SYLVANIA H11 SilverStar zXe Experience

[WillCO]

I've had my Tahoe LT for 2 weeks, and 3 people have commented on how dim the OEM headlights are.

I was about to drop in a set of LED low-beam replacements, then I watched this video that compares LED upgrades against high-performance halogen drop-ins and finds little if any benefit to the LED. It's also not immediately clear how I would handle the LED heat sinks with the Tahoe sealed bulb containers without doing some kind of surgery to the container lids.

Since it is easy and relatively cheap to do so, I decided to try a set of SYLVANIA H11 SilverStar zXe low-beams, which are about 40 bucks on Amazon, claim to provide 50% more light output than OEM, and provide 4200K color.

I installed them last night and will report back as I drive around. They did appear to be noticeably brighter in the garage, though not as white as the DRLs.

 

[Tonyrodz]

I'm also interested in doing something like this .I have hids but I don't really like the output at night, so I was thinking leds, until I just read your post. Subscribed

 

[mizzouguy]

I've used the zxe's before. While not in the same league as HID light output, they are noticeably brighter and whiter than stock.

 

[Tonyrodz]

I just swapped my hid's for some Sylvanias. Hopefully they'll be an improvement .

 

[AngelXL]

These are great and the price not bad. My buddy has them for over 6months already.
http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/ledss-headlights-package.85402/

 

[Tonyrodz]

I just swapped my hid's for some Sylvanias. Hopefully they'll be an improvement .

One was bad, so I swapped in the old stickers , which look a little yellow .The one Sylvania was nice and bright, and white .

 

[Goodinblack]

zXe don't last long.

A year and a half give or take if you are lucky.

I had them 2 times before

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[WillCO]

Well, these are great. They do have substantially more output than stock, and seem notably whiter, though not as white as the HIDs were on the 5 series BMW I had most recently.

At $40 and a 10-minute drop-in, they are a no-brainer. When they burn out, I might try some of the Cree LEDs the guy in the other thread has - or I may just get some more of these Sylvania bulbs. If the truck had them as OEM I would not have thought it a problem to be solved.

 

[Broham]

Any pictures yet? Very interested in snagging some of these up

 

[BeavOR]

Just purchased these sylvania bulbs as well....I'lol post my experience once installed.

 

[BeavOR]

Installed the sylvania's last night and drove with them today/tonight. Definitely more of a white look and somewhat improved visibility. However it is not dramatic. For $40 and 15 min worth of time I'd say it's probably worth the upgrade.

Bottom line, better look (whiter) and very slightly improved brightness (or at least appearance of brightness).

 

[WillCO]

Here are a few pictures I took tonight. They would be better if I'd arrived 15 minutes earlier.

Like you said, substantial improvement in color and output from stock, but not at the HID level. Solid $40 upgrade though.

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[iLikeEggs]

I put the Slyvania Silverstar Xtra vision's in mine. About $14 bucks a piece. They're about one level up from OEM. Anything beyond that is a waste of $$. Plus, you can find a replacement just about anywhere. While the halogens and LED's may give you that cool look, they have a high failure rate and are pricey, especially when you have to buy them twice. Besides, I hate blinding everybody else needlessly. I'm kind of happy that the blue headlight fad has finally died and whille I'm at it, get off my lawn!

 

[WillCO]

Mainly I want to be able to see clearly when I drive at night, and to have a certain amount of light spread so I can see whatever might be getting ready to jump in front of the car from the side of the road.

The OEM halogens you get with the LS and LT trims are not adequate for that need, in my opinion. On the LT specifically, which is otherwise an extremely well-equipped midlevel trim, the headlights seem to be a penalty designed to pull a person up to the LTZ trim. In other words, they suck on purpose.

The Silverstars move me to the right side of the line. I've seen whiter headlamp equipment of course, but the color and level of output these provide is adequate for me.

 

[JayW]

On the LT specifically, which is otherwise an extremely well-equipped midlevel trim, the headlights seem to be a penalty designed to pull a person up to the LTZ trim. In other words, they suck on purpose.

I had this exact thought recently and agree 100%. I could not believe GM would produce a vehicle with an MSRP north of $60K without HID headlights... until I realized that was the main upgrade to upsell you to an LTZ. And in my case, it worked.