The stock headlights are sealed beam lamps. You can't replace only the bulb unless you've installed aftermarket housings which accept bulbs.
If you want factory replacements, you're only decent option are the Sylvanias, should be available at your favorite local parts store. If you want to upgrade to something else, there are quite a few options, from basic 4x6" reflector housings, all the way up to the HID kit made by doublec4 on here, which uses a molded top and projector housings, and eliminates the pop-up motors and doors.
Wagner makes a good sealed beam lamp - I think it's called "Brite Lite." I used them on my Suburban and was very happy with them. At least as good if not better than the Sylvania Silver or Ultra Stars. Rockauto stocks them for just a couple bucks each. Actually kind of amazing they can be that inexpensive. Interestingly, the Wagners were built like a composite headlight - with a reflector/lens housing and a discrete bulb epoxied in. Kinda weird, but worked great.
[This message has been edited by thesameguy (edited 12-23-2015).]
I never had any problem with the Silverstars on my car. The lamps are still good even, and I installed them in 2007.
And just because they were sued doesn't mean much. Lots of companies get sued for ridiculous claims. In this case, it was settled out of court as OSRAM decided it would likely be cheaper to just settle out of court, rather than take on the expense of a drawn out litigation process to defend their advertising. Class action suits like this are often settled in such a manner, and they are almost always a meaningless way to determine the actual quality of the product in question.
Originally posted by 2.5: I never eally could determine why some bulbs are supposedly brighter if they are still 55 watt. I mean if they are mounted in the same reflector too.
Slightly different mixtures of gas in the bulb. Different gases and mixtures thereof will result in different levels of luminosity and color. Just comparing the wattage isn't enough, because wattage alone isn't a measure of efficiency regarding how much of that wattage becomes light, heat, or other wasted energy.
If there is extra money in the wallet buying H4 etc. housings and discrete bulbs can be a substantial improvement in light output and beam pattern and gives options for bulbs. But, you're talking about the difference between $5 or $10 sealed beams and $40 housings and $10+ bulbs. Major dollar shift.
Slightly different mixtures of gas in the bulb. Different gases and mixtures thereof will result in different levels of luminosity and color. Just comparing the wattage isn't enough, because wattage alone isn't a measure of efficiency regarding how much of that wattage becomes light, heat, or other wasted energy.
Makes sense, also though means its silly if its true that law enforcements rule is 55w or less, which i have heard but dont know if its true.
Almost all Brighter bulbs have a Short Lifetime and often draw more power then Fiero was design to handle. Many "upgrades" are illegal for street use. See my Cave, Headlights
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Originally posted by dobey: Slightly different mixtures of gas in the bulb. Different gases and mixtures thereof will result in different levels of luminosity and color. Just comparing the wattage isn't enough, because wattage alone isn't a measure of efficiency regarding how much of that wattage becomes light, heat, or other wasted energy.
You are referring to Color Temperature, measure in °K? above 4500°K the more blue output will be regardless of type, meaning any bulb, real HID or LED. While bright on paper Blue light causes many people big problems including major glare problem for owners w/ them and to other drivers. Worse when morons don't aim them correctly or use HID in Halogen housings.
Originally posted by 2.5: Makes sense, also though means its silly if its true that law enforcements rule is 55w or less, which i have heard but dont know if its true.
Originally posted by theogre: You are referring to Color Temperature, measure in °K? above 4500°K the more blue output will be regardless of type, meaning any bulb, real HID or LED. While bright on paper Blue light causes many people big problems including major glare problem for owners w/ them and to other drivers. Worse when morons don't aim them correctly or use HID in Halogen housings.
Yes. Different gases burn at different temperatures, and produce different colors of light. Mixing a tiny bit of other gases in with the halogen bulbs changes their color and light output. Different coatings are also used on some bulbs. The filament wire also matters.
Above 4500K, the light is whiter. The "ultra white" bulbs tend to be around 5000-5500K. At 6000K there is more noticeably blue light. Then at even higher temperatures you will get green, purple, etc… The typical traditional sealed beam and halogen headlights that have been in use for the last many decades are all around 4300K, which is the soft white that has a bit of yellow to it.
Light at midday on a clear day is around 5500K. Glare happens for many reasons. Color temperature has little to do with it. Improperly aimed lights, using bright lights in the city, and the wrong bulbs in the wrong housing all contribute. So does your windshield being dirty.
Had Silverstars before and these things far outshine them !
I would agree, as I have had the same experience. My Fiero had not driven in night hours for a few years and when I was out at night I could not believe how dim the headlights were compared to my 06 daily driver. So I upgraded to Silverstars. They were better than the standard halogen sealed beam units that had been on the car, but they still were not as bright as my regular car. So I bought the Hella kit and installed it. The Hellas are a very close match to the light output and throw of my daily driver.
Above Hella housing are legal only w/ 9003 50/65w bulbs.
Anyone saying X bulbs are dim likely has old bulbs, wiring problems, or both. Old cars often have wiring issues and adding relays can help. Many old cars need relay just to use legal 55W low beams. Many are made for ~35W low beam and using OE High Beams (50-65w) can burn out HL and dimmer switches over time. Many even make PnP kits that fits most vehicles. Quick Examples @ amazon: 100w Ceramic Fused PnP Putco 230004HW (Bulb sockets might have clearance problems used for Fiero)
quote
Originally posted by dobey: Light at midday on a clear day is around 5500K. Glare happens for many reasons. Color temperature has little to do with it. Improperly aimed lights, using bright lights in the city, and the wrong bulbs in the wrong housing all contribute. So does your windshield being dirty.
blue to purple color HL can cause glare to many w/o adding dirty windshield etc. Overall Human Eye doesn't handle Any blue light as well as others, worse as you age. Is why using amber/yellow glasses for night or bad weather driving helps most people and same for Amber Fog lights work better then "white" HL and driving lights driving in fog and snow too. Ignore "blue blocker" sun glasses as most are tinted too dark for driving in bad weather.
