Best Bulbs

[d14vd_h]

right dudes, this has probably been done to death in the past but...
whats the best bulbs,
i have philips 50% brighter ones in just now but they still look yellow!!!
given that volvo lights are always on i want some decent ones,

i want as close to gas discharge/halogen clour as legally possible without lookin 'chav' for main beams H4 fitment
thinkin LED's for side lights with silver vision indicators?
LED back brake bulbs??
and im thinkin slightly blue'r for my foglights ( which are built in to the main unit on 940 ) H3

any advice - good experiences? sure ive seen some before and after pics of bulbs from you guys,
the ultimate would be a PIAA set up but v expensive

[After_Shock]

You are right the ultimate is the PIAA, ive tried nearly all of them under the sun and the PIAA is by far the best range for looks and performance, and out of all the ranges I have tried the PIAA's are the only bulbs that have last nearly 2 years, bearing in mind I do nearly 3k miles a month and drive most of the time with the lights on during the day im more than impressed!

LED Sidelights are good, get white LED's which give a weird sort of Blue colour but not enough to be illegal, Silvatec indicator bulbs also the best choice for looks.

LED brake lamps are a mixed result, you really need crystal style lenses such as on the new S60/V70 or S40/V50 for them to work. The older style light covers were you cant see the bulbs through them just save the money and keep normal bulbs in.

[d14vd_h]

thanks very much
thats spot on,
my front indicators arent crystal but theres still orange showing through so i'll go silvatec on them,
will the LED's work on my side lights even tho there not crystal (like 850's)
where did u source the LED's
also what out of the PIAA range do you reccomend and how much did it cost you???

[After_Shock]

The LED sidelights will work in anything, actually look better in non crystal style lenses as you cant see the bulb and illuminate the whole light that way.

The Silvatecs are a great upgrade, sounds daft but can change the looks on some cars!

Give me a few minutes I will have a look at the PIAA range again as I cant remember what the ones I had were called.

I got the LED's from my local PIAA dealer or any Demon Tweeks dealer can get them. Theirs shed loads of companies on the net doing LED's now though, you can get away with non PIAA LED's but dont skimp on the actual headlight bulbs.

[SaffronC70]

HIDs ? £230 :




Philips silver vision in the side repeaters, with "EBay special" quad led sidelights.

Chris

[After_Shock]

Heres PIAA's site incase you dont have it:

http://www.piaa.co.uk/bulbs/bulbs.asp

The ones I had were as follows:

Side lights: White LED
Dipped Beam: Xtreme Force
High Beam: Xtreme White
Fog Lights: Plasma Ion

I wanted to try the Super Plasma bulbs but have never needed to yet!

Also they have recently launched their bolt on HID kits but you really should use them with projector systems in headlights.

[d14vd_h]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...969803442&rd=1
what to we think guys
dodgy???

[After_Shock]

Got good feedback but would like to know how they are getting hold of the bulbs.

[siamblue]

On the HID front,You need clear headlamps and wash wipe as well, Too be fully within the law they need to be self levelling,
Mine are the 2 former but not the latter. But my are set very low.

[After_Shock]

Forgot about the wash wipe feature, I believe that is mainly due to the heat?

They can be used in normal headlamps but they are designed for projector systems which is why I never fitted them.

[d14vd_h]

ok guys looked into it and i cant afford HID's or PIAA at the moment
so thinkin,
Philips - blue vision, the advertisin says 'as close to HID's as possible' also u can buy a twin pack that includes side lights so that takes care of them?!
other option is
ultra xenon by ring or else they do arctic white and ice blue
but think philips tick all the boxes
anyone had any experience?

[After_Shock]

Yeah tried them aswell, good for the money but didnt last aslong as I expected and they were just pure white and didnt have any sort of blue tint in which you get with the HID systems.

[LeeT5]

hi, save your money and go to this site.
www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk

I have used piaa bulbs b4. They r too expensive and dont last along as conventional bulbs. Dont bother with the bulbs from halfords and the like cos they dont do what they say on the packet...you will be disapointed.
Next day delivery with these guys and they send you free side light bulbs too!!!

I have platinum 7500k bulbs in my T5. very nice, very very bright and tinge of blue. Look ice coloured.

[After_Shock]

PIAA dont last very long! I have used them for the past few years and one of the pairs I have is nearly 3 years old and still working fine, the extra cost is offset by the extra life that the PIAA's offer. Convential bulbs do last a good length of time but still not aslong as the PIAA's, you may have just been unlucky and got a bad set.

[Vikingxl]

I've got H7 Osram Silverstar bulbs from http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/ they come with free blue side light bulbs at the moment and delivery was the next day.I do most of my driving at night and the difference is huge i can now see where i am going.They do a huge selection of bulbs and are more than happy to chat about all their bulbs if you give them a ring.

[MattB]

hi, save your money and go to this site.
www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk

Next day delivery with these guys and they send you free side light bulbs too!!!

I have platinum 7500k bulbs in my T5. very nice, very very bright and tinge of blue. Look ice coloured.

Just ordered some of these - should be here in a few days!

[LeeT5]

Just ordered some of these - should be here in a few days!

Hi Matt. i notice on your to do list that you have investigate scratch noise from cam cover....I have the same noise. I think you'll find its a dry bearing from the powersteering pump. (sorry to hijack thread).

[MattB]

Hi Matt. i notice on your to do list that you have investigate scratch noise from cam cover....I have the same noise. I think you'll find its a dry bearing from the powersteering pump. (sorry to hijack thread).

Ah thanks Lee!! Have started a new thread...
>Cambelt Noise Thread<

On the subject of bulbs - I have just received my order (+ a set of 130w for the main beam) and will try and get round to fitting them later today.

[MattB]

7500k bulbs are great!
Slightly better vision, but main difference is a white light with a blue tint - coupled with the 'free' sidelight bulbs they sent, my new headlights look great!!

However, struggling to fit me new 130w's to the main beam. Glass part of bulb is slightly fatter than the old H1's and won't quite fit . Will try and 'modify' the bulb housing slightly so that the bulb will fit. Not sure if its worth arguing the toss with the supplier and sending them back??