I was really interested in trying out Sylvania Silverstar headlights on my 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix, since the GP headlights are really really underpowered. As it turned out instead, one of the headlights in my 2000 Subaru Outback died first. So I replaced both sides with the Silverstars, just to keep them matched (so I had one good regular headlight bulb left over). I'm glad I kept the old light bulb, because 4 months later the driver's side Silverstar died. Then one month after that the passenger side Silverstar died too. So I've gone back to standard lightbulbs all around again, at 1/3rd the price (and probably 3 times the durability).
Now during the time I tried those Silverstars, I noticed their characteristics. The SSs do throw their light a little further out than regulars. However, I also noticed that the SSs don't have as wide an angle of dispersion as the regulars. I saw less stuff out the sides with the SSs than with regulars. I was more interested in getting a wider dispersion on the Pontiac than further distance, so the SSs would've been exact wrong type of lights to have anyway.
I have a '96 Bonneville with the 2-headlight system (1 bulb for High Beams and 1 bulb for Low Beams (on each side, of course)), and an '01 Montana with the 1-headlight system. Both vehicles have the Silverstar headlights, but I didn't notice much of a difference in the Montana with the Silverstars, as opposed to the regular bulbs. As for the Bonneville, I notice a huge difference. Not only is the light crisper and clearer, but it shoots out farther, and wider. Which lighting system does your Outback have?
As for reliability, I don't really know yet. I have had the SS's in the Bonnie for around 5 months, and only in the Montana for around 2. I do also like the look of the SS's in the Bonnie. Looking at the car straight on, I can tell a huge difference between the SS's and the regular fog lights on the bottom. Then again the headlight glass on the Bonnie is crystal clear, while the Montana is pitted and hazy.
The Sylvania SS are kind of a gimmick bulb. With the blue tint they give the simulated HD look; that tint robs some of the output, tho, so they're built to burn more amps to make up for the loss. Running hotter gives a shorter service life.
Osram Silverstar's have a clear capsule, don't simulate HD bulbs, last as long as a regular halogen, and seem better than OEM for a lot of folks. I've been able to get them on eBay, shipped, for less than the Sylvania SS at the local store.
About OSRAM SYLVANIA: OSRAM SYLVANIA is a leader in lighting solutions and specialty products that feature innovative design and energy saving technology. The company sells products for homes, businesses and vehicles primarily under the SYLVANIA brand name, and also under the OSRAM brand. Headquartered in Danvers, Mass., OSRAM SYLVANIA is the North American operation of OSRAM GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens AG. For more information, visit
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I don't know why there would be a difference as both are owned by Osram, which is a subsidiary of Siemens. Without seeing a package, I do not know if they are made in the same plant.
The Silver Stars are both clear bulbs in both brands. If you want blue they are sold as "Cool Blue" by Sylvania & Osram.
This is not correct. The Osram Silverstars are clear bulbs. The Sylvania Silverstars are blue bulbs. The previous poster is correct. I have had both Osram and Sylvania Silverstars in my 2001 Outback. I have had the Cool Blue in a 93 Grand Am years ago before I got the Outback. The Cool Blue is a different bulb entirely; burns at a somewhat lower operating temperature.
Although the same parent company makes both bulbs, the Osram Silverstars are a European market product and are not retailed in North America. The only way to get them here is through online vendors who import them, such as Daniel Stern Lighting. The Sylvania Silverstars with the blue coating are a US product only. It has been well documented that their typical lifespan is rather short, and that they do not actually produce more usable light on the road. The Osram Silverstars are a +50 "high efficacy" type bulb and do in fact make more usable light than the OEM bulbs. Unfortunately the Osrams are not available in all configurations, those with 9007 bulbs don't have this option. However there are other alternatives such as the GE Nighthawks or Phillips Hi-Visibility.
