Anther dumb question -- "Super White" bulbs??

[BarracksSi]

While we're at it --

Which so-called "hyper white" headlight bulbs are actually BRIGHTER than the stock bulbs?

I picked up some Lite Glow Xenon Super White bulbs at Target, rated 60/55W. I think that the hue is OK, but I'll swear up & down that they're actually dimmer than the original bulbs.

I'm still confused about why there's so much tint in the bulb glass, too -- seems counterproductive to me.

What other bulbs out there give genuinely brighter, whiter light than stock, but aren't a HID conversion or more than 50 bucks (which I think is a silly price for headlight bulbs)?

[2k2civicSi]

mine are pretty bright im not sure if you saw them that night at b&n but there nokya they where like 45 at the shop right down the street i like them alot

[hamproof]

Your gut feeling's right. The tint will actually rob you of your light output. Tints of blue for example to give you the blue looking lights actually filters out certain waves in order to produce the blue looking bulb. But coz' of that, the light output is actually less.

HIDs are totally different and as you know, a basic setup cost at least $500. Definitely more than a $20/bulb. But the difference are night and day.

I'm using Sylvania Silverstars now on my car. There's no coating that I can see on the bulb except on the tip. It is a silverish tip compared to Honda OEM. Cost $25/piece but w/ a $10 rebate now. From what I've read, the Sylvania Silverstars in US is different from the ones sold overseas as Osram Silverstars. Supposedly the one in US has a blue coating. Well, maybe I got lucky, but I don't see any blue on my bulb when I put it in. The resulting light is white. I won't say it makes a huge difference bet. stock and Silverstars but I like the white color.

[1fastminivan]

Yes blue tinted bulbs decrease light output and like hamproof said........the Silverstars in the US are different then the overseas version........although my friends have bought them and they are indeed brighter then the stock lights they have. They are slightly coated with a silver tip. HIDs are a big and very good investment I think IMO.

[BarracksSi]

I remember seeing your headlight & parking light bulbs, 2k2civicSi, but only after you had arrived & parked. I didn't think to ask about them while we were looking at the rest of your car, though. Speaking of the rest of the car -- does the package shelf rattle at all with the sub back there?

I'll keep an eye out for the Silverstar bulbs. Any other suggestions?

Also, am I correct in thinking that there are HID kits that easily fit in the housing and still have hi-lo beam capability? I think I remember seeing a bit in a magazine about an HID bulb that's entirely self-contained, with no external power converters.

[1fastminivan]

there is an HID kit that has low/high beam capabilities. You can try www.groupbuycenter.com and they usually have some kits on there with low/high beam. One company I would and Im probably am going to go with is www.autolamps-online.com . Suvlights.com also has the kit with low/high beam I think....Im pretty sure they do.

The optics on our stock reflector housings are pretty decent and I have tried out HID on my car with a friends kit and it looked damn good. The bulb type was a 4100k philips bulb. They also sell the 6000k bulbs and higher but that is useless light and color. If anything 6000k bulbs would be the hightest I would purchase. 4100k bulbs have whiter light and more usefull light. I hope this helps.:)

[BarracksSi]

For the time being, I've gone back to the stock bulbs. The first time I drove with them re-installed, I was happier with their output.

The HID kits look pretty interesting, and might be a possibility in the coming months. I'll post any updates, if needed.