BACK AND FORTH - SilverStar Ultra Headlight Bulbs vs. LED

[Pain Killer]

Bought the Jeep a year ago. One of the first mods were LED bulbs to replace the halogen headlight bulbs. I never thought the halogen were bad just not bright enough. I put the LED's in and made some adjustments but never liked the beam pattern. Sunday my wife and I were heading home from Galveston Tx. up Hwy 6. I just could not see well at all. So I bought a pair of Sylvania silver star bulbs and replaced the LED's. So much better but not white enough. Now I can see the road much better and the high beams are much better. After the install I was reading the package and realized there is a silver star ultra. The ultras are supposed to be whiter. So if anyone is thinking about changing out their halogen bulbs, try the Sylvania silver star ultra. I think you will be happier with them than LED's. Feel free to deviate from this topic.

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[Heimkehr]

I've used Silver Stars -- regular and Ultra -- in a couple of vehicles. Compared to the related basic bulbs (e.g., H4 or H13), the SSs are a little brighter and whiter, with a bit more down-road illumination. Just a bit.

That said, that improved lighting (what we might consider de facto overclocking) comes at the expense of practical service life, which is unignorably abbreviated. My record for either iteration of the Silver Star bulbs is just 2 years, whereas the basic factory bulbs are capable of lasting a decade+. The Ultras can recurringly cost $50+/pair; the latter, maybe $25.00 if you shop carefully. It adds up.

Just something to keep in mind, not least because of the effort to change headlight bulbs on a Jeep; i.e., removing both the grille and the individual headlight assemblies. Doing the latter compels re-aiming both correctly after they're reinstalled, too.

 

[WXman]

The thing about LED retrofit bulbs is that quality is drastically different between price points. Too many people buy bulbs off fleaBay or Amazon and have poor beam patterns, and then everybody on the internet says "you can't put LEDs in halogen housings".

If you spend the coin, and get quality bulbs from a reputable vendor such as Headlight Revolution or similar, you'll have STELLAR results. I have used the GTR Lighting Ultra 2 and the Supernova V.4 bulbs in JL halogen housings and they were AMAZING. Perfect, crisp beam patterns and intense light output. They ain't cheap...but neither is hitting a deer you couldn't see.

Make sure the bulbs are clocked correctly and these high quality ones will last for years and perform great. I think some of my old videos are still on YouTube somewhere from when I experimented with this on my '18 JLU.

 

[Blacksport]

The only way to go for JL Wranglers. TrueMods full LED, plug & play, $230 on Amazon. The halo can easily be wired as a DRL. Excellent cutoff on the lo-beams. The first time you drive at night, you'll be shocked. I rate them equal or better than the $1500 factory Mopars. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME USING LED BULBS IN STOCK HEADLIGHT HOUSINGS! The pattern will be disappointing...

 

[BillyToronto]

Bought these, LED bulbs for my incandescent equiped 2019 JL 2 door Sport.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CXHN1CSM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

On for just over a year, no flicker, warnings, truly plug and play. Adjusted bulb aim, never been flashed by other drivers.

Biily

 

[Pain Killer]

The only way to go for JL Wranglers. TrueMods full LED, plug & play, $230 on Amazon. The halo can easily be wired as a DRL. Excellent cutoff on the lo-beams. The first time you drive at night, you'll be shocked. I rate them equal or better than the $1500 factory Mopars...

Yeah, those look nice.

 

[embedded rock]

While I have an LED bulb in my KLX300, it's for a daytime brightness only to on-coming and side street traffic. Vehicles with LED bulbs are easily recognized and I'm not a fan.

 

[Heimkehr]

Yeah, those look nice.

Their Achilles's Heel is their non-adjustability.

The aim of the stock headlight housings can be moved up and down quickly and easily with a 6mm hex key (Allen wrench.) Doing the same for the TrueMods requires removing the grill, et cetera. That's a real commitment for the owner who cares enough to fix things when oncoming drivers recurringly flash him for his lights being aimed incorrectly. It's a double commitment for the owner who'd need to repeatedly fix his aim because of carrying heavy occasional loads.

I had considered the TrueMod lights myself, but for the avoidable absence of a simple adjustment mechanism.

 

[Sunsport]

If sticking with halogen, OSRAM Nightbreakers are your best bet. I run them in my YJ which I converted to H4 housings. Night and day difference from stock halogens and notably brighter than the original JL halogens. Usable light spectrum is also much better than aftermarket LED bulbs.

 

[Heimkehr]

I've heard nothing but good things about the OSRAM Nightbreaker bulbs. That said, my hesitation to use them stems from having used both the Sylvania Silverstars and the SS Ultras. Those bulbs make similar claims to performance. More to the point, would the Nightbreakers last barely two years, as the Silverstars do, based on how hot the bulbs are required to run in order to meet their mission brief?

I don't mind paying for quality or performance, but the ROI has to give me some love, too.

 

[Sunsport]

I can't comment on longevity. They've been in there a few years, but my YJ is a garage queen and only driven for fun in the summer months/stored for winter.

 

[Heimkehr]

I can't comment on longevity. They've been in there a few years, but my YJ is a garage queen and only driven for fun in the summer months/stored for winter.

When used on daily drivers, which is likely the concern of most owners here, the service life of every upmarket headlight bulb that I've used has been no more than 24 months, if that. Something that the informed buyer should keep in mind.

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