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Osram Silverstar Not As Good As Sylvania SilverStar

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jab...@backpacker.com

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Jun 4, 2005, 8:28:19 AM6/4/05
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For those considering upgrading your bulbs here's a rundown on the two
listed in title:

Sylvania Silverstar:

Pros-- White light, good coverage pattern, decent rain performance

Cons-- Longevity - one burned out in about 3 months

Osram Silverstar--

Pros-- light projects far

Cons- same color as regular bulbs, no improvement in rain, overall just
not as great an improvement as the Sylvania bulbs were.

Overall I'd say to choose the sylvania version. I will buy them again
if the osram ones go prematurely.

y_p_w

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Jun 4, 2005, 2:42:52 PM6/4/05
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jab...@backpacker.com wrote:
> For those considering upgrading your bulbs here's a rundown on the two
> listed in title:
>
> Sylvania Silverstar:
>
> Pros-- White light, good coverage pattern, decent rain performance

What's so great about "white light"? I don't get what good "white
light" does other than a poseur HID-like appearance.

> Cons-- Longevity - one burned out in about 3 months

The 9006 version of the 9006 Sylvania Silverstar has a rated life
of 150 hours vs 850 for the XtraVision, 1200 for the standard, and
1600 for the long-life version.

> Osram Silverstar--
>
> Pros-- light projects far

This is very important for safety reasons, and should trump any
other concerns.

> Cons- same color as regular bulbs, no improvement in rain, overall just
> not as great an improvement as the Sylvania bulbs were.
>
> Overall I'd say to choose the sylvania version. I will buy them again
> if the osram ones go prematurely.

First - you didn't mention what version.

<http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html>

"Osram bought the well-established American lampmaker Sylvania in
the early 1990s, so Osram is now Sylvania's parent company. Sylvania
also sells a line of automotive bulbs they call "SilverStar", but it's
not the same product at all. These bulbs have a blue coating on them.
Light output is of legal levels, but as with all blue-filtered bulbs,
you do not get more light from them. The Sylvania SilverStar bulbs
have a very short lifetime, because the filament is selected so as to
be overdriven. This is necessary because the blue filtration coating
"steals" so much light that only an overdriven filament can push
enough light through the filter to be legal. The Sylvania SilverStar
bulbs are also priced quite high. This is not because they cost a lot
to make, and not because they're based on some exotic new technology.
It's because the goal with this product is to take market share away
from other overpriced bulbs like the PIAA line."

jab...@backpacker.com

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Jun 5, 2005, 2:10:38 AM6/5/05
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>>What's so great about "white light"? I don't get what good "white
light" does other than a poseur HID-like appearance<<

The white light actually lights up the road better. The stock
headlights are good but I couldnt beliee how much better I could see
with the Sylvania Silverstars. It's not about posing. It's about
safety. When lights are on they appear white not blue like some of the
fast and furious boy racers use.

>>This is very important for safety reasons, and should trump any
other concerns<<

Far is good but more usable light is better esp. in rain.

>>The 9006 version of the 9006 Sylvania Silverstar has a rated life
of 150 hours vs 850 for the XtraVision, 1200 for the standard, and
1600 for the long-life version. <<

Eliminating those *****ing DRL's will help in that department.

>>First - you didn't mention what version. <<

Osram silverstar +30 made in germany euro spec vs. Sylvania silverstar
(blue tint) sold in US. H1 bulbs. The sylvania silverstar in the fog
lights are awesome as are the high beams

Stern's spiel about "not more light" is total BS . The white light has
much better coverage to the sides and directly in front of vehicle. I
urge anyone who wants to be safer to get the US silverstars and can the
*****in DRL's and enjoy much safer driving.

y_p_w

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Jun 5, 2005, 10:53:53 PM6/5/05
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jab...@backpacker.com wrote:

>>>What's so great about "white light"? I don't get what good "white
>
> light" does other than a poseur HID-like appearance<<
>
> The white light actually lights up the road better. The stock
> headlights are good but I couldnt beliee how much better I could see
> with the Sylvania Silverstars. It's not about posing. It's about
> safety. When lights are on they appear white not blue like some of the
> fast and furious boy racers use.

