Hey Guys,

So I've had 9005 Silverstars in my fog lights for about three months. Last week one of the fog lights went out (the bulb).

Has anyone had their Silverstar fog light bulbs blow that fast? I made extra sure not to touch the bulb while installing it.

Thats awefully fast to blow being as expensive as they are.

Is it possible to return them (I bought them at Walmart, still have the package but it's noticeably torn) or should I contact Sylvania?

This stinks,

Duke

 

Hi Duke,
My only advise would be to return them to WalMart for a refund. They will take returns for up to a year from what i have been told.

BTW, I have noticed a lot of guys here who have replaced the stock Fog bulbs with those 9005 Silverstars are starting to complain about them going out in a matter of months.

On the other hand my 5 year old 2001 Screw with 100K of HARD miles still has the stock original fog light bulbs and still work... I will be leaving the stock ones in my 2005 FTX.

 

That is probably about right for 9005 silverstars. The 9005 bulbs alot of us are running in the fogs is actually a 65watt high beam light used in most imports. The rated life on a 9005 Silverstar is only 60 hrs. Where as the rated life on a factory 45watt 9145 fog light is 1,000 hrs. High beam lights were not made for long term constant use like fog lights, they are only designed for occasional use. If you do the math, the 9005 silverstars will only last 6% of the time a 9145 bulb would last. For Example if you used yours lights at a rate that the stock 9145 bulb would last 4 years, then if you replaced it with a 9005 and used it the same amount it would only last .24 years which is exactly 3 months.

If you don't want to replace them every 3 months, your only choice is to not use them constantly, which pretty much defeats the purpose of you putting them in there. That's the price we pay to play.

THe 9006 is the 55watt low beam version of that bulb and is rated for 150 hrs. which is at the above rate only six months, but thats double the 9005, However it is not as bright. I am not positive, but I think it does have the same socket so it should fit.

Carl

 

Hey CarlJ,

Those are good points. That really stinks though. $40 every 3 months is too expensive for fog lights.

Isn't Silverstar making a 9145?

Duke

 

I just run the regular 9005's. They are much cheaper, like $6 a piece, and they are just as bright and look like your regular headlights. Plus the regular 9005's are rated at like 320 hrs instead of 60 like the silverstars. AND if you can find the 9005LL, which is the long life bulbs, they are rated at 700 hrs.

To give you an idea about the life expectancy, the H13 dual filament bulbs that are in your headlights are standard 55/65w low/high beam bulbs and the low beam is rated at 1500 hrs, but the high beam filament is only rated at 200 hrs.

 

Interesting. The thing I liked about the silverstars though was how white they are. I wanted a fog light that was white enough to come close to matching my HID retrofit. Are the SS 9145s pretty white like the SS 9005? So the regular 9005 is the same brightness and output as the silverstar 9005? Just the SS 9005 is whiter looking?

Thanks again,

Duke

 

There is a little difference between the regular ones and the silverstars, but not alot. However, the Xtravision bulbs are just as bright as the silverstars, but they are the regular color instead of the bright white. That's what I run, the H13Xtravision's and the 9005's in the fogs. All 9005's are rated at 65watts, but that is just the power consumption, the actual light output, in lumens or MSCD, is higher in the SS's and the XV's, than the regular ones or the cool blue's.

People always say that the higher the color temperature, i.e. the whiter the light or blue and purple even as it increases even more, that they get brighter. WELL this is actually false. The higher the color temp the lower the light output. Sure you can find really bright high color temp lights, but they will have to be a higher wattage or have a brighter burning filament, which burns out much faster, to produce the same amount of visible light as the lower color temp bulbs.

Sylvania says they make a 9145 silverstar bulb, but I can't find any specs on it. But to answer your question, yes the color will be the same as the ss 9005's. It just won't be as bright as it is only a 45watt bulb. BUT it will last much longer. The regular 9145's are rated at 1000 hrs, but the silver stars are usually rated considerably less, due to their higher light output, but they will be much better than the 60hr rating of the 9005 Silverstars.

 

Well I'm going to try and take them back to Walmart and see what they say when I try to return them. I can't find the reciept anywhere but maybe they'll give me store credit. Somehow I doubt they'll take them back if I tell them one of the bulb blew after two months and I don't have a reciept.

I'll probably just end up going with the SS 9145. I'd rather them come closer to matching my HID headlights and last longer than the 9005 ss. I'm not worried about light output because my HIDs will be unreal and I wouldn't even be able to tell that the fog lights are on.

Duke

 

Yes they make them. Have them in my truck. Don't know the life expectency, but so far so good.
Don't expect to see the 9145ST at Walmart. Mine sure doesn't have much of a selection. Got mine at Advance Auto Parts.

 

Hey Carl... where did you get the 60 hour number? Just curious...

 

Do you think they're a lot brighter than the stock bulbs or kinda the same just a little whiter?

 

I had ONE of mine blow within 4 months of installation, the filiment not only broke, but completely metled away! The other one, however, is still going strong and it has been well over 8 months on that one.....go figure.....

 

Both in my opinion.

My 9005's in the 9145 socket on my 01 KR went for 13.5 months and blew, one at a time. The first went on a Monday and the other blew on a Thursday.

 

I think I'll be sticking with the 9145ST SilverStars.

 

They are definitely whiter. I would say somewhat brighter. Maybe 10-20%. Maybe a little more.
I do think they are worth the money, as long as they don't blow out in 6 months. I don't know if I would ever go the 9005 route, but a Silverstar in the 9145 fog, yes.