I did a search and found this
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=6239.0
But everything said on there confused me, so I'm just trying to clear this up.
A good bulb is the Sylvania SilverStar H4?
Someone said the H4 was 60/45 but the website says 60/55 and I thought the GS uses H4 bulbs?
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/Silverstar/ProductLine/ (http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/Silverstar/ProductLine/)
The GS500f does use the H4, BUT those numbers represent the wattage. The first number is the intensity of the high beam, while the second is for the low beam.
I've got a yellow bulb from lockhart philips that's abount 100/60 or 100/80... I can't remember. I've still got it for sale. Only used less than two or three months before I got another bike.
Quote from: seshadri_srinath on December 30, 2003, 01:21:26 PM
I have silverstars in my GS. Make sure you buy a 9003 silver star. Not a H4, not one that says for motorcycle only, not one that is rated 65/45, do not buy H4 silverstars. The H4 silverstars are 65/45. 9003 silverstars are 65/55. 9003 is the same as H4 except its targeted at cars. I bought them by mistake. Anyway I was asking about xenon ones. Walmart has some and there is a ton of it cheaper than walmart on ebay.
Cool.
Srinath.
Thats from the other thread, this is what Im referring to. He is saying the H4 Silverstars are 65/45 but the website says 60/55.
Basiclly my main question is exactly what blub should I purchse?
Xenon bulbs require special reflectors/projectors. They won't work in the GS and they're not legal in the GS' fixture.
What about the Sylvania SilverStars?
get one you will like it .. i like mine :) its the same as the stock one that comes in the gs but its brighter .. it just so happens that my eclipse takes the same kinda of lights :) i like mine.. there for a while i always ran with my high beam on .... but i dont no more .. i like it .. its alot brighter then the stock one so i'm happy
get the H4 on the top of the link you posted. It is for motorcycle use, and in the store it is the only one packaged that says for motorcycle use. 12v battery as opposed to 18v car battery. I used it for a while and was very pleased.
60/55 referrs to the power in Watts of the high & low beams. Intensity can be though of as a figure of brightness relative to the human eye. The intensity is what blinds you whan a HID-kit car is coming your way. That and the reflection from your dirty-ass windshield.
I think halogen bulbs are only about 5% efficient, meaning 95% of that power is turned into heat. Xenon bulbs (maybe 10-15% efficient??) appear so much brighter because the light is emitted foreward out of the housing, as opposed to halogen bulbs which emit light in all directions & have to be reflected foreward with mirrors (greater loss). For comparison, a class 4 (extremely dangerous) laser diode runs at greater than only 1 Watt, though all of the light is emitted in a thin beam & tiny point. Class 4 lasers are used to cut through human flesh, steel, etc.
Hella makes a bi-Xenon assembly, but it is in the $450 range. They also make individual high/low beam Xenon units, but they are extremely expensive as well. I mentioned Hella because theirs is a true Xenon unit & housing set up to run on a 12v motorcycle battery. You'd still have to figure out how to mount the things as well. For a while now, I've been toying w/ the idea of getting a bi-Xenon unit from a car salvage yard, and then just doing some sort of step-down conversion to get it to run properly on the 12v battery. Though, I'm doing too much other stuff to my bike now to worry about it. Maybe this summer...
U cant use Xenon cause u need to also change bulb holder , lighting reflector (inner silver cap) and also glass. In Gs500 use half symmetrical head lamp glass and Xenon use none symmetrical glass.
Best idea to buy Hella Blue H4 60/55 head lamp this will give u xenon blue light and more brightness, i m not sure about code but i think Hella 435. This is best offer for u. Also Xenon will make problem with your power supply don't forget.
^^^ :thumb:
if you go and buy one of those Xenon conversion kits that utilize your current housing, it's possible that the bulb will melt the plastic.
Quote from: l3uddha on February 15, 2007, 09:53:47 AM
12v battery as opposed to 18v car battery.
Car batteries are 12v too. That's why we can jump start bikes with them. If they were 18v, we'd fry the bikes.
I do not use silvertars anymore. They look great, but if you ride alot you will blow them quickly. I pop a silverstar headlight every 4/5k miles or so. I just never felt like carrying around two lamps when I approximated its end. I did not like riding with the high beam on because I know it blinded cars.
Quote from: Chuckles on February 15, 2007, 12:06:25 PM
I do not use silvertars anymore. They look great, but if you ride alot you will blow them quickly. I pop a silverstar headlight every 4/5k miles or so. I just never felt like carrying around two lamps when I approximated its end. I did not like riding with the high beam on because I know it blinded cars.
Couple questions for you.
What causes hem to blow?
Do you just use stock now? or what do you use?
And for everyone else that doesnt use stock headlights...what do you guys use?
what causes them to blow is tha the element in the bulb is weaker and the bulbs are built in substandard facillities...the gas isn't pure and the alloys aren't made to the same speifications. They're just not as good. I used to use them exclusively because they burned white and I thought it looked cooler but I was replacing them every month and half...$280 a year in lightbulbs is stupid. Stick with GE/Bosche.
Quote from: NiceGuysFinishLast on February 15, 2007, 10:42:04 AM
Car batteries are 12v too. That's why we can jump start bikes with them. If they were 18v, we'd fry the bikes.
oops you're right. I dunno why I was thinking that. :cookoo:
My silverstar did burn out on me after a few months. Actually just the low beam went; which would be on 95% of the time. I popped in another generic bulb after that because I had one lying around at the time.
I just looked at the Bosch lights...this would be the correct light right?
H4 12v 60/55w
I've been using the 60/55 Hella Premium Xenon, Pt. No. XDX1260/55BL for about 8 months now with no problems. The package states 50% brighter & even though i wouldn't rate it as being that good, there's no way i'm going back to the stock bulb.