To which I say - so what? So you **think** you see better. I'd
rather have **more** light from the Osram version than "white"
light from the the Sylvania. A lot of people feel safer with fog
lights on because there's this really bright light 20 feet in front
of their car, but that's certainly not safer when the driver's eyes
lock in really close when it would be safer to look ahead.

>>>This is very important for safety reasons, and should trump any
>
> other concerns<<
>
> Far is good but more usable light is better esp. in rain.

But there isn't more usuable light just because it's "white". To
get the appearance of "white light", part of the bulb's usuable
light output has to be removed. HIDs simply put out light in
that tend towards blue, but they put out lots more of it.

>>>The 9006 version of the 9006 Sylvania Silverstar has a rated life
>
> of 150 hours vs 850 for the XtraVision, 1200 for the standard, and
> 1600 for the long-life version. <<
>
> Eliminating those *****ing DRL's will help in that department.

Too lazy to disable them.

>>>First - you didn't mention what version. <<
>
>
> Osram silverstar +30 made in germany euro spec vs. Sylvania silverstar
> (blue tint) sold in US. H1 bulbs. The sylvania silverstar in the fog
> lights are awesome as are the high beams

Yellowish lights are actually better in the fog.

> Stern's spiel about "not more light" is total BS . The white light has
> much better coverage to the sides and directly in front of vehicle. I
> urge anyone who wants to be safer to get the US silverstars and can the
> *****in DRL's and enjoy much safer driving.

I'll let him chime in.

y_p_w

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Jun 5, 2005, 11:17:12 PM6/5/05
to

y_p_w wrote:

>
>
> jab...@backpacker.com wrote:
>>>> First - you didn't mention what version. <<
>>
>>
>>
>> Osram silverstar +30 made in germany euro spec vs. Sylvania silverstar
>> (blue tint) sold in US. H1 bulbs. The sylvania silverstar in the fog
>> lights are awesome as are the high beams

Really? Mine got busted in an accident (need to reorder). They're
H1 Osram Silverstars. I still have the package, which says "+50%
MORE LIGHT" in the lower right corner. Upper left corner says
H1/448SVS/55W.

I'd also point out that one of the fallacies of "more light" in a
comparison is that new bulbs are often compared to older bulbs that
have degraded with use.

jab...@backpacker.com

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Jun 6, 2005, 5:09:16 AM6/6/05
to
Yes the osram version gives a lot of light. However the light is the
same color as regular bulbs meaning it disappears on wet pavement and
doesnt really improve vision compared to the whiter light of the
sylvania version. Have you tried both? Or are you buying stern's crap
without firsthand experience. I've actually used both and can honestly
say the sylvania silverstars are the best choice for more effective
lighting in a 2004 outback.

CompUser

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Jun 6, 2005, 8:19:40 AM6/6/05
to

>
> To which I say - so what? So you **think** you see better. I'd
> rather have **more** light from the Osram version than "white"
> light from the the Sylvania. A lot of people feel safer with fog
> lights on because there's this really bright light 20 feet in front
> of their car, but that's certainly not safer when the driver's eyes
> lock in really close when it would be safer to look ahead.
>

Yup.

More light (and less watts, to boot) than the
*tinted* Sylvania SS.

Also, the eye is mroe sensitive to glare effects
in the blue-range of spectrum...making the
Sylvania SS less effective in fog, etc.

They also burn out FAST...I've used both Sylvania
and Osram SS, I'll stick with the Osram,
thanks...and I can get em cheaper, too.

Masospaghetti

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Jun 7, 2005, 1:01:33 AM6/7/05
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"Disappears on wet pavement"? The light "disappears" because the surface
is reflective and the light is bounced away from your vehicle, not
towards it, which is why oncoming lights on wet pavement have such
horrible glare. Whiter light is not going to offer a remedy to this. The
whiter light also refracts more in fog and rain.

And let me ask you this - why do these tinted-glass bulbs never come
standard in any vehicle if they offered such improved visibility?

jab...@backpacker.com

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Jun 7, 2005, 5:07:25 AM6/7/05
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Have you tried the bluish tinted ones? Obviously not. I have. Te
whiter light shows up more on wet pavement. I didnt worry about
visibility with the sylavania silverstars. The osram are no better.
Obviously car makers do not offer these bulbs is cost. However some
offer HID lighting which is whiter than halogen the same as the
sylvania silverstar.

