Sylvania Silverstar life span

I'm badly in need of a headlight upgrade for my 05 double cab. Going through the Tundra Replacement Bulb sticky I see the Sylvania High Performance bulbs are the whitest and brightest. However, when I went to purchase a set I noticed alot of poor reviews. Lots of people are saying they only get 4 - 6 months before the bulb burns out.

I eventually want to switch to LED lighting but I need a stop-gap for now. I don't want to be spending $60 - $80 every 6 months and/or potentially end up on a road trip with a burned out bulb.

Is this poor lifespan typical? Or is this a case of people touching the bulb when they install them and thus screwing it up?

 

Had em on my 09 Taco. Lasted at least 1 year by the time I traded up. If you get any fingerprints on them during install you will shorten their life bigtime. The same for any high performance bulb.

 

That's kinda what I figured. I've always treated changing halogen bulbs as minor surgery. One pair of gloves to remove the mounts/housing and the old bulb. A new pair of gloves to open the new bulb package, install them and put the housing back together.

I'm guessing alot of reviewers who had poor lifetime on their bulbs got their grubby little fingers all over them. LOL

If I get a year trouble free out of them, I'll be happy because by then I should have figured out how I'm going to swap over to LED's.

 

Ditto^^^^ A box of nitrile gloves are cheap and like a second skin making it easy to safely handle the bulbs. Nice choice of tires by the way.

 

Thanks, I'm very happy with my tires. I think I'll be putting them on all my future trucks.

 

Logevity was my concern too. I have Philips Crystal Vision and it's still going strong after 1 & 1/2 years.

 

I tried the Sylvania bright whites etc. when I had my 08 Tundra but the problem with the hologen upgrades is they use a filament bulb. High draw and any vibration and the filament breaks. Mine would only last a few months if I was lucky. Plus they were like $ 60 for a pair which were recommended to be replaced as pairs.

I had probs with all the holes in the roads up here in Cleveland.
That’s why for $150 bucks I went and bought a set of HID Morimoto Elites from The Retrofit Source in Atlanta.

Pretty sure now you can buy from them for $120.00 an LED plug in play set up for your Tundra.

I would just get the LED kit from The Retrofit Source.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

Yeah, the price of them surprised me a bit to be honest. The roads up here in northern Alberta are garbage, and I drive alot of off road/gravel roads...at high speeds. LOL. Maybe these won't be the best choice for me.

I'll look into the LED kit and see what options I have as that would probably be the best bet. May as well do it right the first time.

My biggest thing with those kits is I'm a complete numpty when it comes to wiring and electronics. It's all greek to me and I have no idea what I'm doing. The install guides honestly confuse me. lol. Mechanical stuff, no problem. Electronics? I run into issues. I need plug and play for dummies...

 

I just figured why keep dumping money into the $60+ dollar halogens.

I found The Retrofit Source a few years ago and there pretty knowledgeable on automotive lights. You can give them a call and I’m sure if they don’t have anything they would point you in the right direction. Plus what they sell is backed by a 3 or 5 year warranty depending on the model you buy

 

Definitely makes sense. Maybe I'll start spending my evenings learning about wiring and electronics and tackle a light upgrade in the new year.

 

I recently installed a pair of Phillips Vision Plus bulbs in my low beams. Huge improvement in light output, and retail is around $35 per pair. They get excellent reviews for lifespan, so I’m hopeful. They are also SAE/DOT approved.

I’ve done the PIAA bulbs before without noticable improvement, and poor life. Silverstars certainly don’t last, and they are just another colored lense gimick IMHO.

 

I ran these on my prior truck for about 6 to 7 years. Had to replace them every year.

 

Darn right the lifespan is that short. I have been messing around with them for a few years now, just thought I was unlucky. I actually put a different brand in today to see how they work out. Fingers crossed.

Also, I do use gloves on the installs so I don't that I got them dirty.

 

Thanks guys. I don't think I'll bother with them. I think I'm better off figuring out a LED or even HID conversion.