Anyone tried higher wattage bulbs for headlights?

[Blackbird]

First time poster.

Tried searching prior to posting so hope I'm not ...
My question is in the title -
Did anyone try or does anyone know how much higher wattage bulbs I can install in the headlights of my wife's non-HID equipped 05?

The silverstar I read about are hardly any better than the regular bulbs, and for less than that I can get a set of 100/80W or 85/80W bulbs (I know they aren't street legal).
I worried about frying the wiring, any input will be appreciated.

TIA,

Moti

[tochatihu]

Welcome to Prius Chat

OK so you already know the laws. I bought slightly higher wattage on ebay and they both failed within a few months. Not impressive. If you put many more watts in, it would be wise to physically examine the wiring after a few hours' use. Also the contacts in the headlight relay might not last so long with you almost-doubling the current it carries. In other words, it's not just the wiring.

I thought the silverstars were OK.

[Boo]

I would consider getting the Phillips X-Treme Power bulbs. They are wonderfully bright -- they're the brightest halogens made. I love them.

But what is not known is how long they last. For usbseawolf2000, they only lasted about 5000 - 8000 miles. But for Tideland Prius, who ran them constantly as daytime running lights, they lasted 16,000 miles.

Otherwise, I would consider getting the Phillips Vision Plus bulbs. I understand that they're very bright, but not as bright as the X-Treme Power bulbs. However, as a general matter, they should last longer than the X-Treme Power bulbs. (As a general matter, brighter halogen bulbs have a shorter life expectancy than the OEM or dimmer bulbs.)

If you haven't seen it yet, check out this thread:

How To: Change Headlamp / Headlight bulb

Welcome to PriusChat. Good luck with your search for brighter bulbs.

[Tideland Prius]

I second Boo's suggestion on the X-Treme Power bulbs. Theyre fantastic but like all other 3rd party bulbs, they won't last too long (esp. if you run them as DRLs like we have in Canada). Even with one side blown, the other side was bright enough to safely illuminate a dark alley without resorting to high beams.

[Blackbird]

Thanks folks.

I had 100/80W Hella bulbs on my miata and they really make a huge difference over the so-called-brightest of the standard 60/55W bulbs.
Lasted a while too, over 3 years... they never really burned out - I parted the car.

It's mainly as a question of aim, those who run bright bulbs and don't aim the headlights well are blinding others.
I aimed my headlights properly and even though they were far brighter than the stock candles I never had any other driver complaining about them.

tochatihu -
What wattage were the bulbs you tried running?
I gather from your post that they just burned out but that you did not have a problem with the wiring and the rest of the elect sys.

BTW, does anyone have an idea how involved it would be to take the headlights off the car completely?
I'm thinking of modifying them a little bit...

TIA,

Moti

[tochatihu]

The ones I had briefly might have been in the 80-90 watt range. Not even sure they were labelled. I did check the wiring etc. As I recall, both low filaments failed at the same time as a result of 'flashing' high beams. Maybe the relay (2001 Prius) was set up to allow both filaments to have power at the same time? Anyway, those bulbs did not like it. and I did not have that problem with the OEM bulbs or silverstars.

Removing the headlight assemblies probably involves at least partial removal of the bumper.

[pingu]

You can also try using casper shields with D2S philips bulbs. They make bi-xenon H4 kits on ebay that have a casper shield integrated into the bulb/motor assembly. Check out hidplanet for more information on them. The casper shield does not create large amounts of glare like regular HID kits. IMO the Prius OEM HID housings produce a lot of glare.