Ted Mittelstaedt

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Jun 7, 2005, 5:34:35 AM6/7/05
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<jab...@backpacker.com> wrote in message
news:1118048956.5...@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

> Yes the osram version gives a lot of light. However the light is the
> same color as regular bulbs meaning it disappears on wet pavement and
> doesnt really improve vision compared to the whiter light of the
> sylvania version.

This is purely an optical illusion. It is caused because of how light
works.

The light you are seeing when you turn on your headlights is reflected
light. Surfaces reflect light that is in the color of the surface, absorb
it
for all other colors. The silverstars reduce light in the spectrum that
most
surfaces are reflecting, and pass it in the spectrum that most things do
not reflect (Blue normally does not occur in nature)

Thus for any surface and color you care to come up with except for a blue
colored surface, you will get less light back from that surface when you
shine a Silverstar on it than when you shine a regular light.

So what is happening with the pavement scenario is that your eyes get less
light back, you adjust to the lower light level, then when you look away
from
the road to the interior of the car (which is black) or the side of the road
or
anywhere else, since your eyes are more sensitized to the lower light,
everything
looks brighter.

The problem though with the human eye is that as the light level drops, the
eye sees less and less fine detail.

So with the silverstars it looks brighter but you have much less chance of
seeing
that deer standing beside the road than with the normal lights.

Ted


jab...@backpacker.com

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Jun 7, 2005, 7:03:13 AM6/7/05
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>>So with the silverstars it looks brighter but you have much less chance of
seeing
that deer standing beside the road than with the normal lights. <<

I saw a lot more on the side of the road with syl. silverstars than I
do with osram's. Try them and you will be amazed. Why do high end
makers use HID which is "bluish" yet produces a whiter light? Because
it is more effective. Maybe it's my eyes but I can see better and
further with the syl silverstars. That's the truth.

CompUser

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Jun 7, 2005, 7:17:49 AM6/7/05
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In article <1118135245.829815.281960
@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
jab...@backpacker.com says...

You just see more glare, due to sensitivity in
human eye in that portion of visible spectrum
(bluish)...on of the reasons HIDs are also more
annoying to oncoming traffic.

CompUser

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Jun 7, 2005, 7:20:29 AM6/7/05
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In article <1118142193.627965.270820
@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>,
jab...@backpacker.com says...

I've used both, I'll stick with the OSRAM SS.

They've also lasted longer than the Sylvania
SS...possibly due to the fact the Sylvania SS
were 5 watts "hotter", along with the tinted
glass, which probably increased operating temp
again...

twil...@cybermesa.net

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Jun 7, 2005, 9:57:24 AM6/7/05
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I put Sylvania H6054ST Silveerstar lamps on one of my cars a couple
of years ago. Wow! a lot more light, especially close-in in front
where it blinded me from seeing at longer distances. There is,
however, a fine spread of light off to the sides for seeing those
deer you guys are so worried about - perhaps the best I've had with
sealed beam headlights.

After a couple weeks of the near hotspot blinding me and other
drivers flashing me for blinding them, I did some serious inquiry
into how to adjust these monsters. And found I've always been doing
it wrong.

I used a screen of some old drywall set out front so I could see the
light pattern, car center line extended from measured centers of
windshield and rear window and marked, headlight centers laid out on
screen as 1/2 their distance apart from car center line and height
projected with a laser level from lamp centers. The car was on a
level garage floor.

Best lighting result is with the vertical adjusted so the low-beam
top cut-off is horizontal (on the lamp center-line), and the
horizontal set so the high-beam hot-spot is centered straight ahead.
These reference points were poorly defined on the Silverstars.

This gives good low beam coverage, eliminates the near hot-spot, and
puts most of the high-beam light up in the air, where it will
illuminate an upcoming hill. I hate compromises...

However, these lights put an awful lot of low-beam light into the
oncoming driver's eyes. I expected much more when I saw Osram's name
on the box.

