# Bulb rankings (compiled from Autoexpress)



## alexb75 (Dec 29, 2002)

Here is a bulb ranking as was tested by AutoExpress based on bulb's beam level. I did not include every bulb there, mostly the popular ones.
1. Osram Silverstar - 96.9 (not the same as US Sylvenia Silverstar) 
2. Philips VisionPlus - 95.1
3. Philips Premium - 87.7 
4. Osram Super - 86.9 
5. Lucas Premium Xenon - 86.7
6. Hella 30 per cent brighter - 83
7. Lucas Blue Lightning - 80
8. Philips BlueVision - 78
9. Osram Coolblue - 77.9
10. Lucas Premium LL - 76.9
11. Motaquip - 76.8
12. PIAA Super White - 75.8
13. Ring Ice Blue (GE) - 74.8
14. Hella (standard) - 74.2
15. Osram (standard) - 73.8 
16. Unipart GLB472 (GE) - 67.9
17. White Prism Orange - 65.3 
The following bulbs were so poor that they were not rated and are strongly NOT recommended and mostly illegal. They either had low light or too much glare:
- Autobar Mega White
- PIAA Platinum (the most expensive bulb in the test







)
- Autobar Hi Tints
- Bosch Blue
- Pro-light
- Ring Autobulb (GE standard)

I think this would help everyone choose a bulb. The best bulbs of them all were Osram Silverstar and Philips Vision Plus (just as good). The best blue bulb was "Lucas Blue Lighting" - hard to find, the Philips and Osram did pretty well too. The interesting test for me was the PIAA failures despite being the most expensive of them all. Absolutely NOT worth it. 
BTW, I know these tests were done some time ago and most people are aware of the results, but I liked to put them all together in a list for easy comparison.

_Modified by alexb75 at 10:28 PM 10-30-2003_

_Modified by alexb75 at 10:28 PM 10-30-2003_


_Modified by alexb75 at 10:47 AM 10-31-2003_


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## DonL (Feb 28, 1999)

*Re: Bulb rankings (alexb75)*

Excellent info resource. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## 667 (Jul 26, 2003)

*Re: Bulb rankings (DonL)*

Back in the day (1998) when I was bangin' a Civic, I tried out the PIAA Plasmas. Those things definately made a statement and you could see me coming from a mile away. Not because they were so bright, but because they threw light all over the goddam place. The glare was indescribeable. They cost me $100 at the time. 
I think that many people think they are so good b/c of the glare. It gives the illusion that they are putting out 200% more light or something.
These days, I'll bet you would get pulled over constantly running PIAA.
Great info. Throw this one in the archives. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Now I am running the Philips VP in my MK4 GTI. I like a little bit whiter light, but as far as light output, i dont think I amgoing to find anything better. I am very pleased with the VP. I have had them about a year (w/o DRL) and they are still going.


_Modified by 667 at 5:29 PM 10-31-2003_


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## rsrm491 (Dec 27, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (667)*

good info...i had no idea! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## sharkytm (Jul 6, 2003)

where do US Silverstars rank? I just bought a pair, but havent installed them (and at 40$ a pair... im not going to if they suck)


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## alexb75 (Dec 29, 2002)

*Re: (sharkytm)*


_Quote, originally posted by *sharkytm* »_where do US Silverstars rank? I just bought a pair, but havent installed them (and at 40$ a pair... im not going to if they suck)

Not sure, this test was done in Europe. However, most probably US Sylvania is more like Osram Coolblue (9th) or lower. The Osram Coolblue is the Silverstar 50% more with blue coating... I think US Sylvania is 30% more with blue coating which could mean less than Osram Coolblue. I like Euro bulbs MUCH better than US-spec ones and you can get most of these pretty cheap on the internet with free shiping (powerbulbs.com or autolampsonline).


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## dieseldorf (Sep 26, 2000)

*OSRAM vs. Sylvania*

earlier discussion: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1058455


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## PerL (Jan 9, 2001)

*Re: Bulb rankings (alexb75)*

No GE bulbs in there. I currentl run GE SuperBlue bulbs i my car, and they are the best bulbs I have tried so far. I have recently bought a set of the Philips VP, but havent installed them yet. It's odd that no GE bulb is included, as it is a European outlet of the massive GE company.


_Modified by PerL at 5:12 PM 11-2-2003_


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## alexb75 (Dec 29, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (PerL)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PerL* »_No GE bulbs in there. I currentl run GE MegaBlue bulbs i my car, and they are the best bulbs I have tried so far. I have recently bought a set of the Philips VP, but havent installed them yet. It's odd that no GE bulb is included, as it is a European outlet of the massive GE company.

GE is called Ring in Europe. Aparently GE name by itself doesn't have much appeal.


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## PerL (Jan 9, 2001)

*Re: Bulb rankings (alexb75)*


_Quote, originally posted by *alexb75* »_
GE is called Ring in Europe. Aparently GE name by itself doesn't have much appeal.

You're kidding? They are most certainly sold under the GE name here in Norway!


