GE Nighthawk Platinums vs Silverstar Ultras

[901Memphis]

So I put in my new set of Nighthawk Platinums in to replace a working set of Sylvania Silverstar Ultras just to see what the difference was. The Ultras are less than a year old. These are 9006 lowbeams on Buick.

First off the aim is completely different. My decent visual aim with the Silverstars is pointing down too far with the Nighthawks and when I adjusted to it I'm maxed out on vertical adjustments and still think I'm not up high enough but close.

The light does not seem very good on dark roads compared to the Ultras. What gives here? I thought the Ultras weren't that great from what I see on the net but they sure seemed better than the Nighthawk Platinums.

I think I'm going to try a 9012 tab mod bulb next. I'd like to upgrade the wiring and do a relay mod but don't want to put too much money into what's becoming a rusty old car.

 

[Brybo86]

If it ain't broke...

 

[901Memphis]

I was just concerned about the Ultras life span since they are nearly one year old.

 

[Brybo86]

I'm going on 6 years on the oem accord bulbs, what is the typical life span?

 

[901Memphis]

OEM bulbs usually last 6-10 years from what i see on the forum. I have had a set of OEM last 10 years but i think the 8 year is common.

Silverstar Ultra's rarely make it 2 years from what i see. Some

 

[daves87rs]

Kinda concerned there...a few friends bought the nighthawks at ollies...two already have a bulb out.....

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Kinda concerned there...a few friends bought the nighthawks at ollies...two already have a bulb out.....


Yeah that's where i got mine.

I am really disliking the output, i took another drive on a pitch black road since i posted last and the light output is less the the Ultras...Not sure what to do next, but might see how long i can get outa the Nighthawks before i pitch them.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: Brybo86
I'm going on 6 years on the oem accord bulbs, what is the typical life span?

OEM bulbs are typically long-life types. However, they also tend to trade that off with reduced brightness.

 

[y_p_w]

I had decent results with XtraVision 9006s in my Integra before it was stolen.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Kinda concerned there...a few friends bought the nighthawks at ollies...two already have a bulb out.....


The Nighthawk Platinums have VERY short lifespan in my opinion. I lost one on our MDX in less than 6 months. The beam focus in our CR-V was not good, so I took them back out. I generally wasn't impressed with them. Even with the Ollie's deal, I didn't buy any.

I continue to believe the Sylvania Xtravision is generally the best bang-for-the-buck out there, at least in the part numbers that I use (HB2 and H11).

 

[DBMaster]

I tried a number of aftermarket "upgrade" bulbs in my headlights over the years and found that pretty much none of them really offered any improvements and most frequently they did not last very long. My best luck was with Hella standard or long life bulbs. They are standard wattage, well made bulbs that just plain work and last a long time. Most of the complaints any of you will have with lighting is more a function of the lens/reflector/projector design and not the bulbs, anyway. I currently have a set of PIAA Night-Tech in my low beam spots. The color temperature is a bit whiter than standard and they appear to be made by Philips (they say made in Germany on them and they are of obvious quality).

It seems to me that the GE/Sylvania/Wagner bulbs are made in China.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
It seems to me that the GE/Sylvania/Wagner bulbs are made in China.


This is often true of their miniature bulb lines, but rarely true of their headlamp bulbs...or at least not that I've yet seen. My Sylvanias (HB2 and H11) are made in Germany by OSRAM, and the GEs that I've had (same applications, plus some NA spec part numbers like HB3 and HB4) have been made in either Germany or Hungary.

 

[IndyFan]

I know all the stuff said around here about Ultras, but my Jeep really had weak OEM headlights, so I tried several different types. The Silverstar Ultras were hands-down the brightest. They lasted two years and were still going when I switched to TruckLite LED headlights. Even with Ultras, the Jeeps lighting wasn't great. The TruckLites are a whole different ball game, and the light is better in every way. Supposedly, they'll have a 50k hour lifespan, so that settles the longevity issue, too. They were, however, VERY expensive. ($390 for the pair).

I'd still be running Ultras, if using incandescent bulbs.