Led headlights!!

drew96 · Apr 30, 2016

What's everyone doing for there headlights? I have a 2015 taco an I wanna put led headlights in for the summer. I know I need to buy the kit with the voltage resistors. But what's the best brand. Does anyone have pics with led in there 2015??

RearViewMirror · Apr 30, 2016

drew96[OP] initial post: ↑

What's everyone doing for there headlights? I have a 2015 taco an I wanna put led headlights in for the summer. I know I need to buy the kit with the voltage resistors. But what's the best brand. Does anyone have pics with led in there 2015??
Click to expand...

Don't waste your money. LED technology hasn't caught up with the aftermarket LED replacement bulbs. I ran a set for about 11 months and when they worked they worked great. But... They just aren't durable enough for what we use our trucks through.

Blockhead · May 1, 2016

I have a 2015 and am very happy with the headlights/fog lights. The only thing I would maybe try is the Silverstar Ultras when my OEM bulbs blow.

Kevinztaco · May 1, 2016

I have a set of LED bulb plunged in my Taco and I can't say I'll ever go back to yellowish hell-o-gen light bulbs again.

drew96 · May 1, 2016

@Kevinztaco what brand you got?? Any pics?

hmcclung · May 1, 2016

Subd for info

EDDO · May 1, 2016

RearViewMirror said: ↑

Don't waste your money. LED technology hasn't caught up with the aftermarket LED replacement bulbs. I ran a set for about 11 months and when they worked they worked great. But... They just aren't durable enough for what we use our trucks through.
Click to expand...

Agreed. In the quest for something better, went with this, extremely pleased with the results.

crashnburn80 said: ↑

My build goal is to drastically increase the light output from the stock headlights without sacrificing quality, durability or the OEM lighting optics and improve the look of the truck at the same time.

Rather than trying to change the technology that is used by the halogen reflector headlights (like improperly stuffing HID or LED bulbs in a reflector lens designed specifically for halogen bulbs), I just improved on the same technology by cranking up the power, adding some new school tricks to old school tech, and improved the efficiency while selecting better looking OEM parts.

First off the results. New setup on the left, stock on the right:

Now that I have your attention...

This upgrade consisted of the following:

1) Osram Hyper 85w 2400 lumen H4s - Made in Germany:
http://www.rallylights.com/h4-12v-osram-hyper-bulb-not-legal-for-highway-use.html
These bulbs produce 2400 lumens, which is significantly more than the 1200-1400 stock, and also more than many HID kits that produce ~2200 lumens. This is done by a combination of overdriving the filament and running much higher wattage than stock. Because the optics are correct for a halogen, a greater percentage of the light will also be placed on the road compared to an HID conversion. These bulbs do not have a cosmetic bulb coating to look cool, which also reduces lumen output, meaning they are a true purebred performance bulb. They will still burn whiter than stock and also have good bulb life for being a high wattage bulb. They will drastically outperform the PIAA style “60w=110w” type bulbs. The HID or LED also cannot compete with Halogen in the Color Rendering Index (CRI) rating meaning the halogens will provide a better lighting spectrum and better night vision color quality over HID or LED. These bulbs may damage your OEM harness and be limited in output without the additional standalone harness upgrade. Also note Osram is Toyotas OEM headlight bulb supplier, so they meet Toyota’s strict product quality standards.

German Osram 85w 2400 lumen performance bulbs:

2) Rallylights standalone harness - Built in the USA:
http://www.rallylights.com/hl282-up...ness-for-conventionally-switched-systems.html
These harnesses are made in the USA by Rally Lights using Hella components. The harness uses heavy gauge wiring and Hella relays with ceramic plugs to bypass the factory wiring and switches, drawing power directly from the battery. The heavy duty wiring with a more direct lead to the battery is more efficient causing your lights to be brighter, and isolates the factory wiring from the increased loads of the high power bulbs. The harness is entirely plug and play, the factory switch will control the relay on the harness, to control the lights as if it were stock. You can find cheaper harnesses built entirely in China elsewhere, like eBay, with no-name parts but you won’t find that sort of product quality on my truck.
Edit: If your truck is conventionally switched (see testing procedure further down below) the part number for the harness is HL28200 - Upgrade Harness for Two H4 Lamps.