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## alexb75 (Dec 29, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (PerL)*

I read somewhere Ring was GE, gotto look into it again. They have GE brand too but only for standard cheaper bulbs.
I look in the list to see if there's any GE. I found some H1 rankings for GE and they all faired TERRIBLE. http://www.zx-12r.org/Motorcyc...t.htm 


_Modified by alexb75 at 1:47 PM 11-2-2003_


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## alexb75 (Dec 29, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (PerL)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PerL* »_
You're kidding? They are most certainly sold under the GE name here in Norway!


Here's the link for the old Auto Express H7 bulb test (the posted results above are from the new one). http://www.zx-12r.org/Motorcyc...t.htm 
Look at the "Ring Ice blue" rating: "IF GE's results elsewhere may suggest otherwise, it supplied this one, proving it can make decent bulbs....". So, aparently Ring in Europe is GE premium brand or something. 


_Modified by alexb75 at 1:48 PM 11-2-2003_


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## PerL (Jan 9, 2001)

*Re: Bulb rankings (alexb75)*

Well, wadya know. I've always looked at Ring as some cheapo generic UK brand, I may have to look into them again.


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## dieseldorf (Sep 26, 2000)

*Re: Bulb rankings (alexb75)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## impact (Feb 6, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (dieseldorf)*

Go silverstars GO! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## dieseldorf (Sep 26, 2000)

*Re: Bulb rankings (impact)*


_Quote, originally posted by *impact* »_Go silverstars GO! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## emumtl (Feb 21, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (667)*


_Quote, originally posted by *667* »_Back in the day (1998) when I was bangin' a Civic, I tried out the PIAA Plasmas. Those things definately made a statement and you could see me coming from a mile away. Not because they were so bright, but because they threw light all over the goddam place. The glare was indescribeable. They cost me $100 at the time. 
I think that many people think they are so good b/c of the glare. It gives the illusion that they are putting out 200% more light or something.
These days, I'll bet you would get pulled over constantly running PIAA.
Great info. Throw this one in the archives. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Now I am running the Philips VP in my MK4 GTI. I like a little bit whiter light, but as far as light output, i dont think I amgoing to find anything better. I am very pleased with the VP. I have had them about a year (w/o DRL) and they are still going.

_Modified by 667 at 5:29 PM 10-31-2003_

You obviously have no idea what your talking about, and shouldn't be putting out false information, especially about PIAA bulbs. 
Bulbs simply supply the light, with which the reflector housing focuses the beam pattern out onto the road.
For that matter, if in fact your you were using PIAA plasmas, and that they threw light all over the place, then the fact is, that the Civic reflector was Poorly designed... and, that the PIAA bulbs were in fact So Much More powerful than the conventional bulbs you had in there, that they simply exagerated the poor light beam pattern put out by the civic reflector housing.
Truth be told, the PIAA's actually did there job, and that was to put out alot more candescant power. Unfortunately, your Civic Headlamps could not handle and focus the tremendous gain in light intensity... So your problem was with your CIVIC Lights, and not the PIAA bulbs...
In my experiences, I have never, ever been dissappointed with PIAA's product or bulbs. I think they make an excellent bulb, and you would be hard pressed to find better. They have a reputation for durability, quality, and performance second to none.


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## alexb75 (Dec 29, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (emumtl)*

R u kidding me? If what you said was true, not bulbs would create glare and every bubl out there would be legal, since the reflector must focus the light! The reflector must work IN COJUNCTION with the bulb to acheive its focus, if the bulb is poorly designed, it cannot do its job, as was tested numerous times. 
Quoted from AutoExpress about PIAA Platinum:
Beam: N/A 
These Japanese imports promise to up power from 60/55W to 130/120W. Yet, like its stablemate, its beam in the tunnel was a long way behind the best blue. For competition cars only, though, and ILLEGAL to use on the road, as it has no E mark.


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## emumtl (Feb 21, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (alexb75)*


_Quote, originally posted by *alexb75* »_R u kidding me? If what you said was true, not bulbs would create glare and every bubl out there would be legal, since the reflector must focus the light! The reflector must work IN COJUNCTION with the bulb to acheive its focus, if the bulb is poorly designed, it cannot do its job, as was tested numerous times. 
Quoted from AutoExpress about PIAA Platinum:
Beam: N/A 
These Japanese imports promise to up power from 60/55W to 130/120W. Yet, like its stablemate, its beam in the tunnel was a long way behind the best blue. For competition cars only, though, and ILLEGAL to use on the road, as it has no E mark. 


