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If you’re looking for style points, zXe® delivers the crisp, white light you need. The look of your vehicle will be transformed the instant they’re installed.
zXe® headlights are fueled by a proprietary Xenon halogen gas technology to generate a look and attitude that rivals HID. They’re crisp, white, DOT Compliant, and 100% street legal.
Review
Bulbs and ballasts are slowly creeping out of the market, as HIDs are taking center stage in the car bulb industry. With the former, buyers can fork out up to $50 for a combo of the bulbs and ballast. This price is almost double that of an average HID light. Besides, the installation process is tedious, and their lifetime is limited.
At times, the bulbs and ballasts may shine incorrectly, prompting road users to think you are driving on hi-beam. This scenario is hazardous to other road users. To wrap it up, most of these lights are not even DOT or SAE compliant. However, that should not give you jitters. There is a new kid in the block, the Sylvania zXe. This is a nice-looking HID look-alike bulb that is extremely affordable and more effective than the standard Bulbs and ballasts.
Specifications for the zXe
Sylvania zXe is the perfect replacement for your HID. It boasts of a crystal bright white light, which undoubtedly serves the purpose overnight, and is very comfortable to other road users. It has appealing visuals, and its halogen light matches that of a real HID.
The real HID light bulbs have adopted Xenon gas technology, hence their common name, the xenon light bulbs. On their end, Sylvania zXE takes on the proprietary xenon and halogen gas, to help bring out the HID component in them.
For optimal color output and light transmission, these lights have a cobalt blue coating. Additionally, the mirror has an alloy coating to provide that jewel-like. Many buyers prefer Sylvania zXe due to its DOT and SAE compliance, which is rare on most HID replacers. From its marketing style, it is evident that these light bulbs mainly target buyers seeking to have a fresh look on their rides.
Color Output
When one ignites the cobalt blue-coated light bulbs, the beam hits the top-coated alloy headlight mirror, which in turn produces a very appealing jewel-like appearance. In addition, a blend of the cobalt color and the xenon gas technology creates a very unique and attractive color temperature to suit your ride. The color temperature produced can get up to 4200k, which is 100k more than the highest-ranked Sylvania product that comes with only 4100k. Although this doesn’t bring out a significant disparity in the pure color, there is, of course, a slight light difference.
Comparison between the Sylvania Zxe And The OEM (Original Headlight Bulb)
It is important to note that these light bulbs were mainly designed to bring out the cool xenon look. However, in the process of manufacturing, some modifications were inevitable. Firstly, the Sylvania zXe came out 10% brighter than the OEM. Secondly, the bulb happens to be 29% whiter than the stock bulb, which ranks at 3000k, while Sylvania is around 3960k. These features make the Sylvania zXe a perfect choice for buyers seeking elegance and brightness.
However, if you are strictly looking for a xenon look, then there are other options like the Sylvania Diamonds vision or the OSRAM cool blue. Nonetheless, these options are dimmer compared to the zXe.
Sylvania Zxe Vs. The Sylvania Ultra
These are among the most preferred headlights from Sylvania. From the outlooks, these two headlights look similar, but there are a few technical differences. One of the main differences lies in the color temperature. The zXe has a 4200k, while the ultra is slightly lower at 4100k. This is a minor difference, but on closer range, one can see the disparity in the light quality. In addition, the beam pattern in the zXe is broader and spreads further compared to the ultra.
Sylvania SilverStar zXe Competitors
Sylvania zXe’s main competitors, targeting the same customers, include Phillips and GE. The lights from these brands are all DOT and SAE compliant. However, with the exception of the Sylvania, experts recommend Philips more than the GE. The Phillips light bulb is cheaper by $10 compared to the Sylvania zXe, but that gap is compensated by the exciting features the latter carries.
The Installation Process
Sylvania products may look slightly different from the OEM, but technically their dimensions match those of the OEM. Besides, Sylvania gives a standard range on all its products, allowing the user to fit it as a high, low, or dual beam on any car model. The installation time differs according to car design. It involves removal of the cover, unscrewing the other bulb, and installing the new one. Always put on protective gloves during this process. This helps to clear the residue on the glass, and also protects your hands in case of the glass breaks during installation.
How To Install Sylvania SilverStar zXe
- Open the car’s hood.
- Check for the connector at the backside of the assembly and disconnect it.
- Dismantle the dust cover to check whether there is a clip hanging around it, and if you find it, gently remove it.
- Slightly disconnect the bulb from its housing.
- Fit in the new bulb, but be cautious not to touch it with any other object but your hand.
- Replace the clip and dustcover, if present.
- Reconnect your power connector and then light up your bulb.
Conclusion
The Sylvania zXe is the perfect replica of an HID setup. It is crispier than most average halogen lights and way cheaper. This makes it an ideal replacement for buyers seeking a cool-xenon look without tampering with the light quality.
Customer’s Reaction
Of all the HID look-alike products, the Sylvania zXe has received excellent reception by customers. The clientele is impressed by the crystal clear white light that surpasses even that of the SilverStar ultra, not forgetting the affordability. However, there are still some shortcomings to note, as discussed below.
Some of the customers complain about the short lifespan of the bulbs. This is a variable complaint since some of the clients find the 18 months lifespan worthwhile. Besides, this is a common complaint on almost all the halogen lights, and not unique to the Sylvania zXE.
On the other hand, some people have noted that these light bulbs are not as white as the Silverstar ultras. Again, this complaint is relative, since their color temperatures are not very diverse, and either can be whiter due to a probable manufacturer’s error.
