The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID)

myusername2015 · Sep 21, 2017

Do you sell the kit as a plug n play?? After trying to read and take mental notes I'm so lost!!!!! I was going to purchase an led kit off Amazon but then someone posted your build and the reason why hid/led bulbs shouldn't be in a halogen housing, makes sense after I read it.

Boofthese · Sep 21, 2017

This kit is plug and play

Boofthese · Sep 21, 2017

This is where I got mine.
Headlight Services - Wiring
http://headlightservices.com/Wiring.html

He said it would mess with the factory fog lights.....but it hasn't done anything to mine on my 05 tacona.

crashnburn80 · Sep 21, 2017

myusername2015 said: ↑

Do you sell the kit as a plug n play?? After trying to read and take mental notes I'm so lost!!!!! I was going to purchase an led kit off Amazon but then someone posted your build and the reason why hid/led bulbs shouldn't be in a halogen housing, makes sense after I read it.
Click to expand...

To be clear, I don't sell or profit off of my build threads in any way and in fact operate at a significant loss. I'm not here to sell a product, unlike many. I believe these forums are for knowledge sharing, and use them accordingly, which I know upsets some.

I'm always happy to help someone with their projects. What year is your truck? It may make a difference in the harness you need as there are 2 different possibilities depending on your electrical system. I provided links in the original post for 2 different version of the bulb, the 85/80w and the 100/90w.

I'd recommend the 100/90w 2900 lumen for maximum performance:
https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product/osram-super-bright-premium-h4

crashnburn80 · Sep 21, 2017

Boofthese said: ↑

This is where I got mine.
Headlight Services - Wiring
http://headlightservices.com/Wiring.html

He said it would mess with the factory fog lights.....but it hasn't done anything to mine on my 05 tacona.
Click to expand...

The standalone headlight harness has zero affect on fogs as it is completely independent. Some have done a single combined harness, but there is little benefit as cost is the same.

myusername2015 · Sep 22, 2017

crashnburn80[OP] said: ↑

To be clear, I don't sell or profit off of my build threads in any way and in fact operate at a significant loss. I'm not here to sell a product, unlike many. I believe these forums are for knowledge sharing, and use them accordingly, which I know upsets some.

I'm always happy to help someone with their projects. What year is your truck? It may make a difference in the harness you need as there are 2 different possibilities depending on your electrical system. I provided links in the original post for 2 different version of the bulb, the 85/80w and the 100/90w.

I'd recommend the 100/90w 2900 lumen for maximum performance:
https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product/osram-super-bright-premium-h4
Click to expand...

2011 dcsb

crashnburn80 · Sep 22, 2017

myusername2015 said: ↑

2011 dcsb
Click to expand...

Does your DRL use the amber indicators? (vs the headlights). If so you are likely conventionally switched, meaning you need a conventional harness:
http://www.rallylights.com/hl282-sm...ness-for-conventionally-switched-systems.html

I'd recommend the 100/90w bulbs for maximum output, and suggest buying 4 at a time so you have spares on hand.
https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product/osram-super-bright-premium-h4

BenMara · Sep 22, 2017

Here is a great link for the DRL junk....
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diode-dynamics-smart-tap-cf18-relay.471753/page-5#post-15090076

ovrlndkull · Oct 3, 2017

crashnburn80[OP] said: ↑

Check out the original post in the section "Determining your electrical ground system." In a brief explanation, Toyota used to make its trucks complete the electrical circuit by completing the ground vs completing the positive. When dealing with the headlight relays, they need to be wired differently depending on how the circuit is completed.
Click to expand...

Many car companies are going to a ground switch to complete circuits it is "softer" on the components when switched on and off. I am no electrical engineer but this is how it was explained to me. I have made my own harnesses for previous vehicles that I put higher wattage bulbs. I was looking for an upgrade like this but not really wanting to put the time it takes to make a harness nor do I really like retrofits or HID options. This is an awesome bit of lighting it is now on my list of stuff to do!

5678ta · Oct 4, 2017

I'll post again, as this upgrade is the tits. If anyone thinks there is "little" difference between stock and this upgrade, you NEED to drive both back to back. Period.

I did this in Colorado a few months ago when my friend decided to chop his foot with an axe. We just got back to camp from the bar and I just finished opening my tent and pulling everything out so I had to drive his truck an hour to and from the ER at 10pm/12am. Moon rise was around 2am. It was dark.

