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Hella Optilux, Osram SS, or Philips VP...

2106 Views 20 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  bass_lover1
Whats up guys, I've been driving around with my driver's side headlight out for well over a month now, figured it's time to replace it.

I've narrowed down my choices to the afformentioned bulbs. Now to help you guys help me, there is a certain criteria I'm looking for.

1)I kinda want a white light but it doesn't have to be super white like some of those fake wanna-be HID bulbs, but it does have to be brighter than stock.
2)Need something to last me a long time, I plan to disable the DRL's after I replace the bulbs, but even with that disabled I'd like em to last me a few years.
3)Price, eh, its not really an issue but I dont really want to spend more than 60 shipped for the pair, cheaper is better of course.

So, I'd like to hear from the guys that have used all 3 of the bulbs I've listed or even maybe 2 of em, hell if you've used any of em gimmie your opinions, cause I sure as hell can't make up my mind.

Thanks in advance.
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ive been using sylvania silverstars for a while now and have no complaints. They are brighter than stock bulbs, last pretty long, and are cheap. The fake HID bulbs you are talking about are blue tinted aren't they? I dont think any bulb can even come close to HID quality.
I'm talkin Osram SS's, the ones w/o the blue coating on them. Granted I've never heard anything bad about the Sylvania SS's.

Oh well, anyone else?
Hoen also makes a great product do a search, they have been talked about before here.
I think osram and sylvania are the same company i think. I THINK the osram ss and sylvania ss are the same things. Btw, dont get the cool blue blubs, seemed a little less bright than stock bulbs.
vincheung said:
I think osram and sylvania are the same company i think. I THINK the osram ss and sylvania ss are the same things. Btw, dont get the cool blue blubs, seemed a little less bright than stock bulbs.
Osram and sylvania are the same company, but the sylvania SS and the Osram are not the same unfortunately. I Ended up getting the Philips VP because I found a deal on them from someone here, but my choices would be either the osram or the philips. You can check out powerbulbs.com. they are a little expensive, but every order comes with a free pair of philips w5w which are a perfect fit for the city lights.

Thad. :D
You got the Philips bulbs in, so how do you like them? They are brighter than stock, do they have the hallogen tint to them or do they have a white tint to them?
I am very happy with the results of the Philips. much brighter than stock, or at least the beam is longer. They are quite white, which i love :lol: . At times they can have a yellowish halogen look to them, but it all depends on the angle that you are looking at them. For the most part they are very white. Very noticeable difference from stock. I can't say they are better than the osram, beecause I have never seen the osram in person, but I would suggest the philips.

Thad. :D
vincheung said:
I think osram and sylvania are the same company i think. I THINK the osram ss and sylvania ss are the same things. Btw, dont get the cool blue blubs, seemed a little less bright than stock bulbs.
no, they are absolutely not the same. the sylvania ss has a slight bluish tint, while the osram ss does not. the osram ss will deliver more light over the sylvania ss, but the sylvania ss will give the facade of providing more light, per sylvania's website.
Darth Volkswagen said:
I am very happy with the results of the Philips. much brighter than stock, or at least the beam is longer. They are quite white, which i love :lol: . At times they can have a yellowish halogen look to them, but it all depends on the angle that you are looking at them. For the most part they are very white. Very noticeable difference from stock. I can't say they are better than the osram, beecause I have never seen the osram in person, but I would suggest the philips.

Thad. :D
Hmm, thanks Thad. That is basically what I wanted to hear. I don't mind the yellow hallogen color to them at certain angles, as long as the beam is whiter than stock I think I might pick up a set of the Philips VP's, unless someone can chime in on the other 2?
I've been using the Hella Optilux bulbs for a while. They were basically on clearance when I got them for ~$26 for the pair. I didn't know you could still buy them. They were decent bulbs and seemed a little whiter when you looked the beam right in the eye. Light output was close to stock, though.
http://www.autolamps-online.com/home.htm

^^Good place to buy the Philips Vision Plus bulbs from?
I also have the Phillips VP and they are much better than stock. Check the classifieds, there are often folks with some for sale, that's how I got mine.

Good luck.
I have used both the Philips Vison + and the Orsam silverstars. I personally prefer the light output from the Osrams, but there is not much between them. Go with either, they are BOTH much better than stock.
Cool, thanks guys. I'll probably end up buying the light I can get the cheapest.
bass_lover1 said:
http://www.autolamps-online.com/home.htm

^^Good place to buy the Philips Vision Plus bulbs from?
Thanks for the link.

Thad. :D
Yea, anytime man :D

Anyone else have exerpience with these bulbs? I'm just about to make an order for the Philips VP bulbs unless someone can change my mind.
I'm not trying to change your mind, but my 2 pairs of Vision Plus burned out fairly quickly. I got about a year out of each, so I am trying the Osrams now.
Did you disable the DRL's though? I plan to do that, because that obviously makes them burn out quicker when the are constantly on.
Yes, DRLs are disabled. The short life of the VPs may be unique to me. I also drive 30k miles a year so alot of driving means I probably use my headlights more than most.
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