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Why do the HIDs not look like HIDs?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by ESanders2, Mar 30, 2007.

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  1. ESanders2

    ESanders2 New Member

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    I really love the look of the typical projector (small, round) style HID headlamps. Toyota puts these on the upper level Camrys. So I was disappointed when I saw the Prius HIDs because they look exactly the same as the regular Halogens on the Prius.

    So what's the deal with those? Every car equipped with HID headlights from the factory gets the round projector bulbs? In my experience, the only halogen styled HID lights are aftermarket and don't produce the same light quality.

    Does the HID on the Prius give off the characteristic bluish purple HID look? Do they look the same as all the other HIDs at night?
     
    #1 ESanders2, Mar 30, 2007
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    They have an initial blue hue that fades to a cool white pretty quickly. They look like HIDs at night and are bright like every other HID.

    Frankly I love the Prius HID style/light. They do the job, they aren't some gaudy purple hue that screams "I spent too much for flashy headlights", they just do their job well.
     
    #2 efusco, Mar 30, 2007
  3. iaowings

    iaowings New Member

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    My friend has a prius with hid lights. I was driving his car once and I must say you do notice the difference between regular prius lights and the hid lights.
     
    #3 iaowings, Mar 30, 2007
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SandMan @ Mar 30 2007, 08:19 PM) [snapback]415291[/snapback]</div>
    a) The Camrys don't have HIDs
    B) The Prius HIDs are definitely noticeable and aren't even close to halogens. Are you sure you don't have halogens? lol. When I see a Prius with HIDs, I know it's HIDs (other than having a US licence plate). IT's definitely white even in bright daylight when you look at the front of the Prius
    c) You haven't been looking around have you. The Acura CSX has non-projector HIDs (maybe you haven't seen any cause you're not close to the US/Can border). The last gen Maxima had non-projector HIDs. So did the Infiniti QX4, Infiniti I35, Toyota Sienna, LS430, GS300/430. Need I list any more?
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Mar 30, 2007
  5. ESanders2

    ESanders2 New Member

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    A) Actually the Camry Solara version does have HIDs. To quote Edmunds, "Although the Toyota Camry sedan is all-new this year, the 2007 Toyota Camry Solara remains largely unchanged mechanically. However, there are a few notable changes. The front and rear of the car have been restyled and LED taillamps and optional HID xenon headlights have been added"

    B) By far most HIDs have been used in a projection lamp because it focuses the light better.

    C) I'm not knocking the HIDs on the Prius, i just wanted to know if they "looked" the same as most other HID lights out there. I didn't want to spend the extra money on them and have them look like Halogens.
     
    #5 ESanders2, Mar 31, 2007
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SandMan @ Mar 30 2007, 11:08 PM) [snapback]415374[/snapback]</div>
    a) You didn't say Solara :p . Yeah, HIDs are new for 2007 on the Solara.

    b ) True but it's also easier to put aftermarket on projector bulbs that are halogen without glare

    c) err.. it should. That is.. 4300K. Couldn't you just go to the dealer at night?
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, Mar 31, 2007
  7. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    There are two type of housings for HIDs; projectors and reflectors. HID is a builb type. It requires a ballast unit. They are much brighter than Halogen bulbs.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_discharge_lamp

    There used to be an article floating around about the difference between Projector and reflector. It's rather simple. You either have a reflector ( like the prius ) and you move the reflector.... or.... you have a projectors and you only move the lens in front of the reflector casing.
     
    #7 V8Cobrakid, Mar 31, 2007
  8. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

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    I've always disliked projector HID headlights. While they look sort of cool and ray-gunish when seen up close and from the side, the color fringeing they project into my eyes from an oncoming car is really annoying. I like the Prius HID's sharp cut-off and even illumination.
     
    #8 Bill Merchant, Mar 31, 2007
  9. ESanders2

    ESanders2 New Member

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    <_<
     
    #9 ESanders2, Mar 31, 2007
  10. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    Lexus has really nice projector HIDs. My parents rx400h has really nice lights. they never seem intrusive from the other direction. Just below and always below the eye.
     
    #10 V8Cobrakid, Mar 31, 2007
  11. faith2walk

    faith2walk Upgraded again

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SandMan @ Mar 30 2007, 11:19 PM) [snapback]415291[/snapback]</div>
    The allure of HID's is not the color to the observer, but the visibility for the driver.
    I drive 8k+ miles per month and a significant amount of that is at night. The difference between HID's and halogens is dramatic, and removes a whole lot of eyestrain.
    As for the bluish tint...that's a misnomer. HID's come in an array of colors...yellow, white, blue, violet, purple, etc.
    I do like the projector style bulbs, but I wonder if that would have been counter-productive for Toyota since they wanted to use the same headlamp for both halogens and HID's.
     
