I was going to buy the SilverStars, but figured I would check out eBay out first, I've saved tons of money on my Harley buying stuff through them, and I was looking at these here...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA:IT&ih=019

...but when I kept browsing I noticed things like 5000k, 6000k, ect... and different watts for the 9007 bulbs, because I thought all 9007 lights were all direct replacements.

Does anyone off hand know what the stock wattage is for headlights?

And should I go for these?

Thanks again everyone for you help

 

55 watt low
65 watt high.

The higher the color temp, the more light it is filtering out from the lower end of the spectrum. Clear xenon halogen bulbs have the same colors available as these, however they also have colors on the lower end (yellow) which will help you see better in adverse weather. They won't seem quite as "white", but they will perform better.

Think of the color temp. (5000K etc.) as an average of the different spectrums a bulb produces. The blue filters don't add to the higher temp to get that higher temp. color, they subtract from the lower temp. Higher color temp. = more light that is bein filtered out.

Should you go for these? No, If you want some bright and easily found lights (if you need to find a replacement afterward), go get some GE Nighthawks from Walmart. It's got the same xenon gas technology found in bulbs like Silverstars and the like, but without the blue coating. the Silvania Xtravision is similar (basically a Silverstar without the coating), but the GE is a little brighter. The xenon gas makes them burn just a little whiter too, they won't look like Silverstars, but they are a little less yellow overall when compared a standard bulb.

If you must have a bulb with a blue coating so you can look cool (vs. wanting better all around performace), get the Silverstars. They have a lighter filter than most and are "less bad" .

 

Wow, that was very informative tdister, thank you. I just held off on the Silverstars because of the price.

I did notice you say that the yellow tint bulbs perform better than the white bulbs in adverse weather, should I try finding something like that? I don't care about the blue tint, although it does look cool, it would have been nice to kill two birds with one stone (looks cool and performs better than stock).

 

Sorry, that came across the wrong way. While the yellow end of the spectrum is good for foul weather vision, I didn't man to say that it's the only color you want. If you get a yellow coated bulb, you will be reducing the blue end of the spectrum.

Having strictly yellow bulbs, even in foul weather, is not completely proven and comes down mostly to personal preference. Some people like them, some don't. If you can just add more yellow light (to a point), while keeping the other colors, you would be going more in the right direction (ie. yellow fog lamps, combined with normal/clear headlights). If you filter the colors other than yellow (which, again, you aren't adding yellow with a filter/yellow coating, just subtracting the other colors in the spectrum so that yellow is most noticeable), you start to be driving in a world where everything is yellow and black. This is not ideal either.

Halogen lights actually provide a near ideal light spectrum without any color robbing coating or filters at all. Even better than HID lights. The problem is to get the intensity suitable.

So, yeah, basically the best all around performing bulb you're going to find is an uncoated/clear performance bulb. They provide very good color rendering (objects aren't all the same color, more "true" to stand out from each other easier) while still having enough yellow to perform decent in foul weather.

Add a coating (any color) to the bulb and you're:
1. limiting its overall effectiveness.
2. probably not getting a real improvement in any specific scenario.

If wanting more performance, I would (in this order):
1. Make sure your headlight are in decent shape (not yellowed/fogged).
2. Get the GE Nighthawks.*
3. Aim the lights properly if needed. The Nighthawks slightly change the spread.
4. If just the bulbs didn't make enough difference, upgrade the headlight wiring for more voltage.**
5. Get some driving (not fog) lights to augment the high beams.
6. If you still have trouble seeing, take the bus .

*there are other bulbs available, but these are easy to come by, work very well and are decently priced.
**http://www.gosperformance.com/inc/sdetail/1983
You can also make your own for a little less, Let me know if you go this route.https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...er_Brights.html
The harness get's more voltage to the bulbs, increasing the output substantially, but with a reduction in bulb life.

 

Make sure you check our state laws on those lights. In Virginia the only legal blue tinted ones are from Sylvania and must be marked DOT.

- Chris