmerphile]

What would be the best brand of 9005 bulbs to buy?

IIRC, Kris said that the Sylvania's in the pink package were the brightest.

Nope, sorry Ken, Kris didn't say that, because "brightness" is a bullshit form of "Measurement," and I use that term loosely.

Again, let me repost these valuable links:

Why blue bulbs are bad
More on blue bulbs
Why "superwhite" is bullshit


And, most importantly, because everybody thinks "Oh, silverstars are so great" when that is only 1/2 true. OSRAM silverstars are great. Sylvania (the only ones you can get for US fitments) are bullshit. Here's why:

Why do you specify "Outside North America only" on the SilverStar bulbs?


Osram, the well-established German lampmaker, sells a line of automotive bulbs they call "SilverStar". These are Osram's top-of-the-range headlamp bulbs, equivalent to Philips VisionPlus and Tungsram Megalight Premium. They produce the maximum legal amount of light while staying within legal power consumption limits. They have clear glass.


Osram bought the well-established American lampmaker Sylvania in the early 1990s, so Osram is now Sylvania's parent company. Sylvania also sells a line of automotive bulbs they call "SilverStar", but it's not the same product at all. These bulbs have a blue coating on them. Light output is of legal levels, but as with all blue-filtered bulbs, you do not get more light from them. The Sylvania SilverStar bulbs have a very short lifetime, because the filament is selected so as to be overdriven. This is necessary because the blue filtration coating "steals" so much light that only an overdriven filament can push enough light through the filter to be legal. The Sylvania SilverStar bulbs are also priced quite high. This is not because they cost a lot to make, and not because they're based on some exotic new technology. It's because the goal with this product is to take market share away from other overpriced bulbs like the PIAA line.


For best headlamp performance and best value, choose only bulbs with clear glass.

There you have it.

What would be the best brand of 9005 bulbs to buy?

The best bulbs:

It Sounds As If You Don't Think These Are The Best Choice For Maximizing My Headlamps' Performance. What Is?


For those who want the best possible performance from their headlamps and are more concerned with their ability to see rather than the appearance of their headlamps, the major bulb companies offer optimized bulbs WITHOUT the light-stealing blue coloration. Sylvania Xtravision (in the pink-and-black package), Osram Super and SilverStar(outside North America); Philips High Visibility (North America), Premium and Vision Plus (outside North America); Narva RangePower are the ones to look for.

[Beej '86 325es]

Kris, all of that is very very true. The dichloric coating does actually take away light, and yes, the life of these bulbs is sh*t...I've run a few different kinds. That said, there is a little benefit from them and that is the light is more useable than standard lights. Doing as much research as you have on it, I'm sure you already know that different colored lights are better for visibility during certain conditions. Ex. Yellow for bad weather and Blue for roadsigns.

[reelizmpro]

Fact of the matter is they (xenon bulbs) all have a shorter lifespan than regular halogen. They typically last 6 -9 months, after researching. The way I see it if you get cheap ebay bulbs for $10 a pair and they last 6 months (some are guarenteed for 6 months), it's better than spending $40-80 on premium bulbs with the same lifespan. I just picked up a 2 pairs of Koba H1's 55W made in Germany for $32 or so with 6 mo warr. and they are great. Put out a nice white light, no blue at all.

[KenC]

do the osrams come in 9005 and 9006? and where is a good place to get them

No, Osram is only H-Code lighting.

Read Kris's post for the best bulbs for the US ellips. Sylvania Xtravision.

[YAN-3]

so since i have the us elipsoids without the smiley do i get H1 or 9005 and 9006????