    #11 faith2walk, Mar 31, 2007
  12. 8AA

    8AA Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SandMan @ Mar 31 2007, 02:08 AM) [snapback]415374[/snapback]</div>
    My understanding is that most manufacturers have been using tinted bulbs for their HID lights so people will know that their car has HIDs. Of course now you can get halogen lights that also have blue tinted bulbs, so blue lights are not exclusively for the rich. Toyota does not used tinted bulbs, so the color of the light is the natural color for HIDs. There is the slightest of blue, but they are mainly white. They do look different next to a halogen equipped car, which has a warmer color.

    If you want better illumination while at the same time using about half the wattage, get the HIDs. If you want to impress others, get the standard halogen and replace the bulbs with the blue tinted ones.
     
    #12 8AA, Mar 31, 2007
  13. Tom_06

    Tom_06 Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Mar 31 2007, 02:49 AM) [snapback]415387[/snapback]</div>
    And there is the added disadvantage around NYC, Boston, and parts of Jersey that if your headlights look like HIDs they are soon no longer your headlights. Althought this is no guarantee, as we have had a few thefts reported on this board, there seem to have been way fewer than for cars with projector HIDs.

    - Tom
     
    #13 Tom_06, Mar 31, 2007
  14. ESanders2

    ESanders2 New Member

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    If you want to impress others, get the standard halogen and replace the bulbs with the blue tinted ones.


    I think those blue-tinted bulbs look cheesy. They look like halogens with a blue tint, not like HIDs. And most of them aren't even blue at night, they're white.

    You guys are talking about color "tinted" HIDs; manufactuers don't tint their HID bulbs. The reason they appear blue or sometimes purple is due to the color spectrum measured in degrees Kelvin. I'm sure you guys know this, but just to explain it, color is measured from 0 Kelvin on up. If you heat a carbon rod to 3200K, close to what halogens are rated at, it will appear a yellowish white. If you heat it to 5000K, it will start to appear blue, and at 6000K, purple. Light isn't actually heat, this is just how it's measured.

    I have no idea what the Prius lights are running at. But if they look only white then they are probably close to 4000K. It's the "true" blue-white color I like (not the fake tinted stuff) so I was hoping they would be somewhere in that range.
     
    #14 ESanders2, Mar 31, 2007
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SandMan @ Mar 31 2007, 08:37 AM) [snapback]415452[/snapback]</div>
    Yeah, basically what he said.

    Most factory HIDs run at 4300K. The purple aftermarket ones you see are closer to 8000K or 10000K. Frankly, that's kinda dumb cause all you get is a dim purple light. The brightest would be around 6000K IIRC. Any higher and you have less lumens.
     
    #15 Tideland Prius, Mar 31, 2007
  16. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(faith2walk @ Mar 31 2007, 03:05 AM) [snapback]415412[/snapback]</div>
    It would appear that cost was a factor. After all, Toyota engineered the Prius HID to use the same bulb for both the low and the high beams. I doubt that would have been possible with a projector design.
     
    #16 IsrAmeriPrius, Mar 31, 2007
  17. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SandMan @ Mar 30 2007, 11:19 PM) [snapback]415291[/snapback]</div>
    Actually, every car equipped with HIDs DOES NOT have projector beam headlights. My Lexus has HIDs...no projectors. Plenty of Lexus cars had HIDs without projectors. Projector beam headlights are just in style right now, that will change. Lexus has also moved to projectors for their new AFS adaptive lighting system.

    Actually, the Prius reflectors ARE different between halogen and HID. In an HID lamp the shape of the bulb is different neccesitating a different reflector design.

    Yes, they look like HIDs at night. In fact I think reflector HIDs look more blue than projector HIDs, projectors can go yellow depending on the angle. Projectors have nicer cutoffs.

    Actually many cars with bi-xenon headlamps have projectors.
     
    #17 SW03ES, Mar 31, 2007
  18. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SW03ES @ Mar 31 2007, 05:02 PM) [snapback]415706[/snapback]</div>
    I did not know that. Live and learn. Thank you.
     
    #18 IsrAmeriPrius, Mar 31, 2007
  19. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Mar 31 2007, 06:25 PM) [snapback]415714[/snapback]</div>
    heh.

    I still don't get why bi-xenon headlights still need to use a halogen high beam.

    e.g. IS or S80. They both have bi-xenons yet in high beam, not only do you get the HID, you also get the halogen high beams....
     
    #19 Tideland Prius, Mar 31, 2007
  20. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    Bi-xenon headlamps do not use a halogen high beam. Bi-Xenon means that both the lows and highs are HID. For instance in my Lexus when you turn on the highs, the halogen high beams come on and the HID low beams stay on. These are not bi-xenon headlamps. The reason the HID lows stay on is that HIDs take second to fire, if you were to go from highs to lows and the HIDs had to refire, you could possibly be left without lights for a second.

    Its this delay coupled with decreased lamp life with refiring that made manufacturers use halogen highs with HIDs in the first place, in a Bi-Xenon lamp the same bulb actually either moves or the reflector moves to go from low to high beam.

    I don't believe any Lexus has bi-xenon headlamps, the Prius does.
     
    #20 SW03ES, Apr 1, 2007
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