2012 Prius v Headlights (Halogen)

The point is that correcting the aim compensates for all of the supposed inadequacy and engineering fails contained in the Prius headlamp's optics.

Correcting the aim is also the only true fix. No bulb is going to overcome poor factory aim.

If I give you a flashlight in a forest, and you want to see far, do you:

1) Swap the bulb out for something else, and point it at the ground?

or

2) Keep the existing bulb and try pointing the flashlight up, away from the ground?

Understanding that aim is often the issue with regard to poor headlamp performance can also save lots of people money: instead of dropping $$ on the latest and greatest bulb, all that's often needed is careful adjustment of the aim.

 

As I previously commented, LED retrofit bulbs may be illegal in many, if not all, states. Also as I previously commented, it is a fact that there are some poorly designed LED replacement bulbs or bad implementation of LED lamps on cars out there. With that fact in mind, one should approach this type of mod at your own risk. In our case, we have determined empirically but not scientifically, the Sealight LED bulbs were far brighter than the OEM halogen lamp, thus we could see better on the dark unlit county roads. We concluded that the benefit and safety of being able to see the roads outweigh the other risks in our case, but YMMV.

 

If you have truly determined that these retrofit LED bulbs created an improvement, then the SAE and the UNECE both would love to have a word with you--they've been working, independently, for the last 10 years trying to develop a safe and effective retrofit LED bulb. Everyone would love to know what they're missing.

iPhone 3GS ?

 

I replaced my 2013 Prius V low beams with these and they are terrific. Thanks, Bob

 

There were a bunch of LED retrofit kits available that did not say DOT (and did say "for off-road use only"), for quite a while before I began to see any starting to say DOT. I was curious for a long time but never bought any.

And these definitely have managed to cram all the LED chips into the size and shape where the halogen filament would go, and undeniably in my Gen 3 projectors they produce a well-shaped beam with a well-defined cutoff just where you would expect it to be.

I have not checked what they do if used in reflectors; the seller doesn't recommend that.

I agree there might be more weight behind self-certification if we had a US administration that wasn't all about gutting business regulatory enforcement at the moment. But even so, the products really have improved.

 

That phrase just goes to show how little the Chinese understand, or care, about the American regulatory system.

Interesting that the chips are the same size and shape as the filament...of the numerous LED bulbs I've seen, none have even come close to matching the nominal diameter of a H11 bulb's filament. Perhaps yours are unique? If so, I would love to know where you got them...I'll be picking up a set for testing.



Or perhaps you meant this below. I'm always perplexed why people think of bulbs as 2-dimensional objects, with only length and height. Things in real life generally are 3D, with not only length and width but also depth.



View attachment 187030

 

Fair point—you're using a caliper, I was using my own personal eyeballs.

In any case, they do have the position and volume a lot closer to that of the halogen bulb's filament than they used to in the early days, and it does appear to be close enough that I have a pleasingly uniform beam pattern with a pleasingly sharp cutoff right about where I expect it (where, again, I am eyeballing).

This one is thicker across the LEDs than your example: .1838", or 4.67 mm.

 

Get rid of the car.......

 

There's a lot of information out there on how to get better low-beam lighting, but it really depends on what you're looking for and what you're willing to trade-off. If you want the brightest possible light, then swapping in a different kind of unit (HID, LED) is the way to go. However, this will likely result in a shorter lifespan for the bulbs. If you're looking for a longer-lasting solution, then running a non-OEM bulb might be the way to go. Keep in mind, though, that this could trade-off some brightness for longevity. Ultimately, it comes down to what you value more. Hope this helps!

 

Those are junk

 

It may also make a difference whether the retrofit bulb will be used in a reflector-style headlight (a la Gen 2 Prius) or in a projector-style unit (a la Gen 3, Prius v, etc.).

I have seen LED retrofits for sale that were marked DOT, and did not say "for off-road use only", but did come with language discouraging their use in reflector-style headlights.

 

Reflector housings are far less tolerant of differences in light capsule dimensions and location.

 

This thread inspired me to go out and de-haze my housings again. It might have been more than a year.

Those hazy lenses, scattering light in the wrong directions, can add to the annoyance for oncoming drivers, especially if some bright retrofit bulb is in there. As well as getting less light down the road where you want it.