Oh Please... take what you read from a site(and/or)/magazine with a grain of salt... Just remember, the bottom line, advertising dollars....
As for some truth be told facts... Yes, PIAA may have been one of the first (or maybe first) to start with the claim "draws like a 55Watt bulb, but puts light out like a 110Watt).... and this may have been the case when comparing sealed beam non-halogen headlamps vs their European Counterpart with Halogen based filament/bulbs in a non-sealed beam lamp. That was then, this is now... so move on. I'm tired of hearing this being brought up, over and over again. Makes me think about the AUDI's of the 80's with "sudden acceleration", 60 minutes Cyncism (personally, I never believed it). AND, FWIW, many, both "no-name" and branded bulbs pulled off the gloves with there own or similar kind of "marketing". Fact is, the PIAA one was much more clever








AND, how can you pass judgement on "ONE" type of bulb (from all the H3's, H4's, 9006 etc etc etc) used in "ONE" type of headlamp, and lay claim to it being THE ULTIMATE REFERENCE Library? C'mon, be a little more liberal in your thoughts.
And who's to say, that BRAND X (if you will) produced an H7 bulb, whereupon the "engineering" department didn't quiet optimize the design of the bulb parameters, YET ALL there other bulb models, if tested, are far and away Superior to all the rest? ---> it's possible...
Perhaps, they damaged the Brand X H7 bulb accidently/incidently, or during shipping, or perhaps quality control on the day the "tested" Brand X H7 bulb was produced was slightly off, that ONE time? ---> it's possible...
Or, that the BRAND X H7 bulb, was redesigned, or revised soon after the pseudo test? ---> it's possible...
Then again, it can come all down to the minute micron whereupon Extremely Accurate TEST equipment is necessary in order to find a difference.... i.e. having 10 billion dollars, vs having 10 billion and 1 dollars... and in the end, there is no real difference other than "gut feel" or perception...


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## alexb75 (Dec 29, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (emumtl)*

You are just being IGNORANT. You are all speculating and try to defend PIAA since you got fooled and paid a lot of money for it. The mere fact that it does NOT have e-code certification (from the maufacturer) means that it has too much glare and is ILLEGAL. On the same list another PIAA passes, with low results BTW, so I don't think a reputable magazine is out there promoting a specific bulb.
Also, this list and test is not perfect ofcourse and is just a reference. Like there could be no visible difference between bulbs ranked 1-2 or 3-5, but I bet that bulb 1-2 outperform any of the last bulbs in the list. 
At the end, if you don't agree with the tests, don't BUY it and move on


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## CarZOne (May 24, 2003)

I'm picking up some Sylvania Xtravision Headlamps(H6024XV) for my outter dual rounds. They are 20% brighter then my stock ones, and they are nice and white, I find the blue ones unatractive and non-german. 


_Modified by CarZOne at 5:47 PM 1-3-2004_


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## Chnaane (Dec 19, 2003)

*Re: Bulb rankings (alexb75)*

"Candescent power"? Phhht. There's no such thing. The reason why he experienced so much beam pattern damage with PIAA's garbage bulbs is because PIAA's filament placement tolerance sucks. The filaments are basically everywhere except where they are supposed to be. Microscopic differences in the filament placement create HUGE differences in the beam pattern. Stern sent me this picture tthat does a great job to prove it...this is a freeform (clear lens) modern fog lamp with two different H3 bulbs:







Now you look at that picture and tell me the guy with the cruddy PIAA bulbs had bad reflectors!


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## alexb75 (Dec 29, 2002)

*Re: Bulb rankings (Chnaane)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Chnaane* »_"Candescent power"? Phhht. There's no such thing. The reason why he experienced so much beam pattern damage with PIAA's garbage bulbs is because PIAA's filament placement tolerance sucks. The filaments are basically everywhere except where they are supposed to be. Microscopic differences in the filament placement create HUGE differences in the beam pattern. Stern sent me this picture tthat does a great job to prove it...this is a freeform (clear lens) modern fog lamp with two different H3 bulbs: 
Now you look at that picture and tell me the guy with the cruddy PIAA bulbs had bad reflectors!

Very good point! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Shagghie (Dec 27, 2000)

*Re: Bulb rankings (alexb75)*

THis is an italian test of bulbs, with similar results, but NOT with regard to the blue bulbs. Here, the Lucas bulbs were very low:
http://www.fabrio.it/modules/s...id=33


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## wunderkind (Jan 14, 2006)

*Re: Bulb rankings (Shagghie)*

For everyones info the Philips "Premium" is called "Hi Visibility" here in the USA. I have them they are +30% brighter than standard bulbs and they are excellent for the bargan price they sell them for at K Mart .............
7 dollars a set!!!!!!!!!!!!










_Modified by wunderkind at 11:35 PM 1-14-2006_


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## rippie74 (Sep 26, 2007)

*Re: Bulb rankings (667)*

Dude I had a 2001 VW Golf MKIV & a 2004 VW GTI MKIV. I used one set of "Naxos Xenon Blue" Headlight bulbs (H7) in both cars. When the lease was up on the 2001 I took out the bulbs and transfered them into my 2004 & when that lease was up, I just turned the car in with them still installed, because I just picked up a 2008 VW GTI 2.0T.







. Point is this, I had the SAME SET of aftermarket "Xenon Blue Head Light Bulbs" in both my cars for over 6 years!!!. Pretty Cool...


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## golfer97 (Dec 11, 2008)

*Re: Bulb rankings (wunderkind)*

What about phillips xtreme?


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## cberwald (Sep 11, 2011)

*EU Osram Silverstar vs. US Silverstar*

I am running the EU bulbs in my high beams, and US bulbs (Silverstar Ultra) in my low beams. I used to have EU bulbs in all four. I can't really notice a difference between the two bulbs. I love both of them and highly recommend them.


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