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Is it possible to convert my 09 prius lights to HID?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by anthofang, Apr 23, 2009.

  1. anthofang

    anthofang New Member

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    I have the 09 prius package #2 which comes with halogen lights. Is there any way I can change them into HID's? They are so much cooler looking.
     
  2. desertrider2215

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    Yes, I did it on mine. I went and bought the hid kit from some guy in san diego and i installed them myself. there are not many spots for the ballasts but i can send you pics if you need. they work great and look just like our other prius's lights. of course our models don't have the auto leveler so you will manually need to adjust the headlights to point further down or else you will get brights flashed at you (i realized that 3 months after i installed mine:eek:) but it is possible and not hard to install at all.
     
  3. thomas124c41

    thomas124c41 New Member

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    I just did an hid install on mine too, but getting some glare. Did your hid kit come with glare shields? Mine did but it still has glare so now im trying some other options.

    I thought about adjusting them down but that would significantly lower the cutoff point for the lights, then basically you'd have hid's but with the light output hardly any more than halogens.
     
  4. Philc5

    Philc5 New Member

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    I have an 08 Prius and I also want to convert my lights to HID's....any info on your HID kit...ie price..name so on...going back home to Diego next month.:rockon:
     
  5. bino

    bino JDM ZVW30

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    would anyone be interested in converting to EOM HID? .... I might be selling my headlight housing (OEM HID from a package 5) next month... I would be selling just the housing and probably throw in the D4R bulb on it....
     
  6. thomas124c41

    thomas124c41 New Member

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    YAY! finally got the aftermarket HID setup working the way I want without glare!

    originally I purchased a complete hid kit that came with relays, fuses, ballast and bulbs with the anti-glare shield for the lower half of the bulb. This supposedly blocks the light from reaching the high beam portion of the reflectors and causing glare. unfortunately, this setup didn't work as I still got some "flares" near the top half of the beam pattern, the top half meaning the area above the cutoff point.

    To fix the problem I was either going with a projector retrofit that would cost $800+ or try my last resort prior to retrofitting, which was to use the D2R bulbs that come with a anti glare shielding that is painted onto the surface of the bulb itself. These shields cover the top portion of the bulb and also two strips on the sides. These bulbs alone of course wouldn't stop the glare completely. The second part of the puzzle was to purchase some H4 glare shields that can convert the D2R bulbs for use with the H4 base on the prius. I purchased the gen2 glare shield adapters that come with a screw so you can secure the D2R bulb correctly in position and lock it in place. Then I had to purchase some D2R->AMP connector adapters so that I can plug the D2R bulb into my aftermarket ballast that has the standard AMP connectors. I tested everything out tonight and no flares! the cutoff is not super clean like projectors but it was good enough and better than I expected. The beam pattern is still aimed a little high from the factory settings but I will lower it a bit and everything should be good. I may post some pics later this weekend when I have time.
     
  7. anthofang

    anthofang New Member

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  8. thomas124c41

    thomas124c41 New Member

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    Don't know if you should buy that kit, it doesn't look like it has a relay or fuses with the wiring harness. You need relays so you can get power directly from the battery instead of the stock plugs. This way you won't damaged your electrical system or overdraw the current during the initial startup with the HIDs. Also, cheaper kits generally use more power on startup and during operation.

    As for installation, it's pretty easy but if you're not familiar with the prius and modding cars I can recommend a place for you to get it installed since you are in LA.

    Also, that ebay kit in your link will 100% cause glare to oncoming traffic and probably get attention from the cops. So don't do hid unless you're willing to spend the money on the items i listed and do it the right way.
     
  9. Xenthric

    Xenthric New Member

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  10. anthofang

    anthofang New Member

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    so this is a good set? Comes with instructions to install? Causes no glare?
     
  11. thomas124c41

    thomas124c41 New Member

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    99% of hid kits for the prius will have glare. They all will use a rebased hid bulb to H4 and even if some come with a built in lower glare shield, it will still have bad glare. My hid bulbs from the first kit came with shields built in but still too much glare.

    The bulbs on that sigma kit doesn't even look like it has the lower shields to block the hid bulb from lighting up the high beam section of the reflectors. any hid kit for the prius will have glare out of the box, no way to stop it unless you make a custom setup like mine or you go with projectors.