Friends truck has stock headlights with Rigid fogs and light bar. Cant drive on a heavy use 2 lane road with 15k+ lumens blasting traffic, so stock headlights it was. Honestly felt like i was driving with only stock fog lights. Needless to say, i'll never go back to stock, HID or LED. (i've had all)

Muddinfun · Oct 12, 2017

Rallylights has gotten pretty proud of their harness. $113 for the harness and $20 for the cheapest shipping. At $133, I seriously considered building the harness myself. Oh well, I ordered it anyway. Honestly the $20 shipping was the part that burned my ass the most. You know it will fit in a $6 priority flat rate box and Priority mail wasn't even the cheapest.

crashnburn80 · Oct 12, 2017

Muddinfun said: ↑

Rallylights has gotten pretty proud of their harness. $113 for the harness and $20 for the cheapest shipping. At $133, I seriously considered building the harness myself. Oh well, I ordered it anyway. Honestly the $20 shipping was the part that burned my ass the most. You know it will fit in a $6 priority flat rate box and Priority mail wasn't even the cheapest.
Click to expand...

Agreed that shipping charges are high. I'll update the post soon with another option like headlight services, which also includes a DIY kit:
http://www.headlightservices.com/Wiring.html

gersus · Oct 14, 2017

I want brighter headlights and also want readily available replacements so I ordered the optiplux bulbs mentioned on page 1. $22 on Amazon. They arrive on monday so I’ll give my 2 cents next week.

Norton · Oct 14, 2017

gersus said: ↑

I want brighter headlights and also want readily available replacements...
Click to expand...

I wanted the same things, so I installed the Ultimate Headlight Upgrade and ordered a SPARE set of Osram Hyper 100/90w 2900 lumen H4 bulbs. When I need to install the spares, I'll buy the next set.

MadRiverTaco · Nov 4, 2017

Thanks OP for the thorough (and I mean thorough) write-up. Now to convince the wife to let me do one more mod for safety purposes...

crashnburn80 · Nov 11, 2017

Updated thread with a less expensive heavy duty quality harness option from Headlight Services.

Kolunatic · Nov 11, 2017

Awesome right up
Thank you very much

lpfe42 · Nov 11, 2017

crashnburn80[OP] initial post: ↑

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 (more output pics later in post):

Now that I have your attention...

This upgrade results in over a 2x improvement from stock. It consists of the following:
NOTE: 3rd Gen trucks using H11 headlights should see this thread.

1) Osram Hyper 85/80w 2400 lumen H4s - Made in Germany:
http://www.rallylights.com/h4-12v-osram-hyper-bulb-not-legal-for-highway-use.html
These bulbs produce 2400/1750 lumens, which is significantly more than the ~1500/1000 lumens stock. 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/LED 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 decent bulb life for being a high wattage bulb, being rated at 200 hours. The Osrams 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:

Update: 10/5/16:
1) Osram Hyper 100/90w 2900 lumen H4s - Made in Germany:
https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product/osram-super-bright-premium-h4
Osram has released an updated German made Bilux H4 100/90w bulb rated at 2900/1700 lumens. While the high beam rating has been significantly improved (by over 20%), the low beam rating and life remain nearly unchanged. Low beams always burn out first in a dual filament bulb, so I see no reason not to upgrade. The low beam is still rated at 200 hours, just like the earlier hyper bulbs.

German Osram 100/90w 2900 lumen performance bulbs:

I have not found these bulbs available from a retailer in the USA yet. Powerbulbs out of the UK sells them for a good price and ships to the USA for free (linked above). I always recommend buying 2 sets. I have also found the bulbs on eBay, but Chinese versions are rampant on eBay, so be cautious of what you buy. Compare the boxes to the boxes pictured above and check where it is made and the country it is shipping from. If unsure I would recommend buying from Powerbulbs. This eBay listing is authentic German bulbs:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OSRAM-H4-BI...00-90W-2PCS-62204SPB-/111692984549?rmvSB=true

For other bulb recomendations, including "whiter" bulbs and those that do not require a harness, see the end of the thread.

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 12 gauge heavy duty wiring with a direct lead to the battery is more efficient, reducing voltage drop and causing your lights to burn 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 ground switched (see testing procedure further down below) the part number for the harness is HL28200S - Upgrade Harness for Two H4 Lamps.

Ground Switched harness: If you run the electrical ground system test listed below and determine you have a ground switched truck unlike my 2015, you need this ground switched harness instead of the conventional one linked above. Ground switched is more common on the first gen and older trucks.
http://www.rallylights.com/hl282s-upgrade-headlamp-harness-for-switched-ground-vehicles.html

Headlight Services Harness: A less expensive alternative to Rallylights is offered for conventionally switched trucks from Headlight Services, using quality components. They also offer a DIY kit to build your own. http://www.headlightservices.com/Wiring.html

Rallylights conventionally switched heavy duty headlight harness:

3) OEM 2012+ 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 chrome 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 and no need to worry about condensation or leaks inside the headlight. 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.

