3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

$33 PHILIPS - 85122C1 Philips D2S Standard Authentic Xenon HID Headlight Bulb, 1 Pack

@crashnburn80 Is it possible to rebase a phillips HID into an H11 myself?

I bought a good kit with relay harness, ballasts, and phillips bulbs, however one of the bulbs/H11 harnesses was broken.

I was wondering if I can rebase one of these myself:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01317Y61...HID Headlight Bulb, 1 Pack&sb-ci-a=B01317Y612

 

Practically speaking, no. Keep in mind that the capsule must be precision aligned so the HID arc takes place in the exact same spot as the halogen filament for it to work correctly. If you misaligned the capsule the output will not project correctly. The level of precision needed is a bit more than a DIYer is going to achieve even if you were able to disassemble and rebase the bulb yourself. Xenon Depot does stock the rebased Philips H11 HID bulbs again, so you can purchase replacements, however they are sold in pairs. They did change the base when the bulb was brought back under TRS, they now use the XD HID H11 base instead of the halogen H11 base that was used when I reviewed the products.

In the color temp drop down on this page, there is the Philips 4300k option:
https://www.xenondepot.com/H11-HID-Kit-Bulb-p/xt-h11-rb.htm

 

I’m just over here, waiting on a set of retros.

 

Tagged

 

I've got G5-R's with CBI bulbs pulled out of my old 2000 tundra ready to go in my 2019 tacoma... but i also have brand new H9's sitting in the package... probably gonna wait until I pay it off to put the G5-R's in!

Also have H11 Nokya Stage 1 Hyper Yellow's ready to go for the fogs.

 

Famous last words.

 

I pick up the truck tomorrow... whatever happens after that is out of my control! Alas... I do hate permaseal.

 

Crash.
When do you think there will be an LED bulb we can drop into our (Gen III) projectors that you feel will work satisfactorily?
A) Sometime this year?
B) Next year?
C) The distant future?
D) Or just wait for the price on 2020 Tacoma LED headlight assemblies?

Except my old Thunderbird I mess around in occasionally, all my other vehicles my wife and I drive are HID or LED and the lighting at night is stunningly better than my Taco.

 

SAE is drafting regulation standards now to legalize drop in LEDs that can meet the strict performance testing standards. Once these standards are set it will give reputable LED companies an objective to work toward and then the products will be able to carry a SAE compliant stamp. It will then just be up to the companies to R&D to meet the standards. Then you will be able to distinguish the ‘good’ LEDs from the no-so-good. However this will of course open up rampant falsified stamped Chinese products, as many already exist today, so navigating those waters will still have challenges for the consumer. But you’ll know products from high quality reputable brands like Osram and Philips that carry the SAE stamp will be decent.

That said, I don’t see it being as good as a halogen upgrade. The reason your HIDs and LEDs are so much better on the other vehicles is they were in optics specifically designed for that light source. The current favored design of the bi-directional blade LED does not provide uniform light, since well it isn’t a uniform light source. And the housing is designed for omni-directional uniform light. So while they may be able to shrink the LEDs small enough to get better focus within compliance standards I don’t see the beam pattern being as full/saturated or projecting as well as with a halogen upgrade.

Replacing the housings with one designed for the LED light source is definitely a better way to go for LEDs. Either the OEM Toyota or the Morimoto LED headlight assemblies. While people expect the OEM units to be crazy expensive, Toyota’s LED fogs by Valeo are reasonably cheap at $110 for the pair, though their previous fogs were made in North America, the LED fogs are now made in China. They are about the cheapest decent SAE LED fog on the market for a Tacoma and higher output than the more expensive Morimotos. So it will be interesting to see what they do for the headlights.

After I finish some other projects I may kick the tires on a few drop in LEDs from highly reputable manufactures to try and find what is the best projecting LED, but it won’t project as well as all the other alternatives on the market because the housing wasn’t designed for it.

 

Thank you!

 

Wow! I read the first page and my brian fried! I would love to have more time to reread and analyze which direction to go with but I run a trucking business and I have two todlers and wife that occupy 109% of my time. Please my fellow Taco owners don't be mad if I'm just trying to get a quick answer-link to which low/high beam w/fog bulbs I should get to upgrade my cheap 2019 SR5 Double Cab halogen headlight truck? I don't really want an overkill of beam that annoys drivers infront of me. Thank you guys and CRASH you da man bro!

 

Put these in your low beams:

$11 Philips 12361B1 H9 Standard Halogen Replacement Headlight Bulb, 1 Pack

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YMPN3A

 

These are it right?

$11 Philips 12361B1 H9 Standard Halogen Replacement Headlight Bulb, 1 Pack

Philips 12361B1 H9 Standard Halogen Replacement Headlight Bulb, 1 Pack

What about the high beam and fog lights?

 

Those are it. I have the same in my high beams. To install the H9 bulbs in the low beams you will need to trim a tab in the bulb socket. I used a micro cutter I got from Walmart but there's a link for one on Amazon at the bottom of the page.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ector-headlights.589465/page-52#post-20382156

You'll have to stick with H11s in the fogs because they have glare caps and the fogs don't have shields. I believe the GEs are the best currently. I didn't change my fog bulbs because I have some KCs on order.

 

Check out post #2 in the this thread for headlight and fog recommendations:

Alternatively replacing the stock fogs with units designed for LED is covered here. The KC G4’s mentioned above are what I would recommend as the best all round fog available at this time.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-led-sae-j583-fog-pod-fog-light-review.554813/

 

Alternatively, I recommend the GE H11 +130s in the low beam.

GE Megalight Ultra H11 +130% Light Car Headlight Bulbs (Twin) 53110XNU

GE Megalight Ultra H11 +130% Light Car Headlight Bulbs (Twin) 53110XNU

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XRS9LBR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SOW1Cb2AJSKGP

It’s going to be a couple months before it gets dark enough to compare outputs again (summer in Alaska!) but having used both I feel like the H11 project light more effectively and has a better spread than the H9’s.

Either bulb, the H9 or the GE H11’s, are a significant improvement over the stock bulb.

 

Thanks for the advice again! Hey which KC's fit the oem socket? G4 right?

 

KC G4 500 for clear or KC G4 501 for amber are the Tacoma plug and play models for the OEM spot. There is a universal KC G4 as well for for mounting to aftermarket bumpers.

 

I put jdm astar led bulbs on my 3rd Gen and they are amazing! Perfect output and beam. Got them on Amazon

 

Unless they changed the laws of physics that’s not possible. Glad you’re happy though. Can’t say the same for outcoming drivers.