I was wondering if anybody has installed the sylvania silverstars bulbs on the Mini.

I just got them for my Honda and I think they are absolutely awesome, very bright and white with a little blue tint (unlike the usual blue bulbs this is barely perceptible).

Even though I love the Mini´s headlamps and original bulbs it´s making me think abut installing those sylvanias in it too. Anybody knows what type of bulbs do we use for driving and high beams?

 

I installed some kind of Sylvania Blue things, they didn't really work too well...

 

The MINI high and low beams are H7 bulbs.
I replaced mine with Nokya superwhites last week. They are really great. The high beams are taking a bit of geting used to because you don't see the obvious edges of the light coverage. At first I thought they were not aimed correctly until i noticed everything all lit up down the road.

 

I use Silverstars in my BMW. They are a great improvement over OEM bulbs in vision and color balance, however, I've had both burn out within a week of each other after only about 15,000miles! Still like them, hopefully this second set will last longer.

 

In my old car I had problems like that with after market bulbs. One would always run out really fast, and the other would last forever.

 

The Silverstars are only $20 at AutoZone but AFAIK they don't make Silverstars in H7 format. The MINI uses H7 bulbs for high, low, and fog.

 

That´s bad news they don´t make H7. I think they would look great on the Mini, and improve the already excellent illumination on the car.

Last night while driving home in the Honda I was really enjoying the improved illumination. I felt like when you get new glasses and suddenly start seeing very sharp again

 

Nokya superwhite's are available in H7, however. I think they look even better than the Sylvania's I put on my last car.

 

I have a full set of Weathervision yellow filament H7's from Philips in UK that I will be playing with soon - I'll swap the foggies with them as well as high beams.

-Peter/Rspeed

 

Here's a pic for color comparison of white vs stock. Taken in daylight. Too close to the wall to get an accurate idea of the beam pattern however.



_________________
<BIG>-=acetonic=-

My MINI</BIG>

 

Due to the pic I think I am gonna switch Acetonic!

 

Unfortunately, the Nokya bulbs are made from 100% medium grain rice. They are illegal in any country, taxing on the car's electrical system, a melting hazard at 75W (especially in tiny foglights like the MINI's), and are nothing more than regular old light bulbs with an annoying blue tint applied.

Silverstars however are white like xenon. They may have some blue fringing like xenon but they are not deliberately tinted blue like a rice bulb. Silverstars are also bright like xenon, and legal like xenon. They're as close as you can get to xenon performance and appearance with an incandescant bulb.

 

>>The Silverstars are only $20 at AutoZone but AFAIK they don't make Silverstars in H7 format. The MINI uses H7 bulbs for high, low, and fog.

According to my owner's manual the fog light bulbs are H11. I hope that's right because I just got a set of H11s that are superwhite instead of yellowish. But I haven't installed them yet because it looks like some work to access the backside of the foglight housing. Has anyone replaced their fog light bulbs? Can you tell me how much body disassembly is involved? Thanks.

 

I'm almost certain that it was reported that the fogs are indeed H7 as well - not H11 like the manual indicates.

I also believe there had been threads discussing the disassembly process on how to access the fogs.

...try a forum search on some of the key terms. I would guess the threads were before January. If you don't have any luck finding the threads, report back and I'll help you dig 'em up tomorrow.

 

Thanks, I'll let you know.

 

I know we all dispise 'riceboys' on here, but lets not get carried away.
Nokya Arctic White's are legal in all 50 states. They do not draw 75 watts, the (somewhat misleading) adverts say they are as bright as 75 watts. From my own observations, they are no hotter than the stock bulbs. The light is a very pure white. Looking at the headlights in the day or night, they look bright white. I don't know what Nokya bulbs you are describing, but nothing you said applies to the Arctic Whites.

That said, I have no stock in any lighting company and I don't care what others decide to use. I would not put something dangerous in my MINI and I certainly wouldn't advise it to others. Just sharing my own, real world, experiences.

>>Unfortunately, the Nokya bulbs are made from 100% medium grain rice. They are illegal in any country, taxing on the car's electrical system, a melting hazard at 75W (especially in tiny foglights like the MINI's), and are nothing more than regular old light bulbs with an annoying blue tint applied.
>>

 

My factory fogs use H7's and my manual says H7 as well. (04-01-2002 build) Perhaps some later builds use H11 or were planned to use them. I had to replace a shattered foglamp last week and it was most definitely an H7.

>>I'm almost certain that it was reported that the fogs are indeed H7 as well - not H11 like the manual indicates.
>>
>>I also believe there had been threads discussing the disassembly process on how to access the fogs.
>>
>>...try a forum search on some of the key terms. I would guess the threads were before January. If you don't have any luck finding the threads, report back and I'll help you dig 'em up tomorrow.

