LED Lighting Conversion

RobP62 · Jun 2, 2018

styner1989 said: ↑

I appreciate it. If I run into any issues installing or adjusting to 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock I will reach out for advice.
Click to expand...

I only needed to loosen the set screw about 2-3 turns, not remove it. The mounting tabs are the same as the collar and that's what rotates about the shaft and main assembly. Just remember that once adjusted and inserted into the socket properly, the holes on the main assembly should be at 12 o'clock once the adjustment is done.

So like this

banzaikid1 · Jun 2, 2018

RobP62 said: ↑

I only needed to loosen the set screw about 2-3 turns, not remove it. The mounting tabs are the same as the collar and that's what rotates about the shaft and main assembly. Just remember that once adjusted and inserted into the socket properly, the holes on the main assembly should be at 12 o'clock once the adjustment is done.

So like this

Click to expand...

Hey great review
I was gonna order but do I need the CANbus?
Thanks

RobP62 · Jun 2, 2018

banzaikid1 said: ↑

Hey great review
I was gonna order but do I need the CANbus?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Thanks.
No CANbus required. These are plug-n-play.

IPNPULZ · Jun 3, 2018

RobP62 said: ↑

Sup guys? So I had a chance to get both the High Beam and Low Beam Xenon Depot Extreme Pro H11 LED kits adjusted and installed today. Here's a link to the bulbs this review is about:

http://www.xenondepot.com/H11-Xtreme-LED-kit-pro-p/xt-led-h11-pro.htm

Some things to think about for those of you just coming into the thread at this point. About mid way through a lot of testing was done by a lot of people and these guys went to great lengths to provide some of the best reviews I have ever seen. Their contributions are what have carried this thread to nearly 3k posts. I myself was schooled in this thread, and made my decisions based on those reviews. I really appreciate all they have done for everyone. I suspect because of them the 3k post mark will continue to grow. This technology continues to evolve and continues to get better. So to all of them I say "Thank you" !

Also for the new guys coming in, my review for the Hikari Philips LEDs in the High Beam and Low Beam slots showing before and after adjusting the vertical (up) position is here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/led-lighting-conversion.436865/page-119#post-17566761

This is not my final review of the Xenon Depot LEDs. Heat and durability tests will follow.

Just so we are clear, I did not readjust the vertical because I wanted to be able to compare these to the Hikari's I had in there as is, in a real world, my world, situation. For those of you that are new, I drive city, highway, county and finally country roads. The deer here in Maryland are proliferant and seeing them before it's too late can save your life. The OEM Halogens were ok but after seeing the reviews in this thread I knew there were better options.

So this final installation review will just be about the Xenon Depot Xtreme Pro LEDs. It's been a while since my Hikari review so now everything is green and grown in which will also change how the photos look. It's crazy how that can happen here is just a couple months.

I want to start with some up close shots to show off some things. Sorry about the dirty windshield and forgetting to turn off the garage security light. The mosquitos were tearing me up. Also, it was a little foggy and with the A/C on in the truck it was making the windshield a mess. If these pics are not adequate say so and I will reshoot them when the weather is better. Right now it is pouring rain.

So if you saw my previous Xenon Depot Extreme Pro H11 post you were there for the install. At the time though I didn't get into the low beam install because I thought there wasn't enough room. Steve from @XenonDepot assured me they would work and to prove it he sent me another kit. He was right. They do fit, and fit fine.

Naturally I had to move the reservoir out of the way by removing the two 10mm bolt screws and pulling it back towards the air box. No biggie. I did the same thing for the Hikari's.

Yes it's a tight fit but after positioning the heat sink fins all inward I had no problems.

Once I got the low beam bulb fins how I liked them I worked on the high beam.

I pulled all the wiring inboard and hung the drivers from the cross brace with a wire tie. This puts the drivers out in the open for better ventilation.

The drivers side has more room than the passenger side so things over there look a little nicer. Of course when you have bear paw hands and fingers like sausages anything like this always looks a little worse than if someone with normal sized hands does it. Overall I am very pleased with my results.

I should also point out that I left myself room to stick a long flat head screw driver down to the adjustment knob should I want to adjust them vertically.

