headlights: halogen to LED?

For LED I saw a great review on this brand that they tested inside of a Halogen housing.. great output and great control. But they cost $160.

GTR Lighting Gen3 Ultra Series LED

You might try DDM Tuning for a HID kit. I have bought several kits from them for various cars and had great success with them. Light control is pretty good.

They use a style that move in and out not tilting and have a gate on the bottom and front for better light control in a Halogen housing.
Base kit is about $60. Best they sell is about $95

And they answer the phone if you call the retail stores in California and will answer technical questions.

 

You shouldn't use a LED/HID replacement in the Prius' reflector housings. It's illegal to use anything other than H4/9003 halogen bulbs (HID Prius headlights excepted - available only on 08 and 09 IIRC). Pretty much all of the LED bulbs will put too much light output above the cutoff line on low beam, causing excessive glare for other drivers, which is dangerous. I personally hate it when I pass someone going the other direction with glaring headlights, so I'd never want to be one of those people. If you upgrade to projector headlights, you could probably install LED replacements, as projectors have a sharp cutoff (Cost of these is ~$350/pair on the 2nd gen), but reflector housings glare too much light where it isn't intended.

If you want the best lighting from your headlights:
1. Remove the corrosion and yellowing from your headlights to have clear lenses. There are many tutorials on this on youtube, or a good place to have it done is Costco, which will do it for $40 with a lifetime warranty, IIRC. Every time you wash your car, you should wax your headlights.
2. Aim your headlights properly. There are many youtube tutorials on this. Most common on old cars is for the headlights to droop, so they need to be adjusted up after about a decade.
3. Use higher output 9003/H4 bulbs - Philips Extreme Vision, Osram Night Breaker, etc. Note that older halogen bulbs often smoke up the bulb, so new bulbs may yield some brightness increase even without going to a higher output bulb.

So many people with problems with #1 and #2 above and think they need brighter bulbs. Get your lenses clear and headlights properly aimed and see where you're at.

 

That's not the number on my halogen headlights and they're the originals. Mine are H4/60020. The driver's side is not behaving. Is that a double throw double pole relay. Is it possible that the relay is not throwing the driver's bulb and just the passengers?

 

I don't know why they would have "6002" on them. 60020 might be a part or serial number. Is this on the headlight assembly (and not the bulb)? The 9003/H4 bulb design is very standard and one of the oldest bulb designs out there. IIRC 9003 was the design for cars, and H4 for motorcycles, and technically there are some small differences in the specs. At this point they're interchangeable, as the bulb manufacturers only make bulbs that are compatible with both.

 

I have switched out my halogens for a four sided LED, and I have noticed some issues but they don't seem unusually high, I have adjusted them and the only bad thing is I'm using aftermarket headlight assemblies which seems to make the adjustment a bit more of a challenge, I do notice they are brighter and work well, for my taste

 

Product link for the rest of us?

Any before or after photos you care to share?

 

I didn't think to take any before pictures but I just took one tonight when I was taking pics of the LED's I installed

 

Is that last picture taking with just low beam lights? Looks like they are pointing way too high. Or maybe the picture is somehow misleading? There should be a clear cut of line visible with low beam lights.

 

Hella H71070201 Optilux by Extreme White H4 12V 100/80W XB Bulb Twin Pack | Quadratec

If you try these you won't have broken federal law by changing from halogen to LED, not terribly expensive, simple plug and go, don't shine you highs at a policeman in a city, town or village

 

Only problem is that 80/100W bulbs may melt headlight housings. The housings were intended for 55/60W bulbs. Certainly I've seen on other forums for other cars people reporting melting their housings with high wattage bulbs. Probably okay in the winter, but I'd pay very close attention in the summer.

 

Yes those are low beam and I'm still trying to lower them more and I might change the orientation of where the LED panels are in the housing, but in the winter it's a bit harder, but no police problems yet and I do drive quite a bit

 

Have you had anyone flash their high beams at you. If they do they are too high.

 

Not often but once or twice I really need to get my hand down there and crank them down a bit more, I destroyed the dust covers with the install of the LEDs and when I upgraded to brighter halogens they were burning out all the time so I need to make the LEDs work right

 

Unfortunately just went through a switch to LED in the 2005, after attempting to find such guidance here on improving illumination. Returning to the forum to see what others have found at this point in terms of a preferable replacement halogen bulb - perhaps Hellas, Osram, or Phillips, but please do name a specific model if you're aware. Thanks in advance.