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Is there a brighter Halogen buld for Non HID Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Rockin Prius, May 3, 2010.

  1. Rockin Prius

    Rockin Prius New Member

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    We were thinking of adding fog lights to our non fog light Prius... as we do a lot of winter driving in the northeast.

    We have decided not to do that.

    Next thought was HID in our non HID Prius... don't want to go that road either as I have read about the many problems with the lights on our cars.

    So......

    Is there a Brighter Halogen Buld for our Prius that would actually help seeing better in winter snow storms that we will encounter... or should we stay with OEM?

    Thanks
     
  2. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    First I want to thank you for deciding against a PnP kit (Plug-n-Play HID Kit). The other drivers in your area would thank you too.

    Secondly, those "ultra bright" Silverstar bulbs put out a higher kelvin colour range which to our eyes seem brighter along with actually producing more lumens so it is brighter. This makes it pretty good.

    It will be nothing like a true HID setup, but it should be better than the stock bulbs. It was one of the first things I did. I am also planning a true retrofit for my setup, and I am working on the electronics for a very complicated secret feature that nobody in the world has ever successfully gotten to work on an aftermarket HID installation. :D
     
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  3. desertrider2215

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    I actually put HID in my non-HID one. took me less than an hour and haven't had any problems in the 2 years i've had them. you can also adjust the height of the beam so it won't blind oncoming traffic. I recommend them.

    The HID from toyota are the ones having the problems, not aftermarket that you could add.
     
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  4. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    This is not the point. Your reflectors are made by DOT specification to throw light upwards to reflect street signs. It needs a certain amount of lumens, ans halogen bulbs in halogen reflectors do this well. HID bulbs in HID projectors and HID bulbs in HID reflectors do this well. HID bulbs in halogen reflectors put the same % of light out, which is WAAAAY too much. This is bad for other people driving on the road.

    I realize most people wont listen and most people just blind others. I hope everyone with HID kits in reflectors get pulled over, ticketed, and have their cars impounded. It is illegal and very unsafe driving for other people. Also in heavy snow/rain/fog, it is bad for you too.

    There are worse cars out there for PnP kits, but it is still a very bad idea.
     
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  5. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Silverstar bulbs have a short life span compared to the OEM bulbs. So be prepared to change them more often.
     
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  6. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    One European headlamp manufacturer makes higher power "H4" bulbs (Hella). They are not legal, but they -are- brighter. If you do a search you will find lots of places that sell higher power bulbs. Do be aware they can overheat (and melt) the housings and/or the wiring.
     
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  7. BAllanJ

    BAllanJ Active Member

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    If you want brighter headlights than anyone else on the road in the winter.... clean your headlights! I don't know why, but I seem to be the only one that cleans off my headlights when I clear my windshield off in the morning.
     
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  8. desertrider2215

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    I agree. but I tested mine out and drove someone elses car and looked at mine oncoming and it looks completely normal like any other set. now when i first installed them they were way too bright and people were flashing their lights at me, but now i haven't gotten one.
     
  9. Pizza_Daddy

    Pizza_Daddy Junior Member

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    Thank you!!! now come to my neck of the woods and fix everyone of them here...

    There are so many cars around here that have the brightest lights you can get and they don't seem to adjust them. last night for example, had one behind me and even with 15% tint on the windows this car lit the inside of my car. I finally slowed down enough where they would pass me thinking the morons had their brights on. when they got passed, they hit their brights!!!:eek::eek:

    Same for meeting cars. they are so bright that you see stars after you pass them, when you "flash" them they flash you back. So basically in my opinion they are driving with low beams on but have the same as brights in the dim section.




    The way I look at it, if you want the world lit up brightly, stop driving at night!
    :focus:
     
  10. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    There are many aftermarket halogen bulbs that are brighter than the OEM halogens on the Prius (personally, I have and love the Philips XTreme Power bulbs). One problem with them though is that they all burn out faster than the OEM bulbs.

    Here's some life expectancy info I gathered:

    1. OEM Halogens: Philips claims that the typical OEM halogen bulb lasts about 500 hours.

    2. Philips XTreme Power Bulbs: These are probably the brightest aftermarket halogens you can get -- Philips claims that they're up to 80% brighter than OEM halogens (and based on my experience with them on my Gen II Prius, this claim seems true).

    usbseawolf2000, Tideland Prius and I have reported how long the Philips XTreme Power bulbs lasted for us on the Gen II Prius:

    - usbseawolf2000: approx 5000 miles for one bulb and 9000 miles for the other.

    - Boo: exactly 9595 miles when the first bulb blew out.

    - Tideland Prius: approx 16,000 miles when the first bulb blew out, and being in Canada the bulbs were on all the time as daytime running lights.

    3. Philips Vision Plus: usbseawolf2000 went approx 45,000 miles when the first bulb blew out.

    usbseawolf2000 eventually converted the headlights on his Prius to HIDs, with great results. (But note that aftermarket HID conversions are not street legal anywhere in the United States.)

    Here's one of the best threads on PriusChat on the subject -- it covers, among other things (1) changing halogen bulbs yourself, (2) brighter aftermarket halogen bulbs, and (3) converting to HIDs:

    http://priuschat.com/forums/knowled...38842-how-change-headlamp-headlight-bulb.html
     
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  11. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    I wonder if they sell dimmer bulbs (still within legal limits) that last longer. If so I would be the first one to get them. :)
     
  12. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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  13. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Second on polishing the headlight covers. After five years mine were acquiring surface craze and yellowing. A little headlight polish quickly removed most of that.

    Big negatory on brighter bulbs, thank you. The stock halogen lamps are fiercely bright already.
     
  14. dejongj

    dejongj Member

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    I'd vote for Philips Xtreme, yep mine only lasted 10k miles but they put more light on the road most definitely...That was for a different car ofcourse ;-)

    But I would also advice not to go for higher than 4000K lights, the white light might look 'good' but actually they put less useable light on the road. Even proper OEM non fashion HIDs are more like around 4300K....

    Especiallly in rainy and snowy conditions the yellow light is much more useful...
     
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