My Official POS Sylvania Silverstar Review - Honda Prelude Forum

ludehawk · 02-13-2004, 12:34 PM

OK, about a month ago I bought Sylvania Silverstars (H1-non euro version)
3 of my local friends have as well.

After a month of constant sub-zero temps, both of my filaments broke. Not in the middle, but on the contact at each end. This shows poor quality/engineering/design.

All within the same 1 week period all of my friends blew as well.

I also think several members on the board have had theres blow as well this winter.

Any comments? Have at it... my review: they are awesome WHITE bulbs... not designed for cold weather... and deff not worth the $38 bucks for 2 too just blow in a month...

MugenPoweredLude · 02-13-2004, 12:50 PM

haha i have them too

they broke cuz of the cold also.....
but in the middle of the filament

i bought new ones

godfather16 · 02-13-2004, 12:56 PM

Design Flaw??????????? Im sorry to hear! Anf to think these are brand name bulbs!

Initial Lude · 02-13-2004, 12:57 PM

my h1's blew after 1 and half months.

they suck.

SkyHighBB2 · 02-13-2004, 01:18 PM

I'm scared. I've had mine for almost a month :crosses fingers:

CrazieLude · 02-13-2004, 02:02 PM

ya'll are saying your H1s blew, what about H4s??

T

NotoriouSH · 02-13-2004, 02:34 PM

I got mine during thanksgiving, they survived our -20 degree winter here in South Dakota just fine.

thepreludedude · 02-13-2004, 02:35 PM

hmm, i have philips vision plus. going on like 3 years. no problems. i was thinking about getting the silverstars, thanks for the warning

MugenPoweredLude · 02-13-2004, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thepreludedude
hmm, i have philips vision plus. going on like 3 years. no problems. i was thinking about getting the silverstars, thanks for the warning

hows the light output at night and in the rain???
what color are they???
how do you like them???

ludehawk · 02-13-2004, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NotoriouSH
I got mine during thanksgiving, they survived our -20 degree winter here in South Dakota just fine.

did you drive on and off constantly... I'm thinking it's the heat/cold cycling that is doing it... did you drive at night alot when it was that cold ?

vipastyle · 02-13-2004, 02:56 PM

Mine have worked fine for the past couple months except one blew out so far. Hasn't really been nearly as cold as it been where yall live though.

thepreludedude · 02-13-2004, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MugenPoweredLude

hows the light output at night and in the rain???
what color are they???
how do you like them???

very good. alomst as bright as a philips 100w bulb.
almost white. they still have some yellow to them, but not bad. very nice. i have tried several other brands and they have always died within a month or two.

dubzz24 · 02-13-2004, 02:58 PM

So you don't need to worry unless you have cold winters?

bleacht · 02-13-2004, 03:23 PM

i have the Osram Silverstars on for 4 months with 0 problems. its been as low as -20 degrees here as well and haven't experienced anything negative. i'm sorry that happened to you.

TimeRacer · 02-13-2004, 03:26 PM

It's not the same case with the Euro version correct? Since I've heard many opinions stating the US version of the silverstars suck. I have a set of the Euro's here but I'm still running the Phillips Vision Plus which are great.

RedH22A1 · 02-13-2004, 04:37 PM

I've had my silverstars for 2 months ...no problems. =)

vipastyle · 02-13-2004, 04:41 PM

Seems 5th gens are having problems with headlight bulbs...

Another reason 4th > 5th.

NHughMane · 02-13-2004, 04:49 PM

I been through 2 sets... that's 4 bulbs (US version) in less than 6 months. I thought I had bad luck so that's why I kept trying... nope. Two weeks ago I was driving around w/ the high beams cuz the last one went out. And I'm in SoCal so it's not the temperatures... now I'm back to stock. Good luck to the rest of you... the light output and color were great while it lasts... <-- key phrase. Anyone try to get money back? I've been too busy to call.