Originally posted by theogre: blue to purple color HL can cause glare to many w/o adding dirty windshield etc. Overall Human Eye doesn't handle Any blue light as well as others, worse as you age. Is why using amber/yellow glasses for night or bad weather driving helps most people and same for Amber Fog lights work better then "white" HL and driving lights driving in fog and snow too. Ignore "blue blocker" sun glasses as most are tinted too dark for driving in bad weather.
Too much blue light at the wrong time is certainly bad. However, saying the human eye can't handle ANY blue light is just nonsense. The problem with whiter/bluer light at night is that it reflects more, and it causes the human brain to be more alert. Too much blue light can cause glare, but some amount is necessary when driving at night, or you will just fall asleep. Blue light scatters more, but even ~4300K factory halogen lights will have scattered light in many situations, such as simply being in a more humid location.
Also, because whiter/bluer light reflects much more, is why it's hard to see in snow or dense fog. Even standard 4300K low beams reflect too much and are positioned too high, to be of use in such weather. Even with 3500K fog lights mounted low enough to make the road immediately in front of you more visible, your visibility will be greatly limited, and even factory low beam headlights may reflect too much light in such weather.
Anyway, I was simply answering the question of how the manufacturers make bulbs that at 55w are "brighter" and "reach further and wider" than standard factory replacement halogen bulbs; not try to get into a debate about what frequencies of light are good or bad for the human eye. They change the composition of the bulb so that it burns at closer to 5000K.
For sealed beam replacements, I'll stick with Silverstars. I've used them on multiple cars and they do appear brighter than even new standard sealed beams. Once you decide to go with a conversion kit and move to a unit with replaceable bulbs, the sky's the limit. Personally I would only use and recommend lights that are DOT approved. Many H4 and HID conversions are not DOT compliant and don't have good light control. They can end up blinding oncoming traffic.
I've got a set of Hella h4 housings in one vehicle and Truck-Lite H4 housings in another. Both have the same Hella 'off road only' bulbs, but the Truck-Lites are much better at putting the light where it needs to be. On the vehicle with the Hella housings, I've added a set of factory driving lights and the overall forward lighting is still less than the Truck-Lites. They are that good.
Back when my Fiero had stock headlights, I tried out the Sylvania Silverstars and was really impressed with them. They were better than the stock replacement headlights in every way; better beam pattern, more light output, and brighter light (bright white, as opposed to the yellowish light from the stock lights).
Ogre has a point, though. Brighter lights won't last as long. But they may save you from crashing into something. So IMO it's worth it.
[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 12-27-2015).]
I never had any problem with the Silverstars on my car. The lamps are still good even, and I installed them in 2007.
FWIW, I've had a pair of 9006 Silverstars on my Blazer for almost 10 years. They're still going strong. My Blazer is lifted so it rides like an empty dump truck. I had heard rumors that the Silverstars had a super short life span but I took a chance. Well worth the money.
Originally posted by Monkeyman: FWIW, I've had a pair of 9006 Silverstars on my Blazer for almost 10 years. They're still going strong. My Blazer is lifted so it rides like an empty dump truck. I had heard rumors that the Silverstars had a super short life span but I took a chance. Well worth the money.
Bulb life for you and others mean little. What you get varies allot. Some last years others won't see long life. Many not even Lifetime specs listed in catalogs etc.
Because Many things can affect bulb life... 2 common examples: Good Alt. Most know a Bad alt can over charge battery but can shorten life for all bulbs and other electronic parts on at the time. Poor wiring. Bulb gets low volts will have longer life. Just 1v up or down vs bulb specs can matter.
Lifetime specs are done in a lab and test X size sample, say 100-500 bulbs in a test. Test last so majority are dead.
[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 12-28-2015).]
I seen some new lights on TV last weekend on one of the car shows. It replaces the sealed beam with a light that has a replaceable bulb. Then instead of the normal bulb, it has a regular headlite plus some LEDS surrounding it that plug into the same socket. Its a plug n play other than a small controller thats also installed. You can set it to also glow any color with/without the lite (similar to Halos), change thru all the colors, or even respond to sound, like music. Kind of trick for car shows I guess if your into that kind of thing.
I seen some new lights on TV last weekend on one of the car shows. It replaces the sealed beam with a light that has a replaceable bulb. Then instead of the normal bulb, it has a regular headlite plus some LEDS surrounding it that plug into the same socket. Its a plug n play other than a small controller thats also installed. You can set it to also glow any color with/without the lite (similar to Halos), change thru all the colors, or even respond to sound, like music. Kind of trick for car shows I guess if your into that kind of thing.
Maybe legal for Canada... US use can be big problems. Built-in Halos and many other "H4 types" are illegal in most states. Any colored lights in front, except for amber/yellow for fog, turn/park and marker lights, is a problem driving on the street. Cops can stop you just for having bad/illegal lights. Inspections can/will fail you.
Point taken, Ohio is one of the strictest on lighting. I just threw it in 'as available'. I see that type around here at shows, but not used on the street...they just dont turn the LEDs on.
Originally posted by fierosound: It's a good point you made that they may NOT be DOT legal. But the guy who'd want these won't care...
True but Many buy and trust seller but don't know Vendors are vary good at selling illegal and bad lights.
H4 and HID aren't only problems... Completely ignoring Legal issues, Most LED to replace normal bulbs are unsafe, don't last, and/or "load resistors" often needed can melt things or even cause fires. Power Resisters get hot or hotter then 889 bulb for high brake light.
