[Vwdiesel] SilverStar headlights <== H4 alternatives?

[Gerry Wolfe]

My '91 Jetta TD (square 9004's) was having an issue with water getting into 
the reflector and causing corrosion & greatly reduced output.  Replaced the 
entire assembly with an aftermarket one using round 7" H4's for hi/low beam 
and 5" H1's for driving lights.  Cost a couple of hundred if memory serves 
me correctly (which it seems to doing less frequently of late...)  Also 
included a pair of Bosch 150 3x5" under-the-bumper foglights with H3 bulbs. 
Done up with 4 relays (low beam, high beam, driving lights, fog lights) and 
12ga wiring all the way thru.  The driving lights run thru the high beam 
circuit with their own illuminated toggle switch - with high beams on you 
have the options of going with/without driving lights.

The H4's on lowbeam have an excellent pattern (well-defined horizontal 
cutoff around the middle of the trunk of the car ahead) and a rise to the 
right to illuminate signs.  The H1s light up the road for about 1/8 mile and 
do a really great job of concentrating the light.  Fog lights are aimed 
really low and wide and are great for illuminating the sides of single-lane 
roads.

I have a friend with a new Murano and HID lights, and he says that his are 
probably not as effective.  I think this was the most cost-effective 
solution.  No HID glare to oncoming traffic.  And if an oncoming vehicle has 
their highs / driving / fog lights on, they dip really quickly when I give 
them a quick reminder flash.

With all lights on, I think you would be able to see the paint blister on 
the trunklid of the car ahead just before their gas tank explodes.  You can 
actually feel a bunch of heat generated by these lights.  When adjusting the 
driving lights, the rubber vibration damper actually smoked.

Just my $0.02Cdn...
rgds, g.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "mikitka" <mikitka at earthlink.net>
To: <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 05:38
Subject: [Vwdiesel] SilverStar headlights


> Has anyone upgraded their headlights to the SilverStar's?  I have read 
> good
> and bad online about them. The bad mostly being that they don't last long.
> I got a pair of the 9004ST's for $27 at Advance Auto and put them in. A
> great improvement in my 91 Jetta. Now to see how long they last. If they
> don't hold up for a long time then the GE NightHawks are suppose to be the
> same but last a lot longer. The only problem with the GE's is that they 
> are
> not as popular and harder to find.  Oh and just my luck, I went onto Ebay
> and found the StilverStars for around $15 shipped.  :-( I was considering
> HID's but they are a little out of my price range right now. I found the
> conversion kit for around $250.
>
> Nick
>
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