I installed them last January (weekend after I got my RX-8), and now the driver-side lowbeam Silverstar died. I didn't expect it to last that long anyways. The passenger side is still going strong though, the other side usually dies like a day after. That's what happened to my other car last year. Now that I'm not pimping that out, I installed Sylvannia Long-Lasting bulbs for it.

I'm posting this just in case anyone out there with a base model would like to put Silverstar bulbs on their headlights. It's bright, but prepare to shell out at most $50 a year for it. Not too shabby, compared to the HIDs that will cost you 10 times more (but not annually I hope). I'm buying a new set tonight :D

That's surprising - when I sold my Miata my Silverstars were still going strong with two years on them.

i had silverstars in my mustang and one of the bulbs blew out after about 4 months.

Anyone know the what the expected life span is on the HID headlights? Wouldn't /Shouldn't this be covered under warranty?

I've had my SS's in for less than a month. I'll be happy if it goes for 1 year.

BTW Dean, thanks for the info on how to get to the bulbs!

No prob. It should last for a year or more coz I know my Solara had it's first set for more than a year. This only surprised me coz I expected it to last a little longer. Although something strange happened before it tweaked out to death. I was turning on my car, ready to pull out for lunch break. Idling at 2K rpms, I decided to drive out immediately. As soon as I turned on the lights, my rpm went down to 1.5 and then surged up to more than 2K and then the driver-side light blinked to death.

I'm like, oh well time for bright high beams :D

I don't know what a Silverstar is, but HID headlights have no filament in them to burn out, which equates to very long life. The most complaints I have heard about HIDs is the replacement cost due to accident damage, not reliability!

I keep saying, don't get Sylvania Silverstars, get Osram Silverstars. The Sylvania ones are actually marketed as something like "CoolBlue" or whatever in the rest of the world, and the Osram ones are the high quality ones.

^ No, there is Silverstar and then there is CoolBlue. I know which one you're talking about, but the only way I could find Osram ones is to buy from a European website. Sucks when you see the shipping price.

Also, isn't Sylvannia part of Osram anyway?

My Piaa's lasted forever in my last car.

Sylvania IS part of Osram. But the US Silverstars are not the same Silverstars the rest of the world gets - and yes, if you want OSRAM sivlerstars, you have to buy them internationally. The difference between the two is night and day though, the Osram silverstars are better quality, whiter, and brighter.

^ Yup, that's what I heard too. It would be nice if they sell those here instead of the plani Silverstars. I don't get it, why does America end up getting a different version of products than Europe. Even celphones are the same way!

I'm thinking of getting SilverStar's...can someone give me more information on them?

How long do they last...that's my main concern. I don't want to change them every year when standard lights last dang near forever.

Is there any other brands that offer the same whiteness/brightness?

HID kits are pretty expensive and is probably more work than I want, so any help would be great.

LOOK MA.....I USED THE SEARCH BUTTON!!!! LOL :shocking:

Silverstars suck IMO. I have had 3 sets. All gone out within 6months. I even got a ticket on the last blowout. I don't use them anymore. I rather stick with factory.

Anyway, with every bad experience there is a good experience. Best thing to do is get HID's.

Gosh...so far I hear the same thing, they don't last but my sis has had them for a long time now...is there something with the RX8 that makes these bulbs last only a short time.

I put SilverStars in my Nissan Altima. In 6 months they were out, both of them within a day of each other. I had to drive around with my high beams for a couple of days until I could replace them.

The lighting from them is great, but they just don't last.

I had them in my Camaro. One died within a year. I wasn't pleased.

Anyone know the what the expected life span is on the HID headlights? Wouldn't /Shouldn't this be covered under warranty?

I believe the lifespan of automotive HID bulbs is somewhere in the 3500 to 4000 hour range. They do have a finite life. But that may contrast to something like 200 hours for Silverstars. The hardest thing for HIDs is turning them on. There's a huge voltage spike of around 25,000 volts to strike the arc -- it's hard on the electrodes.

I've also read that the "true" Silverstars made by Osram (Sylvania's parent company) are much better, but not marketed in the US.

Gosh...so far I hear the same thing, they don't last but my sis has had them for a long time now...is there something with the RX8 that makes these bulbs last only a short time.
Well, im not sure if this will make you feel better but I don't have an RX8. It first happened on my Focus, and then my MSP.

