Silverstar Ultra Bulbs
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Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Maryland
Silverstar Ultra Bulbs
I have a question that is not fuel pump failure nor fuel quality related. I hope everybody can take time away from that subject to think about something else!
Has anybody installed Silverstar Ultra headlight bulbs in their 2011 Superduty? It seems that HIDs are not a great idea in this housing and the standard bulbs don't provide much more light than the 6 volt lights on my old John Deere from 1957! Silverstar Ultras are not cheap by any means and I hate to throw the money down only to gain nothing more than that cool white lighting effect.
I am interested to hear from anybody that has tried them. Are they better? Are they significantly better? Do you use a lubricity additive with them?
Has anybody installed Silverstar Ultra headlight bulbs in their 2011 Superduty? It seems that HIDs are not a great idea in this housing and the standard bulbs don't provide much more light than the 6 volt lights on my old John Deere from 1957! Silverstar Ultras are not cheap by any means and I hate to throw the money down only to gain nothing more than that cool white lighting effect.
I am interested to hear from anybody that has tried them. Are they better? Are they significantly better? Do you use a lubricity additive with them?
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: SW Virginia
I'm curious too Matt. Have you found them? I've been checking but have only been able to find the regular Silver Stars and the Xtra Visions.
A couple of people I know have been using Philips lights with really good results:Automotive Lighting for Consumers
And they list several of the bulbs as being available for our trucks.
I had the regular Silver Stars in my '05 and they were much better than the OEM bulbs. I still think these lights are better than the OEMs in my '05 but they could use some improvement.
A couple of people I know have been using Philips lights with really good results:Automotive Lighting for Consumers
And they list several of the bulbs as being available for our trucks.
I had the regular Silver Stars in my '05 and they were much better than the OEM bulbs. I still think these lights are better than the OEMs in my '05 but they could use some improvement.
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Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Maryland
Yes, I saw them at Pep Boys today. They had regular Silverstar and the Ultra in H13 (9008). They have an even higher level bulb, the XZE, but it is not available in H13 yet. The price for the Ultra was $39.99 and the bulbs come as a pair.
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: SW Virginia
Nice! Thanks....I'll check them out. The Philips bulbs have me curious as well though. I've seen them in a couple of vehicles and they look brighter than the Silver Stars I had. I just hate to sink money into them and not be satisfied.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: at the truck pulls
I wanted more light, and I had Silvers in my F250 and they were better. So I went for the Ultra version this time and guess what I found when I changed the bulbs, the Silverstar Regular was there from the factory.
The Ultras give me maybe 20-25% more light, so not a huge difference but definitely noticeable improvement.
The Ultras give me maybe 20-25% more light, so not a huge difference but definitely noticeable improvement.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 5,222
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From: Kaysville Utah
I had Silverstars in my 2003 and they melted the plug, So I've been a little hesitant about upgrading headlights since. Those of you using these, Has anybody seen any adverse effects from the increased heat?
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: SW Virginia
I put them in my '05 in January of '05 and checked them a couple of times over the years. I never had one burn out and never found any damage to the plugs or housings. Last time I checked was about three months before I traded it. As mentioned above, they were the Silver Stars.
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Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Maryland
I almost took the plunge today. I spent the morning at work catching up on a deadline that I am falling behind on and since I was not too far from town I figured I would go pick up some bulbs. I opened the hood and took a look before I left the office. After looking at the left housing I didn't even need to look at the right side. It sure looks to me that the grille and headlight have to be removed just to change bulbs. That was enough to keep the money in my pocket for today!
As for melting plugs, I have even heard of people melting plugs with HID lights when all the factory wire does is trigger the ballast which is powered separately. My guess is it must be a bad connection since the HID ballast is not drawing near as much power from the plug as a regular headlight would. Even if the brighter bulb was 100 watts (I don't think they are) you would still only be drawing 8.5 amps at 12v. Seems to me that the upfitter wires aren't any heavier than the headlight wires and the lightest one of the upfitters is 10 amps. IDK, it's a mystery to me for sure.
As for melting plugs, I have even heard of people melting plugs with HID lights when all the factory wire does is trigger the ballast which is powered separately. My guess is it must be a bad connection since the HID ballast is not drawing near as much power from the plug as a regular headlight would. Even if the brighter bulb was 100 watts (I don't think they are) you would still only be drawing 8.5 amps at 12v. Seems to me that the upfitter wires aren't any heavier than the headlight wires and the lightest one of the upfitters is 10 amps. IDK, it's a mystery to me for sure.
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Elder User
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: at the truck pulls
That sorta stunk after I got the bulbs and started looking around, I knew about Epic saying something about removing his grill. I checked the manual first and to my mind the manual is WRONG. There's no way to release the lower tabs from below the grill. I reached them with a long screwdriver from the top (which is what I think Epic actually posted so that's why I went that way).
To be honest it wasn't that bad at all, 30-40 minutes being careful. To do it again would be maybe 15-20 minutes. It ain't old school that's for sure!!
EDIT:
It takes more time to find a screwdriver (which means grind one down) that is long enough and skinny enough to adjust the beams.
To be honest it wasn't that bad at all, 30-40 minutes being careful. To do it again would be maybe 15-20 minutes. It ain't old school that's for sure!!
EDIT:
It takes more time to find a screwdriver (which means grind one down) that is long enough and skinny enough to adjust the beams.
Last edited by FORDTUF1; Oct 16, 2011 at 08:41 PM. Reason: update
Tuned
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 482
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From: Southern Ontario
Hi guys. Sorry I didn't realize there were posts happening that had nothing to do with HPFP, warranty, diesel fuel and the like.
I have tried all flavors of aftermarket bulbs and have settled on the PIAA Extreme Whites as best for my driving conditions. They are bright and mainly white with little to no blue happening in them. I am a bit OCD and wanted the the color of the fogs to match so I found the Nokya Cosmic White to be best. One I didn't try that were supposed to be as good as the PIAA were made by Osram. They say as good as PIAA but lower cost.
http://www.autos.ca/auto-product-rev...-ge-night-hawk
I have tried all flavors of aftermarket bulbs and have settled on the PIAA Extreme Whites as best for my driving conditions. They are bright and mainly white with little to no blue happening in them. I am a bit OCD and wanted the the color of the fogs to match so I found the Nokya Cosmic White to be best. One I didn't try that were supposed to be as good as the PIAA were made by Osram. They say as good as PIAA but lower cost.
http://www.autos.ca/auto-product-rev...-ge-night-hawk
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2010
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Bulb heat and longevity
i also thought adding the silverstar's a few years ago but I read many reviews stating that they did't last very long. Many lasted about a year and a few less than 6 months. The other issue people reported was the heat produced my the bulbs was much more than oem bulbs and caused damage to the bulb housing. Maybe these issues have been resolved.
More Turbo
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 538
Likes: 45
From: Lansing, MI
That was my experience with them in my 2002 and I did find some literature on the Sylvania website that basically said that the brighter the bulb the shorter the life span. I also had upgraded receptacles and added relays to get the full 12 volts to the lights. This combination definitely made the lights brighter but the did burn out faster.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 423
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From: Stafford Virginia
That was my experience with them in my 2002 and I did find some literature on the Sylvania website that basically said that the brighter the bulb the shorter the life span. I also had upgraded receptacles and added relays to get the full 12 volts to the lights. This combination definitely made the lights brighter but the did burn out faster.