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Old 10-02-2011, 03:34 AM
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vetteman741
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Default Best headlight bulb

What is the best replacement type headlight bulb you have used in your STOCK C5 headlights, best and still 55 watt 9006 low beam bulb.

I usually buy Silverstar for my other cars, but if there is something better say 6000K instead of 5000K Silverstars, then I may try them out.

6 Years ago I bought some APC 9005 high beams for my Blazer and they are still going strong and bright white, not blue, wish they were still in business
Old 10-02-2011, 04:56 AM
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thechosenone
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I am looking for the same thing. And silverstar has a new series out called Silverstar Ultra they are 4100k the regular Silverstar are 4000k. I am looking for a 5000k+ but do not want a blue hue as well.

Last edited by thechosenone; 10-02-2011 at 05:44 AM.
Old 10-02-2011, 09:16 AM
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Old 10-02-2011, 09:26 AM
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Originally Posted by KLR Z
I am looking for the same thing. And silverstar has a new series out called Silverstar Ultra they are 4100k the regular Silverstar are 4000k. I am looking for a 5000k+ but do not want a blue hue as well.
I have used the Silverstars Ultra bulbs before and worked a lot better than stock bulbs, They have been out for 7 years that I know of, Another good bulb is the Toshiba HIR bulbs.
Old 10-02-2011, 10:44 AM
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had2have-it
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I too was looking for an inexpensive headlight bulb upgrade. I never had a chance to really see and compare four our five choices so I did a little research and discovered the Toshiba HIR. Like alot of these type mods they seem to trend and become bulb "dejour" if you will. Anywho, I installed HIR low beams 9006's and 885 50w fogs, are they better, I guess, haven't yet covered much dimly lit highways where I needed the improvement. Am I glad I got them, I guess, gonna need to do some extended night driving. If I had the money and install experience I would have liked to do the Sun Guns and probably wouldn't have felt the need for a better fog bulb. It may seem a little weird but if it turns out that the bulbs do work for me, I just might really get crazy and attempt to install my new headers. One mod or another, I'm sure I'll eventually see the "light".

Last edited by had2have-it; 10-02-2011 at 10:48 AM.
Old 10-02-2011, 10:47 AM
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herZ06
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My husband installed HID's in my stock headlights for the low beams. I love them. I really never turn on my brights, because the HID's put out more light than the stock "bright" lights do.
Old 10-02-2011, 06:12 PM
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TheRadioFlyer
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The best halogen stock wattage bulb you can get is the Toshiba HIR bulb. It has nearly the same output as a 35w HID bulb.
Old 10-02-2011, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by theradioflyer
The best halogen stock wattage bulb you can get is the Toshiba HIR bulb. It has nearly the same output as a 35w HID bulb.
Thank you, that is what I wanted to know
Old 10-02-2011, 07:09 PM
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Just throw a DDM HID kit in there. 45 bucks and you get a lifetime warranty too.

I find that most of these "high output" halogen bulbs are not nearly as reliable.
Old 10-02-2011, 08:23 PM
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Jistari
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Originally Posted by Mr.Bill
I have used the Silverstars Ultra bulbs before and worked a lot better than stock bulbs, They have been out for 7 years that I know of, Another good bulb is the Toshiba HIR bulbs.
I used the Ultras and loved em until I put the HID's in projectors. But I have to say, the Ultras were really a lot better than oem and probably good enough to leave alone, just wanted the HID's (love them too).
Old 10-02-2011, 08:36 PM
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thechosenone
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Do they make a low and high HID kit?
Old 10-02-2011, 11:41 PM
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Originally Posted by KLR Z
Do they make a low and high HID kit?
Yes, it's called bi-xenon.
Old 10-04-2011, 02:33 AM
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Originally Posted by KLR Z
Do they make a low and high HID kit?
Well they try to stay away from Hi HID's, they need some time to warm up (they get brighter as they stay on) so if you put them in Hi's they arent as bright when you switch from lows to Hi's (as the lows usually go off).

The newer way is the Xenon ones stated above, they stay on (one light) and a shield moves out of the way when you hit the Hi's to reveal more light.

So no, you usually wouldnt put HID's in the Hi's
Old 10-04-2011, 02:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Jistari
Well they try to stay away from Hi HID's, they need some time to warm up (they get brighter as they stay on) so if you put them in Hi's they arent as bright when you switch from lows to Hi's (as the lows usually go off).

The newer way is the Xenon ones stated above, they stay on (one light) and a shield moves out of the way when you hit the Hi's to reveal more light.

So no, you usually wouldnt put HID's in the Hi's
True. My Light Cannon 2.0 Headlight kit has a Bi-xenon projector option. The absolute best lighting setup available that retains the factory pop-up appearance:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...post1578674940
Old 10-04-2011, 02:50 AM
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So if I went this route with the Bi-xenon would I have any bulbs for the highs in my factory headlight assembly or would I just take them out and just uses the lows as both low and highs. Sorry for 21 question just want to get speed up on the whole HID thing.
Old 10-04-2011, 10:33 AM
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Originally Posted by KLR Z
So if I went this route with the Bi-xenon would I have any bulbs for the highs in my factory headlight assembly or would I just take them out and just uses the lows as both low and highs. Sorry for 21 question just want to get speed up on the whole HID thing.
Bi-xenon in your factory setup will not work. Bi-xenon means you have a projector or reflector where the low and high beam patterns are provided by the same light source.

In a reflector setup, the high beam pattern is activated by the movement of a light shield around the bulb by means of a solenoid which allows for more light from the bulb.

In a Bi-xenon projector, the cutoff shield moves down allowing the cutoff in the beam to move upwards for full-beam output.

Since your factory headlights were designed as separate high and low beams, and have horribly designed lenses, there's not very much you can do for pattern changing. The most you can do is put in a more powerful light source. For a change in pattern, you will need a projector-based lighting setup.

Compare the factory headlights (pattern and brightness) to the Light Cannon (version 1.0)



The projector housings of the LC kit allow both a wider spread along with increased distance without blinding oncoming traffic.

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