I am looking for the brightest incandescent light bulbs I can buy for my 2008 f150. I heard Silverstar Ultras? Are there any other options? I want white light, not blueish or yellow, just white.

I also want the brightest fog light bulbs, any recommendations on those?

 

I had Silverstar Ultras in my Xterra. They were better and whiter than stock, but not amazing in my opinion. I just put Phillips Xtreme Power in my 07 f150 and I think the results are pretty much the same. They're a little better and whiter than stock, but nothing to write home about.

 

Xtremes or SS ultras.....bulb life wont be as long as oem....

 

Philip Extreme Power... candlepower.com has good prices on them with great info. Check their fb page for any deals. I've tried the Silverstars and they were terrible. I had them for 2 years and have had these for about 1 year. Replace once per year and you are good to go.

 

Here's a recent member I recommended them too and he was happy with them

https://www.f150online.com/forums/il...t-dilemma.html

 

On my 2nd set of Silverstars in my '06.

I did the lumen meter check doing the upgrades, I am still trying to find my notes on it from my truck.

1st was the stock Sylvania bulbs to Sylvania XV bulbs ( H13 Silverstars were not out yet ). The stock bulbs were less than 1 month old. Got a bump in the lumen output doing this ( seem to recall ~ 15% more lumen output ) and the color was whiter ( always do 1 bulb at a time when doing the testing ).

When the Silverstar bulbs were released, I installed them as soon as I got the new bulbs. The lumen meter showed an increase ( think it was slightly higher bump, but this was with old XV bulbs ) and the color was whiter yet.
Hard to say how new to new would be.

I had to replace them last year prior to the H13 SS Ultra release, so I cannot comment on them.

I did not like the H4 version of the Philips bulb when I looked at them for the motorcycle, so I never tried them in H13 format. I did the H4 Osram bulbs from Europe on both bikes, which is now what the Silverstar ultra bulbs are in the states. I do recall on the bike that factory H4 to Osram bulb, I had a 0.2 A power decrease when using a clamp meter on the factory wiring. I changed the wiring to use an external harness, and the lumen output increased again.

The lumen meter I have is not high end, so the spectrum is it limited ( I guess does not read above 5.5K or less ), so when a higher lumen output is registered, it is usable lumen.

The other thing that will help any bulb lumen output is using an external harness of larger gauge wire direct to a fused connection at the battery.
This is one point of gains to be had, and the least used when upgrading bulbs.

 

SSCULLY, what lumen meter are you using?

OP, Sylvania products (Silverstar line) are significantly brighter, but at the same time, a dramatically reduced lifetime, over the stock bulbs you have. Philips are just as bright as Sylvania Silverstars, but seem to last longer. If you're fine with bulbs lasting under a year, check out the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra H13 and/or the Philips XtremePower H13s. As for fog light bulbs, you could upgrade to a 9006 (little trimming of the base) and go from a 45W to a 55W bulb. Be weary of the 9005 mod, I've heard 65W may melt your housings.

 

Mine is an old Amprobe.

I have to comment on the "dramatically reduced lifetime" of the Silverstar bulb.

I am just now on my 2nd set of SS H13, I got the 1st ones straight away when released ( ~ Q4CY06 ? ), and took a look, the next set I got was JAN-2011. I still have the same set of Silverstar H1 bulbs in the Hella grille upgrade lamps.

I did the set in JAN-2011 due to losing the low beam on the driver's side, pass I replaced with the set ( as it would be due any day ).
I know I should be on my 4th set using the mfgr guidelines, but I am a bit jaded at listening to replacement intervals on lamps from the company that makes money by selling them.

I will say I never tried the H13 Philips bulbs due to the side by side with H4 bulbs in motorcycles. The Philips H4 bulb was nothing to write home about when compared to the Sylvania Silverstar H4 bulb.

When I was in Europe ( I always stop by the motorcycle shops and check out things) and saw the Osram plus bulbs I bought a few sets each time I was there for people. These are what the Silverstar ultra line in the US now ( this was back in ~ 2005 ).

 

I agree with what you say about the lifetime of them. Sylvania guarantees them for a year. I've had about 4 sets before I went HID, the shortest lastes abotu 6 months, the longest about two years. Its a hit and swing, depending on the voltage fluctuation of the truck, how much you use them, and even if you live in city or rural. I'm not a fan of Sylvania due to the shady tactics they use for advertising (on the back of their packages it clearly states all output claims are based on competitors bulbs at 80% power and theirs at 100% power).

While Osram owns Sylvania, the Osram bulbs in Europe are much higher quality than the Silverstar line here. I don't blame you that you grab a few while you're over there. I'd buy a whole car load and sell them over here, especially the H-series. I have a few friends that order theirs from EU-based sellers and spend up to $150 for a pack of Osram bulbs.

 

The myth continues :

No mention of competitors bulb...

Where did you get the Osram bulbs are a higher quality from ?

I only got them as the H4 Silverstar ultra bulb was not even mentioned yet, and these were widely available in Europe.
The other delta, the Osram bulbs do not have that blue tint on them like the US versions, it is all filament change.
EEC legal bulbs. Osram UK site has the Silverstar description on it, and how the bulb works.

Higher cost does not mean higher quality.
Not too sure what bulbs your friends are purchasing for 150.00 a pack, the H4 2 bulb pack was no where near this, and I had to pay VAT at the time.
My helmet from the UK did not have that much in shipping total, so it is not that, and they should be VAT exempt when ordering online.

 

Of course its not going to say competitors bulb. You're supposed to infer that yourself. Sylvania USA knows that testing the Silverstar against other halogen bulbs run at the same voltage as Silverstars results in the Silverstars falling way behind in the brightness test.

Osram bought Sylvania years ago, while they do have some intermingling, they aren't the same product.

 

You are correct, you are inferring that, they are not implying it.
BTW : That is not 80% of the voltage, that is 80% of the lumen output, as in an old bulb that should be replaced.
This is what someone would see in replacing a 1+ yr old bulbs and installing a Silverstar bulbs in the same vehicle.

A few decades ago, which still does not answer, where did you get the Osram bulbs are a higher quality from ?

 

Here's a good website for automotive lighting. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/


I am now running Philips Xtreme bulbs for over a year and a bit with no issues. Bulbs are running strong and lights are on whenever I drive: daytime running lights in Canada and light switch on Auto. These bulbs made a big difference in how the light was projected as well as how far down the road they shined. I found it a lot safer driving at night in dark roads and poor weather. Two vendors are Powebulb in the UK and Candlepower in the USA. Prices have dropped as well ... well worth the look.

 

Yup, they are awesome... still can't get over the high beams... really really bright

 

If you have the large 04-05 fog housings, you can use the 9005 bulb without melting. It is a 65w high beam bulb, ridiculously bright in those fog housings. When I had them (Silverstar 9005) I got flashed a lot in my lifted F150 because they were too bright. But they really lit up the road well in rain and fowl weather.