If they haven't changed their pattern,I'd say Silverstars kinda suck.
Expensively.

The same aiming proceedure applied to the GE ordinary halogen lights
in my other car gave excellent results, good coverage both high and
low beams, virtually no glare to oncoming driver, a pleasant
surprise. Seems there are no properly-aimed lights out there? Every
oncoming car is an unpleasant, blinding experience, and testing of
mine (the standard halogens) yielded no complaints.

Somewhere there must be some really good headlights, but they aren't
these. Best I ever saw were in a BMW quad-light set-up, regular
lamps in the high-and-low, flame-throwers for the high-only. Miles
of light! Could really use that out here - our roads just go on
forever.


Tom Willmon
near Mountainair, (mid) New Mexico, USA

Net-Tamer V 1.12.0 - Registered

y_p_w

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Jun 7, 2005, 11:38:56 AM6/7/05
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jab...@backpacker.com wrote:

HIDs tends towards blue because of the xenon gas needed to help them
fire up quickly. It would take a few seconds longer with bulbs that
didn't use xenon, but they'd have the same performance advantages.

However - the performance advantage of HIDs isn't the color they put
out, but the intensity. They literally produce 2-3 times more light
than typical halogen gas/filiment bulbs using less power. Essentially
they're a flourescent light for cars. Properly designed reflectors
for HIDs will put out more light EVERYWHERE, including far distance
and sides.

Daniel J. Stern

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Jun 7, 2005, 1:16:20 PM6/7/05
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On Tue, 7 Jun 2005, y_p_w wrote:

> HIDs tends towards blue because of the xenon gas needed to help them
> fire up quickly. It would take a few seconds longer with bulbs that
> didn't use xenon, but they'd have the same performance advantages.

More than a few seconds! Ever watch a street light come up to full
intensity once it's first energized?

> However - the performance advantage of HIDs isn't the color they put
> out, but the intensity.

Yes, and it's a light source efficacy advantage, not a headlamp
performance advantage. The extra light from an HID burner, relative to a
halogen bulb, can be put to good use if the optic designer is skillful
(and is allowed to put those skills to effect without undue interference
by stylists and beancounters). There are excellent HID headlamps, but
there are also poor ones. There are excellent halogen headlamps, but there
are also poor ones. Good headlamps are better than bad headlamps. But
whatever technology is used to make the light, there's no visual benefit
to blue light. It doesn't help you see better.

> Essentially they're a flourescent light for cars.

Well...no. They're a high-intensity discharge light for cars. Fluoro lamps
are a completely different deal.

> Properly designed reflectors for HIDs will put out more light
> EVERYWHERE, including far distance and sides.

Yes (Well, properly designed *optics*, whether they be reflector or
polyellipsoidal type).

DS

Daniel J. Stern

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Jun 7, 2005, 1:32:14 PM6/7/05
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On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 jab...@backpacker.com wrote:

> Why do high end makers use HID which is "bluish" yet produces a whiter
> light?

That's a good question, and the answer isn't what you think it is.

The SAE and ECE "white" boundaries were codified many decades ago, and are
enormous. "White" light is allowed to show significant blue, yellow,
orange or green casts and still be considered "white". There was, at time
of codification, no incentive to promulgate a more restrictive "white"
boundary, for the only light sources used on cars were tungsten filaments,
all of which produced a comparatively similar light color.

When the first automotive HID headlamp was demonstrated by a major
European lighting manufacturer to automakers, in the early mid 1990s, it
was a very well-designed optic, given the infant state of the art at the
time. It handily outperformed most halogen lamps, and of course consumed
less power. It was based on modified HPS (high-pressure Sodium) arc
chemistry, and had a very similar operating appearance when warmed up to a
halogen headlamp.

The automakers reacted favourably to the increased performance and reduced
power consumption, but rejected the lamp on the grounds that customers
would be unwilling to pay any premium for a lamp that looked the same as
the ordinary kind, regardless of increased performance.

Now, back to that very large "white" boundary: it was a very simple matter
to rework the arc chemistry in the auto HID lamp to create high spikes in
the blue and blue-violet. This created a markedly new/different
appearance, which the automakers' marketing boffins pounced on. Here was
something they could sell on appearance, something non-owners would notice
and come in to the dealers to ask about. No visual benefit to the blue
spikes, and the resultant colorimetry still fit within the legal "white"
boundary: Voila.

