GE Nighthawks, Sylvana Silverstar: My review of them

[mzarifkar]

So i got this itch to throw away money. I decided i wanted to upgrade headlights. I wanted the lights to look whiter when looking at the car, but also have a good light output as i do quite some backcountry driving.

First off i picked up a set of GE Nighthawks 9006 at walmart for about $28 (for two bulbs). I installed the right side bulb and left the stock left side to compare. Light output was slightly better, but no change of tint (equal to stock). I returned them and bought a set of silverstars for about $38 dollars. Again installed one of them. Right off the bat the color was whiter, it matched my alpinaweiss nicely, by no means was it a blue tint or a cheap look. light output was comparable to nighthawks only a tad whiter (the eye is more sensitive to blue-er light). in the end i decided to return the silverstars and just keep my stock bulbs. I could not justify the near $40 for marginal increase in output performance and it was too much to just spend on the whiter look.


but now when people search lights, here is a comparison.

i took piuctures of the silverstars to show the difference but the camera did not pick up on it :(

[DABIMR]

I had the SilverStars on my former cars, E39 528i/5 and a '94 525i/A I used to have. Personally, I liked them, considering the cost of getting HID's $$$..

I have yet to get them for my FunFer, but I will, after I get some other stuff that I need right now. But, appreciate the review, I was considering the NightHawks just to see how they faired, now you've saved me the time/money..:p

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the review, i've been running Silverstars for a while and I am very satisfied with the light, color and brightness. However, I do have to replace them about every 6-8 months which gets expensive.

What you really need to try is 9005 Silverstars, it is a very simple conversion, you simply have to slightly modify the 9005 blulb to fit the connector.
Here is a link to the procedure:
http://bmwe34.net/e34main/upgrade/more_light.htm

[schnell944]

just to add to the light discussion, I recently installed the HIR 9011 bulbs in conjunction with cleaning my elipsoids. What a difference. It is a tad whiter, if that is what you're going for....but there is a lot more useable light for actually seeing stuff. the low beams are now actually acceptable for night driving.

[Jehu]

Here's a great article (http://www.bmwcca.org/members/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Let_There_Be_E36_Light&page=2)

[liquidtiger720]

Try using 9005 high beam bulbs - modify the bases to fit 9006 sockets. Not that hard...and well worth it.

[632 Regal]

I have been using the wagner brite lites for a few years and not one burn out much better than stock. want a part number and ill look em up. about 10 bux each.

[tnt525i]

i tried about 3 different types of 'white' bulbs now my car uses H1 and the one that worked best for me AT THAT TIME was eurolight 100 watts the only thing was that they only lasted one year, the stock ones were not that good, thats why i ventured into the 'white' lights,,, after being fed up with halogens and noticing one night a friend was driving behind me and i could clearly see the shadow of MY car in FRONT of me, i couldnt take that embarassment, so i purchased a hid kit installed it and all i can say is WOWWW, I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW.

[Qube]

Don't forget that the 'blue' Silverstars (non-Euro) have an extremely short life and subsequently make them expensive to run. This is according to their own factory ratings.

[mzarifkar]

i am familiar with the 9005 conversion, but.. being unsure with if i wanted them or not, modyfing the 9005's would make it a bit difficult to return

[ericcamaro]

dude, you can return anything to walmart.

[CharlesAFerg]

i am familiar with the 9005 conversion, but.. being unsure with if i wanted them or not, modyfing the 9005's would make it a bit difficult to return

Nobody at the customer service desk would know you converted them if you did it nice and clean.
I did the conversion, it makes such an amazing difference with the stupid US headlights... Looks soooo much more modern too...