 

A little searching turned up a post from wainair in Aug. '02 where he said he wasa bit peeved because his owner's manual said the fog light bulbs were H7, but when he got in there he found out they were H11 instead. Another post from DaveInDenver from Nov. '02 said Low Beam H7, Hi Beam H7, Fog Light H11. So now I'm operating on the assumption that H7 bulbs were used for fog lights on early cars and they have since been changed to H11s. I could still use some advice on how to get the back of the fog light to do the replacement. wainair's post said he "popped off the wheel skirt" to do it. I don't really know what that means or how to do it. I see a panel under the front end of the car running from side to side just behind the front air dam. It LOOKS like if I could get it off I could get to the back of the fogs that way, but I don't know. Any help out there?

 

Glad you found that post! I obviously had it backwards. I remembered someone having posted that the fogs were different than what the manual said, but I got the rest mixed up. It also appears that they have since fixed the manual.

I apologize if it seems like I sent you on a "wild goose chase." Certainly not my intention.

I wish I had more legitimate help to offer you on how to access the fogs, but 1) I haven't yet attempted that and 2) Molly is still in the shop so I can't look at it to help now. I guess I'm proving relatively worthless here...

Anyone else that can lend DeMinimus a hand?

 

DeMinimus, I'll try to share my experience with replacing the front fog. Perhaps it will be helpful. I had to replace the entire assembly, not just the bulb, so it should be an easier process for you.

1. I had to jack up the front and remove the wheel to get access to the plastic liner inside the fender. (or 'wing' to be UK correct!) It is held on by a number of plastic screws that are in plastic anchors. Remove the screw and pop the anchor out. There are about 4 places where there are screws that go straight to metal. I have heard that to just change the bulbs you don't have to take the entire lining out, just detatch it near the front where the fogs are hiding. I know it would be difficult to get to these screws without removing the wheel. Here's a link to a pic with the screws highlighted:
Remove these.

2. This pic shows the location of the fogs with the liner off and the bonnet open. As I said, removing the whole liner may not be needed, but it made my job a lot easier. Access the fogs here

3. this pic shows the collar on the fogs that holds the bulb on. This is very tightly sealed, as you would want them to be. You just press forward a bit and turn, and they don't turn easy. Closeup shot.

Your MINI may not be exactly the same due to different build dates but it should be close. It took me about half an hour to replace the entire fog lamp. Changing the bulb only should be easier. The owners manual says to take it to the service center to get the bulbs changed. That seems a bit overkill but of course, any work you do on your own MINI carries some risks.

Good luck!

 

Alright! With that info I'm sure I can get the job done. Thanks much.
Can I get a big round of applause for both Mini2Go and acetonic? I really appreciate your help. Presuming I get the new bulbs installed in the next several days I'll post a message letting you know if these "white" bulbs are worth the money and effort.

 

>>Can I get a big round of applause for both Mini2Go and acetonic?

*Blushes and kicks at the dirt.* Awww shucks, I didn't do nuthin' really. :smile:

 

You should save the kudo's until after you get the change done. Then you will know if I was a help or a cause of grief!

 

Geez, great help and advice, self-effacing humor and humility...too much!

I installed the upgrade fog light bulbs this afternoon. Acetonic's advice/instructions were SPOT ON. It really wasn't difficult once I had a grasp on the procedure, and the added photos were a helpful bonus. I did not have to completely remove the wheelwell liners, just removed six fasteners on each one which allowed me to easily pull it back far enough to access the fixture. Both sides, including jacking up & removing the wheels, took about 45 minutes.

So, what was the point? I have Xenons which put out that nice clean white light. I had already switched out the high beam bulbs to eliminate their yellow color. Replaced them with PIAA Extreme White H7's. Very close match with the white output of the Xenon low beam. So then I wanted to do the fog lights as well. The owner's manual says the fogs are H11, and it turns out on my 2003 they are. I found that "white" H11's are much harder to come across than H7's. I bought some made by ADVANCED OPTIK. Turns out they are also a nice match with the Xenons. not QUITE as white, but close, and definitely MUCH whiter that the original bulbs.

So, if you are (choose your own adjective) enough to want to eliminate yellow-looking lights on the front of your Mini, I'd recommend this upgrade. And if you don't have Xenons, you can use the PIAA Extreme White H7's in both your low and high beams.

Now I'm waiting for the LED indicator/parking lights from mini-design.com to replace those as well. I have the PIAA Extreme White wedge bulbs in there now and (unfortunately) in that particular bulb style they light up a little bit blue, and I don't want that. I'll post an opinion when I get them in, but it takes a while for them to ship from England.

Thanks again Mini2Go and acetonic.

 

I love it when a plan comes together. Glad you like the results!

Pics? We want pics! That will be thanks enough!

BTW, is there a link that you could post so we can get some idea of prices for these bulbs?