So how are the Halogens working out vs. the HID's?

There was allot of discussion before the 2010 was released as to whether the Halogen would be much less light than the HID's of the 2009 and earlier.

I guess I see three scenarios to compare with HID....
1. The V edition that uses LED's "and" Halogen when on high beam verses...
2. The V edition only on Low beam "LED only".
3. The IV edition and lesser that only have Halogen.

I know the Kelvin of the Halogen is warmer than the LED's but I guess I'm wondering "setting aside preferences of color", which actually allows you to see and interpret objects on the road better and how far?

I have a model IV, and have only driven at night TWICE now...sadly. All I can say is that even on low beam, I can see much better than I could in my previous car with it's high beams on!! The area covered is large, and very clear...I love it!!

I recently made a thread to document my 2010's upgrade to HID lighting.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...5000k-hid-lights-in-winter-gray-prius-iv.html

Unfortunately, I didn't think to take before and after pics/video.

Wow Denise.. thats encouraging!.... did you have a previous generation prius with HIDs or are you comparing to another car with HIDs or another car with Halogen?

I have a 2005 with HID, and a 2010 with halogen. Maybe its just my comfort level but I feel the visibility was better in the 2005. I'm in the >50 crowd, and my night vision isn't what it used to be.

I think your right. I was reading the thread from Nola_prius and it sounds like as I suspected.
Its hard for Halogen to compete with the sheer lumen output of HID at the same wattage.

In other words.. a 35W Halogen wont hold a candle to a 35W HID.

The Halogen has to be upgraded to 50W or better to compete but if your gonna do that, you may as well do the HID upgrade... "unless" the higher output Halogen bulb will fit in the same socket without modification.

Seems this HID conversion is worth considering......

Nola_prius.. what wattage HID kit did you use?

To tell you the truth, I don't know their wattage.
I guess I could look at the ballasts/bulbs and see, but I never really thought about it. I got them from Waterproof and Shockproof HID Kits - The best HID conversion kit resource for everything from drift cars to tractors!. I've used them for the past few years and never had a single problem. They're very durable and reliable.

I don't think I'll ever settle for halogens again. They just don't compare.

I most acutely notice the difference when making tight turns. The 2005 HID lights iluminated a wider area but the 2010 Halogen beams seem to have a more narrow and directional focus and I find myself with little visibility immediately following the sharp turn. I've only had the 2010 for a few weeks and am still getting used to things, but this difference is noticable.

I'm comparing it to a 1996 Mercury Villager Minivan. No idea what type of bulbs are in it.

Keep in mind that aside from the actual bulb type, the housing it is in will also make a big difference on the final results. For example, the 2010 Prius comes with projector style housings, when the previous years did not.

The Gen III Prius uses a H11 Halogen bulb rated at 55 watts... If you don't want to use/buy HIDs (aftermarket HIDs are illegal in all states. Some websites do inform you that they can only be used for offroad use, but I digress), you can opt for higher output H11 bulbs, such as PIAA, Luminics, etc. They still are 55 watt lamps but the light output is equal to 100 watts. Their temperature are usually between 4200 and 5000 kelvin so it gives you a whiter shade of light as well.

The drawback is that these aftermarket bulbs usually have a shorter lifespan since they run "hotter", failing in about a year. They definitely are not as bright as HIDs but are a slight improvement over the standard halogens. Be careful of cheap $20 lamps as they are poorly built and usually do not offer any improvements over the standard bulbs other than changing the color.

Last note.... Sylvania SilverStars can be found in most car shops and are not really as good as they claim... They burn out really fast (oh, and they don't offer a H11 anyway but they do offer a 9005 for the high beams)... not worth it in my opinion...

Sounds like your up on your bulbs Jon,..... yes the trick with the shorter life bulbs is that they are actually overdriven from what would be the true wattage that would make them run normal life..... "usually truly rated for lower voltages" and then the higher voltages "than they were built for" forces amps through to burn at hotter temps producing a higher surface brightness at the expense of less life in the bulb.
As cheap as Halogens are, I think its a fair trade to change bulbs more often and have the extra light..

I also think its a fair trade to install the HID kit providing you can do it or have someone that can.... Other than a brief few seconds of warmup time, HID's are very hard to beat watt for watt in lumen output.

Since it sounds like the kits are all illegal... might as well do it right and go for the 50watt HID kit!

It is literally as easy as changing a couple light bulbs and connecting a few wires. I love my HID lights!!

The 4300k HID kit I have on order is 35 Watts, should be bright enough. I hope... I ended up buying from an Ebay seller in Canada so fingers crossed that they will be as easy to install as yours were.

35 watts will be bright.. plenty bright!..

I have a 35Watt HID spotlight as well as 50 and 75W.. the extra wattage is duely noticeable per watts given... but you may not want more light than 35W will give unless your very careful.. you could really cause accidents if they are not aimed very well!

I assume you bought the 9005 5000K Kit for the High beams, is that correct? Are you happy with the 5000K color? I think my BMW has either 4300K or 4700K bulbs and they are very good, nice white light. I noticed you said they were easy to install, that's good for me.

I haven't changed my high beams.
The low beams are bulb type H11.
I am indeed happy with the 5000k color temp.

My V has LED headlights. The low beams cover well laterally but they do not project far enough down the center of the road. The high beams are excellent.

I have no issue with the color or width of coverage (G3, IV). I do have a problem with projection down the road .... meaning the aim. The luminated area stops at an abrupt line .... what 20 - 25 yards out? Today I stopped by the Toyota dealer and asked if the aim can be elevated. The service manager said they are adjustable, but the law stipulates the limits of elevation. He said they can see if there is any adjustment up to the limit of the law.

Last night I ran over some debris on the road, and did some minor damage ... simply because the lights did not reach out far enough at 65 mph. Too much traffic to use high beams.

Both types of headlights, halogen and LED, have an aiming screw in the center of the headlight assembly next to and a bit below where the bulbs plug in. The screw adjusts the vertical alignment of both lights (high beam and low beam) on that side of the car.

Just find a level place and a light colored wall and park a little ways away from it. You can turn the screw and adjust your low beams up a little bit (the high beams will go up also) then do the other side to match. Go out and try it and readjust as needed.