Mw182006 · 02-13-2004, 06:30 PM

No problems with my osrams, been over 6 months I think...I did ge them from uk though.

edit* I shouldn't say NO problems, but my bulbs haven't blown. My passenger side would go out every once in awhile, but I think there was some grease in the harness.

solar · 02-13-2004, 07:16 PM

I think the light output is pretty poor, perhaps I was wanting some more blueish tint but its straight white. Plus the parking lights that are yellow kinda offset the white. I had some PIAA's on my delsol before and they were much better in my opinion. Better than stock for sure, I hope they dont blow like everybody elses however I live in Florida so no below degree temps for me.

NotoriouSH · 02-13-2004, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ludehawk

did you drive on and off constantly... I'm thinking it's the heat/cold cycling that is doing it... did you drive at night alot when it was that cold ?

I only drive for about 5-10 minutes and then turn the car off (across town to campus). It was even colder than -20, thank god for Mobil 1 synthetic. I drive at 5:30 in the morning several times a week so there is no doubt that my lights were getting used through that entire cold spell. My sylvanias are just fine, but I am using them in the lowbeam. Maybe some of you guys are burning them out as highebeams? I don't really know why you are all having problems, I think they are good bulbs.

ludehawk · 02-13-2004, 08:50 PM

I think they are great bulbs.... but IMO reliability sucks... so that brings down the quality not the appearance/functionality aspect of them...

I'm interested to see what Sylvania says, I spoke to several managers today... they are going to have an engineer contact me...

alphajesse · 02-13-2004, 10:50 PM

Hmmmm.... why spend so much on bulbs when OEM are like $5 each online?
(AND are Osram bulbs!)

Common Sense · 02-13-2004, 11:21 PM

i have phillips blue vision for my h1's.. it's been a long time since i replaced them and i had no problem with them at all.. i've bought shiet load of pairs of h1 bulbs and these are the best of all.. i don't think i will ever have to replace them unless i wanna go HID.. =)

coil222 · 02-13-2004, 11:25 PM

I have a set in my integra (not h1) and they've been fine all winter.

MugenPoweredLude · 02-14-2004, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by alphajesse
Hmmmm.... why spend so much on bulbs when OEM are like $5 each online?
(AND are Osram bulbs!)

disgusting yellow color
and they really dont light up the road as good
where i live its really dark at night, maybe if youre lucky a street lamp or 2 within a 10 mile radius, the OEM halogens sucked!!!!
always had my high beams on at night

with the Silverstarts, i barely use my high beams

h22 bb6 · 02-14-2004, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MugenPoweredLude

disgusting yellow color
and they really dont light up the road as good
where i live its really dark at night, maybe if youre lucky a street lamp or 2 within a 10 mile radius, the OEM halogens sucked!!!!
always had my high beams on at night

with the Silverstarts, i barely use my high beams

Soundsl like I could use these until I get projectors.

MugenPoweredLude · 02-14-2004, 10:41 AM

whoops haha i said sliverstarts

bleh

oh and damn you scott

how much for projectors now a days?

cementups · 02-14-2004, 11:19 AM

Vision PLus's here too. Love 'em. Been in for about 1.5 years. They are whiter than my fogs so one day i will get around to amtching my fogs to them.

NoRice4U · 02-14-2004, 12:54 PM

I have Vision Plus for 2 years now...VERY RELIABLE, their longevity is awesome!!

DjChowFun · 02-14-2004, 01:13 PM

my HID's are fine

my relay didn't work out too well however

mickey99us · 02-14-2004, 03:38 PM

i have had a set in my other car for one week and they both blew. i might try another set but this time im keeping all receipts.

BoYgUaN · 02-14-2004, 08:33 PM

anyone wanna buy some catz h1 bulbs?
i need to get rid of a few sets i ordered for people that flaked

mickey99us · 02-14-2004, 10:26 PM

your link dont work. pm and let me know how much and how are they compared to Sylvania Silverstar

BoYgUaN · 02-14-2004, 10:54 PM

ill do a special for 35 shipped for 1 pair of h1's
they are a purplish white color and usually last quite a while
ive had a set for 8 months now with no problems

h22 bb6 · 02-15-2004, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MugenPoweredLude
oh and damn you scott
how much for projectors now a days?

