2011 Prius Light Bulbs Burning Out

[Angel And The Wolf]

I like to run my tires at 42 lbs for more mpg, but it seems my headlight bulbs can't handle the harsher ride. I replace 2 or 3 bulbs per year. I've lost low beam, high beam, and fog light bulbs.

I've had Toyota dealership check the electrical system. Nothing found. I bought new tires a few months ago, and I left the pressure where Toyota set them, no bulb problems. Guess I could raise the pressures to 42, and see if I lose bulbs.
2011 prius

[LeanBurn]

What bulbs are you using?

[gone-ot]

Do the lights sometimes "flicker" while driving on rough roads?

[Angel And The Wolf]

Originally Posted by LeanBurn

What bulbs are you using?

OEM and then what Toyota replaces them with.

[Angel And The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

Do the lights sometimes "flicker" while driving on rough roads?

No, but there have been times when a good swift slap on the fender brought one back.

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by Angel And The Wolf

No, but there have been times when a good swift slap on the fender brought one back.

Typical causes for lamp failure are (in order):
1) Mechanical failure, ie: filament breakage.
2) Thermal failure, ie: over-heating due to too high voltage.
3) Intermittent -- ie: sudden ON/OFF -- current surges.

Sounds like there's an "intermittent" (loose connection(s)) somewhere.

[Angel And The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

Typical causes for lamp failure are (in order):
1) Mechanical failure, ie: filament breakage.
2) Thermal failure, ie: over-heating due to too high voltage.
3) Intermittent -- ie: sudden ON/OFF -- current surges.

When a bulb goes out, and I can't slap it back on,Toyota finds filament breakage. I asked them what could be done to stop this from happening, and they suggested a different type of headlight that costs a couple of hundred for each side. Is there a plug inreplacement bulb that is less prone to breakage, and doesn't cost hundreds of dollars?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Angel And The Wolf

Is there a plug inreplacement bulb that is less prone to breakage, and doesn't cost hundreds of dollars?

HID. I wouldn't recommend it though unless you have a projector style headlight. Reflector style don't have a sharp cutoff point, so you end up blinding oncoming traffic.

[Angel And The Wolf]

Sounds like I'm stuck with periodic $42 bulb replacements.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Angel And The Wolf

Sounds like I'm stuck with periodic $42 bulb replacements.

Who is charging $42 for a bulb? They should be like $10.

There are high durability bulbs, but they simply output less light. If you're ok with that, they will last a lot longer.

You could convert your lights to LED or HID, but to do that properly is a bit more expensive.