Brandon

iTrader: (1)

My old man is buying a new truck so I'm gonna buy his 94 Explorer Eddie Bauer(need more room I just had a baby).....I wanna get either an HID kit or some real bright(white) 9004 headlamps.

What's the brightest 9004 I can get? I heard that PIAA has a 9004 that burns at 12K on low beam and 26K on high....what's the life like in a light like that? I have Silverstars right now and there nice but not enough (I have trouble seeing at night).

Also, is there a fairly inexpensive HID kit or projector kit for the truck?

Froster

iTrader: (1)

When you say you want bright lights, do you mean bright, or do you mean blue. If you want OK lights that have that HID blue tinge, then Silverstars will work. However, if you want bulbs that are actually bright, go for GE Nighthawks.

Both bulbs are advanced designs that get the most from street legal wattage, but the difference is the glass colour. A Silverstar is a bright bulb that looses some of its brightness due to the blue glass, whereas the Nighthawk puts its light on the road. Personally, I tried Silverstars, and returned them for nighthawks. The nighthawks are noticeably brighter, and work MUCH better in rainy conditions than the Silverstars. I have also heard Osram Silverstars from Europe (similar to Sylvania Silverstars, but without the blue glass) are good.

Lastly, DO NOT BE AN IDIOT BY BUYING HIDS. First, HIDs retrofitted are not legal unless you are retrofitting lenses (and even then, its a little sketchy). If you mount a HID bulb into your vehicle's stock lens, you will get huge amounts of glare, and possibly LESS light on the road. Further, you will have only Low beams, unless you figure out some sort of dual HID retrofit (twice as sketchy!). Regardless, a 94 Explorer with HIDs would DEFINATELY attract attention from the police, and thats not good for anyone.

Tlake

There is a lot of good information at this site about bulbs, and which is better, and such.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/tech.html

Froster

iTrader: (1)

^^excellent site

It should straighten out any misinformation about lighting. Certainly the most useful site that I know of.

SweetnLow91SC

If you want bright..... HID is the way to go! the bulbs are available in white @ 5-6K, blue @ 8K, or multi colours at around 12K.

Here's a pic of my car with HID (6K) on the left and Silverstar on the right. and Silverstar is suppose to be one of the whiter bulb, but not compared to HID.

GrizZzled

(GrizZz here, wife's PC)

Use caution when installing these, easy to fry factory wiring. And read this thread: http://www.canadiancaraudio.com/online/donut-shop/15778-just-installed-xenon-white-blue-headlights.html?highlight=bright

Froster

iTrader: (1)

OK, now compare a good clear glass bulb to a silverstar. I promise that the silverstar will not be as compelling. The long-life bulbs supplied in most vehicles suck, no question. But before trying something exotic (like HIDs) or trendy (Silverstars) try a good, conventional, street-legal bulb.

If you want that blue look, go ahead, Silverstars are pretty good (though some have short lifespans). If what you really want is to see more road ahead of you at night, try something else.

MrEastSide

Yeah, the only problem with the actual kits is they're pretty spendy. I notice quite a difference with my white bulbs. Whether that is my imagination or not, I like my white bulbs better. And they were cheap!

Brandon

iTrader: (1)

Not getting the truck now (another story) but anyway, I'm looking for the HID brightness......I've used the Nighthawks......they sucked compared to my silverstars.....however the silverstars aren't very good after or during a rainfall....and I have bad eyes at night as it is.

BUt I would imagine the HID's or projectors work quite well in those conditions. If I can find a really bright 9004 that's over 4K (Silverstars) like maybe 8K would even be better, I'd buy them......what's the life like on something like that though? I just had to replace my Silverstars after I just got them last spring.

scroudt111

I bought my lights at napa, can't remeber the exact name of them, lazer blue, or blue lazer...something like that....I've had them in my car for 3 years now and no prob. I've put over 100,000 kms since I installed them. They are also fairly bright, and they or more of a white lite, not blue like you'd think looking at the name.