Brighter Headlights?!

One thing to consider
2nd gen = reflectors.
3rd gen = projectors.

LEDs or HIDs in reflectors is not the best decision. Projectors is a totally different ballgame.

On my Ford I paid BIG money for a proper retrofit and I’ve played with lots of lighting alternatives. From what I’ve gained in projectors:
Halogen < LED < HID
However with the ease of drop on LEDs the change is plug and play. If you’re willing to wire up the power supply for HIDs then that’s the way to go.

Carry on...

 

See there, I very mature and considerate info drop. Respect given were it’s due.

Thanks brother.

 

Every one of my comments about halogen reflectors pertained to the fogs. The 3rd gen has projector headlights which allow for more options, but it still has reflectors for fog lights, just like the 2nd gen (unless equipped with the OEM Rigid LEDs).

 

Read everything I could find on this topic here and elsewhere. Went with Xenon Depots 4300k Phiiips Xtreme HID kit on my 3rd Gen. Had plans to do fogs but frankly now after 10,000 miles, heavy rain and snow with a lot of backroads full of wildlife I can honestly say I see no need for further changes.

Reading this thread I would say pay particular attention to the comparison facts about the far superior performance of HID over LED over distance. If you have similar driving conditions to me I would sincerely recommend the same kit.

Better yet. If you are ever near Ann Arbor, PM me and I’ll be happy to show you.

 

LED is where the lighting future is going. It’s just perfected at this point. IMO.

 

True however I think LEDs really require a specific projector for them to work right, for our halogen projectors HID is still the best upgrade imo

 

What are your thoughts on a bulb for a projector low beam. My
HIKARI LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit -H11(H8,H9),CREE XHP50 9600lm 6K Cool White,2
suck!

 

A high quality HID 55w HID kit with Philips/Osram bulbs (name brand German bulbs) in a low 4000k color temperature will provide the best output.

It helps to have a basic understanding of a halogen headlight assembly to understand why.

The assembly is designed for an omi-directional halogen bulb which puts out an orb of light in all directions. The area above/rear of the bulb is the part of the headlight that reflects the majority of light down road on the roadway. This holds true for both reflectors (2nd gen headlights) and projectors (3rd Gen). People like to think having projectors means they are compatible with any light source because it won't cause glare, thanks to the projector light shield. While true that it won't cause glare, it is short sighted, literally. LEDs are a directional light source, they must be pointed at something, they do not produce omi-directional light like a halogen bulb which the assembly is designed for. If you look at LED headlight replacement bulb design, guess where the LEDs are not pointing. They are not pointed at the most important part of the reflector for down road illumination, which means they will have poor distance illumination performance. People on the forum often call this 'throw'. You can actually see this looking at reflector housing with an LED headlight bulb as a dark spot in the housing above the bulb with the bright sports on the sides of the housing (you won't be able to see it in a small projector). If you compare it to a halogen bulb in the same reflector, the area above the bulb is the brightest spot in the housing. It doesn't matter how great the LED is, the housing is designed for an omi-directional light source, and an LED is not an omi-directional light source. The lights need to be looked at as a system, the bulb and housing working together.

HIDs however, are omi-directional. They cause issues in a reflector headlight because the location of the light source is slightly different due to the bulb design compared to a halogen bulb, but with the light guard of the projector the glare is a non-issue. And while the internal reflector in the projector is not optimized for the HID light source position, the light source is still an orb illuminating all directions which cover the entire internal reflector of the projector, giving solid performance. HIDs produce more light than halogens, and upping the power to 55w produces even more. Color temps in the low 4000k range provide better night visibility and less eye strain compared to higher color temperatures, which is why I recommend it as the highest performing option.

Projector headlight design:


If you were looking for a plug and play stock wattage bulb, the Philips Xtreme +130 or Osram Nightbreaker +130 are currently the best headlights available for stock wattage output.

 

You realize how bad that low beam throw is right? LED appears brighter when you're 10 feet away from a garage door but in that pic you can clearly see that it has much less throw than even stock halogens.

What he was saying is that caliraised stuff isn't garbage, but those LED pods shouldn't be treated as driving lights but only for off-road use, which is pretty much true for most LED pods anyway. Basically any plug-in-play LED is going to be less bright than HID or even (new) halogen light simply because it was not designed for it. New cars that have OEM LED low beams is a different story though.

