Has anyone here used Sylvania Silverstar Light bulbs in their truck?
I has one bulb to blow and would like brighter lights

 

There are quite a few threads on this to search. My opinion is that the GE Nightawks are just as bright, if not brighter, and work better in the rain. The slight blue tint on the Silverstars steals enough yellow light that I, and many others, have found them rather poor in the rain (worse than OE IMO). There are worse blue bulbs than the Silverstars, but clear glass is better.

The Nighthawks are cheaper too. I got mine at Walmart. The only thing you'll gain with the Silverstars over them is the the "prettier" color from the reduction in yellow.

 

I went to Wal mart and they don't carry the GE Nighthawks. So I'll go a Wal Mart the next town over to check there. But they have a new Silverstars called Silverstars Ultra which is more expensive and are not suppose to the blue tint.

 

I used them and was not impressed with their longevity they burned out on me in about 8-10 months, where stockers would last for years. Also they are not brighter, but they are whiter. It is a noticeable difference but I don't think it is worth $40 a pair or whatever they are running these days.

 

I'm going to keep looking for the GE Nighthawks. I also found a link on here for a wiring harness for $54.00 to add more power to the headlights. I'm still searching and reading.

 

I have silverstars on my truck and my wifes car, they are not all that great IMO. I almost cant wait for one of them to burn out so I can try the nighthawks. Like previous poster said, the light is whiter but not brighter andl they are useless in the rain.

 

Long, but worth reading.

It might just be the Super Walmarts that have them, that's all we have anymore. The Sylvania Xtravisions are pretty good too and a little easier to find from what I've noticed. They do not have the blue tint. The Silverstar Ultra does have the blue tint on it.

The harness will definitely make them brighter. It works really great on the hi-po bulbs like the Nighthawks, much better than standard halogens.

Having tried all of these bulbs, with and without a harness upgrade, here are some things to be aware of (again long, but worth reading):

1. The hi-po bulbs don't last nearly as long as standard bulbs, the gases inside them allow the filaments to burn hotter for the same wattage thus reducing their life. This goes double when adding the harness to them. You might get 6 months to a year, but don't expect much longer if you use them very often (with upgraded harness). IMO the increased brightness is well worth the cost. Very cheap insurance if you drive in areas where the extra light will help. They are BRIGHT. Once you decide that you like them, get a spare set. At least keep your good OE bulb in the truck.


2. Though I didn't have this problem with the Xtravisions (or Silverstars), when I used the Nighthawks, in conjunction to the harness upgrade, I had to aim my lights down a little. They throw off a slightly different beam pattern than the Sylvania bulbs (due to a slightly different filament location) and throw the light farther/higher. Flat roads were fine, but if on a road that put my beams higher compared to oncoming traffic I would get "flashed". Aiming down just a little has fixed this completely. They still shine farther than the other bulbs.

3. Make sure you headlight lenses are in good shape. This combo is about at the limit of intensity/glare you want to be putting off on clean lenses (the diamond/clear lenses on the newer F150's don't have this problem, nor should the Lighting lenses, it's the "opaque" style that most of this gen. F150 have that causes the glare). If they are dulled, this will increase the glare for others and make the lights less useful overall. Make sure you keep them clean for the same reason.

I built my own harness, but that doesn't come out much cheaper than buying a ready made kit. I just wanted overkill since I planned on adding lightning headlight and overwatt bulbs. Some of the cheap relays don't last long in this environment. I use OE Porsche relays now and haven't had a problem. If they do go out it is simple enough to go back to the original harness, so not a big deal. If both lights don't work or start acting funny you can bet it's a relay going bad. Use some dielectric grease on the terminals.

Any ?'s or concerns, feel free to ask.

 

Thanks for the great advice. I'll check into the xtravisions if I cant find the Nighthawks.

I had some 100 watt 4x4 lights on my truck wired up with a relay, but I took them off until I can figure a better way to mount them in the grill.

I have been looking at the Lightning clear lenses from summit racing. I looked on ebay none I liked there. Mine is starting to get dull looking and I don't know what to use to clean them.

 

i put silverstars in my truck and i dont like them at all. they ahve that blue tint on them and they dont even look cool or nothing to look at the truck with the lights on. i want to try some of the other bulbs other posters have mentioned as mine are terrible. so much so i try not to drive at night whenever possible.

 

I got a lens resto kit (also at walmart, I really don't shop there that much) to use on my Dad's van. It worked very well and they were in really bad shape to start. It came with different light "sandpapers" compounds and a clear gel for the last step. The gel fills in any minor imperfections and than protects the plastic. It has held up very well. I would lean toward the L headlights though. Get OE lighting lights if you can swing it, I have seen and heard of some shoddy aftermarket lights (really poor beam pattern).

I tried some other things like sanding and toothpaste but it never seemed to come out all that great, nor did it stay that good for very long.

How big are the grill lights? Yours looks like a '97/'98. I got some Hella 500's (at...guess where) and they fit perfect behind the grill of my '99. cheap, good quality and bright. The best thing is that they are light enough to mount in there with minimal bracing (to prevent bounce).

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...141754&width=0

Good luck.

 

I don't remember anything about this upgraded harness.. Could someone provide a link?

TIA -Damon

 

I'll check the dealer for the lightning lense. I have 7 inch lights which are a little big. Can you PM me about the hella'syou have? Thanks

 

There are cheaper places to get the Lightning lenses, I can't remember at the moment, but I'll give a quick look or maybe someone else will know.

This is one FTE sponsor who carries them. and like I said, I'm not 100% that they'll fit the earlier models like they do mine. Sending PM

http://www.autoanything.com/lights/69A1325A0A0.aspx

Dagre, to build your own/understand the concept:https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...r_Brights.html

to buy one:

http://www.gosperformance.com/inc/sdetail/1983

Like I said, I built mine a bit heavier than the one from GOS (I also added a few extra features). I've heard others say that the premade ones could use heavier wire, but the one I bought for my sister's truck (2006) seemed to be just fine performance-wise. PM me if you decide to build your own, I've got a few tips besides what's mentioned in the link.

 

Thanks for all the great help.