halogen headlight review

[daggit2005]

many of us (including myself) have ben looking to get better lights for our cars. but some of us cant have HIDs because of price or the fact that it is illegal to have HID bulbs in a halogen housing.

so i will share some of the experience i have had with the aftermarket halogens to be had out there. Ive had all that Sylvania has to offer and some of Nokyas lights and sadly a set of ebay bulbs in my car at one time or another

i will go by a rating of 1-5. 1 being lowest 5 being highest

colors are as follows:
3200 stock yellow/white
3300 yellow/white
3800 white/white
4000 white/blue
4200 blue/white
5000 blue/blue

1. Sylvania stock replacement:
just the stocker
not bright
not white
but you already knew that didn't you.
do fair in poor driving conditions
3200 kelvin
rating: 1

2. Sylvania Xtravision:
the first upgrade from stock.
these lights are very bright and reach out a bit further than stock.
good as a cheep upgrade.
do well in poor driving conditions
3300.
rating: 3

2 Sylvania cool blue:
"the whiter light"
also very bright
do not reach out as far as the xtravisions but further than stock.
great upgrade for someone looking for white lights that perform well
do well in poor driving conditions
3800
rating: 5 my favorite light

3 Sylvania Silverstars:
"the top of the line"
very bright
reach out as far as the xtravisions
have a blueish tint to the light output
these lights have two drawbacks tho, they burn out much faster 3x as much than stock. the light washes out during poor weather.
4000
rating: 4 due to drawbacks

4 Nokya arctic white:
stage 1 and stage 2 high output available
not very bright at all
do not reach much further than stock
these lights are blue.
these lights are cheep. so if you want the annoying blue lights get these
light washes out anytime another light source it around or the weather is poor
5000
rating: 2

5 Nokya cosmic white:
stage 2 high output
this bulb is basically a copy of the silverstars
very bright
light reaches out almost as far as the silverstars
however they mimic the look of HIDs (nice feature)
the light washes out just like the silverstars do
4200
rating: 3.75

6 ebay blue bulbs:
stockers with a blue coating
super cheep
3800
rating : 1.5

7 GE Nighthawks:
very very bright
light reaches out a bit further than the xtravisions
decent price
best overall during poor weather
3300
rating: 5 best light IMO

note: all the lights have ben in my zx2 at one time even during poor weather. this is just my opinion. the kelvin rating has taken from the packages themselves

[Shadowen925]

What about the GE Nighthawk Sport. I guess it is a blue/white version of the nighthawk or something.
My main question is, Where do I buy these. I have been driving with my hi-beams on because I just couldn't see any thing with my low's

[daggit2005]

i havent had the GE nighthawk sports, however i would think they are about the same as the sylvania cool blues.

i bought my nighthawks on amazon for $25 for a pair. they did have some nighthawk sports for a little more on amazon.

you could also try to reaim you headlights as well.

[Duckiestyle]

To benefit light output, I moved the bulb diffuser (part that goes over the front of the bulb when installed). I only bumped it out about 2-3mm, but it exposed more of the bulb to the reflective surface of the housing. In short, I get "flashed" once in a while (rarely) with my low beams on. I'm running the Silverstars too.
I moved the diffuser out when I had the housings apart for black housing/clear corner mod.
I get a more directed light thrown directly in front. It does shine a bit higher, but that advantageous when you live where the majority of people won't give passage to a faster moving vehicle. If I flash you, you might need new retinas. Bwahaha!
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[iceracerdude]

Nice writeup! Thanks for that. I'm in the market, and was about to commit to the Silverstars, but had noticed their projected life expectancy on the package, pretty sad. That 3300 kelvin rating on the GE Nighthawks is pretty low, but you say they're way better than the Silverstars? So at that level they must be pretty yellow, or no?

[daggit2005]

they are just a bit whiter than stock lights. almost white white.

[sciko67]

Nice write up. Repped.

[sTrEET aDDicT09]

Ok newb question I know their illegal but do you think red HIDs will help with vision while driving at night?
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[JohnZX2]

I've had the Sylvania cool blues for 3 years now and love them.

Great write up.

[daggit2005]

Ok newb question I know their illegal but do you think red HIDs will help with vision while driving at night?
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you would have to try them out and tell me if they are any good.

my best guess would be probably not being that if its just a hid bulb the light output would be scattered.

[madness]

Anybody tried Philips Extreme bulbs?

[Shadowen925]

How would I re-aim my headlights?

[dogyouare]

there is a disc that is on top of the headlight and ther is another in the back (rear side) of the headlight. iirc top disc is for up/down and backside is for left/right.

[Shadowen925]

there is a disc that is on top of the headlight and ther is another in the back (rear side) of the headlight. iirc top disc is for up/down and backside is for left/right.

Sorry, bad question. I knew how to make them move, I was wondering how high/where the light should be aimed at.

[1981gMachine]

I put in GE nighthawk sport bulbs. $30 shipped from amazon. Was night and day difference from my stock bulbs.