We just picked up our Prius yesterday. I thought I knew everything about this car from reading this site for months, but there have been quite a few pleasant surprises. Like the radio picking up station and song information for some FM stations... cool! I'm not sure I'm going to be too fond of the HID headlights though. I just took the Prius out for a quick spin for the sole purpose of seeing what they are like. It's cloudy tonight with no moon or stars, so it's very dark and we live out in the country. The high beams seem fine and are probably better than most conventional headlights, but the low beams sure don't reach very far down a country road. I don't think they are as good as either our 10 yo Camry or our Infiniti SUV. They definitely don't compare to the Infiniti. I can see why they are aimed somewhat low because when you go over a slight bump they do pop up a bit and you can see that having them aimed any higher would blind an oncoming driver. Essentially what you get is a very bright low beam so you can see every detail of the pavement for a little ways, but the cutoff means that you can see nothing down the road further. Since I typically use low beams much more than high, I'm not sure this is a good trade-off. Well, I guess will see if I get used to them over time.
The lowbeams still put off a "glow" so if something comes out in front of you, you'll see it. Not nicely lit up, but it becomes somewhat visible. I would take your car in and have the HIDs professionally adjusted. They may need to be a little higher and they could possibly be off center. My low beams work wonderful. the only other car that's as good.. or better is my parents 400h. That's only because their headlights move when you move. An awesome featuere but both of their headlights need to be moved up and their left one needs to be moved up a little more than the right. it's too low. My prius headlights still need to be adjusted. I see little tiny "off" things about them that bugs me.
Really? I have night blindness issues, and I thought the HID option on the Prius was 100 times better than the Grand Prix I used to own. However, a friend of mine doesn't think they're powerful enough. To each their own opinion, I guess.
powerful enough? well.. if you like high, you should like low. the brightness doesn't change, the reflector re positions to give you a high beam or low. possitioning makes a huge difference with these and any powerful lights
[font=Comic Sans MS:b6ccf37fc8]Have a friend switch between low beam and high while you watch the light from the side. Amazing![/font:b6ccf37fc8]
I have no problems seeing down dark county roads with the Prius HID low beams. In fact, reflectorized surfaces pop out! If you can see the cutoff line on the road, your lights are adjusted low. On a flat level surface, drive up to within 10 feet or so from a wall. The cutoff line should be at about the same height as the headlights. If lower, get them checked at your dealer. If you live in a fog prone region, you’ll love the HIDs. They tend not to light the fog directly in your line of sight . . . just the stuff below.
Fog: i love these lights for the fog. these and the nav going down 280 on a foggy day with visibility about 20 feet or so. i can see the reflectors clearly.. that's about all i need to see at that time. car reflectors are easier to spot because they are a different color. add the nav and you now know what to expect with the road with a simple glance to your right every once and a while.
Thanks for the very practical suggestion for checking aim. I'll give that a shot. As other have said, it's not an issue of power, but aim.
I love the pattern of the new lights. For my older cars, I used to buy European 7" round halogens with the razor cutoff so I could see better with my poor night vision. I risked the ticket (this is back in th days of sealed beam POS headlights) for the added safety. I made sure they were aimed correctly so I didn't blind other drivers. The brightness and pattern of the HIDs is fantastic. If yours aren't, check the aim, and maybe the leveling system.
good to see people who are really happy with their prius. Also good to see people find a new joy with just a little adjustments
You can't get HID on Canadian Prius. My halogen headlights were so grossly misaimed that low beam lit up the tops of trees, and high beam was useless. Here in Manitoba, the provincially owned AutoPac car insurance regulations require all "certified" body repair shops to use digital headlight aiming equipment. This equipment is very expensive and takes up a stall in the shop. After the local AutoPac shop adjusted my headlights, they are now the best driving headlights I have ever used. The low beam cutoff is very sharp and exact, and high beams have good reach. A coworker has a Chrysler Pacifica with the optional HID lights and his headlights are pathetic compared to mine. Note: the HID works on the low beam only, the halogen high beams are separate and are also used to run the DRL.
How is the leveling system supposed to work? Does it lower the beams for approaching drivers, or does it compensate for the car being nose-up or nose-down due to slope of road?
[font=Comic Sans MS:87ca7a61fe]On HIDs, switching between low and high is mechanical. The whole lamp assembly doesn't move, but a reflector in the back of the "bullet" in front of the bulb physically moves in and out (see my post above). The HID leveling system tries to compensate for overall car tilt. Load boxes of books in your hatchback and the nose goes up, which would cause your HIDs to glare into the eyes of oncoming drivers. The leveling system tries to keep the light level, regardless of the angle of the car. It doesn't seem to be very fast. It doesen't seem to be affected by momentary changes in road slope, which is probably good.[/font:87ca7a61fe]
I have noticed that HID Systems vary in brightness/color from ar to car (and i'm not just talking aftermarket). My mom's friend drives a 350z and the hid's in that car seem a bit brighter/bluer. I this a matter of the blub, wattage, projector, etc? Does anyone know what kind of bulbs are used in the prius and/or what kelvin temp it's rated at? etc, etc... Thanks -Andrew
I had Xenon HIDs on my previous MINI, and did not like them all that much. The cutoff was too abrupt for my taste. All HIDs have to have auto-leveling to prevent blinding oncoming drivers, but even so I guess that in a lot of cars the HIDs are aimed too low to err on the side of caution. That was the case in my MINI, and after having readjusted them they were a bit better. Still, I decided I did not need them in my Prius, and don't miss them. However, I think an internal adjustment for the auto leveling feature would be nice, such that you could click the aim of the HIDs up/down one or two notches, but so that this would reset itself after poering down the car.
Thanks for all the great replies! Lots of different perspectives on HID lights. I haven't told me wife yet that I'm wondering about the HID headlights. I'm going to wait until she drives it night and see if she notices anything. Since I took the car out for the sole purpose of checking out the headlights I might have been tooooo critical - or paying too much attention.
~4000K maybe? It's true that different manufacturers use different HID bulbs. I know the 3 series uses the yellowish one (so that's... 3000K?)
for the HIDs. there is a little tiny arm over the back axle to measure how high the car is. the system isn't fast at all on the Prius. My parents 400h's system takes fractions of seconds to adjust.. but theirs adjust for corners and bumps and acceleration and braking. well. the 400h has a faster navigation too. a lot faster. better computer i guess.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(V8Cobrakid\";p=\"95838)</div> Oh, I see! The leveling system compensates for the car body's tilt nose up/down, with respect to the rear axle, i.e.,the road surface, not with respect to earth's gravity! Very neat!