Now, of course, NHTSA is getting snowed under with complaints specifically
about blue light. Rigourous studies of the matter (e.g. Sivak and
Flannagan) show that for any given intensity level, bluer light is
significantly more glaring than white light without a blue tint, and that
there is *no corresponding visual benefit* to the bluer light. So they're
looking at ways of reducing the blue spikes in the SPD of auto HID
burners. European ECE regulations have already been modified to limit the
degree to which HID headlamps may emit blue light. Progress is slow,
though, because the new EU EVOL directives phasing out the use of Mercury
in automobile parts means HIDs are going to have to lose their Mercury.
Amongst other effects on the beam, this makes the output spectrum...bluer!

DS

Daniel J. Stern

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Jun 7, 2005, 1:43:59 PM6/7/05
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On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 jab...@backpacker.com wrote:

> Have you tried the bluish tinted ones? Obviously not. I have. Te whiter
> light shows up more on wet pavement.

Well, a couple different kinds of "no" here.

First off, the light from blue-tinted bulbs is not "whiter" at all. It's
bluer.

Secondly, bluer light does not "show up" any better or worse than any
other color or tint of light on wet pavement. The reason why wet pavement
seems to suck up light and make it disappear is that the water turns the
road surface from a diffuse reflector (like a white sheet of paper) into a
specular one (like a mirror). Light striking a diffuse reflecting surface
bounces off in all directions. In the case of headlamp light striking a
dry road surface, the critical bit is that some of the randomly-reflected
light comes back to your eyes, and the road surface appears illuminated.

Light striking a specular reflecting surface, on the other hand, bounces
off at an angle equal and opposite to the angle at which it strikes the
surface. In the case of headlamp light striking a wet road surface, this
means that almost all the light strikes the surface at an angular range of
between 0.5 and 8 degrees downward...and bounces off at an angular range
of between 0.5 and 8 degrees upward. Almost none of it comes back to your
eye, so the road surface appears dark. On the other hand, this is why
light reflected off the road surface is so much more intensely glaring for
oncoming drivers when the road is wet than when it is dry.

> HID lighting which is whiter than halogen the same as the sylvania
> silverstar.

Nope. HID headlamps are not "whiter" than halogen lamps in any real sense,
and blue-tinted bulbs (e.g. Sylvania Silverstar) do not have an SPD
anywhere close to that of HIDs.


y_p_w

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Jun 7, 2005, 2:42:19 PM6/7/05
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Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> On Tue, 7 Jun 2005, y_p_w wrote:
>
> > HIDs tends towards blue because of the xenon gas needed to help them
> > fire up quickly. It would take a few seconds longer with bulbs that
> > didn't use xenon, but they'd have the same performance advantages.
>
> More than a few seconds! Ever watch a street light come up to full
> intensity once it's first energized?

I thought it was closer to the startup of a flourescent bulb. Oh
well.

I was at a baseball game Saturday where the umps refused to start
until they knew the lights were on. Game time was 6:05 PM, and
the lights didn't really take effect until about past 7. I could
see a few of them (weakly) flicker on, and in about five minutes
they were pretty much all on. Would auto HIDs be like that without
xenon?

> > However - the performance advantage of HIDs isn't the color they put
> > out, but the intensity.
>
> Yes, and it's a light source efficacy advantage, not a headlamp
> performance advantage. The extra light from an HID burner, relative
> to a halogen bulb, can be put to good use if the optic designer is
> skillful (and is allowed to put those skills to effect without undue
> interference by stylists and beancounters). There are excellent HID
> headlamps, but there are also poor ones. There are excellent halogen
> headlamps, but there are also poor ones. Good headlamps are better
> than bad headlamps. But whatever technology is used to make the light,
> there's no visual benefit to blue light. It doesn't help you see
> better.
>
> > Essentially they're a flourescent light for cars.
>
> Well...no. They're a high-intensity discharge light for cars. Fluoro
> lamps are a completely different deal.

