I'm thinking about changing my high beams to Silverstar. For those of you who already use Silverstars, how long do they usually last? I've used 9003 Silverstars before and they lasted about a year but since H1s are high beams on the TSX, I'm guessing it'll last longer than that (since they're not used very often).

 

Pardon my noob question, is the silverstar brighter than our stock HID?
In my opinion our stock headlight is bright enough already. Its way way better than other hondas.

 

No. I'm planning on changing the high beams which are halogens (our low beams are HIDs). I want my high beams to be more whiter/brighter.

 

He's only changing out the high beams. They are not HID.

I had the Silverstars on another for a year and half without any problems. Make sure you don't touch the bulb with your bare hands, the oil will burn and crack the bulb.

 

I think the Silverstars have a rated life of about 150hrs. -- horrible compared to HID's. But like you said...they are for the high beams...not used very often. I have had some 9005 SS on my current car for over a year - still going, but I carry an extra set just in case.

Just a little lighting lesson for those who care...

To get the white color they put a coating on the outside of the bulb that cuts out yellow color transmission through the capsule wall. By doing so, it cuts down on light output (making them appear white, but actually dimmer). To correct for this, they add xenon gas to the capsule and crank up the coil temp. to get more light output...but the extra temperature on the coil cuts down on life.

 

I had my H1 Silverstars for over year, and they still have not burnt out yet. They are brighter and whiter than stock. Since they are not often use, I don't think the bulb life matters much. By the way I got the Osram Silverstar, which is the Euro-spec ones. I dunno if they are any different in terms of light output, but they cost less than the Sylvanias around here in the US.

 

I had the Silverstars in my old Legend for about a year and a half before she had to be retired. A short in the electrical system ate drivers'-side bulbs like candy, but the passenger-side ones lasted for the normal service life. The passenger-side Silverstar lasted until I had to say goodbye to the car. I also bought the Osram/Sylvania brand ones.

Although they were a huge improvement over the stock bulbs in the Legend, the stock bulbs in the TSX appear to be brighter. It could also be the way the TSX's lighting array is designed.

RadYOacTVe is correct. Do not touch the bulbs themselves.

 

Osram is a German company that owns Sylvania, no difference, just packaging.

 

I used Silverstar on another car with no-so-great results. I had about 3 of them burn out before I had enough and went back to regular Sylvania Halogens. I was using them as direct replacements for the regular headlights, which meant they were on all the time when my headlights were on (unlike highbeams). This probably shortened their life, but I just couldn't deal with shelling out cash for a new bulb every 2 or 3 months. I was always careful not to touch the bulb when installing. I am thinking about trying the H1's on the TSX though, they seem like a different type of bulb - smaller than the 9005/9006's I was using before. Plus as others have pointed out, being highbeams, they won't be on all the time