Customer’s Install SilverStar zXe
The one I’ve purchased our Sylvania Silver Stars zXe performance halogen headlight bulbs for both the low beams and high beams on my 2009 Dodge Charger the low beams are number nine thousand six as XS and the high beams are nine thousand five XS…
if you do have the charger make sure you get the XS ones which means straight connector and not the 90 degree connector which won’t fit I actually purchased these on sale last year and a put off putting them in the car so today’s the day to finally make the switch and I currently have just a regular Sylvania basic bulbs so for this video I’m going to be doing a review and install these headlight bulbs so first of all let’s look at the product a little bit Sylvania makes lots of different types of bulbs as you can see by this chart again I have the basic ones on the left in the car right now and I’ll be putting in the zXe on the right the price is slightly go up as do the quality of the bulbs as you go from left to right so I’m using walmart.com prices basic is $18.00 for two bulbs X Division is twenty Silver Star is thirty-four Silver Star Ultra is forty four and the Silver Stars ethoxy are 55 for the pair and this is just for low beam pricing if you want high beams you need that pair as well so basically double the cost I just wanted to try the best that was available so basically I will be going from the cheapest basic bulbs to the most expensive is that XE and I did get the bulbs on sale on Amazon as most of the reviews were very good average rating 3.6 stars out of five for almost 3000 reviews so what is this product supposed to do as you can see by all these claims from Sylvania basically this is supposed to give you crisp white or light with the look and feel of HIDs which are normally more expensive and more complicated since they need a conversion kit and these are just simply plug and play so this is basically the best alternative to HIDs as Sylvania claims so first off here’s some footage of my stock bulbs I will do some more comparison footage once the bulbs are in but as you can clearly see the stock Sylvania basic bulbs look yellow and ugly as hell even in broad daylight so now we need to take up the old bulbs difficulty will vary based on your car but I have my own on charger here so we need to take out the air intake on the right side to get at those bulbs on the charger there’s a bolt near the edge that you need to take off first my plastic piece is broken off so my bolt isn’t really keeping much in place but yours will be attached to the intake if you have this car I also need to loosen the clamp keeping the intake in place with a screwdriver and then pull off the hose to the left and then the whole intake can come right off giving you easier access to the bulbs so for the bulbs as you can see they’re very easily displayed here all you need to do is twist it to the left to loosen it and then you can pull it right out of the housing really simple do that for both bulbs the outer bulb is obviously the low beams and the inner ones are the high beams and the bulbs will have some sort of harness attached and for this one the clamps were pretty tight so we just took a screwdriver to pry them off a little bit and made it easy to pull the bulb off then put in the new bulbs and that’s done and pull up the bulbs back in in the exact same way just kind of fit them into the housing and then twist them to the right to tighten it if they’re not fitting perfectly it does help to just look into the headlight area and see for yourself where it should be and if it’s aligned or straight and then access to the bulbs on the other side is even easier you don’t have to remove anything and you can just reach in and repeat the whole process pretty simple stuff make sure to also put back the intake as well plucking the hose back in fitting the intake over the clamp and tightening it and also putting the bolt back in place so now it’s time to see if these things are actually any good I’ve got a bunch of shots of both lights so I’ll try to compare as best as I can now in this shot here the bright side has those nxe bulbs and the leftist stalk so right away you can see the yellow color is gone and the lights are more white and seem brighter now for the night test again here’s the footage with the right side upgraded on the left side stock it’s definitely whiter light and also seems brighter again on that said XC side so when I put both stock lights in the camera might not pick up the color too well but the light is definitely yellow but still overall light up output really isn’t that bad now here’s the footage with both these exe bulbs in as you can see it’s a nice white light and I definitely noticed it seemed to be a brighter output by how much I’m not really sure in any case thankfully the yellow hues of the basic bulb are gone here’s some more comparison footage of both the lights so overall I’m pretty happy with these lights they were pretty pricey but seem to compare well to HID bulbs and when you really compare it it’s basically twenty dollars for basic bulbs or fifty-five dollars for these so I think it’s worth spending the extra money in my opinion I’m very happy with the wider light looks much better in the day or night times and the light output is also increased for sure if you want tons of light output then LEDs are the way to go because those will be even brighter but for an HID alternative that’s around 50 bucks these have done the job well the only downside is that I’ve read that these won’t last too long and the bulbs burn out quicker than OEM stuff so only time will tell for that but so far in one month I’ve had no issues all right guys so thanks for watching if you do want to check with the product I’ll put a link in the description below I will also be testing out some LED bulbs at some point in the near future as well so make sure to LIKE and subscribe for more Mopar and car content and I’ll see you next video
? According to the official website of Sylvania, zXe bulbs are xenon fueled and boast of improved HID Attitude while zXe gold series is advertised as their whitest lamp.
☀️ The average lifespan is 18 months which is typical for halogen bulbs.
?️ The Sylvania SilverStar ZXE headlights produce a color temperature of 4200 Kelvin due to the use of proprietary xenon halogen technology.
? Yes, due to the differences in the color temperature. The zXe has a 4200k, while the ultra is slightly lower at 4100k. This is a minor difference, but on the closer range, one can see the disparity in the light quality.
Headlights are automotive jewelry. Correct fitment coupled with the right choice of technology will turn your vehicle into a shining gem.
Official sources of fitment information – https://sylvania-automotive.com and https://www.automotivebulbfinder.com/philips/