light – Adam's Auto Advice

Sylvania Silverstar Ultras Make The Road Bright & Visible

You get into your car after a long day at work. The sun set long ago and it's dark out so you get in, put on your seatbelt (right?), then turn on your headlights. Lights…what lights? You can hardly see anything in front of you!

If you find yourself in this situation with your headlights, I recommend replacing the bulbs asap. If you are going to be replacing your headlights anyway, why not upgrade to some really bright Sylvania Silverstar Ultras?

I have been using a set of Sylvania Silverstar Ultras (#9006) in my Honda Accord for the past few weeks, and I got to say, “Wow!” having a brighter set of bulbs in your car makes a big difference while driving at night.

After driving around for awhile with such awesome and bright headlights, you tend to forget the dimness of the old bulbs. For comparison sake and for this review, I decided to put one of my old lightbulbs back in my headlights and drive my Honda Accord around. The difference between the Silverstar Ultras and my old bulbs would be much more visible side-by-side.

It was a bit hard to get a good picture at night (even with my Canon Rebel), but the difference is clear and incredible!

You can see how the Silverstar Ultras fill out the headlight more, while the old bulb just doesn't cut it. Honestly the one Silverstar Ultra bulb lights up the road well and compensates somewhat for the old bulb's lack of brightness. The Silverstar Ultras were bright enough for to me realize my lights were out of alignment too. (That was nothing that a screwdriver and a bit of patience couldn't fix.)

The only problem I have read about with these Sylvania Silverstar Ultras is a lot of people complain that they don't last long. If you look on the back of the packaging there is a graphic that shows the Sylvania Silverstar Ultras are indeed bright, but show their life is much shorter. Also “SYLVANIA Silverstar Ultra lamps are engineered to achieve the highest performance possible, which results in product life that is less than standard lamps.” is also printed on the back of the packaging.

That doesn't really bother me as I would rather replace really bright bulbs more often, than drive with bulbs that don't light up the road well at all. So far I have experienced no issues with the bulbs deteriorating in brightness or going out prematurely.

The Silverstar Ultra packaging does claim to improve your forward visibility by 40% and side visibility by 50%. I think those claims are a bit lofty. After making proper adjustments, my guesstimate would be that Silverstar Ultras improve forward visibility by 30%-25% and maybe 30% on the sides.

Of course there is no easy way for me to truly measure or test my guesstimated numbers. Getting out a measuring tape was futile!

The brightness of the bulbs makes for a much more enjoyable and safe night driving experience though. The light that the Sylvania Silverstar Ultras bulbs puts out is much more focused, clear, and full then what I had before which was terrible.

Results can vary depending upon the condition of your headlights. If you have cloudy or yellowed headlights, getting a set of Silverstar Ultras bulbs will not improve visibility too much. The best thing for you to do is buy a headlight restoration kit and spend an afternoon restoring them to a clear and visible condition. Then buy new bulbs if they are not good.

Bottom line, I used to dread having to drive my Accord at night or in bad weather because I thought I would hit another car, person, or object. Now it's not as much of a problem with the Sylvania Silverstar Ultras installed.

Adam’s 7 Tips for Winterizing Your Car

With the unusually warm weather in January, I felt a bit odd posting a list of tips for winterizing your car. Now that there is actually snow on the ground in Baltimore, and it is cold, it makes more sense posting this list. No sense in posting a list in the Spring!

“Adam's 7 Tips for Winterizing Your Car.”

Hey, Your Car is Dirty: This is something that is a good idea to do before it gets cold and there is snow on the ground. (Ok, maybe I should have posted this earlier.) It's good to clean your car of all the road grime and dirt, because during the winter cars tend to attract more dirt. Clean the interior of the car as well. If you don't have rubber floormats, I would consider buying them as it will help keep your car's interior cleaner. Most people don't clean their cars during the winter, so that is why I suggest this.
Ohh, My Battery Is Dead: It is a very good idea to get your battery checked or take a look yourself. Low temperatures make it hard for the chemical reactions inside your battery to operate normally, meaning it has reduced power to get your car started. Most auto parts stores do Free battery checks using specialized testers, and they can usually test your whole electrical system too. If you have had trouble starting your car in the past due to the battery going dead or it has given you problems, you probably should just get a new battery. If it is more than 3-4 years old, replace it.
Get Rid Of That Battery Corrosion: Even if your battery is not that old, servicing it might be a good idea. By that I mean making sure there is no corrosion on the terminals or cables. If you are comfortable cleaning the terminals and battery, it is a good idea to do that yourself. (Remember undo the negative cable first, then the positive cable.) A quick way to get all the corrosion off is to pour warm water on top of the battery, which quickly washes away all that white sulfate deposit. You can then take wire brush and clean the terminals and cables, ensuring you battery has a good connection.
Can You See The Light?: Having a Headlight or Taillight bulb out is an easy thing to miss. Hey, I understand! Since the days are shorter and the nights longer in winter, it is good to make sure they are functioning properly. Turn on your cars lights and walk around to make sure all are in working order. Don't forgot to check those blinkers too! If any are out or very dim, replace it. Then you don't need to worry about it later.
Keep Your Coolant: You want to make sure you have a 50:50 mix of anti-freeze and water inside your radiator. If there isn’t enough anti-freeze in the mix, it could potentially freeze in the cold weather. How do you know if you have a 50/50 coolant or anti-freeze mixture? There are test strips and special tools to test the mixture and pH level of coolant. I rarely see many shops using them, but you can buy them at auto parts stores. You might want to consider doing a coolant flush if you have never done it, or if it has been 4+ years since you have flushed your coolant. Don't forgot to also check your hoses. If they are bulging hard, brittle, deformed, squishy, or have hairline cracks, replace the hose.
Is Your Tread Dead?: When is the last time you checked you tire pressure? Mmm… better check it, since tires lose about 1psi for every 10 degree change in temperature. You gas mileage will improve and your car will handle better. Also make sure you have adequate tread and your tires are not worn-out. If you live in climate that gets heavy snow, switching to snow tires for the winter might not be bad idea.
Can You See the Road?: Wipers are very easy to overlook, but very important for inclement weather. Check your wipers are not streaking or has rubber falling off. If they are old and aren't doing the job, replace them. I recommend Bosch frame-less wipers, which last longer and work better. I have Bosch wipers installed on my Honda Accord. Remember to also make sure you have washer fluid.