OK....I X'ed the SilverStar idea, I'll check out the Osram ones but from what I hear the shipping is CRAZY AND they are not DOT approved.

Anyone know the what the expected life span is on the HID headlights? Wouldn't /Shouldn't this be covered under warranty?

The expected life is hard to gauge because of the rate of decay in the number of lumins produced by the HID system. The HID burner may still be illuminating....but the number of lumins may be so low that they are no longer effective for driving (too dim). I am a product analyst for automotive lighting for Ford, so I deal with this issues everyday. I can tell you that Ford warranties all lighting in the bumper-to-bumper coverage. Which means, if you have a Ford vehicle that is still warranty eligible, then the dealer has to replace any light bulb in the vehicle for free. A lot of people don't know that....or they don't care. Sometimes it's not worth the hour at the dealer for replacement of a $1 3457K bulb.....at least not to me. But the HID lamp....that is a different story.....I don't want to have to cover that out of my pocket. Does anyone know if Mazda parts out the components? At Ford, you can buy just the ballast or just the burner or just the ignitor......which saves a lot of $$$.

A new idea (well to me at least)...are there better Hologens I could by for my base 6spd RX8?

I'm not really looking for more light (while that would be fine), I'm looking for more "white"? Are there any other Hologens that have a good life span???

A new idea (well to me at least)...are there better Hologens I could by for my base 6spd RX8?

I'm not really looking for more light (while that would be fine), I'm looking for more "white"? Are there any other Hologens that have a good life span???

http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/product.asp?numRecordPosition=1&P_ID=124&strPageHistory=cat&strKeywords=&SearchFor=&PT_ID=89

Osram Silverstar H7, cost about $30US after Euro conversion, FREE SHIPPING from UK!

and the US Silvania website FAQ actually states that the Silvania Silverstars will have an expected life of around 1 year... yes they actually admitted it has a shorter life compared to stock halogens... not a good product imo

I found this:

Don't Touch!

When replacing any halogen bulb, do not touch the glass envelope. The salts in your skin oils penetrate and weaken the glass. The bulb not only has a shorter life, but when the bulb dies the filament doesn't merely burn out, but rather the bulb envelope shatters. The light bulb industry calls it a "non-passive failure."

http://www.electrical-online.com/howtoarticles/Lighting/Halogen.htm

What do they mean by "glass envelope"?

Could people be making this mistake? Anyway...Silverstar only have a years worth lifespan...not very long, so it's probably not worth it.

http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/product...chFor=&PT_ID=89

Osram Silverstar H7, cost about $30US after Euro conversion, FREE SHIPPING from UK!

and the US Silvania website FAQ actually states that the Silvania Silverstars will have an expected life of around 1 year... yes they actually admitted it has a shorter life compared to stock halogens... not a good product imo

Thanks Zoom but are those legal here? I thought I saw they aint DOT approved????

Another question...would I need 2 pairs or just one pair?

Zoom, should the short 1 year lifespan be expected with these too? $45 a year does not sound too bad...but $45 ever two years sounds better.

Then again...my driving is 90% daytime....hmmm, free shipping....cool!

I found one a $1 cheaper...(OHHH YEAH...lol, j/k...I like your site better since it has a $$ converter)

http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/cart.php

you need one pair.

Osram Silverstar H7s are excellent bulbs, but the H4s that I used in my last car tended to burn out fast. First one went after 7 months, second one after 9. Mind you, I did drive a whole metric ton (40K miles a year), and plenty during night time.

IMO, also very good AND locally available are the Phillips Hi-Visibility "30% plus" bulbs. That's pretty much the best bulb you can buy locally and lasts longer than the Osram Silverstars.

Phillips Hi-Visibility

Looks good...will these be significantly whitER than my standard hologen lights on my 8?

neither of these hi-output halogens will look 'whiter' than stock, but they will be noticeably brighter, which in term will make it 'look' whiter?

and the Osram Silverstars are ECE approved (European equivalent of DOT) so the beam pattern will more than satisfy DOT regulations. besides, we have projector-style halogens, where glare is not nearly as big of an issue than compared to the reflector headlights.

I see....hmmmm

yup, they are whitER, but they are nowhere near the Sylvania SilverStar or those other bulbs that attempt to look like HIDs.