I drive my 2011 Prius a lot at night. Has anyone had to replace the headlight bulb yet? If and when I do which brand should I go with and size? I like being preventive and having them ready to swap out.
I have tried so called "premium" H11 halogen bulbs like Sylvania Silver Star/Ultra, etc. Ultimately, I was always disappointed, and the bulbs don't last very long. They're also very expensive. Short of going to an aftermarket HID kit, I've found the best output/visibility for the money is the H11 to H9 upgrade. Link is in my signature below. It involves putting a modified H9 65w halogen bulb in place of the 55w halogens that are original specification (but suck for illumination). As long as you buy name brand H9 bulbs like Osram or Philips, then you will be very happy with the results. They cost about $8 each on Amazon, where you can read the numerous positive reviews from people who have done the H11 to H9 upgrade. SCH-I535
If the bulb is blue to get the "look" of HID, they won't put out as much illumination as a good 4300k bulb with a clear capsule. It's your money... SCH-I535
There is a Court Settlement with a $10 payment over Sylvania bulbs. here is the link Auto Light Claims > mainpage > Welcome
Bulbs do wear out and slowly dim over their life time. I plan on installing new bulbs in mine in the next month or so. I haven't had a bulb burn out but why wait until they do ? If you drive a lot at night I would swap them out every three years if not every 50K miles.
