Osram Silverstar Not As Good As Sylvania SilverStar

wrote:

>>>What's so great about "white light"? I don't get what good "white
>
> light" does other than a poseur HID-like appearance<<
>
> The white light actually lights up the road better. The stock
> headlights are good but I couldnt beliee how much better I could see
> with the Sylvania Silverstars. It's not about posing. It's about
> safety. When lights are on they appear white not blue like some of the
> fast and furious boy racers use.

To which I say - so what? So you **think** you see better. I'd
rather have **more** light from the Osram version than "white"
light from the the Sylvania. A lot of people feel safer with fog
lights on because there's this really bright light 20 feet in front
of their car, but that's certainly not safer when the driver's eyes
lock in really close when it would be safer to look ahead.

>>>This is very important for safety reasons, and should trump any
>
> other concerns<<
>
> Far is good but more usable light is better esp. in rain.

But there isn't more usuable light just because it's "white". To
get the appearance of "white light", part of the bulb's usuable
light output has to be removed. HIDs simply put out light in
that tend towards blue, but they put out lots more of it.

>>>The 9006 version of the 9006 Sylvania Silverstar has a rated life
>
> of 150 hours vs 850 for the XtraVision, 1200 for the standard, and
> 1600 for the long-life version. <<
>
> Eliminating those *****ing DRL's will help in that department.

Too lazy to disable them.

>>>First - you didn't mention what version. <<
>
>
> Osram silverstar +30 made in germany euro spec vs. Sylvania silverstar
> (blue tint) sold in US. H1 bulbs. The sylvania silverstar in the fog
> lights are awesome as are the high beams

Yellowish lights are actually better in the fog.

> Stern's spiel about "not more light" is total BS . The white light has
> much better coverage to the sides and directly in front of vehicle. I
> urge anyone who wants to be safer to get the US silverstars and can the
> *****in DRL's and enjoy much safer driving.

I'll let him chime in.

y_p_w wrote:

>
>
> wrote:
>>>> First - you didn't mention what version. <<
>>
>>
>>
>> Osram silverstar +30 made in germany euro spec vs. Sylvania silverstar
>> (blue tint) sold in US. H1 bulbs. The sylvania silverstar in the fog
>> lights are awesome as are the high beams

Really? Mine got busted in an accident (need to reorder). They're
H1 Osram Silverstars. I still have the package, which says "+50%
MORE LIGHT" in the lower right corner. Upper left corner says
H1/448SVS/55W.

I'd also point out that one of the fallacies of "more light" in a
comparison is that new bulbs are often compared to older bulbs that
have degraded with use.

Yes the osram version gives a lot of light. However the light is the
same color as regular bulbs meaning it disappears on wet pavement and
doesnt really improve vision compared to the whiter light of the
sylvania version. Have you tried both? Or are you buying stern's crap
without firsthand experience. I've actually used both and can honestly
say the sylvania silverstars are the best choice for more effective
lighting in a 2004 outback.

>
> To which I say - so what? So you **think** you see better. I'd
> rather have **more** light from the Osram version than "white"
> light from the the Sylvania. A lot of people feel safer with fog
> lights on because there's this really bright light 20 feet in front
> of their car, but that's certainly not safer when the driver's eyes
> lock in really close when it would be safer to look ahead.
>

Yup.

More light (and less watts, to boot) than the
*tinted* Sylvania SS.

Also, the eye is mroe sensitive to glare effects
in the blue-range of spectrum...making the
Sylvania SS less effective in fog, etc.

They also burn out FAST...I've used both Sylvania
and Osram SS, I'll stick with the Osram,
thanks...and I can get em cheaper, too.

wrote:
> Yes the osram version gives a lot of light. However the light is the
> same color as regular bulbs meaning it disappears on wet pavement and
> doesnt really improve vision compared to the whiter light of the
> sylvania version. Have you tried both? Or are you buying stern's crap
> without firsthand experience. I've actually used both and can honestly
> say the sylvania silverstars are the best choice for more effective
> lighting in a 2004 outback.
>

"Disappears on wet pavement"? The light "disappears" because the surface
is reflective and the light is bounced away from your vehicle, not
towards it, which is why oncoming lights on wet pavement have such
horrible glare. Whiter light is not going to offer a remedy to this. The
whiter light also refracts more in fog and rain.

And let me ask you this - why do these tinted-glass bulbs never come
standard in any vehicle if they offered such improved visibility?

Have you tried the bluish tinted ones? Obviously not. I have. Te
whiter light shows up more on wet pavement. I didnt worry about
visibility with the sylavania silverstars. The osram are no better.
Obviously car makers do not offer these bulbs is cost. However some
offer HID lighting which is whiter than halogen the same as the
sylvania silverstar.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Yes the osram version gives a lot of light. However the light is the
> same color as regular bulbs meaning it disappears on wet pavement and
> doesnt really improve vision compared to the whiter light of the
> sylvania version.

This is purely an optical illusion. It is caused because of how light
works.

The light you are seeing when you turn on your headlights is reflected
light. Surfaces reflect light that is in the color of the surface, absorb
it
for all other colors. The silverstars reduce light in the spectrum that
most
surfaces are reflecting, and pass it in the spectrum that most things do
not reflect (Blue normally does not occur in nature)

Thus for any surface and color you care to come up with except for a blue
colored surface, you will get less light back from that surface when you
shine a Silverstar on it than when you shine a regular light.

So what is happening with the pavement scenario is that your eyes get less
light back, you adjust to the lower light level, then when you look away
from
the road to the interior of the car (which is black) or the side of the road
or
anywhere else, since your eyes are more sensitized to the lower light,
everything
looks brighter.

The problem though with the human eye is that as the light level drops, the
eye sees less and less fine detail.

So with the silverstars it looks brighter but you have much less chance of
seeing
that deer standing beside the road than with the normal lights.

Ted

>>So with the silverstars it looks brighter but you have much less chance of
seeing
that deer standing beside the road than with the normal lights. <<

I saw a lot more on the side of the road with syl. silverstars than I
do with osram's. Try them and you will be amazed. Why do high end
makers use HID which is "bluish" yet produces a whiter light? Because
it is more effective. Maybe it's my eyes but I can see better and
further with the syl silverstars. That's the truth.

In article <1118135245.829815.281960
@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
says...
> Have you tried the bluish tinted ones? Obviously not. I have. Te
> whiter light shows up more on wet pavement. I didnt worry about
> visibility with the sylavania silverstars. The osram are no better.
> Obviously car makers do not offer these bulbs is cost. However some
> offer HID lighting which is whiter than halogen the same as the
> sylvania silverstar.

You just see more glare, due to sensitivity in
human eye in that portion of visible spectrum
(bluish)...on of the reasons HIDs are also more
annoying to oncoming traffic.

In article <1118142193.627965.270820
@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>,
says...
> >>So with the silverstars it looks brighter but you have much less chance of
> seeing
> that deer standing beside the road than with the normal lights. <<
>
> I saw a lot more on the side of the road with syl. silverstars than I
> do with osram's. Try them and you will be amazed. Why do high end
> makers use HID which is "bluish" yet produces a whiter light? Because
> it is more effective. Maybe it's my eyes but I can see better and
> further with the syl silverstars. That's the truth.

I've used both, I'll stick with the OSRAM SS.

They've also lasted longer than the Sylvania
SS...possibly due to the fact the Sylvania SS
were 5 watts "hotter", along with the tinted
glass, which probably increased operating temp
again...