I'm running the Sylvania Silverstars on my OBW. When I bought them there were a number of aftermarket bulbs on display. The Cool Blues were next to the SilverStars as well as blisterpacked generic H1 bulbs. There was no visible blue tint on the SSs, and having a known clear cheapie right next to it was a good comparison.
As for the SSs... I can't say that there was any huge difference as I'd just bought the car and one side was burnt out when I bought it -- no previous experience. I did have one burn out in three days tho.
No, the Xtravisions are a different product. You can get those in 9007 and they are supposed to be an improvement over stock bulbs, but the difference won't be dramatic.
My Outback has a two-light system. The low-beams use an H1 bulb, and the high-beams use a 9006 bulb, I believe. I only ever replaced the low-beams, kept the high-beams stock.
If you have the receipts for the Silverstars, keep it. There is a 1.5 year warranty on them. But I lost my receipt, so I was SOL. Besides I didn't expect them to burn out so soon. Most headlights I've had before this would last me years, so I expected the same here.
Now I got a chance to compare the difference between the SSs and regulars during that month between the failure of the drivers side and passenger side lights. As I said, I kept the passenger side on SS, while the driver side reverted to regulars. While going along a dark highway, I watched carefully, and SSs illuminated maybe about 5 ft further up the road, but then you look as the scenery going by your sides and the regulars illuminated them better.
No, I did notice a definite blue-tint to the Silverstars that I bought. It wasn't anything like a Christmas light's blue, but a bluish tint to something otherwise transparent.
But do you really need to see the sides better? Ahead of you - yes. But close in, is it just more distracting than useful? It's one way that some lights LOOK brighter than others without actually allowing you to SEE more. Light up areas that are convinient for the manufacturer, but not necessarily useful to you.
Whether or not it helps depends on how close in we are talking. At regular road speeds, stuff that happens in close to you at the side of the road isn't important at all. There's nothing you can do to react to it in time. If we're talking further out - where you have time to react
- then I'm all for light at the side of the road. Deer are important to see!
The point I was (unsuccessfully) trying to make was that some bulbs throw light to places where it makes it LOOK brighter, but doesn't actually show anything useful to you.
The Xtravision is a "tweener" bulb: between a standard halogen and the Silverstar. I've used them in several cars, and they do light the road a bit better than stock, though not quite as well as Euro-spec headlights I've used in sizes to replace the "old style" single lamp sealed beam units (Hella, Cibie et al.) I haven't used SilverStars, so can't say anything about their light output, though I have heard the Sylvania version has a dismally short service life. Only caveat about the Xtravisions is when one burns out, you want to replace both: IME their life expectancy is remarkably consistent!
Years ago when sealed beams were the norm and the Euro-replacements were all we could get that was "better," I learned halogen bulbs are quite sensitive to lower than normal voltage. I burned out quite a few in short order before learning I was losing up to 2.5 volts at the lamp depending on car and side. The solution was to install a relay and heavier than normal gauge wire to get "full" voltage to both sides. Many lighting systems I see today "appear" to be a bit underwired, so it would be wise to put a meter to both sides, and if they're not getting voltage within one volt of what registers at the battery, the relay idea may still be valid. I'm gonna wonder out loud if the short Silverstar life expectancy would improve w/ a better voltage supply?
Another thing I've learned since sealed beams have headed out the door is that if you have plastic lenses, it's imperative to keep them clean and oxidation free or you'll lose a LOT of light transmission (even compared to really dirty glass lenses.) One of the reasons the lady who owned my Camry before me wanted to sell it was because she couldn't see at night w/ the low beams any more, even w/ the Xtravision bulbs (the lenses were getting pretty yellowed.) Before buying new lamp housings, I tried cleaning and polishing the existing lenses, and they're "almost" like new today. I have no serious complaints about the light output now. Meguiar's makes a product called Plast-x (sp?) that does a really good job. Hint: once your lenses start to yellow, it's pretty much a one way road downhill, so you've gotta polish them frequently to keep 'em up.
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