Rallylights conventionally switched heavy duty headlight harness:

3) OEM TRD Pro headlights (optional cosmetic upgrade) - Made in the USA:
Right #81110-04221 http://stores.revolutionparts.com/toyotaparts.bochtoyotasouth.com/oe-toyota/8111004221
Left #81150-04221 http://stores.revolutionparts.com/toyotaparts.bochtoyotasouth.com/oe-toyota/8115004221
The Pro lights are similar to the BHLM, but factory, in a smoked MGM-like color. This upgrade is only cosmetic over stock and not required for increased light output. Unlike the BHLM, there is no breaking of the seals on the headlights. Being OEM these will be the highest quality one can buy and also will have the correct lighting optics, which isn’t always the case with aftermarket lights. If buying non-OEM look for the CAPA certification to guarantee the correct optics. The links above were the cheapest I found online. I sold my OEM headlights for $180 without trying, meaning the new set only cost me $220.

Stock light on left, Pro on right:

Determining your electrical ground system:
Toyota previously has produced their trucks with ground switched wiring. I’ve done this upgrade on my 3 previous Toyota trucks (89, 94, 03) I’ve owned, and all have used the ground switched wiring. I originally ordered the ground switched harness but it did not work on my 2015 Tacoma. After emailing rallylights.com, the actual guy that built my harness sent me the following test info, which led me to conclude I actually had conventionally switched wiring.

Ground Test Procedure:
-Looking at the back of the factory Toyota H4 headlight connector, as installed, the outside two connections are vertical & the top connection is horizontal.
-The left connection, when viewed from the back, is the "common" H4 connection.
-On a Ground Switched vehicle, the left connection would have +12 volts (in relation to ground) as soon as the headlight switch is turned on.
-On a Conventionally Switched vehicle, the left "common" connection would ground directly to the chassis and would never have any measurable voltage present.

I tested the common connection with a multimeter and determined my truck was conventionally switched. You can also use a simple bulb voltage detector for this test.

Testing ground:

If you run the test and have a ground switched truck (unlike my 2015), you need this ground switched harness instead:
http://www.rallylights.com/hl282s-upgrade-headlamp-harness-for-switched-ground-vehicles.html

Wiring:
If you can replace your headlight bulbs and change a car battery, you can install this harness, it is completely plug and play.

Install instructions:

I routed my wiring under the radiator shroud and used zip ties in the empty holes to secure it in place:

Shroud reinstalled:

Comparing the stock wiring and plastic plug vs HD harness wiring and ceramic plug:

For installing my Pro headlights, I used this thread to read up on removal. I won’t bother to re-invent the wheel:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/headlight-removal-pics.128360/

Edit: Be sure to tape off your horizon and alignment lines before removing your lights. I parked 20ft away from a wall and used painters tape to mark the horizon and center points of the OEM beam pattern for each light. After swapping the headlight assemblies I put the truck back in the same spot and adjusted the alignment to match the tape marks. I also did one headlight at a time to use the horizon line from the untouched light to double validate the replaced light.

The hidden bolt seems tricky but after removing the lower flap it only takes a minute once you find it. Not reinstalling this bolt as so many mention is just unacceptable laziness. Take pride in your work people.

Picture looking up under the front bumper with the wrench on the hidden bolt:

In order to get the old lights out, I struggled to get the lower light tab to clear the bumper skin. I ended up disconnecting the bumper, but not removing it, just to get more play so I could get the lights out and the new ones in. I used instructions from here:
http://www.grillcraft.com/installs/install_detail.aspx?install_id=296

Grill removed and bumper detached (but not removed) for headlight install:

New Pro headlights installed:

Compared to a stocker in the parking lot:

Why not HID/LED?:

For those that did not know you cannot put HIDs in a reflector housing (like the 1st/2nd gen Tacoma) without throwing significant light into the air, known as scatter which is caused by using the wrong bulb in an incompatible reflector. This scatter blinds oncoming drivers and wastes light that could be used to illuminate the road. With less light projected to the road this is actually a downgrade, despite the color making you think otherwise. I’m also not a fan of the dependency on required ballasts, and the HID kits are usually made cheaply in China. If a bulb or ballast fails you cannot pick one up at your local auto parts store.

LEDs have recently become popular, but most that improve light output over stock use microprocessor cooling fans to cool the LED circuit. Not a very durable design for off-road use, or any use. The cooling fan versions also require cutting of the rear headlight boot to fit, meaning the seal is shot and condensation inside the lens could become an issue. The optics may be questionable as LED light is directional vs Halogen being omni-directional, though some respectable manufacturers have claimed to recently solve the issue. The LED bulbs will also have lower CRI than Halogens. Numerous threads on TW have had people go to LEDs only later to return to Halogen due to the lack of reliability, the incorrect optics, and superior spectrum of the Halogens.

Update 3/15/16:
Tacoma had a 85w bulb burn out today after 6 months. Swapped both bulbs with a new set.
Escape is going strong with 14 months on the 85w bulbs (also has standalone harness).

