headlight bulbs, where is the best place to get bulbs? Options

[garin]

i was wonder where the best place is to buy headlight bulbs for celicas. pepboys and advanced auto parts seem so expensive. i want 800k (or super white) my friend told mw about his shop teacher and how het got bulbs off of ebay that lasted for 3 days. just wanted to get an idea. on ebay they're like under $20 for 2 sets (1 high and 1 low beam) in stores it's like $50 for a single set. also on ebay the sets of 4 are like 500k not 800k.

thanks

[Remy]

I got my white bulbs from ebay don't remember who the seller was though but they still work, much better then the yellow ones that was on the car.

[garin]

I got my white bulbs from ebay don't remember who the seller was though but they still work, much better then the yellow ones that was on the car.

find the link for me if you can. was it a set of 4 i guess? do you know what the rating was?

[mneal2_92788]

i get silverstars from autozone, they are great. fourty bucks a pair

[Remy]

I got them when I first bought my car which was 2+ years ago it look something like this and it was for both hi and low bulbs. They were cheap but I just hated the yellow look of the beam thats why I tested the ebay ones and they were really good for the price too, mines are still good 2+ years still works like new !!

Example below:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-95-96-97...sspagenameZWDVW

[GriffGirl]

The eBay ones are pretty okay, just be mindful of the wiring to your socket, they tend to burn hotter than standard bulbs and can burn out the wires. Also I've found in the past when I had these that they're great in the summer/dry weather, but they kinda suck in rainy weather, ESPECIALLY at night.

Yellow enhances depth perception.

[Remy]

The eBay ones are pretty okay, just be mindful of the wiring to your socket, they tend to burn hotter than standard bulbs and can burn out the wires. Also I've found in the past when I had these that they're great in the summer/dry weather, but they kinda suck in rainy weather, ESPECIALLY at night.

Yellow enhances depth perception.

Almost every bulb will not be as effective in the rain unless you have real HID's.

[ej8ferio702]

The eBay ones are pretty okay, just be mindful of the wiring to your socket, they tend to burn hotter than standard bulbs and can burn out the wires. Also I've found in the past when I had these that they're great in the summer/dry weather, but they kinda suck in rainy weather, ESPECIALLY at night.

Yellow enhances depth perception.

Almost every bulb will not be as effective in the rain unless you have real HID's.

i have to agree.. real HIDs FTW! lol.. but hey if your on a tight budget Ebay is your best friend! lol.. i got my polarg H3s for my civic before for 25, and they are real polarg not those fake ones that looks yellow but when they are lit up they are just like a stock bulb

[mikew04]

i get silverstars from autozone, they are great. fourty bucks a pair

Ditto, I think they work great and give your car an updated look with the color temp being 4000k. Sometimes you can find them cheaper too.

[hongkongnerdboy]

ehh HIR bulbs from john deere

awesome lights

griffgirl did you ever get those bulbs yet?

[Tigawoods]

i get silverstars from autozone, they are great. fourty bucks a pair

Ditto, I think they work great and give your car an updated look with the color temp being 4000k. Sometimes you can find them cheaper too.

X3. they are worth the money. they are as bright as you are going to get without getting hids

[hongkongnerdboy]

HIR are brighter than silverstars though o.O

[GriffGirl]

No, I never did find them around here. I'm still thinking about getting the HID kit. I really want to go that route, but I'm a little concerned about reliability. I haven't heard really one way or the other on here about how people's kits are actually performing. Do they hold up well? Are they burning out? How long do the bulbs last? That kinda stuff.

[DEATH]

Mine are doing fine now that they are wired up correctly using proper connectors and not just 50ft of loose electrical tape
I intend to get replacement bulbs soon so I can not worry about them in the future.

This post has been edited by DEATH: May 29, 2008 - 4:40 PM

[gwolanske]

Ok, here's a debate for ya (that I'm having with myself)

My girlfriend is blind at night (big thick glasses) and I wanted to get some good bulbs for her 97 Celica.
I've read most of the posts, but the whole "melting the wiring harness" thing has me confused.
Along with the 8500k (candle power?) and the 65watt standard draw and staying below that (for that melting issue).

So I think it's between

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-SETS-EURO...emZ220266179724

(Batman has the ones in the above link)

OR

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Sylvania-Silversta...86.c0.m14.l1318

(most folks love these except for Supersprynt)

Thoughts??? Comments???
(don't try to talk me into projectors or anything.... )

Thanks
G

[Galcobar]

Colour is measured by temperature, on the Calvin scale. 3200K is the typical colour of a standard halogen bulb, 4000K the colour of a blue-tinted bulb such as the true crap you get on Ebay, the less crappy Philips BlueVision or the expensive Sylvania Silverstars. And here's a trick -- full sunlight is a lot brighter than an overcast day, but has a lower colour temperature. It's like saying Metallica is louder than Bach because of the type of music, when how loud the music plays is determined by the volume knog -- entirely separate issues.

Here's a reality check: tinting a bulb makes it dimmer. Blue tints to not make it brighter. A tint is a filter, meaning it cuts out some of the light to change the colour. Less yellow light from a white source means less total light.

Moreover, blue light at night is bad. Human eyes work best in low light situations with red and yellow frequencies. Ever driven by a flashing yellow warning light at night? Notice it doesn't cause glare or leave an afterimage.

Blue light is also bad in rain, snow, fog -- any conditions with water in the air. Because of its narrower wavelength, blue light gets bounced around by water and turns a fog bank into a glowing wall which you cannot see beyond. Lower colour temps cut through the water so you can actually see the road.

HID is a great lighting technology that still has issues with its colour temperature, but because the colour is due to more production of blue wavelengths it still offers the benefits of the yellow light that is filtered out by tints on "HID-look" halogens.

For more light on the road, get a high or ultra-high efficiency bulb in the standard halogen colour output. Philips Premium/Osram Super at 30%, Philips VisionPlus/Osram Silverstar (Sylvania Silverstars are Osrams with a blue tint) at 50%, or the even higher output bulbs from 60% to 80% more usable light. Just keep in mind that going over 30% means you start losing life expectancy on the bulb -- at 50%, the rated life drops to 150 hours, compared to 800 for a standard halogen.

EDIT: Best dealer I've found for quality bulbs is powerbulbs.com. Decent prices, free shipping worldwide, huge selection.

This post has been edited by Galcobar: Aug 7, 2008 - 6:16 PM