The install is pretty straight forward. I did make sure that all the diodes were at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, even on the low beams. You can tell when they are correct because they align with the back of the led and it's evident when the holes drilled into the top of the assembly shown here are at 12 o'clock. I'm talking about the area just behind the blue gasket with the black wire coming out of:

Again, due the size of my hands and me wanting these to be as perfect as possible, including separating the fins (heat sink) as much and as uniform as possible, it does take longer than 5 minutes LOL. I was actually out there a couple of hours.

Right, again, for the new guys, in case you missed it in my previous post, these LEDs are adjustable. There is a tiny set screw, and with the provided allen wrench (and two extra screws) you are able to "clock" the diodes so they are exactly at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock shown here:

This allows you to position them in the high beam at the perfect position, with the diodes at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock as shown here:

Install complete it was time for some cool beverages and to wait for dark so I could get out there and take some night time pics.

First is color. These things are white hot white! Not blue, not yellow, WHITE! These following shots are me outside the truck and the truck is a good 30 or 40 feet away from the garage. Because my driveway falls off downhill at about where I parked the lights appear very high. I assure you and you will see in the rest of the below pics they are not.

The first couple of pics not only show how clearly you can see the cut off line, but, I also want to point out that there are two boxes of light above the cut off. If you look at the OEM halogen bulbs you will see they also have these "boxes". It was pointed out that these are to help illuminate overhead roadway signs but not cast glare into oncoming traffic. Plain and simple, the Hikari's do not have this feature.

Here's another shot with me closer to the garage to help emphasize them:

(Note, the dark area at the top of this photo is the windshield tint strip and nothing else)

Here's a shot of both the Lows and Highs with me outside of the truck. The angle of the shot, and the truck skews the pattern a little.

Keep in mind the fog lights on the 3rd gen turn off when you turn on the high beams yet look at how nice the low beam pattern is spread out to the bottom of the garage door there on the left. Again, skewed by the angle so the right is a little higher.

Here is a really nice up close shot to show off how evenly the light pattern cast is from the high beams.

Ok, enough of the up close shots and light patterns. Those shots all prove that the light is bright, white and evenly distributed. Now lets look at some real world shots.

Here is that lane behind my house that is approximately a football field long until where it turns left and disappears farther into the woods.

Just Low Beams, no fogs, no DRLs:

Here is the same setting and position with the high beams added to the mix:

Pretty bad ass if you ask me. It's so very smooth and evenly dispersed.

Let's look at some shots out on the road now. Notice how in all these roadway shots that the light cut off is definitely low enough not to be obtrusive to oncoming traffic.

This next shot is of the road I pull out of the driveway onto. It goes downhill to a culvert and turns left. That distance is also about a football field away. Can you see the culvert and turn? You can cheat and look for the reflectors.

How about now? Is this better with the high beams on?

That could save your life there! This is why having the correct lighting makes all the difference up in the woods at my house.

Here's another example of the same type of setting. There is a area on the left that is protected by the state, and on the right is a horse farm and pasture that is only 20' away from the road. Deer love to cross here day and night.

The road on the left ahead of this spot is about 4 football fields away. Now can you see it?

Again, it's all about seeing those big green eyeballs before it's too late!

Here's a pic below of the same road, I drove to the end of and turned around and I am heading back to my house. I just wanted to show this one because the field on the right is a co-op fruit and vegetable farm. We've made that turn onto the road at this point and have come up on herds of deer just standing everywhere, including the center of the road. They like to graze in the field, especially on foggy nights. Again, being able to see those big green eyeballs in time is a life saver.

They also love to cross at the house with the white picket fence at the edge of the field and the only thing that helps you to see them is the dark of their body against the white fence, if your lights are bright enough. If not, well, you can go much slower. The speed limit by the way on all these roads is 50 mph.

Now my summary. But first go back and look at the photos again. And again, this is the link to the bulbs:

http://www.xenondepot.com/H11-Xtreme-LED-kit-pro-p/xt-led-h11-pro.htm

Ok, so what do we know and have seen?

