Was: spark plugs. Now: "Fake Zenon Lights"

[Philip Procter]

I don't know about your experience with "fake Zenon" lights, but mine
was good. No, I don't mean the blue tinted standard bulbs for $7 from
The Borg, they're garbage. I tried the PIAA high temp bulbs and found
a real improvement in light output.

Very noticible!

Not, by any means, the same as the zenon's on my STi, but a whole lot
better than the standard units. Not cheap either, at $50 a pair, but
the only real option on a 98 Forester and a 97 Tracker!

Philip

 

[y_p_w]

I don't know about your experience with "fake Zenon" lights, but mine
was good. No, I don't mean the blue tinted standard bulbs for $7 from
The Borg, they're garbage. I tried the PIAA high temp bulbs and found
a real improvement in light output.

Very noticible!

Not, by any means, the same as the zenon's on my STi, but a whole lot
better than the standard units. Not cheap either, at $50 a pair, but
the only real option on a 98 Forester and a 97 Tracker!

Philip

I don't think those PIAA's are worth it. One can find Sylvania
XtraVision bulbs for half the price, and without that annoying
bluish tint. The other problem with "noticeable differences" is
that the older bulb in the comparison usually has a diminished
light output due to age and use.

 

[John]

a real improvement in light output.

I really hope that after you put them in you re-aimed them correctly.

 

[Philip Procter]

I don't know if the problem with diminished output is valid. I know
from my day job in photography that halogen bulbs do not yellow or
deposit anything on the inside of the quartz shell. That totally
consistant output was the biggest advantage that they had over the
older incandescent bulbs. I assume that this holds true for automotive
halogens, as well.

I can say that, in a comparison with a friends conventional lights,
the PIAA's advantage was claerly visible. He thought so, too. He
ordered a set the next day.

I agree that the PIAA's are expensive compared with the other high K
lamps. At the time I bought them, about a year or more ago, they were
the ones my local dealer carried. They now have Sylvania SuperStar (or
some such) at half the price. I have no idea how those compare, the
PIAA's are still going strong.

Philip

 

[y_p_w]

I don't know if the problem with diminished output is valid. I know
from my day job in photography that halogen bulbs do not yellow or
deposit anything on the inside of the quartz shell. That totally
consistant output was the biggest advantage that they had over the
older incandescent bulbs. I assume that this holds true for automotive
halogens, as well.

I can say that, in a comparison with a friends conventional lights,
the PIAA's advantage was claerly visible. He thought so, too. He
ordered a set the next day.

I agree that the PIAA's are expensive compared with the other high K
lamps. At the time I bought them, about a year or more ago, they were
the ones my local dealer carried. They now have Sylvania SuperStar (or
some such) at half the price. I have no idea how those compare, the
PIAA's are still going strong.

Regardless - I can't figure out what the use of a bluish tint is.
Any tint will filter out and reduce light output. There's a certain
automotive light expert on rec.autos.tech who refers to PIAA as
"overpriced garbage". He could make money selling them, but refuses
to on principle. I can't see any rational reason for spending $60 to
$120 on a pair of 9006/HB4 capsules.

I had a set of OEM Stanley HB4 bulbs go strong for four years in
an Acura Integra. I'm not sure why, but I replaced them with some
German-made GE-labelled bulbs, even though the OEM bulbs were still
OK. I then used XtraVisions, which do have a noticeable increase
in light output. The factory bulbs in my WRX are US-made Sylvania,
so I figure the XtraVisions I got should be an improvement.

 

[Philip Procter]

That's an interesting thought! I agree that a tinted bulb would seem
to have a lower output than a clear bulb. I don't know if the blue
tint serves any real purpose, I doubt it.

As I understand the blurb, the HO bulbs burn hotter than standard
halogens. This makes them more efficient at converting electricity to
light. It should, as do the real zenons, also result in a bluer light
color.

It would also seem to me that a hotter filament would burn out faster.

Does anyone have experience with the Silverstar's or XtraVision's
lifespan?

PS: How about the life and cost of zenon bulbs? Subaru specifically
warns against home replacement, but I don't know why.

Philip

 

[Henry Paul]

I used to work in a movie theater as a projectionist and about every 3 to 6
months we would replace the Xenon bulbs in the projectors. These are bad
boys, around 1200 watt if I remember right. We had to wear protective
equipment to change them, face shield, rubber coat, gloves, etc. The
slightest bump in the wrong way would cause the bulbs to explode and they
are quite large in size.

While the automotive bulbs are smaller, they are sensitive to oils and acids
on skin so I would recommend wearing a latex glove or equivalent when
changing them.

 

[y_p_w]

I used to work in a movie theater as a projectionist and about every 3 to 6
months we would replace the Xenon bulbs in the projectors. These are bad
boys, around 1200 watt if I remember right. We had to wear protective
equipment to change them, face shield, rubber coat, gloves, etc. The
slightest bump in the wrong way would cause the bulbs to explode and they
are quite large in size.

While the automotive bulbs are smaller, they are sensitive to oils and acids
on skin so I would recommend wearing a latex glove or equivalent when
changing them.

I actually bought a pair of Sylvania XtraVision 9006 bulbs for my WRX
yesterday, but I haven't gotten around to installing them. There is
a warning on the packaging to wear gloves and eye protection when
changing them. I remember other bulbs came with recommendations to
clean off the bulb with straight rubbing alcohol if fingerprints
were left on the bulb's surface.

It's purely for appearances. Some manufacturers claim that the bluish
tint "increases" alertness, which I find an odd claim.

However - there's no real need for the blue tint. I understand that
XtraVision and "Cool Blue" are essentially the same bulb. The difference
is that the blue tint reduces light output and costs a bit more. The
store I bought the XtraVisions at had 9006 bulbs for $12.99, and the
9006 "Cool Blue" at $15.99. They also had the SilverStars for $50/pair
or $25 singles (i.e. essentially no discount for buying the pair).

I was using an XtraVision pair for about 3 years before my car got
stolen (and recovered).

I believe the XtraVision does contain a little xenon - something about
helping with light output and longevity. Or do you mean real xenon HID
lamps? I wouldn't trust an HID drop-in replacement. I've heard of them,
and most seem to be dangerous. Perhaps there are custom full headlight
replacements. I would think it might be possible to retrofit an
Impreza with the STI HID lamps.

The thing about regular home replacement seems to be that it's a pain
in the ass. My '95 Acura Integra was simply unscrew, pull out,
replace bulb, and screw back in. The WRX seems to have this large
disk, as well as some sort of cotter pin to keep everything in place.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think the complexity only serves to
make sure the home machanic has to take it to the dealer (like the
T-70 Torx head used on the manual transmission and auto trans front
diff drain bolts). BTW - I do have a 1/2" T-70 Torx bit, and it works
like a charm.

 

[CompUser]

While the automotive bulbs are smaller, they are sensitive to oils and acids
on skin so I would recommend wearing a latex glove or equivalent when
changing them.

Absolutely...and that goes for the OEM halogen
bulbs too. I'll dip them in rubbing alcohol out
of the package, let them dry, and handle them
only with a paper towel. Learned that lesson
years ago with halogen fog lite bulbs...

 

[Chris Phillipo]

That's an interesting thought! I agree that a tinted bulb would seem
to have a lower output than a clear bulb. I don't know if the blue
tint serves any real purpose, I doubt it.

Halide arc lamps burn blue and put out a butload of light, any other
bulb apearing to burn blue is just tint added to make it look like you
have the real thing, which you don't, so all it can do is degrade the
output. But at least you look cool.