Headlight bulb???

Has anyone replaced the stock headlight bulb with one of these after-market "Whiter" lights?

One of my bulbs is burned out, and I would like to replace both with something brighter for a lot of back country travel.

I found these, but am not sure if they are worth it, or will even work well...

Thanks,
J

http://www.piaa.com/Bulbs/Bulbs-H7.html

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=268813

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=273494

Whiter means bluer not brighter. Some people like them, but I would rather not have them. Generally they are just colored lamps so you end up with less light and light with unnatural color spectrum meaning it will be more difficult to see some objects depending on the color of the object. Much the same as those sodium lights on the freeway.

If you want a great, highly bright white bulb, get the Sylvania Silverstars...best bulb on the market and available at most local parts stores. If you're a 20 something kid that get's his rocks off on blue light to make all his cool friends think you have HID's, then buy what you like.

Did the low beams (h7) bulbs on my wifes 2010 JSW this weekend, from a guy with lots of Hid exp and a skeptic in general they were night and day difference. I used Phillips Extreme, linked above in previous post.

I have allways hated aftermarket bulbs, shorter lifespan, hate blue tinted glare producing types, seems every Suv near me has them. These are std headlights, no tint I can notice, worth mentioning the oem bulbs I took out where pretty good, phillips as well. Did it since we have tons of deer here and would really like fogs but until I get them together and some warmer temps to do the work, this was a small short term step up.

My eyes noticed the improvement instantly, even on battery voltage when comparing on light stock at same time one light with new bulb. Thought it was just me expecting it, like how a freshly waxed car drives better.... But without telling the wife I got a text msg today, first workday as she pulled out of the garage, she noticed a big improvement.

As a big point to mention, many complain of short lifespan, yet I see people holding the bulb in bare hands in autozone-pep boys parking lots, no tissue or glove, the oils from skin will shorten any halogen bulb life, worth noting, I used a glove for each and kept it clean. Cost around 25$, im not positive, bought more than this one bulb set, took less time than typing this, well worth the cost.
Good luck

securityguy said:

If you want a great, highly bright white bulb, get the Sylvania Silverstars...best bulb on the market and available at most local parts stores. If you're a 20 something kid that get's his rocks off on blue light to make all his cool friends think you have HID's, then buy what you like.

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LOL... I know exactly what you mean! Although I AM one of those 20 somethings, I am merely looking for a brighter bulb, and not one of those hideous blue aftermarket items that tend to blind whomever is in the way.

jtdmc said:

LOL... I know exactly what you mean! Although I AM one of those 20 somethings, I am merely looking for a brighter bulb, and not one of those hideous blue aftermarket items that tend to blind whomever is in the way.

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I know what you mean. I hate those too (seem to be a lot of Honda Civics with them on). Actually the ones that blind you are not the "HID" imitating halogen bulbs but are really cars with an HID conversion which is an actual HID lighting after market system. They are blinding since the refracting pattern in the stock halogen assembly head light is not designed to legally distribute the unique lighting properties that a HID lighting system produces. I read somewhere that they are illegal in some countries since they pose a hazard to other drivers at night.

I understand there are some "good" conversion, replacing the entire headlamp assembly and putting in a true HID with the automatic leveling etc. However they are certainly not cheap and I would expect they could be a real pain to instal.

The stock bulbs are a "long-life" bulb... even regular replacement have half the life of the factory bulbs.

May want to check out the long coding helper to knock down the DRL intensity it milk the life out of the bulbs more. The factory setting for the DRL is about 96%. I have my DRLs set to about 55%.

20IndigoBlue02 said:

The stock bulbs are a "long-life" bulb... even regular replacement have half the life of the factory bulbs.

May want to check out the long coding helper to knock down the DRL intensity it milk the life out of the bulbs more. The factory setting for the DRL is about 96%. I have my DRLs set to about 55%.

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55% might reduce the life. The original lamps are halogen and they need to get hot for the "halogen" cycle to function, which provides longer life.

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/Products/Halogen/HowHalogenWorks.htm

I agree, its often bad on bulbs , Led's as well. To dim , over drive or deiate from the standard bulbs design specifications comes with a price, not just the bulb but all the system, transformers and these days, software.