1) We know these LEDs have a drilled, flexible heat sink and not any fans for cooling. There are two camps on which is better but a major advantage heat sinks have over fans is when you are making water crossings, even though your fans are IP67 rated, they are still running under water. I suppose those tiny fans can withstand that dirty, muddy water. Some guys are firm believers that less moving parts is always better. I am one of those guys. Now, as far as heat goes. I did some preliminary tests with a laser thermometer and the temps I was getting after being on for 20 minutes during the day were under 120 degrees right at the last piece of the heat sink before it gets to the back of the bulb assembly. They were cooler at the ends of the fins. What I want to do is drive the truck for like an hour and then take a temp measurement. Stay tuned for that. Likely tomorrow. Just an FYI though, after 20 minutes I was able to touch the heat sink fins and the drivers. No problem.

2) We know these LEDs can be adjusted by simply loosening a set screw and turning the mounting tabs. This "clocking" makes it possible to assure that these bulbs are oriented with the diodes at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. The shaft or "blade" that they are mounted to is also thinner than most bulbs I have seen. This clocking ability and the thin blade design aspects of this LED make these bulbs closely resemble an incandescent bulb which casts light in a 360 degree radius. This is exactly the attributes you want in an LED bulb. Especially in the high beam socket/housing of the 3rd gen Tacoma. However I am sure any headlight assembly would benefit from these bulbs.

3) The low beam bulbs when adjusted correctly cast the "light boxes" which illuminate overhead signs just like OEM Halogen bulbs do, except these are brighter and whiter.

4) The high beams when adjusted correctly cast very uniform light patterns and provide a excellent source of light extremely far down the road.

5) The price of these bulbs when you catch a sale (like today, 20% off $200 + free shipping) make them competitively priced with other widely used bulbs. Less than some.

6) Installation is plug-n-play and besides the heat sink set up, can take up to two hours for some people. Less for others.

7) Looking at the photos above, we know that these bulbs are more than adequate for illuminating any on or off road scenario where maximum light is needed.

8) I personally know that the Xenon Depot customer service is freakin' awesome. Steve and I talked on the phone a couple of times and I felt satisfied each time. Customer service and satisfaction is key with me. I am older and know what those use to stand for. I feel like Xenon Depot, Steve/Danny do too as well.

Now, remember, I was asked to provide an unbiased review on these bulbs. I was asked to give my honest opinion of them. I was asked to say they failed in any way if that was the case. I feel like I have delivered these results to you all while fulfilling these requests. I still want to do some temp tests and some long term durability tests but so far I am completely satisfied with these bulbs and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

Well, it's nearly 3:00 am EST so I think I am done for the night. Stay tuned for updates though.
Thanks,
Rob
Click to expand...

cruiserhead · Jun 3, 2018

for clarity, is the H11 kit used for both high and low beams? The "Tacoma page" on the Xenon website (http://www.xenondepot.com/toyota-tacoma-forward-lighting-s/104.htm) states H11 kit for low beam and H9 for high beam. But in the review above, it sounds like the H11 was used for both? I thought I read somewhere (maybe earlier in this thread) that they could be interchangeable, but I want to make sure

Thanks!

RobP62 · Jun 3, 2018

cruiserhead said: ↑

for clarity, is the H11 kit used for both high and low beams? The "Tacoma page" on the Xenon website (http://www.xenondepot.com/toyota-tacoma-forward-lighting-s/104.htm) states H11 kit for low beam and H9 for high beam. But in the review above, it sounds like the H11 was used for both? I thought I read somewhere (maybe earlier in this thread) that they could be interchangeable, but I want to make sure

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yes, H11 works in both. Some manufacturers list them as H8, H9 and H11 because all three are the same fitment.

cruiserhead · Jun 3, 2018

RobP62 said: ↑

Yes, H11 works in both. Some manufacturers list them as H8, H9 and H11 because all three are the same fitment.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

mrproduxn · Jun 3, 2018

We all use H11 LED bulbs in both high and low with no problems

bobrown14 · Jun 3, 2018

RobP62 said: ↑

..you are one of the OG pioneers here.
Click to expand...

OG did some one say OG??

ToyoDrew · Jun 3, 2018

XenonDepot said: ↑

@ToyoDrew - we are in Canada, so we can’t ship USPS. The price we quoted is for UPS expedited shipping (which is 2-3 days from Canada) — hence the price..

