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silverstars are nice. i've had mine for ~1.5 years and they haven't had a single problem. granted i changed to HID retro, but when i get my miata those silverstar H4 bulbs are going in first thing.

 
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yah same here.. i bought 2 piaa's before and they both blew within a year
but the light output is so good

 
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i want to get some PIAA...but man, they're just way to expensive..............

to think about it, my bro's wal-mart APC still running for more than one year now...i guess that's the bad part about silverstar....theyir life is just not that long.......

but hm, infinite got 1.5.......that's not bad....

now im suspecting the fact that mtec and other similar blue bulb brand's output just doesn't cut it...................

my question:

should i get OSRAM (EU) coolblue or Sylvania (US) silverstar?

also:

what kind of gas do both bulb uses (Osram EU vs. Osram US)?

i noticed Osram EU wrote specifically in their website that they used Xenon gas (HID gas) in their bulbs...

 
Rep Power: 433

that xenon gas advertising scheme is bs. the bulbs are injected with a very miniscule amount of xenon gas (NOT HID gas - HID uses a salt chamber with a very high powered arc of electricity), but burn the same way that a normal halogen bulb burns - with a filament.

should you get OSRAM or Sylvania? cool blue and silverstars are completely different products, but if i had to choose, i would go with the sylvania silverstars again, but only because mine are still working properly and i was very satisfied with the output and color.

 
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sylvania products are crap. I had cool blue US version and yes they're nice and white and lasted 2 years, just not very bright like stock. I wish I had gotten osram cool blue. osram and sylvania are not the same bulb fyi. My bro had silverstar for a month before it blew in his rsx, and they were barely whiter than stock. US silverstar = suck.

 
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im getting my PIAA xtreme white bulbs today
ill compare stock vs. PIAA
i might take a night picture if im not too lazy
and lets see if STOCK really is BRIGHTER than aftermarket.
in my experience...no.. stock isnt brighter than aftermarket.

 
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PIAA is definitely brighter than stock but it won't last long

 
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stock is brighter. having a whiter light is not always brighter...

 
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hm....lemme clear this one thing up..

OSRAM Sylvania (US) -- Silverstar --> blue tint, 4000K
OSRAM Sylvania (US) -- CoolBlue --> blue tint, 3700K

OSRAM (EU) -- Silverstar --> NO blue tint, xxxxK maybe OEM color, 50% more output
*think about US silverstar w/o blue tint....definitely brighter right?*
OSRAM (EU) -- Coolblue --> blue tint, 4000K, better than US silverstar??

 
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So like a HID system vs like Silverstar light bulb.. the silverstar will last longer? Will it be as bright? Am i understanding this right?

 
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piaa must be the worst bulb ever. they use their name to market something that falls below apc quality. those lights maybe last 3 months, and there is so much coating you'll maybe get half the light output over stock. Good luck seeing at night with those. Stock headlights side by side with piaa...the stock will outshine them.

 
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hid system the bulbs will technically last forever, just get dimmer (and more blue) as they age. Average functional life of hid bulb is 7 years with near full brightness. I've seen halogen last 2 years or more, but also they could burn out in a month. So who knows.

 
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hm.. oh well, i guess i'll never buy piaa again

 
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they are streetglo
those are good
i had ever since my car was brand new
they have a lifetime warranty too
if it blows, just return it and they will send you a new one, just pay for the shipping.

at a high angle they are bluish
and a medium to low angle they are super duper white.
i cant find them no more tho....
o wells. -_-

 
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So what is the best HID system for an 01 civic?

 
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stock.

 
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stock HID rulez.

i had piaa for a bit more than a year but i would NEVER in my life buy those **** again. as mentioned, piaa uses its name to sell you overpriced ****.

i had sylvania US, bot CB and SS, they are comparable. if i had the choice again, i would save some money and go with CB over SS.

i still have both sets of sylvania, they're the emergency backup for when i have blown bulbs, happened once so far and it's the piaa ones that blew! accumulatively, i would say sylvania CB has lasted me a bit over a year and am pretty sure they are still working if i ever get a chance to pull them out of the storage and test them in my car.

i have been using mtec hyperwhite? for close to a year now and they're going strong.

 
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^yo, this is the important question...i think they've been answered before though...but i'm still not sure...

Mtec superwhite (NOT cosmos blue) vs. Sylvania CB/Sylvania SS

1. output--which one is brighter?
2. color--what happened to each? stock color brighter, blue-white bright, blue-white dim...?

 
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US cool blue is 3800k white color. No blue or yellows. it's slightly dimmer than stock due to a light blue coating on the bulb to make the light white. I think mtec have more coating to make it 4100k or something. Also pure white. Stock is brighter than both.

 
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bulbs with no coating is always brighter

 
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i think this sounds logical, not sure though.

 
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^hmmmm

for some reason....i don't think i can justify both bulb in that pic..

can u take a picture of em in the road w/o flash?

i think ur camera's flash kind of confused me...lol

 
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What is a good halogen bulb to get from ebay?? they got sooo many bulbs being made in Asia... soo much variety...which one is the best and how can u tell? if any one has bought from e bay, let me know...i am trying to find a good bulb that gives off blue light... like bmw blue, the h i d look, i have seen some bulbs give off amazing blue color, and they were halogen bulbs not h i d. i dont even mind the purple look...i just cant find any good bulbs!

 
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i'm keeping the stock halogen and upgrading wire harness to make em brighter. Any other coated bulb (although giving a whiter light) will be dimmer than stock. I actually need to see the roads out here at night.

 
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hmmmm...update update..

lol, i just got myself silverstar..........

and i've to let you know that i'm very happy with it...

NOW i realize that it's actually white with very light glue..

it's also very bright and has a good distance..

i'm really in doubt about the ebay bulbs...with blue coating on it...

 
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i saw a test where they used an upgraded wire harness, and somehow the silverstar put out more lumens than stock with the harness. It was a big difference compared to normal harness.

 
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do you know where to buy it?

 
Rep Power: 811

www.suvlights.com

 
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So are the Mtecs that good? And what are the opinions on the APC lights? I really like the Silverstars but one of two lights burned out and it's barely a year since I bought them.