Beats me. I probably won't be getting them until next year. I'll worry about it then.

OSUlude · 02-19-2004, 12:42 AM

I'm running Phillips Blue Vision for my low beams and Phillips Vision Plus for my highs. I've been running the same two pairs for about a year now, however, i installed these wearing latex gloves to avoid finger oil residue (which i believe is the cause of many bulb burnouts, the oil heats up to extremely high temperatures and the glass can't handle it...right?) The light production is great for both but i see everything through 35% tint so it looks almost as bright as stock for me. The bulbs were definitely worth the 70 bucks i dropped on em

MugenPoweredLude · 02-19-2004, 06:49 AM

^^^ i always use latex gloves when installing bulbs
dont know about Jay tho

ludehawk · 02-19-2004, 10:14 AM

I don't use rubbers... I mean latex... I mean

no really... I use ceran wrap... as the powder can scratch the bulb

mickey99us · 02-19-2004, 01:21 PM

not if you get the automotive latex ones that are blue with no powder

godfather16 · 02-19-2004, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MugenPoweredLude
^^^ i always use latex gloves when installing bulbs
dont know about Jay tho

Yo Mugen, I thought you were getting HID's? Do you have em yet?

Good Investment, saves a ton in bulb burning.

MugenPoweredLude · 02-19-2004, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by godfather16

Yo Mugen, I thought you were getting HID's? Do you have em yet?
Good Investment, saves a ton in bulb burning.

how can i get HID's when they dont make them no more

well not make them, just dont sell them anymore

stupid law or government or whoever the idiots were that banned the sale of aftermarket HID's

TimeRacer · 02-19-2004, 04:37 PM

Just in case anyone is interested unless your light bulb explodes inside your housing, touching the bulb had NOTHING to do with it's failure. It's a commonly held myth that finger oil causes the fliament to go out which is untrue. Finger oil or any other surface contaminant on the bulb causes an irregularity in the thermal expansion of the glass which causes the glass to shatter. Just some FYI for those people who think they might of touched the bulb.

h22 bb6 · 02-19-2004, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by OSUlude
The light production is great for both but i see everything through 35% tint so it looks almost as bright as stock for me. The bulbs were definitely worth the 70 bucks i dropped on em

You tinted your windshield?

ForTehNguyen · 02-19-2004, 11:02 PM

great way to reduce nighttime visibility, turn off your headlights for a better affect

solar · 03-14-2004, 09:31 PM

Owned them one month, left one just blew tonight...pissed

Jacques · 03-14-2004, 09:53 PM

I had PIAA HyperWhites for both my low and high beams. Until recently, the set of 4 lasted 2 1/2 years. To me anyways, it was far "whiter" than the Phillips BlueVisions, and the light disbursement was much better. I'm ordering a new set...

Joon525 · 03-14-2004, 10:07 PM

I just threw out a Silverstar yesterday. The glass tint was very faded but I guess this happens with all aftermarket bulbs to some extent.

clean_green · 03-19-2004, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MugenPoweredLude

how can i get HID's when they dont make them no more

well not make them, just dont sell them anymore
stupid law or government or whoever the idiots were that banned the sale of aftermarket HID's

I'm confused about the HID rules too. I was at Car Toys in Plano (TX) last week and they actually install them there

They had a cheap looking Vision kit on display for $600

brendon2k · 03-19-2004, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MugenPoweredLude

disgusting yellow color
and they really dont light up the road as good
where i live its really dark at night, maybe if youre lucky a street lamp or 2 within a 10 mile radius, the OEM halogens sucked!!!!
always had my high beams on at night

with the Silverstarts, i barely use my high beams

I don't mind my yellowish headlights. Any bulb with blue, purple or any other color tinted glass is just blocking some of the light from the filament, hence worse lighting.