Tell me this IS the right part?

[Bryan E 2]

I want to upgrade the headlights, I have heard mixed reviews on the Sylvania line up, but the PIAA lights keep coming up as a nice light. Anyway, Amazon says these will not fit the 2001 Sport Trac. Tell me these are right (or show me the ones needed:haveabeer: )

 

[Yardsale]

Try PAA ...

 

[Richard L]

Yes, 9007 is the correct headlight bulb for your Gen-1 Sport Trac.



...Rich

 

[Mark K 2]

Your stock wiring harness will not handle the load of those bulbs. The connectors and wiring will melt. I used a similar bulb for a couple of years before finally switching to Silverstar bulbs, which were better. You need to buy and install one of these harnesses to use higher wattage bulbs.

 

[EddieS'04]

I havehad my silverstar ultra's for 3 years. Still brighter than stock...

 

[Yardsale]

According to the PIAA description, the higher output results from "... a proprietary gas mixture [that] is combined with an aerospace alloy filament that produces greater light output than its rated power consumption: i.e. 55W = 110W." If this is true (and I don't know that it is), the current would be the same, or perhaps slightly higher, than the OEM bulb and the wiring and connectors should be fine. In my limited search, I could find no claims of problems.



I think a "similar" bulb is not a good comparison, depending, of course, on how similar it was.



PIAA has been around a long time and has developed a fairly positive reputation. It seems a foolish risk to that reputation producing a bulb that may damage a vehicle and not state this and recommend applicable upgrades.



FWIW - Sylvania uses what I consider to be deceptive packaging and advertising:



- Up to 30% increased downroad visibility*

- Increased peripheral visibility by up to 35%*

- Up to 35% brighter light*



*Compared to worn standard halogen



This noted, I installed the 9007 SilverStar 150,000 miles and almost 10 years ago and they are adequate for my use.

 

[Dean Hedin]

Consumer reports did a review of aftermarket halogen headlights.



http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/01/halogen-headlight-bulbs/index.htm



In a nutshell, there is some improvement but the manufacturer's claims are much overstated.

They suggest buy on lowest price.



Which is what I did. GE Nighthawks on sale $10 a pair at Ollie's. Bought an extra set for spare.



I notice some improvement on the Lo beam setting. Hi beam seems about the same as original.



If you think about it it all makes sense, manufacturers are limited in how bright they can make a headlamp for legal reasons.

 

[Yardsale]

True on limitations, but the limit in the US is on wattage, not lumen, candlepower, brightness or other. This is where science and technology come in to play; different color temperature, lens material and design, gasses, and filament will produce various effective light levels.



Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Section 571.108 - Standard No. 108; Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment, subsection 7.3:

 

[Dean Hedin]

Yea, right, But the long and short of it is they are not going to allow you to blind the oncoming drivers.



That's why PIA's claim on the Extreme white Plus 4000K HB5 65/55W_>120/110W is bullshit.



If I was driving with "effective" twice as bright lo beams it would be like driving around with hi beams all the time. That ain't going to happen, nor do you want it to.

 

[Bryan E 2]

Dean, watch this video and tell me if you feel the same way?

 

[Yardsale]

The Watt is a measure of work, and, indirectly, power consumption, not brightness. If PIAA, or another manufacturer, can develop a bulb that emits more (usable) light with power consumption and wattage within the the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety standards, it's legal.



With regard to the technology to double (or more) light output, look no further than recent LED bulb advancements (12 Watt LED is equivalent to 60 Watt incandescent).



Oncoming drivers can be blinded with maladjusted OEM bulbs. There is no responsibility levied on manufacturers for headlamp adjustment.

 

[Dean Hedin]

Yep, still feel the same way. The dude in the video fails to mention how old the bulb on the left is. They loose brightness with age.



From the consumer report article : "...says it provides ?up to 30 percent? greater visibility down the road. That sounds impressive until you read the fine print: ?compared with worn standard halogen? bulbs."



Yardsale - You need to look at the specs more closely. Yes the filament bulbs are limited to wattage, but there are also brightness limitations. Specifically SAE J1383 which your link also refers to (link below).



If we could run LED headlights at 55 watts we would running about 10 times brighter than conventional bulbs and blinding oncoming traffic.



Naturally there must be a luminosity limit otherwise the lawyers would get involved.



So this halogen upgrade business is a scam. Sorry to break your hearts. You are not going to get anything much brighter than about 20% above ordinary halogens. This will be most apparent at the lo beam setting. Plain and simple.



Maybe you guys should shop around for some sharks with "lasers" mounted on their heads.

Better than spending $60 on headlight bulbs.

 

[Jackson Ellis]

Headlight performance has a lot more to do with design than just wattage, lumens, and light type. I had a Jeep Wrangler and a BMW 335 before the Sport Trac. The Jeep seemed like two flashlights pointed down the road, while the BMW seemed to "light up the world," illuminating everything in my path equally, just where you wanted it. They even turned to follow the road as I entered a curve.



I researched the web, and got the best replacements for the Jeep (I believe Sylvannia Silverstars, but I can't remember), and it seemed like I had 2 brighter flashlights pointed down the road. But the jeep never performed like the BMW. It would have taken more than lumens; it would have taken superior design of the light direction, filtering, color, etc.