White ricer bulbs like the tinted SilverStars tend to fool the human eye into thinking that the whiter light is brighter (especially in a dark environment like an unlit highway) while in reality the yellower lights tend to get picked up more readily by the human eye and are brighter.
Most, if not all, vehicles are equipped with Long Life 9008/H13 bulbs from the factory. Long Life usually means the bulbs were designed with filaments and gas mixtures designed to extend the duration at which the light output remains usable, approximately 800-1300 hours in a laboratory environment. This is in comparison to 2500-5000 hours from HID capsules (D1/D2/D3/D4) which cost $100-$250 per capsule to replace. In addition, white LED headlights/foglights last approximately 25,000 to 50,000 hours.
Sylvania does not keep it a secret that their SilverStar and SilverStar Ultra line of headlights are not designed for longevity. According to Sylvania for their 9007s, their SilverStar lasts 150 hours, the SilverStar Ultra lasts 200 hours, while the XtraVision lasts 375 hours. The 9008/H13 standard bulb can go up to 1000 hours, while the
Sylvania SilverStar 9008/H13 is rated at only 325 hours and the 9008/H13 XtraVision is rated for 500 hours.
In the SilverStars, the gas mixture and filaments were designed to compensate for the loss of light transmission from the filter (tint) on the bulb glass. The SilverStars are essentially "ricer" bulbs designed to make the color temperature appear near 4000K (HID white) but this costs you lifespan.
The 9008/H13 XtraVisions are rated for about 500 hours and do not have any lens filters to change the light color. 500 hours is on the short side of the OEM Long Life spec but it is a good balance of lighting power and lifespan. From my experience, they will last at least 3-4 years of normal use (about 30 minutes every workday). Daytime Running Lights and automatic
headlights SEVERELY reduce bulb lifespan because they keep the bulbs running at full voltage whenever you use the car contrary to popular belief. In addition,
headlight bulbs are rated at 12.8 VDC, which means that the 800 hours was obtained from testing at 12.8 VDC. Running the bulbs at a higher voltage, like the 14.0 VDC that most charging systems produce, will dramatically reduce bulb life. So this is not a surprise that SilverStar owners are getting 3-6 months of use out of their bulbs.
I have used XtraVisions on 3 different cars over the past 7 years and have the utmost confidence in the lighting power. They are still halogens and produce a 3200K "white", but there is a DRAMATIC difference from factory Standard or Long Life 9008/H13s. They make all reflective objects light up, and I can see a bit farther down the road. I've tested GE Nighthawk 9008/H13s and they produce a slightly whiter light with about the same light output, so either the XtraVision or GE Nighthawk 9008/H13s are the best halogen upgrade.
The ultimate lighting solution would be a street-legal HID upgrade, which is cost prohibitive for most owners and requires a lot of work to install. The next best thing would be XtraVision bulbs.
Pros: The best bulb upgrade you can get with a decent lifespan (about 800 hours). Totally street legal, and a big improvement over Standard or LL bulbs. Can be purchased at discount prices.
Cons: Still produces a 3200K halogen "white" which is yellow compared to HIDs. Confusing marketing causes most people to buy SilverStar / Ultra bulbs instead.
