I remember reading an add, on the weekend, for Phillips Halogen bulbs which said that Phillips now produce a 100% more light bulb. The one advertised was H4. I don't know if they are available in "Prius" style bulbs.
In general "more light" equates to shorter life span. I am trying to train my 95 pound wife to change the bulbs. A small hand sure helps.
Alot of people use PIAA bulbs with good results. I used them on all my vehicles for decades till I switched to HID projectors.
I've been using Philips Vision Plus bulbs and have been very happy with them. They are brighter & whiter than the stock bulbs and will last considerably longer than the even brighter Phillips Ultra bulbs.
Define "best" in the sense of what you are looking for. If you're content with the light output of what you have, may as well stick with the cheap replacements found at Pepboys, etc. PIAA makes a good bulb, but also a bit pricey from what I recall in the past.
Phillips X-treeme X-treme Power: Maximum performance They are super bright headlights. I have to remove the entire headlight assembly because I can't fit my hands in that small space. It takes me about 5 minutes to setup, then 10 minutes per headlight to remove the assembly, change out the bulb and reinstall it. then another 5 minutes to install the plastic cover and clean up. 30 minutes total. Trust me it's that fast. Look at this youtube video. You do NOT need to take the plastic bumper cover all the way off. I was able to change both my OEM halogen bulbs for Phillips X-treeme Headlight bulbs in less than 30 minutes. Hint: take off the fuse box cover, flip it upside down and use it to store the various clips and bolts while you are taking everything apart. Also, do one side at a time, take one side out, change the bulb, then put it back together before moving on to the other side. That way you don't have to worry about the bumper cover falling off the front of the car. Also there are three bolts that hold the headlight assemblies to the car, two on top and one from the side. When I reinstalled my headlight assemblies I didn't install the third bolt from the side on purpose, It makes it much easier for future headlight bulb changes. Buy them from Amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B00480FIMI?tag=priuschatcom-20 $28+ Shipping for 2 bulbs. Not too expensive when a single OEM bulb is $65.00!
I just ordered a set of these Philips X-treme headlight bulbs and I appreciate the recommendation! While driving into work this morning I realized one of my bulbs was burned out. I had originally planned on replacing the halogens with HID, but don't really feel like taking the time to do the conversion at this point so I look forward to seeing how these Philips bulbs compare to OEM. BTW are the headlight housings the same for both OEM and HID Gen II Prius?
Well today after 9 months of use one of the Philips X-treme bulbs went out. I loved the crisp white light, but will not be replacing them with another set. Guess I'll be sticking to OEM or equivalant for now on as I can't see myself wanting to change the bulbs out so frequently.
Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but just attempted to change the left headlight bulb in my 2005 Prius, with my mechanic, with no luck, since neither of us could fit our hand in well enough to get the clip on and then the rubber boot. I will try the next easiest procedure, loosening the bumper cover, bolts to the headlight. I have read the threads recommending the Phillips Xtreme and the negatives about bulb life. I couldn't find any updates in the last year or two. I couldn't see anything with standard halogens in my 2009 Prius, added foglights thinking that would help, which it didn't as I didn't realize upgrading the headlight bulb was the simplest (as simple as changing a bulb on Prius) solution. I read about the Silver Stars, the Phillips XTreme. Is there anything newer people have found good results (better sight/vision/light)? I'm inclined to deal with changing the bulbs every 9 months if that is the sacrifice to be able to see better with my 2005 Prius. Also can I find the bulbs in a brick and mortar store (I'm in Lehigh Valley, PA), even if I pay double? Amazon Prime will get them here quickly, but the sooner I have two working headlights the better since I do a lot of night driving.