NOTE: If you have daytime running lights that use the headlights (not the amber indicators) this mod will disable the headlight DRL function. This is because the headlight DRLs use a reduced wattage high beam, by installing this mod the circuit becomes an on/off switch due to the relay that is able to take the extra current. Since the relay is either on or off, the headlights are either on or off and do not operate at partial wattage like the DRLs. This has no effect if your DRLs utilize the amber indicators like the majority of Tacomas.
Click to expand...

TacomaArto · May 1, 2016

When I was debating LEDS or retrofits, I found this useful.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...h4-led-headlights.403267/page-4#post-12296816

nizzmont · May 1, 2016

there is a post somewhere on here I was just reading about upgrading the wiring and bulbs,still halogen but there way bright and look great.im thinking about going that route since the LED setup are not lasting and are super spendy but it will have to wait awhile.ive tried silverstars and one went out in like 3 months so I went back to stock bulbs

TacomaArto · May 1, 2016

nizzmont said: ↑

there is a post somewhere on here I was just reading about upgrading the wiring and bulbs,still halogen but there way bright and look great.im thinking about going that route since the LED setup are not lasting and are super spendy but it will have to wait awhile.ive tried silverstars and one went out in like 3 months so I went back to stock bulbs
Click to expand...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-not-led-or-hid.398066/

mrkabc · May 1, 2016

OPT7 LED bulbs here. Had them a year already, still going strong.

hmcclung · May 1, 2016

mrkabc said: ↑

OPT7 LED bulbs here. Had them a year already, still going strong.
Click to expand...

Just plugged into stock housing with stock wiring?

mrkabc · May 1, 2016

hmcclung said: ↑

Just plugged into stock housing with stock wiring?
Click to expand...

Yes and yes. The plus side is that the lights are amazingly bright, you don't lose your high beams, and the installation isn't hard. The minus is that they are amazingly bright and will throw glare out at oncoming drivers.

Yes, I am one of "those guys", and I'm trying to find a projector retrofit that will actually work with LEDs and don't cost more than the national debt. In the meantime, I'm not giving them up because I like the bright lights and the stock weak halogens suck. (flame suit on!)

So beware that if you do install LED headlights you will experience a lot of light scatter that does light up trees, the second story of homes, etc.

TacomaArto · May 1, 2016

mrkabc said: ↑

Yes and yes. The plus side is that the lights are amazingly bright, you don't lose your high beams, and the installation isn't hard. The minus is that they are amazingly bright and will throw glare out at oncoming drivers.

Yes, I am one of "those guys", and I'm trying to find a projector retrofit that will actually work with LEDs and don't cost more than the national debt. In the meantime, I'm not giving them up because I like the bright lights and the stock weak halogens suck. (flame suit on!)

So beware that if you do install LED headlights you will experience a lot of light scatter that does light up trees, the second story of homes, etc.
Click to expand...

Read the review I linked to above for the Philips LEDs. I think he says they have a defined cutoff. I could be wrong. Been awhile since I read that review.

mrkabc · May 1, 2016

TacomaArto said: ↑

Read the review I linked to above for the Philips LEDs. I think he says they have a defined cutoff. I could be wrong. Been awhile since I read that review.
Click to expand...

I saw that post about the Philips LEDs. If it's true, I'll buy a set! It would be worth it to not have such a glare problem.

Problem is, no one can say either way and I'm not blowing a hundred bucks on "maybe".

95 taco · May 1, 2016

drew96[OP] initial post: ↑

What's everyone doing for there headlights? I have a 2015 taco an I wanna put led headlights in for the summer. I know I need to buy the kit with the voltage resistors. But what's the best brand. Does anyone have pics with led in there 2015??
Click to expand...

CSjumper LED's, look him up.

nizzmont · May 1, 2016

The link on the Phillips I clicked said 250 a set

RearViewMirror · May 1, 2016

mrkabc said: ↑

OPT7 LED bulbs here. Had them a year already, still going strong.
Click to expand...

I bought a set of those and they lasted all of 30 secs. I'm not joking. LED technology just isn't there "yet" for aftermarket consumption. It will be one day but until then I'll hold off.

nizzmont · May 1, 2016

I want a honest plug and play setup.my 08 housings need polished but that's not big deal,if just want good light without selling my plasma and other bodily fluids to afford it

mrkabc · May 1, 2016

nizzmont said: ↑

The link on the Phillips I clicked said 250 a set
Click to expand...

OK, even more of a reason not to spend money on "maybe"!

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