The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID)

Toy4me · Feb 10, 2018

locster said: ↑

I had a lot of issues with my retros. Couldnt set them to aim correctly, flikering, vibration. ... I paid a lot for them but I think they were just poorly done. I just want to go back to OEM quality stuff. My ultimate goal is just to get more light on the road than what the stock bulbs can deliver. I hate driving at night because of them.
Click to expand...

That's a shame on the retros. That's why I was not wanting to spend the money. I think you'll be very happy with this route. Even with the high output bulbs being discontinued (though I see you're stocked up for a while), I still had a huge improvement in light with the harness and running Sylvania zxes' before I was able to swap in the Osram 85/80s. So even if I can't get high output bulbs I'll still be satisfied with the harness and zxe combo. I predict your next stop will be here - https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...upgrade-better-than-led.528143/#post-17112427 . Just ordered my harness and trying to decide on 9005s.

locster · Feb 10, 2018

I'm a believer now. Before and after shots of OSRAM 100/90w with upgraded harness.

wdb · Feb 11, 2018

WOW that really shows the difference!

smmarine · Feb 11, 2018

Has anyone had any problems with melting with the 100/90 Osrams? I haven’t noticed any and I run them in Florida, was just curious if it’s been an issue at all

BillsSR5 · Feb 11, 2018

locster said: ↑

I'm a believer now. Before and after shots of OSRAM 100/90w with upgraded harness.

Click to expand...

shazam

BillsSR5 · Feb 11, 2018

locster said: ↑

I'm a believer now. Before and after shots of OSRAM 100/90w with upgraded harness.

Click to expand...

does the cutoff stay the same or did you have to readjust the headlights to retain that factory cutoff

Toy4me · Feb 11, 2018

@BillsSR5 yes the cutoff says the same. I didn't have to adjust. It's really just a bulb swap.

DrFunker · Feb 11, 2018

locster said: ↑

I'm a believer now. Before and after shots of OSRAM 100/90w with upgraded harness.

Click to expand...

Nice.

crashnburn80 · Feb 11, 2018

Wyckedan said: ↑

I put the new Hella bright bulbs in last night. I forgot how much I hate those fucking springs and washer fluid tank. I will say they are noticeably brighter, I'd like to measure them. As soon as I get some free time I'll shoot you a message. I'd like to ask you a few questions about your supercharger as well.
Click to expand...

That side is the worst. I swear every other time the spring pops off and it is a royal PITA to get it back on. Like contemplating burning the truck to the ground PITA. Hit me up when you get some free time and we can set something up. You could also get a sneak peak at the latest project.

crashnburn80 · Feb 11, 2018

smmarine said: ↑

Has anyone had any problems with melting with the 100/90 Osrams? I haven’t noticed any and I run them in Florida, was just curious if it’s been an issue at all
Click to expand...

Should be zero issues with melting. I've run them in hot desert summer heat without issue.

Unchained 5150 · Feb 12, 2018

Gonna go put the Philips 130's in and hopefully take the lux meter to them tonight and see what they offer.

lpfe42 · Feb 12, 2018

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:
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 Super Bright 100/90w 2900 lumen H4s - Made in Germany:
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 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.

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

2) Rallylights standalone harness - Built in the USA:
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. Rallylights part number HL28200.

Headlight Services Harness:
A less expensive alternative to Rallylights is offered for conventionally switched trucks from Headlight Services, using high quality components including 12 gauge wiring and German relays. They also offer a DIY kit to build your own. You can see the excellent build quality documented here.

Ground switched harness:
Ground switched is more common on the first gen and older trucks. 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.
Rallylights ground switched harness - part number HL28200S
Headlight Services ground switched harness - listed under 4Runner

Rallylights conventionally switched heavy duty headlight harness:

3) OEM 2012-2015 TRD Pro headlights (optional cosmetic upgrade) - Made in the USA:
Right #81110-04221
Left #81150-04221
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 like the Pro lights, but came on select Sport models. These are available loaded with bulbs, and unloaded w/o bulbs, saving $60 off the set . These part numbers are for the unloaded housings. These are the updated TSB version of the lights that do not have the melting DRL issue.
Right #81130-04173
Left #81170-04173

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. Ground switched is when power is always constant and the ground is completed to activate the circuit, vs conventional the power is completed to activate the circuit. 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 not have any measurable voltage present. Note that you are looking for 0v vs 12v+. A measurement of 0.xxv is noise and should be considered 0 for the purpose of this test.

