H4 Bulb - Any thoughts?

[focus frenzy]

SilverStar is same wattage (55/60) as regular halogen bulb, no relay required, I got them in the van...worth doing. I have a 55/100 in the bike , thats kind of legal.

it is common to have a less than desirable voltage loss in the wiring of a GS and the relay mod eliminates this and done correctly can provide a fail safe if the contacts fail in the light switch (be there done that, not fun in deer country) I have done the relay mod and the dimmer switchonly controls the relay switching between low and high beam, it eliminated a 1.5 volt drop between battery voltage and voltage at the light.

[Boondocks]

news flash! what it says on package is not necessarily whats in the package!!
picked up set of sylvania 9003 (same as H-4) and right there on the metal base of the bulbs is marked OSRAM made in Germany!!!

Osram owns Sylvania. Your bulb is a standard Osram H4 bulb. It's a very good bulb, but not as bright or the same as an Osram Silverstar H4.

[Planecrazy]

Been running a 9003 Silverstar (same as H-4 - even SAYS H-4 on the bulb) for three seasons now with no failure, so I think the hype about the motorcycle version being more resilient is probably just that ... hype to sell the exact same product at a premium price. You can often buy two packs of 9003's on sale, so you get a great price on a pair and can then keep a spare on board your bike, "just in case..."

The Silverstar, by the way, is AWESOME! Like night and day difference over a standard H-4 Halogen, and doesn't require a wiring upgrade because it runs at the exact same wattages as standard.

Regards,

[Nessism]

I used a hi watt bulb, think it was an 80/100, for awhile and the connector melted on the wiring harness. If you decide to go with a high watt bulb NAPA sells a high heat connector. Sorry, I don't have a part number, but most NAPA guys are pretty good if you tell 'em what you want they know where to find it. Couple 3 or 4 bucks worth of good insurance.

This is a VERY real concern that not only occurs on high wattage bulbs but can also occur depending on the bulbs construction. Some (all?) Phillips bulbs for example use stainless steel electrical contacts which transfer heat from the bulb and into the connector which can cause it to melt. Other bulbs, like Sylvania’s, use nickel covered brass contacts which do not get as hot. It pays to pay attention to this detail, particularly if going up in power.

[salty_monk]

I'm going to get myself a Silverstar (& possibly a spare), I'm not that bothered for now as I don't really ride much at night but I'm thinking ahead to the Yosemite trip...

I'll also check the wiring for voltage drop. If it does need a relay there are much cheaper ways to install one than 50 bucks for a kit but of course that's the easy way!

Cheers,

Dan

They have them on Amazon for 19 bucks.

http://www.amazon.com/Sylvania-H4ST-BP-Performance-Headlight/dp/B000AM8BN6

[AOD]

I second the SilverStar...it was hands down better than the bulb that came with my H4 conversion kit on my '550.

The 1100 has a yellowish H4 in it that's not terrible. I may change it to the Silverstar because you don't know what you're missing until you have it!

~Adam

[argonsagas]

I have seen lots of comments on the Silverstar, but none yet that say how well they stand up to normal vibration on the bike.

I looked at them then chose to stay away. due to price....CA$30 each.

The bluish Xenon bulbs work VERY well. Huge difference from H-4 standard, and also brighter than Silverstar, which is more yellow. I look for Kelvin temperatures of 5200-5800, which is closest to sunlight.

Higher K numbers are more blue, although this appears to be what is used for the discharge lamps.

My only complaint is that the ones I have encountered so far last a year or so, then die. That said, I think the last pair I got was $15 (for the pair) on e-bay.

[salty_monk]

Ordered from Amazon for 18 bucks. The bike specific one. I'll report back on the difference it makes. The one in there at the mo is very yellow. Be interesting to find out what it is when I pull it out....

Dan

[Planecrazy]

I have seen lots of comments on the Silverstar, but none yet that say how well they stand up to normal vibration on the bike.

Ron, you may want to re-read my last post on the Silverstar ... I DID say that I'm on my third season with the same bulb. No vibration related failures here. Also, with regard to your concern about price, I also stated that I buy the 9003 "twin-pack" which at least here in the states results in a price break per bulb, as well as giving you a spare to stow on the bike in case there IS a failure while you're on the road.

One thing I didn't mention before is that I always run my high beam during the day, both for better visibility and for better reliability of the low beam at night, since it isn't being worn out during the day when it makes no difference to other drivers which beam is on...

Regards,

[focus frenzy]

Osram owns Sylvania. Your bulb is a standard Osram H4 bulb. It's a very good bulb, but not as bright or the same as an Osram Silverstar H4.

it is a osram silverstar, blue tint glass, silver end

[Boondocks]

The Osram Silverstar is clear, not blue. The Sylvania Silverstar is blue, but doesn't put out the light intensity of the original clear high output Osram Silverstar.

[argonsagas]

Ron, you may want to re-read my last post on the Silverstar ... I DID say that I'm on my third season with the same bulb. No vibration related failures here. Also, with regard to your concern about price, I also stated that I buy the 9003 "twin-pack" which at least here in the states results in a price break per bulb, as well as giving you a spare to stow on the bike in case there IS a failure while you're on the road.

One thing I didn't mention before is that I always run my high beam during the day, both for better visibility and for better reliability of the low beam at night, since it isn't being worn out during the day when it makes no difference to other drivers which beam is on...

Regards,

Sorry, Steve, but I missed that.

The costs for many items, motorcycle or otherwise, are different in Canada than in USA, even for identical products.

Headlamp bulbs fit into this category, as do bike tires. I look at e-bay or other US suppliers for this reason, although buying from them entails shipping, currency exchange and, possibly, taxes to add into the total.
The vibration is a curious thing, as it may be peculiar to my bike. Bulbs purchased from the same supplier lasted in my car for more than two years, and it was on the road more than the bike.

BTW
With tires, what you might consider an expensive tire at US$95 is a true bargain here, where the cost for the same tire might be $235.
In fact, this was the actual difference with my last Metzeler purchase from Ron Ayers.