Having said that, send me a PM with your info if you’re still interested, I’ll see what I can do for a TW member

@RobP62 - thank you for all of your support
Click to expand...

Ah, that makes sense! I'm used to seeing "free shipping in the contiguous 48" coming from US based companies, so I didn't think to look at where your business was located. Thanks for the clarification.

ToyoDrew · Jun 3, 2018

Rob, great review!! Thanks for the numerous pics and great observations!!!!

I think this may be a first time that we've seen an LED bulb give us those light bars above the cutoff line (like the halogen bulbs gave us). Goes to show & confirm what @crashnburn80 mentioned earlier about how a millimeter change in the filament/light source can change the characteristics of the light output in any headlight. It's a total guess, but I bet that it might be because the Xenon Depot is slightly skinnier than the other LEDs.

RobP62 said: ↑

Click to expand...

Now I really want!!! lol

ToyoDrew · Jun 3, 2018

cruiserhead said: ↑

for clarity, is the H11 kit used for both high and low beams? The "Tacoma page" on the Xenon website (http://www.xenondepot.com/toyota-tacoma-forward-lighting-s/104.htm) states H11 kit for low beam and H9 for high beam. But in the review above, it sounds like the H11 was used for both? I thought I read somewhere (maybe earlier in this thread) that they could be interchangeable, but I want to make sure

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Xenon Depot replied a few pages ago and confirmed that their H9 & H11 Xtreme LED Pro's are the same.

The base for H8, H9, H11, & H16 are all the same...they just have different power ratings (when talking about halogen bulbs). Since LED bulbs have such different power requirements, many LED bulb manufacturers will usually use the same LED bulb (meaning, it's the exact same LED and base for each listing).

RobP62 · Jun 3, 2018

ToyoDrew said: ↑

Rob, great review!! Thanks for the numerous pics and great observations!!!!

I think this may be a first time that we've seen an LED bulb give us those light bars above the cutoff line (like the halogen bulbs gave us). Goes to show & confirm what @crashnburn80 mentioned earlier about how a millimeter change in the filament/light source can change the characteristics of the light output in any headlight. It's a total guess, but I bet that it might be because the Xenon Depot is slightly skinnier than the other LEDs.

Now I really want!!! lol
Click to expand...

Thanks Drew, appreciate it.

Yea, take a look at the pic below (I posted this in my last review) and if you look closely you can just about see the diodes on both sides of the shaft simultaneously. The thinner design of this bulb makes that possible. And I think as you say, that is what is producing those boxes.

Oh, I did a preliminary temp test today but it was only 65 degrees and rainy so the heat sink temps after a 40 minute drive were a joke. My body temp was more.

RobP62 · Jun 3, 2018

Oh, and actually, I have seen those boxes before with another brand of LEDs but those cost $200 a set, and are not adjustable.

PNW Yankee · Jun 4, 2018

Alright @RobP62, you sold me on these over the Hikaris. Two sets of X11s for highs and lows ordered and definitely worth it with the discount currently. Hoping they are a good match with the TRD Pro fogs.

ToyoDrew · Jun 4, 2018

So the last LED conversion I need is to upgrade HBs (something that I rarely use, so it has been a low priority). But now that I'm moving to the corn fields surrounding my new base, I have been tempted to finally upgrade.

After Rob's review, a really good discount, and then some great customer service with Steve at Xenon Depot, I have gone ahead and ordered a set of the H11 Xtreme LED Pro's as well!!

I'll work on adding to Rob's review by doing providing some comparison pics with the Hikari's...so stand by in suspense!

After that, I'll have to figure out which set is going to go into the HB's and the LB's.

RobP62 · Jun 5, 2018

PNW Yankee said: ↑

Alright @RobP62, you sold me on these over the Hikaris. Two sets of X11s for highs and lows ordered and definitely worth it with the discount currently. Hoping they are a good match with the TRD Pro fogs.
Click to expand...

@PNW Yankee ,
Excellent choice , and don't hesitate to contact me, or Steve or Danny at @XenonDepot directly with any questions.