I hope you enjoyed Adam's Auto Advice tips! If you have a suggestion or comment about winterizing your vehicle leave a comment below. Keep warm this winter and please drive safely. You never know what's on the road, so be prepared.

The Inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix, a Successful Racing Weekend for Everyone

Baltimore GP 238 — Pits next to Camden Yards at the Baltimore Grand Prix

Baltimore had an amazing 3-day Labor Day weekend with the Inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. It had everything you could ask for. huge crowds, good food, checkered flag-girls, tons of media, and a whole lot of fast cars.

In the Izod IndyCar series Will Powers won the Baltimore Grand Prix in a stunning victory. He came out early in the race commanding the track over his rivals and won with 10+ second lead. The win wasn't a complete surprise as he lead the pack during practices. Second place runner up was Oriol Servia, who felt his name helped him in the humble city of Baltimore (Oriol translates from Spanish meaning Oriole. Passing Camden Yards must have been good luck!) He came from a 14th place start. Third place runner up was Tony Kanaan, who rallied from a 27th place start and recovered from an interesting accident where he flew over Helio Castroneves during the warmup session.

In the American Le Mans series Guy Smith won the in LMP1 class, Kyle Marcelli in LMPC, Wolf Henzler in GT. An accident where he lost one of his tires during a qualifying lap could not keep Jeroen Bleekemolen from winning in the GTC class. Amazingly he jumped out of his car grabbed the tire put it into his car and drove into the pits to get it installed. Luckily nobody was injured and nor was Jeroen's Porsche 911 GT3 racing car. A great win for Jeroen!

It's clear this was a great event for Baltimore. “We've set the stage to make this a staple event for Baltimore and the region…We had 160,000 fans over the 3 days.” commented Jay Davidson president of Baltimore Racing Development, the private company that oversaw the planning for the Baltimore Grand Prix. “Baltimore has a successful event to build upon for next year and for years to come.” exclaimed Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, The Mayor of Baltimore. Scott Artherton president of the American Le Mans series added, “For a first time event. Honestly it could not have gone better.”

Many drivers commented on how great the weekend went. Will Powers winner of the Baltimore Grand Prix noted, “That was the best podium ceremony of my career!” Other drivers lauded the event as well. “I couldn't believe the incredible number of fans who came out all three days. Street courses are always a good way to draw a good crowd, and the way the circuit was laid out… reminded me of the huge events we've had at places like Surfers Paradise, Long Beach, and Toronto… I know we as drivers loved racing in Baltimore.” said Helio Castroneves on ESPN.com. Tony Kanaan, third place runner up, “It's a beautiful track, bumpy and interesting.” Oriol Servia “This track is a challenge for both drivers and engineers… I think it is fun.” Scott Artherton on all the positive feedback from drivers, “Race car drivers are the first ones to offer up an opinion. Normally it is not constructive and normally it is not good.”

Fans were extremely pleased with the event as well. “It's awesome. I go to a lot of these races, Long Beach, St Petersburg, Indianapolis. Top-notch street course for sure!” said Peter Romero, an Albuquerque Lawyer and immense race fan. “This could be the second crown jewel in the IndyCar circuit…This venue is nicer than Long Beach. It's crazy! It's a perfect storm for a street course.” referring to all the hotels and accommodations located around the track. Many other fans and spectators were equally pleased and enthusiastic about the weekend.

Even with all the delays on getting the track open on Friday for practices, issues seemed to get resolved for the rest of the weekend. “It's part of the growing pains of dealing with a new track and new race.” said an Andretti Autosport team member whom I spoke with about the delays. The general confusion among the staff seemed to be resolved as the weekend went on as well. Everything was smoothed out by Sunday.

This was the first big racing event for the Mid-Atlantic region since Washington DC had a Grand Prix race in 2002. IndyCar and American Le Mans feel this is a market that needed to be tapped and judging from the crowds, they could not have been more right. It was truly amazing the sheer number of people all weekend.. The energy was sky-high everywhere. The event was blessed with great weather, as it came after Hurricane Irene and before an immense amount of rain in Baltimore the following week. The fans, drivers, media, and policy makers of Baltimore have spoken and many hope racing will be here for a long time to come.