...Another Headlight Thread (Question)

Hey guys, new here... havent even picked up my truck yet (2017 TRD Pro in Cement). Should finalize everything within the next few days. Any ways I have been doing a little bit of research on headlights as its one of the first mods/updates I want to do for the truck.

It appears the "best" option on the market right now (short of a custom DIY setup) would be the Morimoto XB LED Headlights. At roughly $1250 with no way to replace the bulbs if and when they go out...well isnt helping the appeal. Although it does seem to check all the other boxes as far as light output and overall fit and finish. Everyone seems to be pretty happy thus far from what I have read.

There seems to be many other options on the market from Tacoma Beast, Spyder, & Anzo to name a few. I suppose my question would be for approximately 1/2 the price you could get a Tacoma Beast headlight housing and then install a set of OPT7 FluxBeam X LED bulbs for both low/high beam bulbs. This solution still provide a great overall look of a nice 6k light output. I guess what is the downfall or negative with going this route compared to the Morimoto? Im assuming the Morimoto is overall a better light with better output etc, but if we were able to quantify the difference between these what would it be?

Assuming OE setup is say a 4/10
Tacoma Beast + LED Bulbs = 7/10?
Morimoto = 8/10?

Like I said I am new to the Taco world... I traded in my 4Runner and it was simply my DD, nothing special. Im more of a car guy/motorcycle guy so the truck thing is a "new" world to me

 

You need to look at @crashnburn80 threads on headlights.

LEDs are a no go for good visibility for you the driver is what is the basic result of his testing.

Use the search feature for 3rd gen headlight upgrade.

The aftermarket headlight assemblies are crap,
Considering going back to OEM in my 2nd gen due to low output from the Spyder automotive replacement.

 

Hylux HID kit. Much better than any plug n play LED bulb and ~80 dollars. Stock projector has a decent cut off and you won't blind people in front you. No one has ever high beamed me for them, while aftermarket LED bulbs throw light everywhere.

You can also do a real HID retrofit using morimoto projectors or lexus rx projectors as well, but you will have to take your lights apart if you're comfortable enough to do so.

 

Why not wait and see what you can't see using the truck?

I really doubt you can overdrive the OE lights at legal speeds, and for off road use, auxillary lights abound.

 

Cheap leds suck in the projector housing but the higher end leds aren’t bad. I have the Hikari Ultras and they are legit.

 

I just installed some DDM HID’s, put some amber bulbs in her fog lights and it’s a night and day difference. I’ve had the HID’s for over a year with no issues.

 

Tried the Xenon depot leds first and pulled them. Great, white foreground light makes it seem they are brighter but borderline dangerous once you get on the highway as you "outrun" them by about 55-60 mph. You are well into the non illuminated distance due to the lost "throw" before you could possibly react to something at that speed. I installed the xenon depot HID with the optional philips bulbs and there is definitely no chance of out running those, those things are friggin searchlights. No problems and I've been behind my wife in her Accord and she said they weren't blinding at all. The tacoma projector controls the light and cutoff from them very well. Just make sure you re-aim.

 

Won’t argue, the testing that has been done says different, not to mention there are states that inspect things like that. I used to do the inspections here in TX, unless the car came with HID/LED as an option, fail. At least I was nicer than some and didn’t put in the system.

Didn’t matter what the refit or type, it was a fail.

Crashnburn has done a damn good service for ALL of us.

Might want to read it.

 

Real world testing not in a garage for me and many others will agree the hikari ultras leds are better then the stock halogens. They are made much better then the cheap junk leds and don’t blind oncoming drivers, has same cutoff and great spread and throw. A lot of led haters out there for sure.

 

Oh, and I read the entire thread until I tested on the road and talked to others who had the same hikaris.

 

That is correct.

 

Garage testing is how the engineers test the lights and adjust them per rules and regs...

DOT laws are set in a garage, as is mpg ratings....

Crashnburn has expanded on the clean room testing by doing the test in the garage and in the vehicle.....might wanna look at what he has found, I’ve been in the industry for 20+ years, crashnburn made me feel like a newbie with the amount of testing and info he posted.

LED lights are a pain in the ass, don’t have a big issue with em myself, they hit fad status to quick and too many parts came out with 0 r&d. Getting better, but still not there.

Plus I don’t need any additional PD scrutiny.
Best to be friends with the boys in blue than make your name known for questionable things.

 

I’ve read his entire thread except maybe the last 15 pages. The pages I read I don’t recall him saying anything about testing the hikari ultras, just some basic leds that were older generation. I tried the h9s from his recommendation, I did like them over the stock halogens. After I talked to several members in the led conversion thread they all recommended me to try the hikaris as they all had very good results. And I’m glad I did, you may want to test them out before trashing them. They are really good. Not sure what you mean about police scrutiny, not worried about that as my lights will not cause such a problem. I’ve been running them for about a month with no reactions from fellow drivers. I even tested driving behind my wife’s corolla and oncoming at different distances, no issues.

 

Here you go.

Philips H9 vs Hikari w/Philips lumileds @45min runtime (the good ones)



If you look at extended distance projection, the LEDs drop of rather quickly while the halogens maintain intensity over distance. The LEDs provide significant foreground light making it seem like they are better, it is often many months before people realize they have lost distance projection. These phenomena are all well documented. A single measurement or wall shot is a single data point and does not establish a performance trend line and is insufficient.

The problem with relying on ‘real world testing’ is people are terrible at judging light performance, and it is highly subjective. People are hardwired to favor foreground light, which means the majority of people will choose the wrong light, not realizing they lost distance projection. Not because they are ill informed, but because people will always choose more foreground light as better instead of distance light, and the purpose of a headlight is distance projection.

Also note the Hikaris lose 7% output as they heat up, so they are a little brighter initially then start to dim slowly. You might not notice the slow dimming if you didn’t measure as human eyes are again terrible at judging lighting performance.

Empirical data is always greater than subjective data.

 

Thanks for all the testing you did. Possibly my eyes playing tricks but it seems to me as If the hikaris are the better option while driving. I think that they are one of the better options for leds and these certainly fit the bill for what I need and my setup. They are very bright and light up the road perfectly for me.

 

They are better than many. As covered in the thread the cross section of the LED is more significant for projection than lumen output. They have a better cross section than many, but nowhere near what it needs to be for halogen like distance projection. They provide more light than stock, but they also don’t project as far.

 

Understood, thank you.

 

Assuming OE setup is say a 6/10
Tacoma Beast + LED Bulbs = 2/10
Morimoto = 7/10

OE setup with upgraded halogen = 8/10
OE headlight with RX350 projectors and high quality D2S bulb, ballast = 10/10

 

LEDs and HIDs are illegal per federal vehicle code, since Texas does inspections it aint happenin.

The R&D is not there yet for the aftermarket, all the cars that come OEM are designed by engineers in a lab to ensure best projection and uniformity in the lenses.
testing behind other cars is NOT what the issue is. the issue with drop in lights is light projection down the road and how much light is wasted due to the refraction not being tuned for the light. as far as LED lights...the engineering is the issue as crash said the led cells need to be exact mirrors of the halogens to work in the halogen housing PROPERLY. Which is the underlying text in the federal code

 

Seriously? Illegal? I see tons of cars everyday with LEDs. We have state inspections as well and they do not say squat about LEDs. I read LED headlights are road legal if they project a beam that allows you to see between 50 and 100 meters ahead of you and do not blind oncoming drivers .The engineering is obviously not the same as halogen but it is getting much better and the ones I have is a damn good option.