Are Sylvania's Cool Blue headlights any good? The stock halogens on my IROC are practically useless. I want really good illumination with a bright white light, not yellow or that cheesy looking blue. I was looking at Sylvania's Halogen Plus and I noticed that the wattage of the Cool Blues is way higher than any of the others - something like 55/70 or 60/70. I know higher wattage doesn't necessarily mean brighter lights but it will at least be better than the stock 35/35w candles I have currently.
Do you guys think the Cool Blues are worth $14.99 each, and if anyone's using them, what is the illumination and the color of the light like? The last thing I want is cheesy rice @ss blue lights.

EDIT: I won't run out of juice running these lights, will I? I don't have any hi-watt accessories on my vehicle at the moment. The alternator is either 90 or 105 amps.

If only I could get my hands on some xenon or HID lights...

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'88 IROC 305 TPI
Crappy 700R4 slushbox
Gutted airboxes
180 degree T-stat
Advanced base TPS voltage
Relocated IAT sensor
Momo steering wheel (gotta luv it)
Ram-air setup coming soon
Flowmaster muffler (puke)
Taylor SpiroPro wires
Accel cap and rotor
Ported plenum
Kills: '94 Z28, Olds Aurora V8, bunch of Mustangs, T-birds, ricers, and others who assumed a 12 year-old car would be too slow.

[This message has been edited by 88irocz28 (edited March 30, 2001).]

 

Go to an auto parts store and have them order some for you, I have ordered xenon lights for customers before. Cool blue lights are white, not blue... I might get some later, but I already put new sylvania long life ones in =/

 

Go to http://lighting.mbz.org/ for a very good FAQ/tutorial on why you should not get these types of lights. Specifically, look at http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/info/bulbs/blue/bad/ . At the bottom of that page, a test was performed on several aftermarket lights claiming "high performance". Look at http://www.overboost.com/story.asp?id=102 .

At the first web site mentioned above, the lights you specifically ask about is mentioned at http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/info/bulbs/blue/good (Osram-Sylvania CoolBlue). In sum, it said that those bulbs are safe and legal, but do not give a performance increase. There are several manufacturers recommended at the end of this section which you should consider. If you do get one of these, please make a post and advise us what, if any, difference you note.

It is best to stick with the regular clear bulbs/lamps. Blue light is never used in performance halogen lighting.

The above mentioned web site has good information on both Xenon and HID lighting. I thought HID lights would be the best lights to have until reading this information. I think there needs to be a lot of R&D done on them to correct these faults.

It also touched on Xenon lights. See the second web site I posted above […/bulb/blue/bad]. Actually, it said that these lights, so long as they are not the blue type, are okay. I be curious to know of anyone’s firsthand experience with them. Is there a significant difference?

To answer your question about the additional current. Even if you got the most powerful aftermarket lights, your charging system should be able to handle it fine.

[This message has been edited by Stuart Moss (edited March 31, 2001).]

 

I have the COOL BLUES your talking about. There not blue. I made sure I put one in befor I got it. If it was BLUE i didnt want em. So they let me.

They are a BRIGHT WHITE. I like em better than the halogens that I had.

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Chris
1992 25th Anniv Z28 W/383 Stroker
536 RWHP 569 FT LBS
(chassis dynoed at Ramsies Perf.)
Check the rest out here

 

Hey, thanks Stuart. I appreciate the help. Lots of 'enlightening' info there. The ECE H4 idea was the first thing to come to my mind when I wanted to change the headlights but stores here don't carry them for a reason - they aren't DOT legal. But who cares about that? I don't. I'd rather have good headlights any day than junk certified by some automotive body that doesn't know it's rear end from its elbow.

I have ECE Hella H4s in my CJ7 back home in Karachi (Pakistan) and those are seriously the best lights I have ever driven with. The main beam is a real killer so I rarely use it on public roads but the low beam has a great pattern. It provides more than adequate light and produces virtually no glare. The bulbs are 100/90 Osram units I picked up from a local auto parts store (ahh, the joys of no restrictions on lighting, etc). Needless to say they melted my connectors the first time I used them. After that I got myself a pair of Bosch connectors salvaged from a much higher
wattage lamp, and also upgraded every other component in the lighting circuit to handle the increased power draw. I haven't had any problems since then.

I guess I'll just wait and score myself a set of H4 lights from a junkyard when I go back during the summer.

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'88 IROC 305 TPI
Crappy 700R4 slushbox
Gutted airboxes
180 degree T-stat
Advanced base TPS voltage
Relocated IAT sensor
Momo steering wheel (gotta luv it)
Ram-air setup coming soon
Flowmaster muffler (puke)
Taylor SpiroPro wires
Accel cap and rotor
Ported plenum
Kills: '94 Z28, Olds Aurora V8, bunch of Mustangs, T-birds, ricers, and others who assumed a 12 year-old car would be too slow.

 

I bought the Sylvania extra bright halogens for my T/A, and they were much better than the stock headlamps. From what I've seen, read, and heard, those blue bulbs are all just crap.

 

I always knew those blue bulbs were crap. I had a pair of 130w driving lights on one of my Jeeps and the only purpose they actually served was p!ssing off people using their main beams. The lenses were coated with that crap that lets only the blue light shine through. They were bright no doubt, and did light up the road very well too (at 130w each, that isn't surprising), but it was just plain and simple painful to have them pointed at your face. I have seen my Jeep approach me before and I've been followed by it too at night and it was downright painful to have those lights shining in my eyes.

I just want to know if the Cool Blues are worth $14.99 a pop as far as lighting improvements go.

