TheChad

Hey All,

I am wanting to put new bulb's in my '11 F-150, there's nothing wrong with the OEM bulbs, but I like the blue/white tint instead of the yellow that the OEM bulbs come..

I had some eBay special XD5 bulbs w/Quartz glass in my '04 Saturn Ion, and they performed well for 8 years before they went out, XD5 doesn't make any H13 or H10 bulbs so I can't buy those same bulbs.

I did however do a search for "H10 Quartz" and "H13 Quartz" on eBay and found GP Thunder bulbs, I don't know for sure, but I'm thinking they are made by the same company as the HD5 bulbs...

Anyway, the XD5 bulbs I had in my Saturn Ion were 5800K, the GP Thunder bulbs are 7500K.

I am also considering Sylvania Silver Star's, which are 4000K, or PIAA Xtreme White Plus's which are also 4000k..

The cost is as follows:

Piaa's (H10's & H13's) - $120.17
SilverStars (H10's & H13's) - $67.98
GP Thunder (H10's & H13's) - $33.98

I know Piaa's are great bulbs, but unless someone can tell me from experience that they are worth spending 2x more for, I would just assume take them off the list and decide between the SilverStar's & GP Thunders..

The SilverStar's are the same 4000k as the Piaa's and Sylvania is obviously well known and almost every OEM uses them, so I can't imagine them being not as good as Piaa's..

I've read that when you go too blue you actually loose light on the road, so that worries me with the GP thunders being 7500k..

My truck is not my daily driver, and typcially when I'm driving my truck at night I'm in pitch black dark camp grounds, boat ramps, etc. So I want GOOD headlamps, but I don't want to waste money for no reason.

I really would like to get the GP Thunder's but I am worried that they would be too blue and actually hinder my lighting, so I'm torn between the GP Thunders and the Silverstar's, again unless someone can tell me real life experience that shows the Piaa's being worth spending 2x more for them..

Thanks all,

-TheChad

Kochrane

I've had Silverstars in my 94 F150 and in my 03 F150 and i've always loved them. I never had any experience with the PIAA bulbs though.

FishHuntRide

I'd like to hear more about bulb options too. I searched the forum but thought there might be some new options for 2012. I don't care for the weird annoying hues of light that I see on some cars/trucks. What I want is a whiter, brighter, longer, wider beam so I can see better.

I see bulbs listed from 4000k on up but honestly, I don't know what "k" delivers the light I want? Also, what is the max. watt bulbs that are 1) safe for stock wiring and 2) if different the max. legal bulb watt?

Kenferg1

I like my silverstars as well. Brighter than stock, passenger side roadside is well lit. I didn't do the fogs since I couldn't justify the expense as the silverstars are supposed to have a shorter life. I use my fogs as DRLs.

TheChad

Well, I ended up going with the silverstars!

The fogs are ALOT brighter, since they are 9145's I stead of 9140's, they have a little more wattage.. The headlights don't seem any brighter but are a little whiter.

-TheChad

ecoboosted

HID's are the way to go. 5000k (white) or 6000k (blue tint). Jon To in the vendor section is the man!

FishHuntRide

Okay, I'm heading out on a maybe thousand mile trip and this time of year I will be driving in the dark, in deer, elk, etc. country. Before I go out and buy Silver Star Ultra or PIAA, anyone have something better that is a direct replacement for the OEM bulbs? Thanks!