Sorry - wrong choice of words. I was just trying to get across
that as arc lamps, they're efficient in a manner similar to
flourescent lamps.

> > Properly designed reflectors for HIDs will put out more light
> > EVERYWHERE, including far distance and sides.
>
> Yes (Well, properly designed *optics*, whether they be reflector or
> polyellipsoidal type).

The original poster was trying to get across that he believe he
saw better because the light was "whiter", and that the "whiter"
light really helped with rain, fog, and wet pavement.

y_p_w

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Jun 7, 2005, 3:05:16 PM6/7/05
to

Just take a look at the rated life of the H1 Sylvania Silverstar.
100 freakin' hours for the 64150ST, consuming 65 watts compared
to the standard 55 watt bulbs. I don't know about the Forester,
but I have to remove the battery if I want to replace the left
bulb on my WRX.

http://www.sylvaniaautocatalog.com/sylvania/ProductBrowse_halog.asp?Batchid=42&FigNumber=113

Daniel J. Stern

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Jun 7, 2005, 3:37:13 PM6/7/05
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On Tue, 7 Jun 2005, y_p_w wrote:

> Just take a look at the rated life of the H1 Sylvania Silverstar. 100
> freakin' hours for the 64150ST, consuming 65 watts compared to the
> standard 55 watt bulbs.

The Sylvania (blue) Silverstar bulbs do have very short rated life,
because the only way to get legal-minimum flux (amount of light) through
the light-stealing blue glass is to overdrive the filament. It works, but
there's no free lunch; filament life is extremely short.

That said, the wattage thing isn't quite as clear-cut as it might seem.
The wattage we refer to when we say something like "A 12v H1 is a 55w
bulb" is just the nominal wattage, not the actual wattage of any
particular brand and type of H1. In fact, each bulb type has a nominal and
maximum-allowable power rating. For H1, the US ratings are 12.8v, 65w max,
1410 lumens +/- 210. The rest-of-world ratings are 13.2v, 68w max, 1550
lumens +/- 15%. Note that this doesn't mean rest-of-world H1s are
different from US H1s; it's just the rating system that's different.

Likewise, the little "Really, we promise, these blue bulbs are street
legal, honest..." slips of paper that come packaged with Silverstar bulbs
(to show to the officer when you're pulled over for having blue lights)
don't list the bulbs' actual luminous output, but rather just list the
nominal output.

Here's manufacturer data for output and lifespan at 13.2v for all the
Osram/Sylvania H1 bulbs. Lifespan is given as Tc, the hour figure at which
63.2 percent of the bulbs have failed. (the Sylvania catalogue YPW pointed
to uses rated average life, technically known as B50, which is the hour
figure at which 50 percent of the bulbs have failed B50 numbers are
lower than Tc numbers).

Osram or Sylvania H1 (regular normal):
1550 lumens, 650 hours

Osram or Sylvania H1 long life:
1460 lumens, 1200 hours

Osram H1 Super (if Sylvania Xtravision line included H1, this'd be it):
1700 lumens, 350 hours

Osram H1 Silver Star (NOT Sylvania Silver Star):
1770 lumens, 350 hours

Osram H1 CoolBlue or Sylvania H1 Silver Star:
1380 lumens, 225 hours

Now, looking over these results, which one would you rather:

(a) Buy?
(b) Sell?

The answer to (a) depends on how well you want to see versus how often to
change the bulb. The answer to (b) is determined by how rich your
company's shareholders want you to be, and is obvious: You want to sell
the bulb with the shortest lifespan and highest price.

DS

jab...@backpacker.com

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Jun 7, 2005, 5:30:32 PM6/7/05
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>>Likewise, the little "Really, we promise, these blue bulbs are street
legal, honest..." slips of paper that come packaged with Silverstar
bulbs
(to show to the officer when you're pulled over for having blue lights)

don't list the bulbs' actual luminous output, but rather just list the
nominal output.<<

The silverstar bulbs burn white in color, not blue. They appear
brighter than the standard h1 bulbs but not enough to look blue

y_p_w

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Jun 7, 2005, 6:45:17 PM6/7/05
to

C'mon. DS has manufacturer's info stating that the total light output
of the H1 Sylvania Silverstar is less than Sylvania's standard or long
life versions. If I recall, the purplish tint is meant to filter out
some of the yellow light output. It may not be as blue as some bulbs,
but they're more blue than standard bulbs.

