Substitute bulbs for H11 low beams on Gen IIII've

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by Aegison, Jun 28, 2010.

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  1. Aegison

    Aegison Member

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    Substitute bulbs for H11 low beams on Gen III

    I've searched and read
    most every thread,
    'till my head hurts ...
    and I'm ready for bed.

    Seriously, I want to increase the light provided by my low beams, but cannot decipher (lack of engineering bkgd ... don't fully comprehend what I read in some of the more detailed posts) what will best fit my car without much modification and give maximum "seeing ability"

    Greatest priority: being able to see much better on low beams. Extra light cast to the sides would be appreciated as well.

    Second priority: keeping it simple. I don't want to change to HIDs, or even (if possible), start running new wires or installing new ballasts [whatever they are ... :) ] A plug-and-play solution is my goal.

    Third priority: reasonable long lifetime before needing replacement.

    Fourth priority: don't want to blind oncoming traffic (I assume that headlight aiming and internal construction of the housing can deliver proper aim)


    Not priorities:


    • color of light output for appearances sake -- I'd go with green beams if I could see best with them
    • to an extent, price (I'm not looking for the lowest cost solution ... and will pay a reasonable price for the right bulbs), though at some point cost could become prohibitive if other mods are required to use a given bulb
    • legal to use, if that's an issue I'm likely to get called out for by the police
    One set I ran across is:
    PIAA 15211 H11 Style Xtreme White 55=110-Watt Bulb - Twin Pack

    on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B00067BVKK?tag=priuschatcom-20 of this makes me wish that I could install my old quartz-iodine lamps which did duty on a 57 MG and later on my wife's Dodge Dart. They lit things up like I just don't remember seeing since. Maybe it's just that my eyes have worsened that much, or my memory is making them better than they really were. Of course, because not a sealed beam, back at that time they were for off-road use only.

    Thanks for replies & patience.
     
    #1 Aegison, Jun 28, 2010
  2. rrolff

    rrolff Prius Surgeon

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    Re: Substitute bulbs for H11 low beams on Gen III

    Thanks for the post - I think there are many in your boat - I'm technical - but there are sooooooo many posts to weed through. The best idea seems to be a higher intensity bulb. I too don't like the HIDs - most cars they look very uneven (side to side) - and seem somewhat unnatural...
     
    #2 rrolff, Jun 28, 2010
  3. andino

    andino Senior Member

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    You could pick up some HIR bulbs. They just plug in just like a Halogen bulb will but the gas inside will run much brighter.
     
    #3 andino, Jun 28, 2010
  4. bedrock8x

    bedrock8x Senior Member

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    Try H9 bulbs if you know how to make it fit.
     
    #4 bedrock8x, Jun 29, 2010
  5. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    Re: Substitute bulbs for H11 low beams on Gen III

    I replaced my fogs with those bulbs--see the post below for before/after pix.

    I've used PIAA bulbs on previous cars for a long time with no issues whatsoever.

    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-parking-lights-rear-license-plate-bulbs.html
     
    #5 stream, Jun 29, 2010
  6. Aegison

    Aegison Member

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    Re: Substitute bulbs -- white vs yellow light

    PIAA offers extreme white bulbs and Plasma Yellow bulbs, both of which feature the 55=110W performance.

    My question: which kind of light is better for one's (somewhat aged) eyes at night -- the white or the yellow? They make a point that the yellow light is better in fog and other inclement weather, but I want to consider the more general case of simply driving at night.

    Does anyone know which color our eyes can better see with at night?

    If the yellow is better, I'd go with it even though it may not look from the outside as nice as white or blue light.
     
    #6 Aegison, Jun 29, 2010
  7. ChrisMNC

    ChrisMNC New Member

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    I have a set of Luminics that are nearly pure white. They are the titanium white color. I opted for HID bulbs in my fogs and the luminics were on for maybe 30 min total. They are H11 bulbs and I will sell them $40shipped if you want.
     
    #7 ChrisMNC, Jun 29, 2010
  8. David9962000

    David9962000 Member

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    #8 David9962000, Aug 31, 2011
  9. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    #9 spiderman, Aug 31, 2011
  10. Paul58

    Paul58 Mileage Miser

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    #10 Paul58, Aug 31, 2011
  11. bedrock8x

    bedrock8x Senior Member

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    H9 (65 W @ 12.0 V, 2100 lm ±10% @ 13.2 V), and H11 (55 W @ 12.0 V, 1350 lm ±10% @ 13.2 V)
     
    #11 bedrock8x, Aug 31, 2011
  12. Paul58

    Paul58 Mileage Miser

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    Will the H9 bulb fit the low beam H11 socket without modification?
     
    #12 Paul58, Aug 31, 2011
  13. txl146

    txl146 Member

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    #13 txl146, Sep 1, 2011
  14. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    For brightness, I recommend Phillips X-Treme Power bulbs (got mine from Car Bulbs, Headlight Bulbs, Xenon Bulbs from Philips and Osram, Philips Xtreme Power, Osram NightBreaker globes - Powerbulbs.. Free shipping to US). Note that all aftermarket bulbs will have a shorter life (if you burn them brighter and hotter, life will decrease).

    My HIDs were essentially plug n' play and the Gen 3's projector lens do a much better job at focusing the light than the multi-reflector housing of the Gen 1 and 2. I just plugged one side to the original power plug (the other is not needed but is taped up to prevent water damage) and the other wire goes to ground and voila.

    Here's my HID setup on the Gen 3

    [​IMG]

    Here's the Phillips X-Treme Power on the Gen 2

    [​IMG]
     

    Attached Files:

    #14 Tideland Prius, Sep 1, 2011
  15. bedrock8x

    bedrock8x Senior Member

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    Minor mod with Dremel tool or Execto knife.
     
    #15 bedrock8x, Sep 1, 2011
  16. Paul58

    Paul58 Mileage Miser

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    Do you modify the bulb, socket, or the mount? Can you provide specifics? Possibly a pic of what was modified? Thanks...
     
    #16 Paul58, Sep 1, 2011
  17. txl146

    txl146 Member

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    Any down side of running H9 over H11?
     
    #17 txl146, Sep 1, 2011
  18. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    glare? the H11 have painted tip and H9 don't
     
    #18 cyclopathic, Sep 1, 2011
  19. bedrock8x

    bedrock8x Senior Member

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    Put the two bulbs side by side, you will know what materials to be removed from the base.

     
    #19 bedrock8x, Sep 1, 2011
  20. subjective

    subjective Member

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    I installed these today on our 2011 lll. The origonal low beams were weak on a dark highway to a point My wife and I felt uneasy. The OEM bulbs that came out were H11 Phillips. I would estimate a 15 to 20% improvement. The beam goes out farther and signs to the sides show better with a brighter white light. I paid $50. for the pair at Amazon with free ship.:cheer2:
     
    #20 subjective, Feb 4, 2012
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