Hi guys, Sorry if this has been mentioned before (couldn't search it), but has anyone had a bad experienced with a 55W HID kit? I just got a new 2015 Prius 3 and have heard the 55W maybe too hot, and I do live in SoCal where the weather can reach 100 degrees. Has anyone melted their housing?
Congrats on your new Prius! I currently have the Morimoto XB55 (50w) for my Low beams and no problem at all! Had them on for almost a year and no melting etc. experienced. I live in sunny Socal as well, I would say go for it! just stick with a solid ballast since you are going up to 55w HID's. I also didn't install a relay in case if you are wondering. Standard H11 Halogen Prius bulbs are 55w, so going to 50/55w HID's is not a problem temperature wise since HID's surprisingly run cooler or about the same as Halogen. The only concern is the power draw during initial startup for HID's, but that's what a relay is for if you're concerned.
Thanks! I went ahead and got a 35W from DDM just to see how it works out. Was eyeing on that Morimoto 55, but will see how this works out. Super excited to start some basic mods.
I would go with a real HID system if you can afford it. Throwing in cheap generic kits in optics not designed for it can be bad news. It will blind other drivers on the road as well as cause your stock wiring to overheat and become brittle as they weren't designed for the heavy start up loads. Check out my signature for the retrofit I did for more info.
I'm crossing my fingers they will be good for a while. I'll have my friend help me. We've done a lot of work together on cars, so hopefully two set of eyes can make sure everything is done right. I did see your retro fit, really nice job. I actually looked into some Subaru mirrors from seeing one of your earlier posts. Haven't seen any priced like yours. Let me know if you find a good tint place in OC.
I think Huntington Beach autosound has a good reputation from what I hear. They quoted me $220 for all the windows thanks. I will update the thread with new pictures. I cleaned up the wiring, bought a harness and a wire cover. so it looks professional now! 100% factory looking
I have morimoto 55W HID's installed, I am pretty satisfied except for few initial issues, they did exchange the bulbs. The only gripe is that, as Prius's projector lamps are not designed for HIDs, you don't get the full advantage of HID lights, but still much better than stock halogens. Installation was bit straightforward, they TRS guys do have Installation videos on Prius which will give you basic idea on where to place the HID modules. I last heard they reduced the length of wire connection to HID igniter unit which caused issues in placement of the module, but guessing they would have fixed it now. And also, I connected directly to battery, and have a spare halogen bulb in glove box , Cheers !
Thanks for the advice. So you connected a relay harness? My HID will be 35W, but I feel like I should still get it. Is there a good guide on here on how to connect the relay harness? The threads I searched for were not very clear.
The Xennonsupply folks have a video on the youtube : Its pretty straightforward, I guess from one of the threads I got the idea, 12V battery has drop in engine bay in the black fuse box on the top part,. for negative one I just connected to the nearest bolts on each side of the headlights as the relays had individual negative connection. only issue I ran into relay connectors had round termination, I had to chop them to make them "U" type so that I didn't have to remove the whole bolt during negative/ground connection. Tie wraps are good for tightening up loose wires, Also, I didn't like the squared double sided sticky thing, I ordered one from ebay of 3m quality. I did a mock/mental prep to familiar myself couple of times and marked spots where I would run the cables. Actual installation took around 60 mins roughly, because in mock prep, I realized what I needed and had them handy during installation
I watched that a couple times, but I don't see a relay harness in the video. I'll order the harness and see if I can figure it out or research it some more.
Its pretty easy, OEM connector --> One end of Relay harness : for Triggering on/off and the other connection to battery for power supply. you should get wiring diagram from them which would include with or without relay OR TRS has diagram pdf which you can download it for free.
You didn't need to add a capacitor to your fuse on the relay right? Would it be too much for you to also explain or show where the ground bolts for the negative connections?
No capacitor required for Toyota applications. Any bolt in the metal frame is a ground point, so choose a bolt location that is convenient. Then test, if everything works, you're done.
I didn't add capacitor to my setup. There is one ground bolt near the head light assembly on each side, you can tap into these. I can to take some photos and post if you still need it.