I remember some UK auto mag (Auto Express?) did tests where they
used light meters to test for light intensity at various places
(near/sides/far/etc), and the Osram Silverstar got top honors. I
can't seem to find that particular review, but I found the following,
which includes a review of the Osram CoolBlue (same as the Sylvania
Silverstar).

<http://www.zx-12r.org/Motorcycle_info/Information%20Pages/Auto%20Express%20H1%20Bulbs%20Test.htm>

"That 'ultra cool' coating took its toll, causing it to lag behind
more effective, if less trendy, rivals. Despite the coating we had
expected to see this OE supplier higher the rankings. More work
needed."

They seemed to have good reveiws of some of the repackaged Narva
bulbs.

Daniel J. Stern

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Jun 7, 2005, 6:39:51 PM6/7/05
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On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 jab...@backpacker.com wrote:

> The silverstar bulbs burn white in color, not blue.

Nobody's arguing to the contrary.

Daniel J. Stern

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Jun 7, 2005, 9:22:53 PM6/7/05
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On Tue, 7 Jun 2005, y_p_w wrote:

> C'mon. DS has manufacturer's info stating that the total light output
> of the H1 Sylvania Silverstar is less than Sylvania's standard or long
> life versions.

It's all a part of my vast one-man conspiracy, don'tchyaknow ;-)

> If I recall, the purplish tint is meant to filter out
> some of the yellow light output.

Yep. And since the human visual system is most sensitive to
yellow-to-yellow-green light under mesopic (e.g. night driving)
conditions, that's a gutpunch to the amount of usable light from the bulb.

> I remember some UK auto mag (Auto Express?) did tests where they
> used light meters to test for light intensity at various places
> (near/sides/far/etc), and the Osram Silverstar got top honors.

AutoExpress' H4 (=9003, =HB2) bulb tests-

Standard and blue bulbs ("Osram CoolBlue" is what is sold in North America
as "Sylvania Silverstar"):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product_test/product_test_story.php?id=39920

"Plus 30" high efficiency bulbs ("Osram Super" is what is sold in North
America as "Sylvania Xtravision", while "Philips Premium" is available in
North America as "Wagner BriteLite" and "Candlepower Bright Light"):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product_test/product_test_story.php?id=39919

"Plus 50" ultra high efficiency bulbs (Osram Silverstar is available in
North America as Candlepower Super Bright Light, or -- like the Philips
VisionPlus -- can be ordered from one of the overseas websites that ships
worldwide. This test doesn't cover some of the newest Plus-50s like the
Narva Rangepower+50):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product_test/product_test_story.php?id=39917

The AutoExpress website will let you view up to two articles before it
wants you to "register" -- throwing phony info at it will make it shut up
and let you see more stories.

http://www.zx-12r.org/Motorcycle_info/Information%20Pages/Auto%20Express%20H1%20Bulbs%20Test.htm

This site you linked to is a "grab and repost" of the AutoExpress H1 bulb
tests of a few years ago (AutoExpress no longer has this article
available; they cull them after a year or two regardless of relevance).
Here's the H7 version:

http://www.zx-12r.org/Motorcycle_info/Information%20Pages/Auto%20Express%20H7%20Bulbs%20Test.htm


DS

tom klein

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Jun 21, 2005, 3:33:09 PM6/21/05
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so, to summarize, these lights: cost more, burn out faster, put out
measurably fewer lumens, and give a colour of light that the human eye
is less sensitive to and less able to focus. their major benefit is
that they allow wannabes to *look* like they've got hid lighting
systems without laying out the cash for a real one.

now, can someone please explain to me why i'm not rushing out to buy them?


....... tom klein

jab...@backpacker.com

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Jun 21, 2005, 3:56:02 PM6/21/05
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You're foolish not to. I have noticed the osram SS do reach far but
it's still a dim light the color of standard bulbs. The Sylvania SS
throws light farther than standard but the white color lights tghe road
and sides better. They appear brighter

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