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Lighting upgrades

20289 Views 49 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  Ryan Owens, 
spangenb
I decided to do a bunch of lighting upgrades both inside and outside the car with Sylvania Silverstar products. The first step was the dome and map lights. As you can see from this pic, they are WAY brighter.

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spangenb
Not part of the Silverstar line, but here is the bulb I used. You need 9 of these for the whole car: three in each dome/map assembly, one in the cargo area, and two license plate lights.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AIJY2ZM/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_M3T1_ST1_dp_4
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spangenb
If I get motivated tomorrow I will install the headlights (ZXE), fog lights (ZXE), and the rest of the front and rear bulbs. I didn't find a Silverstar bulb for the side mirror turn signal bulbs yet.
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spangenb
Did the rest of the bulbs today. This is more of an exterior topic now as there are a ton more bulbs on the outside. All I didn't have bulbs for were the side markers in the headlight assembly and the side mirror bulbs. We are going out later so I will see how everything works in the dark.

I didn't find any internet info on replacing the fog light bulbs so I was going to leave them till the weather gets better. As it turns out, removing the headlight module exposes a ton of stuff including the fog lights. If you are looking into replacing just the fog light bulbs, I recommend taking the headlight modules out to get at them. Removal is as easy as two torx bolts, one panel clip, and tug upward to free the module from a plastic clip on the bottom.

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spangenb
What bulb did you use for the reverse lights?
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spangenb
The backup bulbs are a 921 so I think this is the right one: http://www.vleds.com/bulb/921-led/6...bulbs-917-918-920-921-922-923-579-1-pair.html
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spangenb
I see what you are saying. I thought you meant you put those in an ST as backup bulbs. The 3157 is a whole different type of base. On my car the rear has a 3157 (brake/park), 3157A (amber turn), and 921 (backup).
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spangenb
The dome lights are a bit of a pain. I almost did some photo documentation of the process .... almost. The assembly pulls down from the headliner on the rear edge, then unplug the wires (not real easy with fingers) and withdraw the unit toward the rear of the car. If just doing the dome bulb you can get away with carefully prying the flat clear lens off. It has 8 or 10 little retaining clips along the long edges. If doing the map lights too, you need to remove the big lens, pop the map light units out of their ball socket, and remove two small screws on the back to separate the lens from the bulb socket.
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spangenb
An interior panel separator tool would be best for getting the big lens off. A screwdriver is likely to scratch, crack, or chip something.
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spangenb
I haven't had a good dark country road to myself yet, but my initial impression is that the ZXE low beam is a "nice" improvement. The ZXE high beam is "holy crap!" bright and white. My '08 Mustang had HID and this high beam is equal to that.
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spangenb
Yes the high beams are H1. Never had those before. Seems like a really silly setup compared to the tidy socket and plug arrangement of the H11 low beams and fogs.
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spangenb
This link has a good discussion on the H11 vs. H11b question: http://www.forteforums.com/forums/do-yourself-articles/12619-h11-vs-h11b-yes-again-hear-me-out.html

The low beam and fog bulbs I pulled out of my car were H11 based on that description. I had a good drive way out in the country on Saturday night and yes the ZXE high beams rock! :)
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spangenb
The car is all back together now :) If the weather gets better soon then I will try to photo document the dome light disassembly.
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spangenb
Sucks about the adjuster. Warranty claim! My car had the air bag light come on several times under hard acceleration. Turns out the left front airbag sensor plug was loose. Dealer fixed.

So do you agree that the high beams are an even bigger improvement than the low beams?
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spangenb
Yup just go to Amazon.com and search for Silverstar ZXE. They are Sylvania.
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spangenb
I read all the stuff about short lifespan. Figured I would try one set and find out for myself.
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spangenb
I do a lot of modding of my cars, but it's almost exclusively bolt-on mods. I would have to draw the line at taking a Dremel to my headlight housing :) If I can get a year out of these bulbs I will be satisfied. If not, I will look at some HID kits.
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spangenb
That I could do :) I will have to look up the light output of those bulbs you mentioned.
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