Sylvania Silverstar 9003/H4

[Flipside909]

I finally put a set on my Solara. Big difference in color uniformity and brightness compared to the Nokya bulbs I had in there for a while and of course the OEM Sylvanias. It compliments the 9006 Cool Blues I have for my fogs.

9003/H4 is now available at most of the retailers. A friend of mine who works at Kragen said they've been out since last week. So for you 99-01 owners who want a non-rice upgrade and a little better visibility at night, go with the Silverstars. I still wish I had a dual headlamp (seperate high/low beam) setup. I've always disliked dual filament bulbs.

[droomyster]

I finally put a set on my Solara. Big difference in color uniformity and brightness compared to the Nokya bulbs I had in there for a while and of course the OEM Sylvanias. It compliments the 9006 Cool Blues I have for my fogs.

9003/H4 is now available at most of the retailers. A friend of mine who works at Kragen said they've been out since last week. So for you 99-01 owners who want a non-rice upgrade and a little better visibility at night, go with the Silverstars. I still wish I had a dual headlamp (seperate high/low beam) setup. I've always disliked dual filament bulbs.

compared to the oem bulbs i pulled out of my, the sylvania's were _not_ that much brighter. the bulbs looked exactly the same. one made in japan, the other in germany. is it possible that toyota changed their bulbs from model years?
i would see no reason to buy these bulbs if you had a 2001 (my only test) because there is no difference

[Flipside909]

compared to the oem bulbs i pulled out of my, the sylvania's were _not_ that much brighter. the bulbs looked exactly the same. one made in japan, the other in germany. is it possible that toyota changed their bulbs from model years?
i would see no reason to buy these bulbs if you had a 2001 (my only test) because there is no difference

From what i've experienced...driving from San Diego last night on I-15 through the rural areas and this morning on the way to campus through fog, the illumination is better. Also the road signs (california recently switched to the bright green reflective highway signs) are much more illuminated than the previous bulbs I have had. Dual filament bulbs are inferior to single filament dual headlight systems. If I had the money, I would convert my front end to the 2002-2003 version just to get the advantage of a dual headlight system.

Toyota's OEM lightbulb supplier is Sylvania. Most North American and some Japanese imported Toyotas mainly use Sylvania. Most japanese imported Toyotas before strictly used Koito.

I will have to do a bulb test when I get a chance...side by side comparison of bulbs...and beam pattern on the road. Most people wouldn't notice the difference just by looking at the car with the headlights on. In my opinion the 99-01 headlight design isn't that great in terms of illumination simply because it's a dual filament bulb system.

[droomyster]

I will have to do a bulb test when I get a chance...side by side comparison of bulbs...and beam pattern on the road. Most people wouldn't notice the difference just by looking at the car with the headlights on. In my opinion the 99-01 headlight design isn't that great in terms of illumination simply because it's a dual filament bulb system.

granted i haven't done a side by side comparison. but i drive the same roads nightly. there wasn't a big difference if there were one. i'm just saying, i'm not sure where you would find the information, but maybe from 99-01, the sylvania oem bulbs used in solara's changed. i have noticed bulbs getting brighter over the years, even the regular halogen ones.

the nokya artice white bulbs that i have do have a lil blue tint to them. i wouldn't mind if they were just white but they are the closest to HIDs i've seen w/o being actual HIDs.

let me know what you find out... i gave away my new sylvania ss so i have nothing to test with

[Flipside909]

the nokya artice white bulbs that i have do have a lil blue tint to them. i wouldn't mind if they were just white but they are the closest to HIDs i've seen w/o being actual HIDs.

let me know what you find out... i gave away my new sylvania ss so i have nothing to test with

My Nokya bulbs after more than a year of use...still look great asthetically ...but in foul weather visibility and fog, they were horrible. The silver coating at the tip is flaking off...(a good indication that the bulb is running too hot for the headlamp housing and good chance of frying the wiring harness). My friend had Nokyas on his Gen 5 (9006) and it ruined his wiring harness after only a couple months of use. I was lucky to have them last as long as they did. You gave away your SS's already? I woulda bought them off you!!!!