 

What's bad about it exactly?? That's clearly showing almost 30 yards of coverage not to mention.... see that BRIGHT ASS SPOT on the ground there? That's telling me that my headlight needs to be adjusted up because the housing is pointed to far down at the ground. Once adjusted I will easily get almost 50 yards. For a $50 pair of LED bulbs, I'd say not to bad. I compared my stock OEM factory halogen bulb to the LED's I installed and I could see much clearer and the bright white that it produced made things so much clearer for me. I don't see how you can argue with someone who has them installed and drives with them everyday and can see just fine.

 

Mannnnn I usually stay the EFFF outta these threads cause there's so much opinion, and speculation, and love for a certain product.

Images below are on the same road, on the same night, taken with the same camera, roughly 35 minutes apart with nearly no ambient lighting (except those fancy up-lit trees in the distance). This is the darkest road I can find in a 10 mile radius and it's close to my house. Completely tree covered. It's dark.

First image is a H9 halogen conversion...Philips standard H9 bulb. Not a long life, not a overcharged bulb, just a $10 bulb.
Second image is the VLED Micro.

As you can see, the throw in distance is nearly identical. It's actually hard to tell which throws farther. The comparison is shockingly similar honestly. HIDs will have more physical output which "should" push more light down the road...but for what? This throw is easily 100yards, which unless you're doing well over 100mph+ is definitely enough distance to light the road.

Carry on...

 

I've bought a lot of parts for the Tacoma, but none that make me happier than the HID retrofit. I have the Pro and hated how the halogens gave off horrible lighting and looked so awful next to the Pro LED fog lights and LED DRL. They now look very similar in color and imagine I have better visibility than 99% of cars on the road.

 

Here in the dark winter nights of central Ohio, i just use the regular factory headlights with some Sylvania bulbs, i had the HID kit, but it got super annoying after aiming them and all, having oncoming traffic constantly flicking their High beams as mine were blinding.. i then made my wife drive my truck while i was in our camry and came toward the taco and realized the stocks are bright enough, as the HID's were blinding, and having a car coming at me that can't see me.. i would rather just drive slower.. But if i lived in a high light pollution area like NYC i would have left my HID's in.

 

Doing a retrofit gets rid of the blinding light to oncoming traffic as the retrofitter aligns the light.

 

I have a machine that i use to align headlight beams on cars, which when i lived in NYC was required to pass inspection, as i had a bunch of cars with aftermarket headlight bulbs, HID, and even housings.. and got tired of paying to have them aligned.. They were aligned correctly, but they were just too bright.. The traditional OEM HID cars have a sweep feature that actually moves the light alignment down and away when oncoming traffic is getting closer, which our trucks don't have.. so unless this retrofit has the built in switches that physically dip the lights, you will have the same problem.. Or.. you can just be a D and ignore it.. LOL

 

I just installed the Hikari LEDs in my low beams a couple weeks ago and I have to say, the only difference I noticed was the light is whiter/bluer during the day and at night comparable to the yellow hue of the stock bulbs. As far as throw is concerned, output looks the same to me in both distance and spread, just different because the color of the light. I don't think the LEDs are any brighter or stronger, I think they just appear brighter and more modern aesthetically. I was concerned about how they might affect others on the road so I drove my wife's car while she drove the Taco and through numerous tests, I found no blinding light as she drove past or when pulling up behind me. I live in an suburban/urban area so I cannot say how well they would do in a rural tree covered winding back road. I agree with Stock < LED < HID, but LED sits at that sweet spot where it feels better than stock but is a compromise compared to HID. Honestly, I just like the look of them, and as far as I'm concerned, as long as you can see out the front your truck, I couldn't care less - there's way more important problems with people's driving than what kind of headlight they are using.

 

I've noticed that about the LED's that they are a different hue of color, and seem to be more focused, but not necessarily brighter..

 

I agree, I think the LEDs become bluer as their power fizzles out and that degrading shade of blue does not contrast as well against the black of night and that's why it may appear less bright from behind the wheel compared to the harsher yellow fading out against the black. And it obviously looks brighter looking directly at the LEDs because they are white instead of yellow.

 

Thanks for posting this

 

All that said... A set of KC offroad lights on a bull bar still look dope on a Tacoma.. or a set like the original B2TF