HID vs LED

I have HID headlights on my 2005 Prius and love them.

Now it seems HIDs are no longer available - replaced by LEDs.

Does anyone know how LEDs compare to HIDs? Do they light up the road as well? Give off as much light?

If configured correctly which I'm sure that they have, they should do a great job with very little power consumption. The headlight options is my main complaint with the 2010 Prius package configurations. All new state of the art technology in the car and all except the top package have halogen??? Halogen lights are 70's technology in automotive lights. They are energy hogs. I have the HID's in our 08 I really don't want to go backwards with light technology in the 2010. I have some 500 lumen Cree LED's ordered from a Hong Kong supplier now and plan to see what can be done with them.

The LED headlamps on the 2010 are brighter than halogen but not as bright as the HIDs. This is a direct quote from the Toyota people when we were in Detroit.

HIDs have been a constant source of trouble for Toyota. I suspect they decided to leave that troublesome technology behind. Like you, I too like my HID headlamps, but that's because I have so far avoided expensive repairs.

The LED headlamps are even more expensive, but in theory should be much more reliable. They should also drop in cost with time.

The LED headlamps use LEDs for low beam and close illumination, and halogen projectors for high beam.

Tom

I think the LEDS are only on the top model??

Correct.

tom - can we convert the current HID's to a reliable LED?

Technically the answer is yes, but from a practical standpoint it is probably no. The new headlight assemblies appear to have a different size and shape, so I don't think you could swap one into the same space on a current Prius.

As for changing the bulbs to LEDs, the entire reflector assembly needs to be designed for LEDs. You can't simply swap out a single bulb and have it work.

The last problem is that LEDs are very expensive at the moment. They have become cost effective for flashlights, but for automotive headlamps they are still extremely expensive.

Tom

I think you are correct about this. I have noticed that Toyota has also eliminated or changed other problem areas:

Eliminated the Coolant Thermos
Eliminated the Fuel Tank Bladder
Removed the MFD (except for the cars w/ Nav)

As for the HID headlights, I really like mine, but I find myself hesitating to turn them on because of the bulb life issue. In some ways, I would rather have Halogen because I would just turn them on without worrying about it. I see a few Prius around the Sac area that use the HIDs as daytime running lights (they have them on all the time) and I always think about how pissed they are going to be when they go to the dealer with a burnt out headlight.

I don't understand why high beam doesn't use LEDs aswell. For me it is a bit strange to say "hey, I have a new 21st century LED headlamps, but when I change to high beam I still use 70s old halogen bulbs!". Also, I read somewhere that DRLs (Daytime running lamps) are also using standard bulbs, and not LEDs like in the newest AUDIs. Is that true?

Re: LED with High Beams

LED technology is expensive at the moment (as someone pointed out earlier). We also only use the High Beams a small percentage of the time compared to low beams, so speaking in terms of cost effectiveness and perceived value, it doesn't make sense until the technology gets cheaper.

I understand this, but in my opinion it seems like a step bakwards. 2nd gen prius could have HID lamps for low and high beams (as far as I know), but in 3d gen you get LEDs for low (a step forward) but halogen for high (a step backwards). Anyway I understand the cost issue with LEDs and I'm sure it will get cheaper over time. Maybe by the time I have enough money to buy a 3rd gen Prius, LEDs will be everywhere!

The reason the Gen 2 Prius uses HIDs for both low and high beam is that HIDs produce light from one source. Each headlamp has one very bright capsule which makes the light for both low and high beam.

LEDs are simply not bright enough to use this approach. To get enough light, you need to use multiple emitters, each one of which adds to the cost. High beam, being the brightest, needs the most. If you do this, the bulk of the cost is being spent for the least used feature. If you need to compromise for cost, high beams are the place to do it. I don't like it either, but it makes sense.

Tom

http://allabout.co.jp/auto/carmaintenance/closeup/CU20080824A/pho8-2.jpg

As you know LED head light is signature pieces for Toyota Hybrid cars now.
Both Lexus LS and RX hybrid is now equipped with LED head lights and they are neat. LED head lights are bright, less power draw and first ignition than HID. These lights are made by Koito and they are largest light manufacture in the world.

There is not english details so if find one I will post.

everyone keeps using the phrase "70's technology".. are you assuming that halogen bulbs have not evolved since then? if you're so inclined for using high-tech bulbs, just replace the halogens in the high beams with HIR headbulbs (not to be confused with HID) problem solved!

From this thread on Toyota Nation:
Headlight Bulb Info - Halogen, HID, HIR, Lumins, etc... - Toyota Forums :: Toyota Nation

Tom

There has been some progress in halogen headlight technology. These new bulbs can be retrofitted to our present halogen equipped cars. G3 owners with halogen lights may have to settle for these. Here is a link to Philips' new products.

http://www.lighting.philips.com/us_en/automotive/consumer_products/index.php?main=us_en_automotive&parent=0&id=us_en_automotive〈=en

No doubt, Philips' competitors will have some new stuff too.

Aside from the cost of the LEDs themselves, brighter LEDs will produce considerably more heat, increasing the cost & complexity of the heatsinks.

EcoVision