PHILIPS- CrystalVision ULTRA
Administratus Emeritus
Certified Car Nut
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,539
Likes: 18
From: Purgatory, Pennsylvania
It'* really a matter of the color choice you prefer others to see as you come down the road. I hear everyone saying this one is brighter and that one is brighter. 
"DOT compliant" means they are ALL maxed at what the Government allows. Some use colored glass and coatings that give whiter, bluer, or even greener color. The only way you are going to actually get HID performance is to install "offroad only" HID. (And good luck with the Police and Inspection stations, alot of them are getting savvy to HID'* because of the complaints.) Consumer Reports did the legwork and here is the cold hard facts about xenon aftermarkets, including Philips.
The Seattle Times: Make It Count: Not all bright ideas are the most economical
Heres the end of the article that sums the tests up pretty well........
"Meanwhile, results of CR'* brightness tests showed some localized improvements, but no one replacement bulb scored consistently better than OE. The Nighthawk and APC Plasma Ultra White improved illuminance in more tests than the other bulbs, some of which did not perform as well as stock bulbs.
Premium replacement bulbs may be cosmetically pleasing — CR'* tests showed that they do yield whiter-looking light than original-equipment bulbs — but they don't offer a consistent performance advantage. In fact, they can perform worse than OE bulbs. Bottom line: Outfitting your car with these dazzling premium bulbs may not be such a bright idea."
I ran Silverstars on my Ram 3500 for awhile and found them to give a whiter light, no further distance, and they blew out twice as fast as the OEM. If and when my GXP OEM'* blow, I stick with OEM and put the savings in Nitrous. That, I know gives me an advantage.
"DOT compliant" means they are ALL maxed at what the Government allows. Some use colored glass and coatings that give whiter, bluer, or even greener color. The only way you are going to actually get HID performance is to install "offroad only" HID. (And good luck with the Police and Inspection stations, alot of them are getting savvy to HID'* because of the complaints.) Consumer Reports did the legwork and here is the cold hard facts about xenon aftermarkets, including Philips. The Seattle Times: Make It Count: Not all bright ideas are the most economical
Heres the end of the article that sums the tests up pretty well........
"Meanwhile, results of CR'* brightness tests showed some localized improvements, but no one replacement bulb scored consistently better than OE. The Nighthawk and APC Plasma Ultra White improved illuminance in more tests than the other bulbs, some of which did not perform as well as stock bulbs.
Premium replacement bulbs may be cosmetically pleasing — CR'* tests showed that they do yield whiter-looking light than original-equipment bulbs — but they don't offer a consistent performance advantage. In fact, they can perform worse than OE bulbs. Bottom line: Outfitting your car with these dazzling premium bulbs may not be such a bright idea."
I ran Silverstars on my Ram 3500 for awhile and found them to give a whiter light, no further distance, and they blew out twice as fast as the OEM. If and when my GXP OEM'* blow, I stick with OEM and put the savings in Nitrous. That, I know gives me an advantage.
Administratus Emeritus
Certified Car Nut
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,539
Likes: 18
From: Purgatory, Pennsylvania
No problem, and to tell you the truth; I was a bit surprised by the report myself. But it does make sense. When I first bent over and paid the price for the Silverstars I was a bit disappointed in that even though they were whiter looking, I really didnt notice much of a range change if any out at the end of the beam. HID is a pain, needs a relay, pulls alot more amperage from stock wiring that is known for being engineered not to allow increases. The fog light harnesses of late have had to be recalled because GM is so cheap about gauging wiring. This can be overcome by rewiring it all . But hey, I just use my brights whenever possible. I do like the blue ones and may just get them someday as a vanity upgrade. LOL But I dont expect to see the deer any better. And I doubt if they care about color temp/intensity as they lurch out in front of cars. What I hate about the GXP'* is that they have no adjustment up and down.
Senior Member
Posts like a Turbo
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 380
Likes: 1
From: Fredericton, New Brunswick.
I bought those phillips xenon gas bulbs for my high beams. (i think they're similar, i forget the particular model). I left the stock bulbs for the lows, and installed driving lights on my PA. They do give a much whiter light, and are nice and bright. I wasn't expecting high performance or anything, i just wanted to try em out. I'm happy with them.
I do NOT recommend them for low beams or driving lights because the whiter light makes it harder to see when its snowing. It'* the most common complaint I get when I install the combination high/low beam bulbs in customers'* cars. Its fine if you only use em for high beams, but if its snowing, use the lows and fog lights. As a matter of fact, the yellower the light, the better the visibility in snowy conditions. Not a problem for you folks living south..
I wonder if we will be seeing LED lights in headlights sometime down the road? They are some bright..
I do NOT recommend them for low beams or driving lights because the whiter light makes it harder to see when its snowing. It'* the most common complaint I get when I install the combination high/low beam bulbs in customers'* cars. Its fine if you only use em for high beams, but if its snowing, use the lows and fog lights. As a matter of fact, the yellower the light, the better the visibility in snowy conditions. Not a problem for you folks living south..
I wonder if we will be seeing LED lights in headlights sometime down the road? They are some bright..