does anyone else seem to blow throgh headlight bulbs. every couple months i will have a fog or a headlight out. these have not even 3months (silver stars).
i use to have hella bulbs and i think i went through 3or 4 sets in 2 years
what could be making my bulbs blow . my volts seem to ok always 12-14 volts

 

Are you carefull not to touch the bulb when installing it? The grease from your fingers can cause this issue

 

i have never had a bulb go on my truck. just like what BigDave said, make sure you dont touch the bulb with your bare hands. You cant take the voltage from your dash meter, that is what the ECM sees, not what is actually there. Its hard to check voltage without a battery load logger

 

I would second what Big Dave has said about touching the bulbs. These bulbs are really sensitive to the oils left behind from a finger print.

You mentioned Silverstars, but did not mention at what rating. If you are using the ultras that are rated for 4100K then you must realize that they have a very short life span. These bulbs will burn brighter, but fail faster due to the lights coil burning itself out.

Do you have a bright box or any other accessory light control box installed? I would check your wiring for rub through's or bare spots. These boxes are also know to have problems too.

Shawn

 

i am always carefull not to touch the bulbs, and have never had a bright box or and anything other than the stock power to them
i think they are the ultras, where can i get some bulbs, that will last

 

if they blow from touching them they usally have a brown or black burnt spot on the bulb, mine don't it's always the filament that brakes

 

I agree with CatDiesel regarding the Silverstar bulbs. I take it they are the Sylvania Silverstars. I purchased a pair three months ago for my car and had one blow out Thursday. I sent a message to Sylvania regarding the issue and received a reply. The representative suggested that the Silverstar bulbs are a little brighter due to the manufacturing process used; however, the lifespan of the bulb is significantly reduced. I have researched the matter and found that the coil is wound tighter and a coating (blue tint) is applied to the glass. The issue stems from heat created within the bulb and the coating trapping it contributes to the short lifespan.
I replaced the Silverstars with Osram bulbs (european) without the blue tint and am pleased with their performance. I also considered Phillips Xtreme Power bulbs as a replacement.

 

I am assuming your headlights must be on quite often and this is causing them to burn out faster. As mention above by Dr. Dizzle which had similar problems and he recieved a response from Sylvania that stated this is common for these bulbs.

From what you are describing is the coil filament failure that is common for all bulbs. Even the garden variety light bulbs at home too. The brighter the bulb the more the filament works at creating light which then; to make a long story short; shortens the lifespan of the bulbs due to filament failure. (http://www.sylvania.com/Lighting101/...LightAndColor/)

To solve your problem I would try going down in bulb output rating to the 4000K SilverStar or to a different brand instead of the 4100K Silverstar Ultras. Here is a comparison for the SilverStars and the Ultras from Sylvania to help you choose a longer life bulb with the correct light output. (http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...on/default.htm)
If lower rated bulbs are not your thing then try one of Daniel Sterns rewiring schematics/diagrams. (http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...ys/relays.html). This will help you get more light from a lower rated bulb with a longer life span, by allowing direct power connections fom the bulb to your truck's battery through relays instead of the FCM (Front Control Module).

Just Let us know how it turns out.

Shawn

 

I see where the Osram bulbs and the Phillips Xtreme basically advertise that these bulbs are 80% brighter . . did you also install their recommended wiring harness with the relays to handle the additional current draw??

I do not know what bulb specifically that your truck takes, my 2006 takes the H13 (aka 9008's?) I believe, I am not sure if I need to upgrade the light wiring to relays to run either the Osram or the Phillips Xtreme.

Maybe someone who has installed them on a 2006 and up will chime in here and shed some light on this question??


CD

 

Yes! I installed the harness; however, I installed this on my car as noted in the afforementioned post. I am sure that someone has performed the replacement and share their experience with the process.