Well, don't bother with the Vision Plus bulbs...

Did a headlight bulb comparo tonight, thanks to a care package from Powerbulbs.com. The contendahs: Stock Legacy GT H7 (Philips manufacture, btw) Philips VisionPlus Osram SilverStars (note that these don't have that silly bluing that the USDM SilverStars have) The Osrams kicked out the jams. Curiously, and pleasantly, the stock setup was even brighter than the VisionPlus, which surprised me. The advantage to stock was slight, but noticeable. The Osrams were significantly brighter than stock, with a slight whitening of the color temperature. Very nice. Swapping bulbs is easy, btw: 1. On the driver's side, you'll see a little plastic screw connector holding the washer fluid filler nozzle in place. Remove that, and push the nozzle aside (now you see why it's accordioned). 2. Screw the light cover counterclockwise, and remove it. 3. Pull the connector off the H7 pins. 4. Release the spring that holds the bulb in place. 5. Swap bulbs. 6. Retrace your steps. On the passenger side, you have to remove the snorkus, which is again attached with two little plastic screw attachments. Note that these are different from the washer fluid fill's screw, so don't mix them up. 1. Pull screws. 2. Pull snorkus. 3. same as the passenger side, and you're done. Takes about 10 minutes to change bulbs. Next up, probably this weekend, Hella Twin SuperTones. Happy motoring. Kevin

pics of the car w/ its light on please

That's odd, because the Vision Plus has one of the highest lumens rating available. Philips has a european bulb called the GT150. It shines brighter and further than standard bulbs. It's actually decently priced, at $30-35 US for two.

[quote name='gtguy']Did a headlight bulb comparo tonight, thanks to a care package from Powerbulbs.com. The contendahs: Stock Legacy GT H7 (Philips manufacture, btw) Philips VisionPlus Osram SilverStars (note that these don't have that silly bluing that the USDM SilverStars have) The Osrams kicked out the jams. Curiously, and pleasantly, the stock setup was even brighter than the VisionPlus, which surprised me. The advantage to stock was slight, but noticeable. The Osrams were significantly brighter than stock, with a slight whitening of the color temperature. Very nice. Kevin[/quote] You are in the US, right? If so, and powerbulbs.com shipped ROW-spec OSRAM silverstars to you, are there any legal issues with that? I know an H7 is an H7, but is it really just that easy? Interesting that stock outperforms the best I could go out and buy on the shelves, the VisionPlus bulbs... BTW, a couple of foglight questions... any info on what bulbs the foglights take, and how they perform when aimed correctly? Do they work with just the marker lights on, or do they need low beams? How hard would it be to pull the foglight surround insert, and either paint it black, or replace it with peices of black mesh grille material? I like the idea of the 3 intake look on the bottom of the bumper, and those inserts are begging for low-gloss black paint, or replacement with screening. Maybe even slightly bigger foglights, (not WRX pieplates, though) if the stock ones are weak. the Outback's foglights look nice, I wonder if they work well, or would fit without the insert in place...

I have changed the stock bulbs for VisionPLus bulbs (from [url]www.suvlights.com[/url]), and find them a bit whiter and brighter. They also light up the road farther I think. I was driving along a dark backroad last night adn was very satisfied with the light they provided. My friend has Silverstar (also from suvlights, what model exactly? Don't know) on his GT 2005 and they perform similarly.

[quote name='7stars']That's odd, because the Vision Plus has one of the highest lumens rating available. Philips has a european bulb called the GT150. It shines brighter and further than standard bulbs. It's actually decently priced, at $30-35 US for two.[/quote] I know...Auto Express, however, did a very recent test of all the +50 (which, BTW, in H7 is more like +20 or so), and the Osrams got five stars, while the VisionPlus got four. They cited brightness, and distance clarity. Tis true. Iwannasportsedan, Powerbulbs ships to the U.S., wherever. An H7 is an H7. These aren't overwattage bulbs, or anything, and they actually have DOT embossed on the base, which I presume means that they're DOT-legal, at any rate. Kevin

Very cool Kevin! Nice little write-up. Maybe this should go in the Walkthough section? Also, someone needs to teach you how to take pics.. damn you! :lol:

[quote name='gtguy'] Iwannasportsedan, Powerbulbs ships to the U.S., wherever. An H7 is an H7. These aren't overwattage bulbs, or anything, and they actually have DOT embossed on the base, which I presume means that they're DOT-legal, at any rate. Kevin[/quote] That is GREAT news. I was kinda bummed that all we get in the US are the sylvania blued silverstars. but if I can get Osrams, I'm all over that the next time one of the vehicles needs new lights. Maybe even sooner than that. Thanks for the info.

What about high beams? What does the Leggy use for those? What bulb options are available there?

Kevin, Thanks for the write-up. As a die-hard fan of the VisionPlus bulbs, I'm surprised they didn't do as well. I'm glad I read your report before changing my bulbs out too. BTW, would you also share you Hella Supertone install if you do it this weekend? Ken

[quote name='Ken S']Kevin, Thanks for the write-up. As a die-hard fan of the VisionPlus bulbs, I'm surprised they didn't do as well. I'm glad I read your report before changing my bulbs out too. BTW, would you also share you Hella Supertone install if you do it this weekend? Ken[/quote] DAMMIT KEVIN WHY ARE YOU FORCEING ME TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON MY CAR!! ARRRGHH I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOOOOOOOOU! J/K :D Got to get those bulbsl!

You can get the equivelant called the Xtravision.

