Swapping Base Headlights for Advanced Headlights?

From what I've read here, it's extremely expensive, and hard to source the parts you need. A good HID retrofit is very cost effective and will have similarly good results. The base PiP headlights are abysmal -- I ordered an HID kit right after the first time I had my PiP out on a 2-lane highway at night :-(.

 

They illuminate the road extremely well. I think they are brighter than the factory HID's on my previous Gen2 Prius, but they definitely have a longer warm-up time (though not anything I'd consider bad, by any means). Unfortunately I have a lot of oncoming cars flash their high-beams at me thinking that mine are on. Apparently I need to adjust the angle down a bit .

As an aside, I'm spoiled with LED headlights on my Leaf. They are better, but not by a lot...

 

The oncoming cars could be flashing you because of the "squirrel finder" cutouts in your cutoff shields which allow light up high to illuminate overhead signs.

Some people who install aftermarket HIDs bend the tab for the squirrel finders closed and JB weld them to prevent this glare.

SCH-I535

 

I swapped to LED 5 months after getting my base PIP. It's an improvement no doubt, but a proper retrofit will be comparable (if not better), and also cheaper. The abundance of parts will save time as well.

 

One on eBay...the other side off a PC member here.. LED control module were all found on eBay

 

I just bought this kit and will be installing it tomorrow...

They're just like an HID kit, but LED bulbs...

 

Looking forward to your review/impressions. Please post pics of the cutoffs against a flat wall from about 25 to 30 feet away.

SCH-I535

 

Ok...so I bought Kolite High Power Warm White 5000k bulbs to replace my parking lights. Great reviews on Amazon, and they are bright! Perfect white with no hints of blue - match my DRLs perfectly.

It's a Korean company, but fulfilled by Amazon...so shipping is pretty quick. Here is what they look like with the DRLs:



Now for the New Brights LED Headlight Kit. I bought these off of Amazon, sold by New Brights. It is warranty eligible if you buy it directly from New Brights. I got some great customer service via email from [email protected]. You can email him if you've got any questions or concerns.

For the driver side, I had to remove the fuse box cover. I found an HID kit video on YouTube where the guy removed the plastic cover adjacent to fuse box and tucked the ballast behind that plastic cover. I tried that, but the wiring from the ballast was not long enough, so I ended up mounting it onto the fender with zip ties. There are screw holes on the ballast, so I fished the zip ties through those holes. It's nice and secure, and the wiring is zip tied as well:



For the passenger side, I needed to remove the coolant container. There is absolutely no clearance to get your hands anywhere near the bulb without removing the container. A 10mm socket is required to remove the container (2 screws):



Once the container is removed, there is ample space to work with. There is a bracket underneath the coolant container that sits directly behind the bulb. Removing the halogen bulb was no problem - enough clearance. However, there is not enough clearance to slip the new LED bulb in. I had to bend the bracket slightly backwards in order to get the LED bulb in. Be careful - the bracket feels a bit flimsy, and can easily crack if you manhandle it:



Same as the driver side - I zip tied the ballast to the fender and neatly zip tied / tucked the wiring. Overall, the New Brights are an extremely easy plug and play kit. In fact, it took me longer to remove and install the coolant container than installing both ballasts and bulbs! Here is what they look like on:



I haven't had a chance to drive the car around tonight, so I can't comment on the lighting while driving. But here are some pics of the light against the garage. Seems acceptable to me. First pic was taken outside the car; second pic was taken from inside the car in driver seat:





So share your thoughts - let me know what you think. I'll follow up after driving for a couple of days...

 

Forgot to mention, the warranty is 5 years and its free replacement parts...again, only when bought from the New Brights seller...

 

I had the swap done just cause I thought they look cool.

 

Gunjee

Anymore update, I would like to know before I buy them.

 

Those look awesome man. Looks like you changed the entire housing, right? I noticed the Renier DRLs...can you attach some pics of them? Every pic I've seen with them on doesn't show any definition of the strip (like the Audi, etc.). They just look like one solid light; perhaps because they're too bright? With the lights off the strips are easily visible. Again, because I haven't seen some really good pics...

Are they plug and play (just using as DRL; no mods to stay on with headlights or anything)?

Kknguyen - no updates yet...will post as soon as I go for a night drive...

 

Those are expensive dude - close to $500 each - even on eBay...!

Spyder® 444-TPRIC12-LBDRL-C - Toyota Prius 2012-2014 Chrome Projector Headlights with LEDs

 

So here's an update for anyone that's interested. I went around the neighborhood and took some photos. I don't live in the boonies; the streets are fairly lit.

The lights point down towards the road and not straight ahead. The road is clear and bright with these lights, but they don't seem to brighten up the road in the distance - I don't know, perhaps I'm used to halogens and need to adjust. I just assumed that the entire street would get lit with LEDs. When I turn on the high beams, the entire street glares (the high beams are still halogens). I guess that's because high beams point straight ahead...

I'm not disappointed by any means and am completely satisfied with these lights. As I said, I just need to adjust - I've never driven with HIDs or LEDs, only halogens...