[droomyster]

i posted if anyone wanted them =P

i had nokya's before, and they blew out for some reason. got home one day and both lights were blown. according to all the docs i've read, the nokyas are supposed to run at 55w, so they should _not_ melt the wiring harness

[c2g]

i ordered the osram silverstars from powerbulbs.com they are definitly brighter but still not really what i was looking for

[ericatdallas]

I was talking to a guy that was running 110W bulbs on his Mustang with stock wiring. He said he got them from a BMW dealer.

Anyone know what gauge wiring Mustangs have? It's only pulling 9-10A (I = 110/12), stock wiring should be able to handle that even on the Solara right?

[droomyster]

I was talking to a guy that was running 110W bulbs on his Mustang with stock wiring. He said he got them from a BMW dealer.

Anyone know what gauge wiring Mustangs have? It's only pulling 9-10A (I = 110/12), stock wiring should be able to handle that even on the Solara right?

the stock wiring harness is 55w in the solara i do believe. anything more than that is risking melting the harness. i may be actually running 85w bulbs in my fogs, i don't really remember. i could have sworn they were nokya's but maybe not. if you are going to go above the 55w/65w ratings, it is suggested that you upgrade your wiring harness.

[droomyster]

i ordered the osram silverstars from powerbulbs.com they are definitly brighter but still not really what i was looking for

i see you also have a '99. we need to find someone else with a '01 to see what kind of difference they saw. i saw very little if any.

[c2g]

mine are brighter than the stock but still have that slight yellowish tinge i want something whiter a blue tint to the bulbs i don't mind. Has anyone used raybrig bulbs? i think thats the name

[droomyster]

mine are brighter than the stock but still have that slight yellowish tinge i want something whiter a blue tint to the bulbs i don't mind. Has anyone used raybrig bulbs? i think thats the name

get nokya artic white bulbs. they are probably the best thing for what you are looking for.

[Flipside909]

mine are brighter than the stock but still have that slight yellowish tinge i want something whiter a blue tint to the bulbs i don't mind. Has anyone used raybrig bulbs? i think thats the name

Most of those darker blue tinted bulbs including Nokya will reduce your visibility in rainy/foul weather. There's an article out there involving the wavelength of the color blue and explaining why it's not the best color for illumination.

[droomyster]

mine are brighter than the stock but still have that slight yellowish tinge i want something whiter a blue tint to the bulbs i don't mind. Has anyone used raybrig bulbs? i think thats the name

Most of those darker blue tinted bulbs including Nokya will reduce your visibility in rainy/foul weather. There's an article out there involving the wavelength of the color blue and explaining why it's not the best color for illumination.

what flip said is true. but it isn't to the point to where you can't see. if you are on a well lit road, you won't be able to see your lights, but people can still see you. i tend to believe that not only do headlights enable you to see when it is dark, but are there so people can see you. if you are driving on a dark road, you will be able to see everything clearly with the nokyas, even in the rain.
just my experience.

[Flipside909]

what flip said is true. but it isn't to the point to where you can't see. if you are on a well lit road, you won't be able to see your lights, but people can still see you. i tend to believe that not only do headlights enable you to see when it is dark, but are there so people can see you. if you are driving on a dark road, you will be able to see everything clearly with the nokyas, even in the rain.
just my experience.

'

Everyone's experiences will be different none the less...but I don't agree with you that you will be able to see everything clearly with the nokyas...even in the rain. I have to always keep my fogs on to assist the poor illumination of the Nokyas. And it wouldn't be long before the silver paint on the tip of the bulb starts flaking off. I'll take photos of what my Nokya bulbs currently look like now. The high wattage rating they use is a joke.