OEM 2005-2011 smoked headlights:
These are available loaded with bulbs, and unloaded w/o bulbs, saving $60 off the set . These part numbers are for the unloaded housings.
Right #81130-04173 http://stores.revolutionparts.com/toyotaparts.bochtoyotasouth.com/oe-toyota/8113004173
Left #81170-04173 http://stores.revolutionparts.com/toyotaparts.bochtoyotasouth.com/oe-toyota/8117004173

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 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:

Install:
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/

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:

Testing output:
Scientifically quantitative results are always better than subjectivity. Using my light Lux meter to measure light output before and after the upgrade.

Stock high beam 290 lux:

Ultimate high beam 609 lux. Over 100% improvement from stock.

Glare:
While the lights are measure 100% brighter than stock, they are also correctly engineered so the cut off plane is still maintained and oncoming drivers are not blinded. Uninformed people so often look at their LED/HID upgrade head-on and see the glare and think that is good because it must mean they are brighter, when in-fact, it is because it is done wrong and the cut off is lost. A headlight upgrade done correctly, will be indistinguishable to oncoming drivers while the driver will see massive improvement.

Stock left (passenger), Ultimate 100%+ brighter on the right (driver). The engineered cut off is maintained and looks the same. No offensive glare or scatter, unlike HID/LEDs in reflectors.

Heat:
People have understandably expressed concern over heat output of high powered halogens. I took some IR laser temp readings of stock compared to ultimate, with the ambient temp of 57 degrees.

Stock operating temp, 121 degrees:

Ultimate operating temp, 148 degrees:

Why not HID/LED?
Read this for an in-depth explanation with photos, and to see how this headlight upgrade compares to higher powered LEDs:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/why-leds-should-not-be-run-in-halogen-reflectors.454371/

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 are 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.

Additional Notes:
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). Bulb bulb burnt out 2 days later. 3/17/16.

Headlight DRLs
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.

Additional output pics after adding the Ultimate fog light upgrade:

And some people claim halogens have no cut off.

Additional reference:
There is also a 1st gen spin off thread, with independent results and more pictures:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/proper-headlight-upgrade.407879/

Other bulbs
I often get asked for other bulb recommendations, usually whiter high performance bulbs or stock wattage performance alternatives. I figured I would save some effort and document recommendations here.

Whiter high wattage performance bulbs:
Optilux H4 100/80w - These bulbs by Hella are rated at 2600/1575 lumens, with a life of 150hrs compared to the 2900/1700 lumen 200hr bulbs I recommend from Osram, but that is the performance penalty of having a coated bulb to produce whiter output.
Why do I recommend non coated bulbs? Read this from Daniel Stern.

Stock wattage performance bulbs:
Lower output, not ultimate, does not require a harness. To give an idea, compare the high performance Nighbreakers 1650/1000 lumens to the high powered Hypers 2900/1700 lumens.

Philips Xtreme +100

Osram Nightbreaker +110

Volsa H4 +100

Update 9/12/16: the 70w version of the Osram Hypers have been discontinued. The suggested replacement is Volsa +100s. Candlepower has a good breakdown. For output comparison the Osram 70/65w were rated at 2000/1350 lumen.

Note that Sylvania Silverstars (different than Osram Silverstars) are not on the list, as a fully coated stock wattage bulb is lower performing. The Silverstar XZE have an output of 1500/910 lumens and a life of 150hrs.
Here is a breakdown from Candlepower.

Other lighting upgrades
Fog lights:
I've done a similar upgrade in the Ultimate Fog Light Upgrade, which doubles fog light output.

Reverse lights:
3x+ output upgrade for reverse lights in my Gy6.35 HIR reverse light upgrade thread.

My 921 LED reverse light study thread here.

See how the Ultimate headlight upgrade compares to higher lumen LEDs headlights here.

Need Help?
I am always happy to help anyone on their truck projects. If you have any questions don't hesitate to message me or post in this thread.

Testimonials
I thought it would be helpful to have a few quotes from other members in this thread who performed the upgrade, I only included a few:
Click to expand...

Will this work on a 2017??

Unchained 5150 · Nov 11, 2017

crashnburn80[OP] said: ↑

Updated thread with a less expensive heavy duty quality harness option from Headlight Services.
Click to expand...

crashnburn80 · Nov 11, 2017

lpfe42 said: ↑

Will this work on a 2017??
Click to expand...

Yes, but not using the instructions in this thread which is for H4s. Your 2017 takes H11 headlights, see my H11 foglight thread which is applicable to 3rd Gen headlights. There is a note in the beginning that has links to 3rd gen upgrade output photos.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-foglight-upgrade-not-led-or-hid.435419/

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