|
classiguy3,
You got a few choices, depending on your wallet size. On the low end, you could go with Silvania Silverstar or/ Cool Blue. On the high end, you could go with the new PIAA Xtreme White Plus. In my opinion, the best value for the money is the Hella Optilux Xenon White. Hella offers a lifetime warranty on them, like PIAA ( unlike Silvania, which only has a 1-year warranty ). The Hella are as bright as the PIAA, but they are more whiteish than the PIAA at more than half the cost.
Currently, I am running the Hella Optilux Xenon White on my front fog light.
They are definitely 200% more brighter and more white than the stock OEM fog light bulb. One of my friends' installed a pair of PIAA Xtreme White bulbs on his Mom's 1998 V70 2.5SE ( headlight and fog ). One dark night, we parked next to each other and you would have to be working for PIAA or Hella to even tell the difference. Just for comparison purpose, we called another friend, whose Dad has a 1997 Volvo S70 ( base with cloth seats ) that his Dad used as a company vehicle for the staffs. Obviously, his Dad didn't modify the S70, so it still has the stock OEM headlight and fog light bulb. You can really tell the difference.
I am not sure of how the prices are like where you live, but just to give you a sense of the price. Even with my Dad's corporate discount, the PIAA Xtreme White Plus ( H7 ) would costs me $ 130/pair Cdn, compared to $45/pair Cdn for the Hella ( H7 ).
When I brought the replacement bulb ( H3 ) for my front fog light, the PIAA
Xtreme White was going to cost me $ 120/pair CDN; while the Hella Optilux Xenon White only costs me $ 40/pair CDN.
I have some pictures of my new Hella Optilux Xenon White front fog light bulb on my website.
Currently, I am still using the stock OEM headlight bulb. I rarely drive the Volvo nowaday, as I recently got promoted and the company has given me a new company car ('03 Mercedes-Benz C240E 4Matic), so I don't have to use my own personal Volvo to go to/from work anymore. So, if I need to go out at night, I used my new Mercedes most of the time, as it has that awesome bi-xenon headlamps. But once my Volvo's stock headlight bulb goes out, I am probably going to go with either PIAA Xtreme White Plus or/ with Hella Optilux Xenon White.
As a word of advice, just don't with any of the cheap, useless Japanese bulbs, including the brand - Eurolite. One of my friends went thru six pairs in less than one year on his 2000 Honda Accord EX V6 sedan - luckily all under Eurolite
warranty. Finally, he gave up when the warranty expired, and now he is using
PIAA Superwhite instead. It has more than 1.5 years now and he has no problem.
Hope that answers your question. Feel free to e-mail me, if you got any more questions regarding this upgrade.
Cheers !
---
Kenny
2001 Nissan Pathfinder SE
1998 Volvo S70 GLE
http://www.geocities.com/suvrules/Volvo.html
|