One thing I failed to mention in my review is that all those photos are without my fog lights on.
Rob

RobP62 · Jun 5, 2018

ToyoDrew said: ↑

So the last LED conversion I need is to upgrade HBs (something that I rarely use, so it has been a low priority). But now that I'm moving to the corn fields surrounding my new base, I have been tempted to finally upgrade.

After Rob's review, a really good discount, and then some great customer service with Steve at Xenon Depot, I have gone ahead and ordered a set of the H11 Xtreme LED Pro's as well!!

I'll work on adding to Rob's review by doing providing some comparison pics with the Hikari's...so stand by in suspense!

After that, I'll have to figure out which set is going to go into the HB's and the LB's.
Click to expand...

Drew,
Very cool man! It's definitely a tough choice as there are benefits to having them in either position. My honest opinion though is that I would swap and run the Hikari's in the HBs and put the Extreme Pros in the LBs. Having that fanless design and those light boxes due to the adjustability in the LBs which are on more than not would be my rationale for the choice.

Can't wait to hear what you think about these. Again, you've been here since the beginning and your opinions are highly regarded by me.

ToyoDrew · Jun 5, 2018

RobP62 said: ↑

Drew,
Very cool man! It's definitely a tough choice as there are benefits to having them in either position. My honest opinion though is that I would swap and run the Hikari's in the HBs and put the Extreme Pros in the LBs. Having that fanless design and those light boxes due to the adjustability in the LBs which are on more than not would be my rationale for the choice.

Can't wait to hear what you think about these. Again, you've been here since the beginning and your opinions are highly regarded by me.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bud!

I'm looking forward to testing these out. Like you said, there are benifits for these in either location, so it'll be a matter of what works best for my situation. Luckily for me, I am not adverse to doing a little drilling to make the Hikari's work in the HBs if need be.

XenonDepot · Jun 5, 2018

Guys,

Thank you so much for trusting us with your vehicle's lighting.

@RobP62 - Wow, what a review!! Thank you

@ToyoDrew - It was really nice speaking with you. Your H11 LED kit shipped out yesterday, so you should have it in the next day or so. Super excited to get your thoughts as well!

Steve

Log in or Sign up

Welcome to Tacoma World!

LED Lighting Conversion

#2901
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2902
banzaikid1 Well-Known Member

#2903
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2904
IPNPULZ Well-Known Member

#2905
cruiserhead Well-Known Member

#2906
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2907
cruiserhead Well-Known Member

#2908
mrproduxn Well-Known Member

#2909
bobrown14 Well-Known Member

#2910
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2911
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2912
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2913
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2914
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2915
PNW Yankee Active Member

#2916
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2917
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2918
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2919
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2920
XenonDepot Well-Known Member Vendor

Products Discussed in

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Welcome to Tacoma World!

LED Lighting Conversion

#2901 RobP62 NVR20LD

#2902 banzaikid1 Well-Known Member

#2903 RobP62 NVR20LD

#2904 IPNPULZ Well-Known Member

#2905 cruiserhead Well-Known Member

#2906 RobP62 NVR20LD

#2907 cruiserhead Well-Known Member

#2908 mrproduxn Well-Known Member

#2909 bobrown14 Well-Known Member

#2910 ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2911 ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2912 ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2913 RobP62 NVR20LD

#2914 RobP62 NVR20LD

#2915 PNW Yankee Active Member

#2916 ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2917 RobP62 NVR20LD

#2918 RobP62 NVR20LD

#2919 ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2920 XenonDepot Well-Known Member Vendor

Products Discussed in Entire Site Forum: 3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023) Thread: LED Lighting Conversion

#2901
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2902
banzaikid1 Well-Known Member

#2903
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2904
IPNPULZ Well-Known Member

#2905
cruiserhead Well-Known Member

#2906
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2907
cruiserhead Well-Known Member

#2908
mrproduxn Well-Known Member

#2909
bobrown14 Well-Known Member

#2910
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2911
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2912
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2913
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2914
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2915
PNW Yankee Active Member

#2916
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2917
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2918
RobP62 NVR20LD

#2919
ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

#2920
XenonDepot Well-Known Member Vendor

Products Discussed in