3pt1lumina Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I was thinking of putting a set in my Lumina, however, is it worth it? I've heard stories people put them in and they are not satisfied or they don't last or stuff like that. Anyone got any ideas or suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 i'd never buy em, junk. thewy burn out FAST. and don't provide much if any improvement. if you want aftermarket headlights go silverstars for direct replacements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfewtrail Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I've got Eurolite Xenon bulbs for the low beams in my TGP, they're bright as hell compared to crappy old yellow halogen lights. The particular ones I have supposed to simulate HID bulbs so they look blue when you look at the car from certain distances/angles...they actually give off a really attractive/bright white light(some people might not like the blue light, I believe they make another kinda that just give off the white light). I have "Sylvania" cool blue halogen bulbs in for the high beams and they're also awesome compared to stock bulbs(about $18 for a two pack at Walmart, parts stores usually charge a few bucks more). EDIT: Go to the members ride post and look for my TGP post there, I have pictures of both the lights I mentioned. My Xenons haven't given me any problems, they've been on the car at least 2yrs or so(were in the car when it was purchased). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I have real ones in my car, and they didn't improve anything. They won't improve a crappy beam pattern. People always comment on them though, they have quite a visual impact. Even non-car people like my dad notice them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I have real ones in my car, and they didn't improve anything.They won't improve a crappy beam pattern. People always comment on them though, they have quite a visual impact. Even non-car people like my dad notice them. Thats the biggest problem I see with HID's... all these aftermarket kits installed in all kinds of cars with lenses not designed for them. There is a hell of a lot of light output from those things, and when they're reflecting right in your eyes on the highway, its not a great situation. I still don't get the Silverstar craze.. I didn't think they were good enough to blow 40 bucks on. If they were the same price as regular bulbs, sure. Someone should get a picture of the output of those Xenon bulbs. How long have you had yours Matt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Thats the biggest problem I see with HID's... all these aftermarket kits installed in all kinds of cars with lenses not designed for them. There is a hell of a lot of light output from those things, and when they're reflecting right in your eyes on the highway, its not a great situation. That's true in the case of the 89. The beam pattern is all screwey because I used a D2R bulb which has the masking. So now my headlights are bright where they shouldn't be, and dim where they shouldn't be. I would eventually like to retrofit some legitimate projectors. Even then it will still be blinding, because for me, real HID's even on cars that come from them factory, are blinding. My stepdad said when he'd drive his 04 Maxima, he'd get flashed constantly. The 94 Cutlass on the other hand... so little light comes out of those miniature headlights that it couldn't blind anybody. Real HID STILL doesn't make those things bright enough. Probably the worst headlight design ever created. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwmin Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 i have had apc and silverstars and havent noticed much of a difference at all between the two and they are way cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92chevyeuro Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I have the real HIDs in my Camaro and i love them. True the pattern is not the same, but they do not blind oncoming traffic. They are much better than the silverstars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteOut Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I still don't get the Silverstar craze.. I didn't think they were good enough to blow 40 bucks on. If they were the same price as regular bulbs, sure At $40 for two bulbs they're actually cheaper (by $10) than regular bulbs for those of us with mini-quads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannymik Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I have the real HIDs in my Camaro and i love them. True the pattern is not the same, but they do not blind oncoming traffic. They are much better than the silverstars. and how much did you pay for them...I know couple people that make HID's for the '97+ grand Prix's and they charge a ridiculous amount for them! IMO all these companies that we see selling aftermarket lights are advertised to increase the amount of light, but not fairly priced when you install them and can't "really" tell a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94CutlassSLCoupe Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 The 94 Cutlass on the other hand... so little light comes out of those miniature headlights that it couldn't blind anybody. Real HID STILL doesn't make those things bright enough. Probably the worst headlight design ever created. There must be something wrong with yours then...i know my 94 CS has the brightest high beam headlights of any car i have ever driven...the low beams are above most even. This is with the bone stock halogens...everyone who rides with me at night comments on how good they work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 I still don't get the Silverstar craze.. I didn't think they were good enough to blow 40 bucks on. If they were the same price as regular bulbs, sure At $40 for two bulbs they're actually cheaper (by $10) than regular bulbs for those of us with mini-quads. hehe... very true... I'm still adjusting to the 'coupe' ownership. I'm used to the ol' sedans. I have the real HIDs in my Camaro and i love them. True the pattern is not the same, but they do not blind oncoming traffic. They are much better than the silverstars. and how much did you pay for them...I know couple people that make HID's for the '97+ grand Prix's and they charge a ridiculous amount for them! IMO all these companies that we see selling aftermarket lights are advertised to increase the amount of light, but not fairly priced when you install them and can't "really" tell a difference. I believe ANY aftermarket HID kit will work. The only problem I can see is securing them to the headlamp assembly, but our setup is pretty generic. The bulbs in the aftermarket kits plug into the stock harness, which should be connected to the ballasts and starter.. most should be plug-n-play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92chevyeuro Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 I paid a total of $315 for mine off ebay. They just plug right into the stock plugs. Very easy to install. Took me 10 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 The 94 Cutlass on the other hand... so little light comes out of those miniature headlights that it couldn't blind anybody. Real HID STILL doesn't make those things bright enough. Probably the worst headlight design ever created. There must be something wrong with yours then...i know my 94 CS has the brightest high beam headlights of any car i have ever driven...the low beams are above most even. This is with the bone stock halogens...everyone who rides with me at night comments on how good they work Properly aimed lights make a WORLD of difference... I first thought the lights on my Lumina were absolute SHIT because I couldn't see SHIT with the high beams on, but about 15 minutes of PROPER aiming made them some of the best lights I've driven with... BTW, on Silverstars... In this country, they are "Sylvania" and if you notice, the bulbs themselves have a light blue tint on them... this is to make them look like HID bulbs, and actually takes away some of the light the bulb puts out. The ones to get are the "Osram Silverstars" in europe because they're the same bulb, but without the blue coating on them. This is big with the motorcycle guys... that's where I heard of it... Also, the "Cool Blue" lights, as a general rule, out out less light than the standard lights... they're a standard light with what basically amounts to "blue sunglasses" on them... They also run hotter because of this (like the bulb/headlight temperature is hotter, not the "flame" temperature). Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockgp Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 i've had xenon high beamns for almost four years now and they haven't burnt out. they're a thousand times better than stock, even though they aren't aimed correctly. i've also had street glow low beams for about the same amount of time and although i don't really like the slight blue tint they have, they are still way better than stock. the only real problem i have with my headlights is the blue low beams are a bit hard to see with in the rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Osram and Sylvania are the same company.. they're actually called Osram Sylvania. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartonmd Posted March 7, 2005 Report Share Posted March 7, 2005 Osram and Sylvania are the same company.. they're actually called Osram Sylvania. Yes, but they're sold as "Sylvania" here and Osram over there... The ones branded "Osram" and not Synvania don't have the blue coating on them and are better... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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