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: headlight-removal-pics

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 the hot spot 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 recommend doing one headlight at a time to use the horizon line from the untouched light to double validate the replaced light and adjust the horizon accordingly.

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 grillcraft here.

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?
For an in-depth explanation with photos, and to see how this headlight upgrade compares to higher powered LEDs, read this thread.

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 and glare hitting street signs making you think otherwise.

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. 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: proper-headlight-upgrade

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 - Not Recommended. See my experience with Optilux.
These bulbs by 'Hella' but for H13s were actually repackaged marked-up cheap bulbs from 'Heliolite'. The H4s are rated at 2600/1575 lumens, with a life of 150hrs compared to the 2900/1700 lumen 200hr bulbs from Osram. 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 Super Brights 2900/1700 lumens.

These are currently the highest performing stock wattage bulbs on the market:

Philips Xtreme +130

Osram Nightbreaker Laser +130

Volsa H4 +100

Philips vs Volsa:
While Osram and Philips are constantly compared and about equal when running the latest version of each bulb, I hadn't seen any comparison with Volsa. So I took the opportunity to compare them on a 1st Gen later in the thread here.

Update 9/12/16: the 70w version of the Osram Hypers have been discontinued. The suggested replacement by Candlepower is Volsa +100s. Candlepower has a good breakdown here. 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.

Replacing bad headlight assemblies
Replacing bad headlights alone can make a huge difference. I did some testing replacing stock hazed headlights on a 1st Gen with new CAPA Depo headlights and Volsa +100 bulbs and it made a massive difference. We didn't use a harness or high wattage. See info posted later in the thread here.

Shopping List
I often get asked for the abbreviated version of what to buy for a harness and high power bulbs.

Buying from Headlight Services:
Conventionally switched wiring harnesses - Dual H4 Headlamps
Ground switched wiring harness - listed under 4Runner
Osram Hyper 85/80w bulbs - High wattage 85/80w listed down on the very bottom right of the page.

Buying from Rallylights:
Conventionally switched wiring harness - H4 part number HL28200
Ground switched wiring harness - H4 part number HL28200S
Osram Hyper 85/80w bulbs

Buying from PowerBulbs:
If wanting maximum high beam performance instead of the 85/80w bulbs.
100/90w Osram Super Brights

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...

I think I’ve asked this question before can you do that for the third generation Tacoma’s

mightym · Feb 12, 2018

Just installed the rally harness, new TRD Pro Headlights and 100/90 Osrams. Didn't adjust the lights as It is still daylight outside. Came from Osram Night Breakers 60/55. Hidden bolt drove me a little bonkers and trying to wiggle the headlights out/in. Also might have broken off more than a few plastic clips OP once again! Quality stuff!

BenMara · Feb 12, 2018

lpfe42 said: ↑

I think I’ve asked this question before can you do that for the third generation Tacoma’s
Click to expand...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-upgrade-not-led-or-hid.475064/#post-14386437

lynlan1819 · Feb 12, 2018

No thanks,my stock lights work just fine.

Yo'ta · Feb 12, 2018

Ah, and that's probably what most folks say... until they've seen the light.

JL

lynlan1819 said: ↑

No thanks,my stock lights work just fine.
Click to expand...

Unchained 5150 · Feb 12, 2018

Unchained 5150 said: ↑

So I did a night shot with the ZXE's off the garage door. And tomorrow I will do the same with the Philips X-Treme +130's but no matter what the ZXE's are a lot brighter than the candle light that come in it.

Click to expand...

And now the +130's on the garage door as I'm at a Scout meeting

Unchained 5150 · Feb 12, 2018

Throw out some good distance for driving

davet111 · Feb 12, 2018

I'm looking forward to learn more about what bulbs people are going to be using going forward. All the high wattage OSRAM's seem to be out of stock now on powerbulbs.com

smmarine · Feb 12, 2018

davet111 said: ↑

I'm looking forward to learn more about what bulbs people are going to be using going forward. All the high wattage OSRAM's seem to be out of stock now on powerbulbs.com
Click to expand...

I ordered 2 pairs for future backups and they told me they have a new shipment coming in in 5 days(less now).

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