3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

The LED bulbs should be able to rotate in the mount, unfortunately. Would be more ideal if they locked them at 3 and 9 o'clock.

I've updated all the recommendations in post #2. The Hellas are a good low beam upgrade, but they are out performed by the Philips H9s. For a while I incorrectly assumed the 3rd Gen came with Osram bulbs for the high beam like the 2nd Gen came with Osram bulbs. But 3rd Gen came with Philips H9s which are higher performing than the Hella H9s, so putting the Hella H9s in the high beam is actually a downgrade from stock. Apologies for any confusion, I cleaned it up in the first few posts.

Best H11 is the Tungsram (formerly GE) Nighthawk Xenon +120, followed closely by the Tungsram Megalight +130. Best H9 for the low beam swap is the Philips H9, which is the OEM high beam bulb.

 

H9s in the low beam projector, H11s in the TRD fogs. Fogs need a glare cap which the H9s lack. But for far better fog upgrades an SAE LED assembly is advised, most all covered here and the SS3s linked at the top are the way to go currently:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-led-sae-j583-fog-pod-fog-light-review.554813/

 

It's been a good winter to have halogen bulbs in the North East. My H9s have made my morning commutes through snow much less of a hassle. Based on that, price difference between yearly Phillips H9s and what it would cost for OEM LEDs, and the complexity with upgrading an SR5 to OEM LEDs, I'll probably stick with the H9s for a good long while.

 

Thanks so much! I looked at it again in the daylight, and yes its much easier to see that it can rotate while locked. Thanks for the heads up!

 

Let's see those beauties all lit up

 

I'll nab a pic for you later this evening! Thanks again for hooking me up!

 

Aha! That explains why I didn't really see any improvement when I put Korean Hella H9s in the high beams, long long ago. I still have the Osram H9s, I'll put them in the lows! That's really the weak spot for me; I'm going to be adding some auxiliary high beam lighting soon, anyway. And SS3 fogs are on the list!

 

Just for fun....

I was perusing Daniel Stern's bulb chart. What in the world is "ANSI cosmetic toy "fog" sick joke"? It's an 892 bulb but why the weird name? All of the 8XX bulbs are listed as "ANSI cosmetic toy". What does this mean?

 

He's deriding them for being poor quality lightsources, basically.

 

Gotcha!

 

Information overload. Have to give credit to the OP. You've went above and beyond on this.

But if I have a 2021 TRDOR and just want better performance/Output and white/whiter light, and only want to swap the low beams and fogs, do I go with the same bulbs for both of them? Can I just swap bulbs without retrofits or modifying plugs or harnesses?

 

See post #2 for halogen upgrade comparisons. H11 Tungsram Nighthawk Xenon +120 are the best plug and play, followed closely by the Tungsram Megalight +130. The Philips H9 low beam swap offers best overall output and only minor trimming of a plastic tab on the bulb base.

Your 2021 lacks the H11 performance fog option of the TRD 16-19 trucks. There are no upgrades for your existing OEM fogs, unless you swapped them for the TRD H11 16-19 fogs. Best option is to replace them with a high performance SAE assembly. Specifically the Diode Dynamics SS3s are currently the best on the marker. The are covered in the SAE fog thread, note the links at the top:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-led-sae-j583-fog-pod-fog-light-review.554813/

 

Thanks for the reply!

I don't mind trimming the plastic tab for the low beams. I'll order a set.

But holy cow... $200-500+ for those diode dynamic fogs is a bit intense LOL. I was hoping to just swap the bulbs out. Did the newer Tacomas just start using a more "rare" bulb size for the fogs?

 

As requested... Snapped some pics this morning... Throw isn't improved much but I knew that, but it's definitely brighter. Love the look of the OEM black fogs with the Hikari ultras

 

DD SS3 Sports can be had for $180 on sale. Check with @memario1214 for a hookup on the next one. Perhaps President’s day weekend warrants it.

There are various reasons why this step is an easy choice. Selective yellow, higher efficiency, improved output, etc.

If you want some 2016 OEM H11 OffRoad pods I’ll send mine to you for shipping + beer money but that’s a silly way to go for a brand new truck.

For a zero cost option just forget about the location of the fog light switch. You may never need them depending on where in FL you spend your time.

I went through a similar process of acceptance with the cost of quality lighting and specifically fog light prices as I have near zero need for fog lights. But when you amortize over the next 20 years it’s more palatable. Three or four high performance H11 bulbs puts you in the ballpark of break even.

 

So, please correct me if I am wrong. You can use the Hikari ultras in the low bead headlight location and in the fog lights? I ordered some for the headlights but if they are for the fog lights too might as well get another set

 

Crash, I’m sure that you’ve covered all this at some point but I can’t seem to find it all in the same spot and I’ve been reading a lot in the thread.

I’m curious why Toyota doesn’t run H-9’s in both hi and low beams? I’m assuming that the service life of running the H-9’s in the low beam is shorter? (Any idea what the lifespan is in hours if this is the case?) Also from what I understand is that the only thing to do to run the H-9 in the low beam is trimming the plastic tab from inside the H-9 bulb at the connector, no trimming of the metal tab on the base?

Has there ever been any reported electrical problem with using the H-9 in the low beam, knowing how sensitive these vehicles are with their electrical systems.

Does the running of the H-9 in the low beam cause any more significant heat in the housing? I’ve replaced my low beam bulbs with Tungsram Nighthawk Xenon and the output while better than stock isn’t better by much.

As I said I know you’ve covered this and I join all here who say that we’re eternally grateful for all of the hard work that you’ve put into this.

I nominate you for TW member of the year award!

 

Don’t use them in the fog lights. They’ll have worse output and way worse glare, defeating the purpose of fog lights and being dangerous to other drivers on the road.

 

What will?