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Should I upgrade to LED headlights?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by seeforyourself, Aug 11, 2018.

  1. seeforyourself

    seeforyourself Junior Member

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    So guys, I currently live in the suburbs and I’m going to move to New York City soon. I am bringing my car and there will be traffic 99% of the time. I know that LEDs won’t do much when In motion, but when I’m stopped and idling in traffic I think that the LEDS Might be better and preserve battery before ICE kicks in, no? I usually turn my A/C off when in bumper to bumper traffic, but obviously dont turn my headlights off at night.

    I see LEDS on amazon for only $40 with good reviews and looks nice, but is it worth the hassle for the better battery savings during traffic? Thanks!


    iPhone ?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i doubt it will make any noticeable difference, and turning the a/c off can be detrimental to the long term battery health.
     
  3. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Only $40 will only last couple months
     
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  4. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    Federal law mandates, changing the type of headlight is illegal.

    It’s your dime.

    If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.

    Have you changed out the interior with led’s?

    Don’t illegally change headlights pretending it might save a few pennies.
     
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  5. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    And then they continue to not do home work and not know about cutoff
     
  6. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    I shouldn’t need to ask for a translation, but, what?


    Cutoff?
     
  7. seeforyourself

    seeforyourself Junior Member

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    Very interesting! Didn’t know that it was illegal unless it was a colored one!


    I just spoke to my father about it and he said that 99% they wouldn’t realize. If they did, him and my uncle are retired NYPD officers and my brother is a police officer in Suffolk County so I doubt they would give me an issue.

    IMG_3026.jpg


    These are them and they have good ratings on amazon.

    If they don’t do much with the battery at low speed/traffic then I might not consider it. This car is only going to be with me for another year, so I don’t think that I’m worried about prematurely wearing out the A/C when turning it off in traffic. Plus I have another 70,000 miles of bumper to bumper.


    iPhone ?
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    then why switch out the lights?
     
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  9. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Hopefully you didn’t prepaid for the coverage.
     
  10. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    That thing where you get to blind people and go “Woah, I can see wayyyyy farther down the road!!!”
     
  11. seeforyourself

    seeforyourself Junior Member

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    Yes, why?


    iPhone ?
     
  12. seeforyourself

    seeforyourself Junior Member

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    If it’s illegal I won’t even bother. My father told me it’s not as long as it’s the same color.

    Like I said up above, if I am in traffic that is constantly at a stand still, my headlights will use much less battery than my current halogen headlights. The energy wasted in halogen is a lot more than LED’s. In traffic I turn off my climate control to preserve battery before I start moving again, and the biggest amount of energy wasted is the headlights at night.


    I wound up buying the LED’s and I may make a comparison in terms of idling in EV mode.


    iPhone ?
     
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  13. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Does not compute.
     
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  14. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    I can't see it doing much -- and leave the AC alone .. if the car is in eco mode it's already regulating the AC differently vs normal. Every-time you turn it back on it has to work harder to bring the temp back down.
     
  15. bobzchemist

    bobzchemist Active Member

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    Also, the harm you do to your HV battery (which shortens its lifespan) by not using the AC to cool it off probably far outweighs whatever small savings you get by turning the AC off while you're in traffic. Keeping the battery as cool as possible is extremely important - keeping you cool is merely a pleasant side effect.
     
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  16. MagnusAG99

    MagnusAG99 Senior Member

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    Problem with installing LED bulbs in a the halogen reflector is that the light will shine places its not meant to shine. Halogen projectors r made for halogen bulbs, their output and such, LED`s r much stronger and will blend other drivers. Ive also heard changing to LED bulbs in a halogen projector only makes the output worse also.
    If u want better lights then just change the whole lamp to the LED one on the higher trim levels, the prius`s OEM LED headlights r great, natural white color, it spreads great and got pretty decent distance. I have no idea if the LED headlight saves u power, i havent really cared about it either, small things like changing to LED`s in the interior and exterior doesnt exactly save u power or anything like that, it just looks cleaner and more modern.
     
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  17. PokerMunkee

    PokerMunkee Junior Member

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    The LED bulbs look awesome and don't scatter. But, way less light going onto the road. I'll leave them for now, but will eventually put in a HID kit.
     
  18. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Less light on road = scattering
     
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  19. StevefromOhio

    StevefromOhio Member

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    I replaced my halogens with LED.....low and high beams......just do it. Well worth it.
    Some say it is illegal......yeah and so is voting more than once for each election. Nobody is in prison for changing lights. I highly doubt that police are looking for illegal lights. As long as they are aimed well then you won't have a problem.

    The Amazon and E-bay LED's would not be my choice for lights though. I went with a company that has a great reputation for quality products. Yeah, it was costly.....150 for lows and 150 for high beams....but the light I get and the quality and 2 year warranty makes them well worth the cost.

    The difference in the light output from the halogens to the LED's is amazing. Whatever you do, do not get 6K color lights....too blue.....get 4500 or 5K lights.
     
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  20. cnc97

    cnc97 Senior Member

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    I can’t talk about the LED, but on the HID bulbs, if you stray from the standard 6000k, the total light output is reduced. Whether you go down to the 4500/5000k or up to the 8000/10000k, at the same 55w rating, the 6000k have the most output. I tried 5000k HID from three different sources, and the 5000k have very poor forward illumination. Brand new ballasts, and ballasts powered from 30 amp relay wired directly to the 12v battery. Tempted, but resisting (for now) the urge to tie into the 14v inverter output.