Silverstar bulbs rated for only 125 hr!

[mrbrian200]

One went out after less then a year (by mileage/average speed calc around 300 hr). Initially thought this seemed premature. Then I noticed the rated lamp life on silverstars is only 125hr. So 300 was actually +2x than expected.

Ok so I start digging. Turns out this relatively short life is inherent to 'whiter' incandescent bulbs at any given wattage/current envelope and does *not* indicate a design flaw with Volvo's electrical as I have seen some suspect or suggest.
The changes required to make a long-life filament (larger mandrel, wider pitch) tend to reduce luminance and beam focus, which shortens seeing distance and makes the light color yellow/brownish. The opposite changes produce higher luminance, tighter focus and higher 'whiter' color temperature but reduce lamp life - substantially.

So HID discharge is the solution to this color temp/lifespan trade inherent to incandescents. HIDs produce the desired higher 'whiter' color temperature with longer life: 2000+ hours or 6-10 years for the average driver albeit needing more complex driver circuits and more expensive replacement bulbs. However the long term maintenance costs leverage over 'white' halogens roughly the same or considerably less (if the ballasts last). A set of H11 silverstar halogens run $40 x once/year (or more!) over six years = $240+, 2 replacement HIDs bulbs changed once every six = $125 (Phillips D2R HID bulbs @ amazon).

I'm not big on LED headlamp conversions on cars designed for halogens due to safety concerns (improper beam width/light spread blinding oncoming drivers). Only option I see might be the phillips H11 LEDs that bounce the light source through a lens to better replicate halogen light spread to the housing/reflector. But I'm not sure about 6000k (looks unnaturally blue to me at times). They're also not listed for the headlamp position on Volvos. I'm not sure if it's because of somewhat higher lux output or due to bulb monitoring (need a load resistor phillips doesn't sell or make: not a simple drop in).

[BigNerd]

I feel you! I had the same problem and chose to try the HID replacements. I've had them installed for over a year and they've been trouble free, bright, and have a great pattern. I do not take it easy on them - I run them as daytime running lamps too, anytime my engine's running, my lights are on. They've held up great and I'm super happy with them.

They came from this kit: http://www.xenondepot.com/H7-HID-Kit-Xt ... /xt-h7.htm I have the 5000K temp, which looks pleasingly white to me - definitely not tending to blue.

The only downside is that I have a permanent low beam fault light on the dash. I did install the dummy load kit that's supposed to add resistance and kill the light, but it makes a lot of heat and the light's still on.

Overall, its totally worth it. (OEM halogen is on the left, HID on the right.)

[F250]

I upgraded to Silverstar Ultras on my 2002 Ford diesel pickup truck some 4-5 years ago, and was told they wouldn't last long, but I've put about 100K miles on the truck since then with a good bit of night driving in the fall and winter months. Given the number of years, highway travel at night, and number of miles, I know that I must have passed WAY beyond the 30 hour mark, and haven't had a single issue with the lights.

I just checked, and the Ultra's are rated for 250 hours.

[mrbrian200]

'02 ford pickup probably doesn't use the low beam for DRL (if it has any provision for DRL?). I've used silverstars before in previous cars (also without low beam DRL) and in those cars silverstars last several years or more too.

I investigated the aftermarket HID conversions after writing the OP. Arc position/length is proper but the issue I have is 3000 or more lumens on a low beam position designed for 1200-1600. It is not inconceivable to cause an accident at night by blinding an oncoming driver, at face it might seem their fault but if they mention being blinded to police/insurance (and they investigate) you may well be the one held legally responsible. LED headlamp conversions I can find all present the same problem (light output too high) in addition to most of them not having the LEDs positioned right for the housing reflector and don't project forward, so are dangerous to both oncoming drivers and yourself by reducing forward focus/visibility and being simply too darn bright.
I'm not opposed to placing high output bulbs in the high beam position because you turn them off with approaching traffic. But not on low beams.
The only exception to that may be an ebay item I came across.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/322220767434
1800 lumens (or maybe 1200 there is a discrepancy if you read the description). The design puts the led's in a line at the same position as a halogen filament with about 1 mm of horizontal displacement, like the Phillips design. Little balls of clear epoxy over each LED to make light more omnidirectional like tungsten. I wouldn't be half surprised if those are OE bulbs for some newer vehicle unbranded. I haven't ordered a set I'm chewing on the idea. I put in a working spare halogen for the time being.

[s10lowrider1994]

If your silver stars fail in less than a year, they'll give you new ones for free. I haven't bought headlights in years because they never last more than 9 months, as soon as one goes out I write customer service and they send me new ones. HIDs in housings that aren't designed for them are pointless, they look nice but they scatter light everywhere and blind everyone else on the road.

[mrbrian200]

Looks like Phillips largely solved the focus/spread issue in housings designed for halogen. But at 2300 lm those bulbs are a no go for forward low beams. That's why those ebay bulbs caught my interest: same physical design with light output more closely matched to a standard tungsten H11. If they're 1200lm at 6000k is probably an exact match to apparent brightness of tungsten H11 1350lm @ 3200k. These cars' housings do incorporate a bulb shield to reduce backscatter and direct filament glare - if the LEDs are arranged in the same 'shape' and position where the halogen filament would sit (they are), the shield still does its job.