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Best LED bulbs for all around exterior

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by Colton, Apr 4, 2019.

  1. Colton

    Colton Member

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    Hey all, I'm looking for the best bulbs for the exterior of my car. I just put in a new SmartTap relay and realized everything would look a lot better with LED's. I'm referring to high beam, low beam, rear blinkers, reverse light and mini parking light. What works best and has the most success?
     
    #1 Colton, Apr 4, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2019
  2. Xterra72

    Xterra72 Senior Member

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    Vleds or Retrofit Source

    VLEDS

    The Retrofit Source | The Best HID & LED Projector Headlight Upgrades

    I’m sure there are others out there but these are some of the ones I’ve used.
     
  3. VFerdman

    VFerdman Senior Member

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    Please, PLEASE! Do not install LED headlight bulbs into non-LED fixtures. You will be blinding your fellow drivers and not really getting the best lighting for yourself.

    As for other places like turn signals and parking lights, I tried a few LED bulbs for those and realized that the color is all wrong on those. The lenses on my car (and probably on yours) are designed to be used with incandescent bulbs, which give off a yellowish light. When I install a more or less white light bulb into those I get a very unpleasant and what I consider incorrect color of the signals. Red becomes orange, amber becomes lemon colored, etc. I went back to incandescent until I can find LED bulbs that mimick the color of the incandescent for these applications.
     
  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Are you implying aftermarket LED headlights are unusually brighter than OEM LED headlights? Before I got PRIME which has OEM LED headlights, I used to hate those LED headlights precisely the reason you sited. They are blinding to my eyes when the cars with LED headlights are coming to me. But, when I first got PRIME equipped with LED headlights, I was so impressed with the brightness of the headlights and it was so much help for my aging eyes to drive at night. Now, I don't know how blinding my PREIME's headlights are to other fellow drivers. I am just wondering if those characteristics are special to retrofit LED?
     
  5. VFerdman

    VFerdman Senior Member

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    No, factory led headlights aren’t necessarily less bright. They are necessarily properly designed, aimed and focused to function properly. I think the op was proposing to install led bulbs into non led headlight housing. That’s a very bad idea that produces those dreaded blinding lights you hate.

    If an appropriate retrofit fixture exists to house led lamps in the given vehicle, then that should be okay, provided the retrofit is well designed and built. Led bulbs are all different in configuration and light patterns unlike hid. This makes it difficult to create a generic projector for all leds. Each system has to be a matched set of bulbs and housings. Anything else and there is no assurance that you are not throwing blinding light where it doesn’t belong.
     
    #5 VFerdman, Apr 10, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2019
    Salamander_King likes this.
  6. darrinhatwood

    darrinhatwood New Member

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    Not a reply but a ?.
    Was there a gen 3 Prius that came stock with LED headlights (advance tech, pip, etc...)