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'88 IROC 305 TPI
Crappy 700R4 slushbox
Gutted airboxes
180 degree T-stat
Advanced base TPS voltage
Relocated IAT sensor
Momo steering wheel (gotta luv it)
Ram-air setup coming soon
Flowmaster muffler (puke)
Taylor SpiroPro wires
Accel cap and rotor
Ported plenum
Kills: '94 Z28, Olds Aurora V8, bunch of Mustangs, T-birds, ricers, and others who assumed a 12 year-old car would be too slow.

 

For a replacement for stock,, yes they are worth it.

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My Firebird It Lives Again!!(Sorta)
Your Car Here?
Part Diagrams

-It's always the last one

 

I got mine from wal-mart for 9.99 a piece.

 

No man dont' get them. They are complete crap. Seriously. They are nice and everything in normal driving conditions, but if it's raining or snowing, they don't light up worth shiat. Run away from them!

 

The light from these headlights is NOT blue at all (even though they call them blue)

There's not even a HINT of blue color. It's a whiter 'crisper' light as opposed to the yellowish hallogens. Now it's not as white as the Mercedies headlights (WOW, you ever see these things :eek .

Yes... I agree that the blue light sux and these bulbs don't get DOT approval. The Sylvanias are legal, hince no blue or rainbow crap.

 

i put em in my buick and they are a definite improvement over the stocks...i say for the price they are worth it

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1983 CHEVROLET CAMARO with a 1986
305 C.I.D.V8 BORED .030 OVER
HIGH VOLUME OIL PUMP
FLAT-TOP PISTONS
MILD CAM
3" CAT BACK EXHAUST W/ FLOWMASTER MUFFFLER
KEYSTONE CLASSIC WHEELS.
B&M RATCHET SHIFTER
STAGE THREE SHIFT KIT
(she'll spin em into third)

"Wise man once say, friends dont let friends drive Fords!!"

 

i put em in my buick and they are a definite improvement over the stocks...i say for the price they are worth it

------------------
1983 CHEVROLET CAMARO with a 1986
305 C.I.D.V8 BORED .030 OVER
HIGH VOLUME OIL PUMP
FLAT-TOP PISTONS
MILD CAM
3" CAT BACK EXHAUST W/ FLOWMASTER MUFFFLER
KEYSTONE CLASSIC WHEELS.
B&M RATCHET SHIFTER
STAGE THREE SHIFT KIT
(she'll spin em into third)

"Wise man once say, friends dont let friends drive Fords!!"

 

although as you can see above it gave me the dreaded double speech

------------------
1983 CHEVROLET CAMARO with a 1986
305 C.I.D.V8 BORED .030 OVER
HIGH VOLUME OIL PUMP
FLAT-TOP PISTONS
MILD CAM
3" CAT BACK EXHAUST W/ FLOWMASTER MUFFFLER
KEYSTONE CLASSIC WHEELS.
B&M RATCHET SHIFTER
STAGE THREE SHIFT KIT
(she'll spin em into third)

"Wise man once say, friends dont let friends drive Fords!!"

 

I have em' in my maro and they are better than stock. they aren't blue @ all like people have been saying. they just aren't yellowish. or reddish.

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1988 Camaro Sport Coupe
2.8 V6, TCI 3200 Stall TC, B&M Transkit, 80 Series Flowmaster w/ Catback, '85 Firebird SE 3.73 Rear (soon)
'83 CFI Z/28 Hood, '87 16" IROC Wheels on Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's, '92 Z/28 Bowtie Grille
IROC Gauges, IROC Taillights, IROC Foglamps w/ retrofitted 9005 hi-beam headlight bulbs

1985 Firebird SE
2.5 I4, T-5, 3.73 rear (going to the sport coupe)
Beat to a pulp.

 

If you're talkin' about the wal-mart ones they're Super Blue and made by GE I think.....they may be Sylvania though...but either way I know they're Super Blue from Wal-Mart!! But yeah, they're not blue at all!! I paid like $14 each for mine at Wal-Mart! There a ton better than stock! They're even better than the super bright ones!!

 

Might have been GE, i'm not 100% sure. But I know that the dept. of transportation WILL NOT approve any "true blue colored" headlight because that type of light blinds oncoming traffic and actually hinders your vision.

It also looks like that #$#@ the ricers use, and I wouldn't want to be mistaken for that.

 

I'm running some kind of premium sylvania headlights that claimed better light output, and though they were definitely more than the standard replacementent, they are definitely a perfect increase over stock lighting. If you need more light than this, you are blind and should not be allowed to drive on the road at night.
I don't remember what they were called, but just thought i'd pipe in anyway.

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Ed Maher - Moderator @ The Carb Board
92 Z28 Convertible - Quasar blue / Tan top
LB9 4L60 GU2 G80 - stock, soon to be sleeper
-=ICON Motorsports=-

- Definitely prototypes, high powered mutants of some kind. Too weird to live, too cool to die

 

Hey man, I don't do the driving - my seeing eye dog does !

Back to the topic, I got Sylvania Xtra Vision but I wasn't impressed with them. They claim three times the light output of standard halogens, but the Cool Blues have a higher wattage. I think I'm gonna exchange these ones for the Cool Blues.

------------------
'88 IROC 305 TPI
Crappy 700R4 slushbox
Gutted airboxes
180 degree T-stat
Advanced base TPS voltage
Relocated IAT sensor
Momo steering wheel (gotta luv it)
Ram-air setup coming soon
Flowmaster muffler (puke)
Taylor SpiroPro wires
Accel cap and rotor
Ported plenum
Kills: '94 Z28, Olds Aurora V8, bunch of Mustangs, T-birds, ricers, and others who assumed a 12 year-old car would be too slow.