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Headlight Bulb Replacement-SilverStar

17K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  greatauror28 
#1 ·
I have a 2013 Sorento SX with projector lights. I have replaced the fogs with LED but I wanted to upgrade the stock projector lights without having to do a full HID conversion. Is there an option? Yes and no. You really notice the yellow in the projector lights when you go LED on the fogs. I read reviews and purchased the Sylvania H11 SilverStar zXe. These are reviewed as being the whitest bulb giving an HID look.

I can tell you that standing down the street looking at the vehicle, you can only notice a small change in color of the low beam. The largest difference is looking out from inside the car. It is a noticeable difference in what it lights as well as throws a whiter light.

Most reviews say that the life span is around a year+ and for the $50-$60 price tag for the two bulbs it really makes you question the value. I would say if you know you are going to invest in an HID upgrade than wait it out. If you want a little better lighting and have the cash for a minimal upgrade, then go for it.

I have attached a photo of the stock bulb light pattern (top) vs the Sylvania H11 SilverStar zXe (bottom) the car is in the same position. The lighting across the street under the tree shows the difference.
 

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#4 ·
Here are the LED fogs showing the difference in light color against the Sylvania H11 SilverStar zXe
it should be reversed...

going with led bulbs on fogs dont necessary mean better other than "cool" factor and those silverstar zXe dont look even close to 4300k in temperature.

ditch the led bulb and go back to oem for fogs and put hid on the projector for low beam.

if you still dont want hid conversion, try osram night breaker plus or philips xtreme-vision (newer 100% more light version)

from reviews i hear night breaker plus has more of blue tint that looks closer to hid 4300k and its cheaper than philips. performance wise its about the same.

heres pic of nightbreaker on the left philips on right:



heres my own hid conversion for sake of comparison:



hid will always be better of course but those bulbs above are street legal and hid arent
 
#3 ·
Hi Gumby,

I've replaced both my lowbeams and my high beams with zXe's. I've let my Fogs alone, at least for a while. They are a temp solution until I sit down with my Dealer Svce Mgr (who came over from Honda where aftermarket and custom stuff is a big business) to chat about HID's and warranties. I plan to have my HID's on a separate harness right to the battery.
I find the zXe's to be much better than the oem dull yellow bulbs, but I am concerned about the bulb life...
 
#5 ·
Hey BostonBob,

I too am looking to go HID and wanted a temp fix to the yellow light. All of the lighting upgrades are new to me. My last car was a Lexus RX330 and the lights were true HID. When I bought the Sorento I didn't realize the difference between stock projector and HID until I got some night driving logged in. Then I began to educate myself online. I miss the HID. This forum is a great resource with folks that are a step ahead of where I am at and willing to help with upgrade advice, which is awesome.
 
#9 ·
here's the difference of the replica headlitht projectors and oem

top left oem, lower left replica



oem left (fresnel lens used) replica right (clear lens used)


output

sorento oem


sorento replica


the headlights look exactly same on everything except for projectors inside.. just to let you have an idea.. my house is in a mess sorry.. 12hour shift work plus doing favors on my friends lol
 
#12 ·
The Sylvania Ultras have a more dramatic difference compared to the stock ones as per comparison from your pic to mine.





And yes, the replacement bulbs have shorter life because they produce more output.
 
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