Kevin, I know this is trivial, but can you put a link to each of the bulbs that you tested so there isn't any questions as to what is what. I think it would be helpful.

[quote name='Dr. Zevil']Kevin, I know this is trivial, but can you put a link to each of the bulbs that you tested so there isn't any questions as to what is what. I think it would be helpful.[/quote] No worries. Go to [url]www.powerbulbs.co.uk[/url] or [url]http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/bulbtest/index.htm[/url] Kevin

take a look here [url]http://www.candlepowerinc.com/pdfs/SBL_Headlamp.pdf[/url] They claim 1650 lumens from their H7 bulb.. Osram silverstar only claims 1200 (or is it the other silverstar? [url]http://www.sylvania.com/auto/silverstar.htm[/url]) They also have another bulb with is only 1500. Unfortutately Powerbulbs doesn't compare them.. edit: One good opinion, and we know how picky bmw drivers are [url]http://forums1.roadfly.org/porsche/forums/lighting/3159467-8.html[/url] Some searches show that narva seems to be a big company in germany, but I can't really find any places to buy them

Just as we discussed Kevin...:D Mine should be coming in anyday now...

and what about these osram's? [url]http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html[/url] "65W Osram Ultra High Output (2100 lumen, race and special-purpose use): $19.00/ea)

[quote name='Deer Killer']and what about these osram's? [url]http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html[/url] "65W Osram Ultra High Output (2100 lumen, race and special-purpose use): $19.00/ea)[/quote] They are higher wattage then our stock bulbs so I don't know if I'd recommend using them.

[quote name='Deer Killer']and what about these osram's? [url]http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html[/url] "65W Osram Ultra High Output (2100 lumen, race and special-purpose use): $19.00/ea)[/quote] Hmmm. Might be worth an email to Stern about their road legality, though I think the "race and special-purpose use" disclaimer is pretty clear. As to whether they'd melt the harnesses, that's a good question. Kevin

[quote name='Drift Monkey'][quote name='Deer Killer']and what about these osram's? [url]http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html[/url] "65W Osram Ultra High Output (2100 lumen, race and special-purpose use): $19.00/ea)[/quote] They are higher wattage then our stock bulbs so I don't know if I'd recommend using them.[/quote] yeah, 10 watts. About 0.8 to 1 A power increase per bulb. I'll go measure the temp on the wires while stock tomorrow, but that amount of current should be no problem, unless of course everything is really undersized as stock. Seeing as how HID's are approximately 3000 lumens, I think 2100 should be pretty satisfying.. I'm pretty happy with the headlights stock anyway but they aren't quite as bright as hid's, if I'm going to spend $40 on a brand new car it better be alot better. I'm actually more concerned about the housing than the wiring.

[quote name='gtguy'] Hmmm. Might be worth an email to Stern about their road legality, though I think the "race and special-purpose use" disclaimer is pretty clear. As to whether they'd melt the harnesses, that's a good question. Kevin[/quote] Yeah, well clear corners aren't road legal either. I highly doubt they will bother anyone properly aimed, these projector housings have a great cutoff. I've seen some HID projectors with more leakage.. But really, we all want lights that are brighter than stock? why f*** around?

The question is, are those high-output bulbs for the high beams or the lows (I haven't read up on which is which.) If you can get those for high-beams, I'd say by all means, road legality is out the window as you shouldn't have the highs on with other motorists. In any case, with how good these bulbs are already, highs in the country would be about the only thing I'd want to upgrade for bulbs. As per the upgraded power requirements, I was using 100W bulbs in my old GT fog lamps for I think about 1.5years (still going strong when I sold the car.) Just generic bulbs. Lasted quite a bit longer than the Silverstars I had run through in a matter of months. I was told if you don't have problems within the first probably 24hrs of operation, it should be alright. That's what I was told at AutoZone or Checker. Apparently they're basically right.

[quote name='SUBE555']I was told if you don't have problems within the first probably 24hrs of operation, it should be alright. That's what I was told at AutoZone or Checker. Apparently they're basically right.[/quote] Yeah, well it's best to check the temp of the wires minutes after you turn them on, for a couple hours. Wires don't have a current limit, it's how hot you're willing to let them get, which is usually less than where the insulation melts off. I'm talking about low beams exclusively. Are the high beams even H7's? hmm.

[quote name='Deer Killer'][quote name='Drift Monkey'][quote name='Deer Killer']and what about these osram's? [url]http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html[/url] "65W Osram Ultra High Output (2100 lumen, race and special-purpose use): $19.00/ea)[/quote] They are higher wattage then our stock bulbs so I don't know if I'd recommend using them.[/quote] yeah, 10 watts. About 0.8 to 1 A power increase per bulb. I'll go measure the temp on the wires while stock tomorrow, but that amount of current should be no problem, unless of course everything is really undersized as stock. Seeing as how HID's are approximately 3000 lumens, I think 2100 should be pretty satisfying.. I'm pretty happy with the headlights stock anyway but they aren't quite as bright as hid's, if I'm going to spend $40 on a brand new car it better be alot better. I'm actually more concerned about the housing than the wiring.[/quote] Deer Killer, the Osram Silverstars (note, not the blued-up USDM Silverstars) are indeed a lot better than stock. Kevin

[quote name='gtguy'] Deer Killer, the Osram Silverstars (note, not the blued-up USDM Silverstars) are indeed a lot better than stock. Kevin[/quote] I'm hitting F5 a lot waiting for some pics :)