Does anyone have any experience with the Sylvania Silverstar lamps? I am trying to improve the lighting on my 94 E320, but do not want to convert to the Eurpoean headlights.
Mark

I have them on my 94 S350 and they are great!! Tremendous increase in visibility!!

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N. Hodges
1994 S350
1987 300 SDL (for sale)

I recently bought a 1988 300e. The only downside I saw was the headlights.. there was no way I could drive without fogs on as well..and in many cases the high beams.

by the way I am only 47 and while I wear eyeglasses..I have never had this problem driving our Expedition or Q45.

I went out and purchased the silvestars. they made enough of an improvement to drive confidentally at night. they are whiter and a bit brighter.

A worthwhile investment.

I too wanted more light from my 87 300E, so tried Silverstar, USA version.
They were not very helpful and I yard sold them at yard sale and went back to the original bulbs.

Seems like they are whiter, but focused in a smaller area, so do not really light up much of the road. I tried aiming the beam but could not get the coverage area to be as large as OEM. I also think my 64 year old eyes do not work as well with the ultra white wave lengths as the longer lengths. For instance, I really liked my yellow fogs and wish for them on my S420.

I even tried some 100 watt (read illegal off road) bulbs, but they too were the "white" version and did not really give any more visibility.

I'd say don't waste the money like I did. I kept remembering my old 79 BMW which had French 4 "Ciebe" H4's, but could not get anywhere near that much light on the 300E without going "Europe" version headlamps.

My (USA) 95 S420 has a much better lighting system however.

DanielW

Having demanded good lighting since my rallye days I continue to look for good, strong even lighting from my commute vehicles. With my 99 E320, I tried the Silverstars. Very disappointed. Plugged in the Philips Blue Vision. Noticeably better and whiter....though still lacking. So I'm in the process of retrofitting HID projectors into the headlight shell.

So if anyone wants a pair of Silverstars for cheap, drop me a line. $20/pair including shipping. Less than 15 minutes of run time.


ebay: ray-mond

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raymond-
47º 34n 122º 18w

Greetings,

There have been quite a few discussions on this board about the faux HID lights (like the Sylvania Silverstar). An excellent resource on the web is Daniel Stern's lighting FAQ. The topic really comes down whether upgraded bulb produces higher measurable output, or simply tricks the brain with a colour filter.

In the case of the Sylvania Silverstar 9003, the light output is actually *less* than the unfiltered form of the bulb. Your brain interprets the "whiter" light as "brighter", which in fact is not valid. Filtered bulbs are appropriate in some applications (i.e. home lighting), but not automotive -- you want more illumination, not "whiter" light as advertised. True HID lights deliver on both criteria, with an expected price of admission.

If you want to best available headlamp bulbs, buy the Sylvania XtraVision series for your vehicle (9003XV?). They are unfiltered bulbs with improved manufacturing techniques that produce 20-30% *measurable* increased illumination. If you can obtain genuine Osram Silverstar H4's for your vehicle, that would be even better (but not DOT-compliant).

-DM

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1995 E420 SE black/black
2004 Volvo V70R AWD

the 94 E320 should have euro lights on it to start with, they changed from the awful DOT lights in that year. As far as I know they have the same lens pattern as the euro lights, though I could be wrong.

You could probably run higher wattage (100/60?) bulbs in these lights without frying anything. Some people suggest using heavier gauge wires though.

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1993 320TE M104
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past:

1983 230E W123 M102
1994 E300D S124 OM606 (x2)
1967 250SE W108 M129
1972 280se 3.5 W108 M116
1980 280SE W116 M110
1980 350SE W116 M116
1992 300E W124 M103
1994 E280 W124 M104
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"music and women I cannot but give way to, whatever my business" -Pepys

Do you have any problem with the bulbs burning out?
I have tried 100/80 bulbs which are great but they don't last long a cpl of months at best.