Its a honest observation from my own exp on lighting, as a mechanic we were always dimming aircraft lighting, interior and exterior. Done since while we were stationary these systems would produce heat ambient air would not remove as it would normaly. It seemed good advice but in every application that I have exp with , Halogen, Xenon and in particular Led lighting just functions better, longer if run at spec.

Maybe this is why the DRL % from Vw is so high. Hardly seems worth all the engineering and coding, makes me think there is a guy building a car in Russia right now thinking " Once Engine On. Lights Starts"

Is it me or is this all time wasted where it could have been better spent giving me a decent coinholder, somewhere to put my hand carried junk. Memory Seats would have been even better.....

In the retired Jeep, I have always used the large rectangular Silverstar headlamps. Definite difference - lighting was brighter and the color temperature, at least to me, was easier on the eyes and a bit more realistic color rendition. The only complaint was that the bulbs would get a leak in the seal between the lens and reflector from temperature cycling in the winter. So a layer of black electrical tape at the seal corrected that.

The bulb itself is tinted a very pale blue, to probably help achieve the color correction needed to raise the color temp to about 4000k. I am sure though that the filament is burning a bit hotter but within the stupid NHTSA dinosaur specs for power consumption. Mind you that they do not look blue, this is done to, what it appears, to put more usable light on the road.
From what I have seen, the high beam assemblies do two functions, high beam and DRL. The low beam assemblies appear to just give low beam only and do not shut off on application of the highs so they work above the cutoff of the lows.

I would love to put in a set of Silverstars but from what I have been reading, the H7's lifetime is a pathetic 150 hours...don't quote me on the number though. Yet I did not see that short time in the Jeep so now this is something that makes me go Hmmmmmmmmmmmm......

I will prolly put in the H7 Silverstars when I get the urge but it is not there yet.

20Indigo, the folks above are correct in that reducing the illuminosity of your bulbs actually increases premature wear and reduces bulb life. There is a VERY good reason that the factory sets them around 95% and not lower. Maybe you could go to 90% but 55% is only going to take a toll on your wallet

The DRLs already run at 19w. how much lower would you want them to go? I believe they are 19w for DRL and 60w for high beam

Had to make a post again due to observations with my 2010 JSW with new Phillips Xtreme H7's installed 2 weeks ago.

Storm blew a 80' pine over and on to my car last Night, not the JSW, that was safe in Garage. My car, BMW 3 Series is the victim.

I needed light, tree took power lines along to rest on my car..

Pulled the JSW around and used headlights to get onto neighbors roof to begin the removal of tree. The replacement bulbs are really a great upgrade, all my helpers were asking if the JSW had Xenons... No I would say as I pointed to my much loved BMW, that has HID's.

As things improved I was able to get the BMW moved and at same time do a side by side, My wifes JSW and BMW HID's . I still love my HID's but the Phillips Extreme H7 really are a great bulb.

If your reading this, on the fence maybe about changing bulbs, I cant put in words how much I think this was worth the 5 mins and 25 or 35$

I have had silverstars, years ago, honestly cant recall anything about them, perhaps they will be as good or maybe better. But the Phillips Extreme are fair priced, high rated and last a long time according to Candlepower forums. I wanted to update my post and pass along how happy I am to have changed out stock bulbs.

When I do anything to wifes car I always wait to see if she notices, never tell her, she never notices, this upgrade she noticed backing out of the garage first day.

I would set DRL either off or 100%, though without a vag com the default % is damn close to 100% so just leave it alone. Off is just personal preference, I do wish Fogs were option, only reason I did upgrade was a need for more spill and side lighting needed with all the deer in my neighborhood.

I did upgrade was a need for more spill and side lighting needed with all the deer in my neighborhood.

I think you would really like E-codes (US version).

2002 Jetta GLS TDI 195K Automatic,40 to 43mpg. Just recently replaced the driver side light with a standard bulb for the second time on that side. The other side was also replaced several years ago. I checked the last receipt and it was dated 2006. It cost me about $68.00. The actual bulb was about $16.00 the rest labor. I'm expecting the passenger side to go out within the next few months. I also asked for Xenon or HID's but they said they would have to rewire etc.,etc. I think that with the amount of driving that I do which is about 30K's per year, they seem to last quite a while.
mdsrs

$16 for a 9007 bulb... what a bargain, and that's probably a standard life bulb.

For about the same price (more or less), you can get a twin pack of 9007 long-life bulbs