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Headlight Bulb Upgrade to LED

Discussion in 'Prius v Accessories and Modifications' started by dionb85, Jun 11, 2018.

  1. dionb85

    dionb85 New Member

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    Hi guys. Long time listener, first time caller here. Pretty new owner of a brand spanking new (haha) 2012 Prius V (wagon). It has the standard headlights in it. I want to upgrade all the front headlights (brights, lows, and running lights) to LEDs. I want the look of LEDs (better sight), not doing it for energy saving.

    Questions for all you brilliant prius-ers:

    1) Has anyone does this sort of upgrade?
    2) What options are available? Especially in regards to LED headlights, NOT HID kits
    NOTE: Looking to stay on the cheaper side (less than $300 total for all three sets of lights)

    I welcome any and all recommendations.

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. Offline

    Offline Active Member

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    You would be wasting your time and money. Slapping in questionable quality LED bulbs into headlight units meant for halogen bulbs isn't going to produce results that are close to the 2015-up Prius v Five/ATP OEM LED headlights with automatic beam leveling and Auto High Beam - those were the very first headlights to earn the IIHS highest rating.. The 2012-2014 Prius v Five/ATP factory installed LED auto eveling headlights might have received the highest IIHS rating if they had had Auto High Beam.

    Even if LED headlights are OEM from the factory, it doesn't mean they are going to be decent. Plenty of OEM LED and HID headlights tested by the IIHS are rated Poor or Marginal: IIHS-HLDI: Crash Testing & Highway Safety
     
  3. StevefromOhio

    StevefromOhio Member

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    I have installed low beam and high beam LED lamps in my 2015 Prius 2. The LED bulbs are way better than the factory halogen as the road is just way brighter with these bulbs. Mine were not cheap.....$150 for low and $150 for high beams from Vleds....but it was well worth it with far better vision at night and in the rain. Well worth the upgrade.
     
  4. Moh-V

    Moh-V New Member

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    I believe vleds no longer carry it for prius v 2016 or maybe never had them for 2016 although i know 2015 and 2016 are the same, however I found this brand thry have low and high beam but I'm not sure how great they are, I'm trying to replace my halogen to this LED to look exactly like the one from the factory, any suggestions kr opinion on this?
     

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  5. Moh-V

    Moh-V New Member

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    I was also looking for this particular headlight with that LED line light like "an eyebrow" IMG_20181101_185810.png

    I went to one of the dealer they can't figure out what year that headlight comes with and they told me they need a VIN number of a prius V with that headlight in order for them to get it lol
     
  6. ohdgj599

    ohdgj599 New Member

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    I used Silverstar headlights. They're super bright and a direct replacement. They just look like headlights though.
     
  7. testyoldguy

    testyoldguy Junior Member

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    There are a couple of technical issues here. One is the headlight reflector; it's designed for a
    small "point" source like an incandescent bulb filament, while many LED bulbs are made with
    multiple chips mounted along a 2-3" column. This gives you a smudgy light pattern. I don't
    know what model VLED bulb SteveFromOhio used, their web site refused to identify
    headlight bulbs that would fit a 2015 Prius V. If they have a new technology that provides a
    point source compatible with existing reflectors, then it's a different ball game. By the way,
    LED's take a lot less current than incandescent bulbs, and many LED turn signal bulbs
    fool the system into thinking that the bulbs are burned out! So the flasher sits there flickering.
    Newer designs incorporate an additional resistor to bleed off additional current and fix
    that problem.
     
  8. JCorrea

    JCorrea Junior Member

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  9. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    For my model the space for the H11 head light (especially passenger side) is extremely tight. Some of these LED's with huge heatsinks/fans will likely not fit.

    For the v I recommend to pull the plug out the passenger side H11 bulb before attempting to remove the bulb. Space is so tight. Then think about the LED bulb you are looking at to see if it could fit that tight space.

    If anyone has done a successful LED upgrade for the v and the quality is good let us know.

    So far my SilverStar halogen headlight upgrade works fine and brighter than OEM. But I notice it get really hot fast.
     
    #9 PriusV17, Dec 1, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2018
  10. cnc97

    cnc97 Senior Member

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    I have these in my regular Prius. They are very intense, but not blinding. Oedro out of Washington State. They have them on their Amazon store for 35.99 per pair or a set of H11 and 9005 together for 64.99. Pretty low profile. They fit very easily.
     

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  11. KevininFl

    KevininFl Junior Member

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    Check out gtrlighting.com and you can see reviews of them on youtube.
     
  12. Moh-V

    Moh-V New Member

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    I read somewhere that you shouldn't go above 50w those you posted are 72w , also you need this to avoid flickering

    Error Free Wiring Harness Adapter
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    6. [​IMG]
     
  13. Dranom

    Dranom Junior Member

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    don't get the cheap china LED replacement. Those are crap
    Replaced the halogen to led on mine and the output is horrible.
    I later upgraded to OEM LED and its way nicer
     
  14. litesong

    litesong Active Member

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    Forty years ago, I got some powerful headlights.... & got a real deal for only $30. Yeah, you got more money than me! Now, don't tell me about the inflation rate.
     
  15. waldox

    waldox Junior Member

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    i upgraded the halogens in my 2010 prius projector (H11) & 2008 prius (9003/h4),
    i picked up the aukee leds from amazon, they are much brighter (estimate 2x) than the stock halogens, paid $40 CAD
    look up bulbfacts dot com for reviews
     
  16. Borninblue

    Borninblue Active Member

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    I want to upgrade my 2010 halogen. Is it dangerous to install led or do I need to get a whole new light housing for led?
     
  17. VFerdman

    VFerdman Senior Member

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    Please do not install LED bulbs into halogen housing! It is at best unpleasant and more probably dangerous to oncoming traffic. If you blind people and cause a crash is it really worth it? Use appropriate housing (be it projector or reflector) for the type of bulb you use. LED bulbs are not all the same in configuration and brightness and therefore it's not easy to have one design of projector (or reflector) for their use. HID are pretty much standard in their configuration on the bulb and reflectors/projectors designed for HID produce much better results. If you get a setup that is designed for a particular LED bulb and comes with said bulb, it's one thing, but if you just grab an LED bulb and stick into your halogen receptacle, you are not doing your fellow drivers any favors and are probably a nuisance on the road. Please don't be that guy.
     
  18. johncap523

    johncap523 Junior Member

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    Dude, really? Where do you think “OEM” LEDs come from?
     
  19. johncap523

    johncap523 Junior Member

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    Nonsense. The cutoff is perfectly in line with the halogen cutoff, with 3-5x more light at a much whiter color. Your points are rooted in 2006.
     
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  20. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    It depends entirely on the quality of the LED device and its alignment within the OEM housing. They range from spot-on to atrocious.
     
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