As a shift worker, i come home from work at night & there's a section of road near my place with no street lamps for about 1/4 mile. With the factory bulb, i would have to turn the high's on but the Xenon has made just enough of a difference not to bother.
Packaging may differ on your side of the pond, hopefully the part No. doesn't.
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/391582192_13517c558f_m.jpg)
H4 relates only to the bulb fitment and has nothing to do with the voltage/wattage. H4 is a recognised standard adopted by manufactures throughout the world and any bulb quoted as H4 will fit directly into the wiring plug and headlamp-bowl on the GS5.
Alright so Im just looking for a 60/55 H4 light?
http://db.hella.com.au/cgi-bin/catalogue.pl?flcmd=preview&flmaint=2031 (http://db.hella.com.au/cgi-bin/catalogue.pl?flcmd=preview&flmaint=2031)
there's a lot of mis-information out there on lighting.
there's also a lot of factors that effect light output and depending what your after and how much time and $ you want to spend, there are a bunch of options.
* halogen bulbs that are clear and non coated - these don't look like HID's looking into the light (there's no color), but have a clearer output in the direction the light is being thrown (ie behind the bars/wheel)
* halogen bulbs that are coated - these look better looking into the light (ie in front of the bike or car, looking at it) and can mimic HID looks with bluish or purplish tints, but output in the direction of the bulb is actually compromised. the tint is actually from the coating on the bulb.
* wiring including relays - our bikes and most don't even have them. they're usually just tapped into an already split, thin gauge wire; there's definitely room for improvement here as maximum bulb output can't be had with less then optimal voltage.
* High Intensity Discharge lights - real HID with ballasts, not 'HID looking halogen bulbs'
* light housings - optics play a big role here. Halogen bulb housings have multiple angle reflectors that throw light everywhere and not designed for HID's; this is what's used on our bike and most cars. HID's are housed in projectors which are a cylindrical housing that focuses the light in a particular direction.
if that's too much info. then just pick up any bulb that's appealing to your own tastes and go with it and your set. If you'd like to get deeper into the topic and read about different makes of bulbs and how to get them, wiring and relay configurations, and different housing options, check out the authority on lighting at www.danielsternlighting.com Start with the Tech section and onto the rest of the site, and if still more questions - fire off an email to him and go from there.
They can't just put HID bulbs and ballasts in and ru the stock composite housing. HID lighting needs rather particular focus...this is the reason retrofit kits aren't street legal.
The relay thing is awesome, though...I do this on my TL because it allows me to completely cut the pwoer off the lights (easier starting) and because the lights full juice from the battery. Lessens the strain on the rest of the system.
I love optics. some very interesting stuff :thumb:
Quote from: makenzie71 on February 15, 2007, 07:29:38 PM
They can't just put HID bulbs and ballasts in and ru the stock composite housing. HID lighting needs rather particular focus...this is the reason retrofit kits aren't street legal.
totally agree mak. I wouldn't do it on a GS myself, because the light would go everywhere in our housings, almost uncontrolled and into oncoming car drivers eyes (what I wouldn't want do anywhere close to me while on a bike) - I see this more on cars where HID's are in halogen housings - ciaos lighting... I was being kind of general when talking about lighting options. I've seen HID's retrofitted on bikes already with projectors stock, and that works real well, but also the most costly of the options.
For us, I'd say a quality bulb with close to stock wattage, proper wiring (good gauge wire, directly off battery, properly fused, to relays, straight to the bulbs - relay controlled from stock lighting harness), a good aiming, and done... big difference without crazy overwatted bulbs that melt harness's and not too much $.
I just use a standard h4 silverstar. My bike just blows lamps. Voltage is fine. Why do I blow bulbs? Because I ride all summer. I live in Cleveland. 16 in of snow tues. High beams during day, low beam at night. I think I blew the high beam on the silverstar last time, but it would be stupid to ride with only one filament.
Silverstars are horrible. I had them in my car and I popped one. I never drive it. I wear photography gloves... no oil whatsoever... so thats not the issue. I never touch the glass anyways... I think mileage was same on car as well.
So I was out and about tonight and picked up a pair of Pilot "Xenon"(simulated H.I.D.) bulbs.
I'll put one in tomorrow and see how it looks.
chuckles I ran bosche bulbs in my Porsche for three years without blowing a single one and I drive everywhere with my lights on. The bosche bulbs in my bimmer are factory pieces from 1996. Build quality is what determines natural lifespan.
What kinda Porsche you got?
I had a '71 911RS and later a 944S. I now drive a 328i. I'd like another RS or Sc someday, though.
in Canada, for years, day time running lights have been mandatory - so lights are on any time the car is on and ebrake down or in gear (albeit slightly dimmer compared to regular head lights, but still on). It's pretty common for quality bulbs to last for years (one of our cars is going on it's 7th year and not one bulb replacement needed, in 12 months of the year, pretty much everyday use). I'm sure there are examples in this scenario that have lasted much shorter, but at the same time, I'm sure there have been some that have lasted longer.
Well, I know I did not get a defective bulb. I have... had silverstars in my Audi, but I popped one last month or so. I only drive the car in the winter, and very rarely at that (maybe an average of 50 miles a week at best). I canot imagine that both of my vehicles have electrical problems great enough to destroy bulbs quickly. I have had them (silverstars) before and they lasted much longer then the h4's. The rated lifespan of them is less then a regular h4. I have looked on their website and it tells you avg lifespan of the regular bulbs and silverstars...
h4 silverstar avg life: 150 hrs
h4 reg halogen: 300
Bosch states 300+hrs for theirs...