3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

This feels like Christmas Eve... the hours just before Crash’s review.

 

LOL. I’ll finish the high beam testing tonight, full review post will likely be the following day though.

 

always look forward to seeing his results...

 

hey @crashnburn80 , when we turn on headlights, highbeams, and the rest, who powers them? Is it the battery or the alternator? Does the battery provide any power to the lights too?
I know alternator has varying rpms depending upon the load, so is there a minimum Amps the alternator always put out when the lights are ON?

 

Depends if the motor is on or not...

 

I forgot. You're right. Lets assume the case of motor is ON.

 

Then it is the alternator. The battery is basically just to get it all started.

 

Do the varying RPM of the result in variation in the lights intensity? For example, I know Alternators have a Hot Idle RPM and then there's a MAX RPM. At Max RPM the tow package Alternator puts out 130Amps I believe.

 

They should not change the light intensity as that would not be safe in low RPM situations like driving slow

 

This is an awesome thread. The OP(s) are incredibly informative. How about a simple list of 'these are what I think are the best/easiest replacements'? Maybe a table?

After I get through the 12th review with pix etc - i still don't have a simple answer to 'what is the simplest most reasonably priced way to get better output?'.

I'm not being snide because I fully appreciate the scientific approach. This is how it should be done!

But, it would be really helpful to have a way to pick some lights.

I'm not thrilled with my lights and would be happy to replace them - but this is too much data to parse in order to come to a conclusion.

THanks for the great work!

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...11-projector-headlights.589465/#post-19689309

 

^^ Philips H9 w bulb base mod to fit H11 low beam location. That is the cliff notes answer.

 

Thank you!

 

seems like offering the truck with the OEM LEDs in cold regions would be a liability risk for toyota, wouldnt it?

 

Crashnburn80,

Any chance you’ll test the halogen H11 Sylvania SilverStar Ultra? I know you don’t like them but a comparison would be interesting.

They are easy for most people to get at an auto parts store.

I like the results of mine compared to the stock halogens in a 2020 TRD OR. The forward throw and side throw is significant. And they are white enough to look “modern.”

 

this has happened twice now this week but Amazon shipped me 9006 instead of h9. I've called in to Amazon both times so they can double check their stock. I'm ordering ANOTHER set tonight and see if they can get it right on the third try.

 

Halogen light output will vary some with voltage intensity, the voltage does fluctuate while driving depending on battery charge and load. It is typically highest right after startup to replenish the battery charge that was used to start the engine. You can see my alternator charge + AGM battery thread here which has my plotted alternator output readings over time:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-northstar-agm-battery-voltage-booster-upgrade.604478/

I don't plan on it, but if someone wants to send/lend me a set I'll add them.

 

Not any more than any other company offering a compliant LED headlight. I don't beleive there has been any updated SAE language or nhtsa reports on the need for heated lenses. Unfortunately there may not be an impetus for that until there have been a sufficient number of deaths attributed to frozen over headlights. And realistically that number should be fairly small - even halogen headlamps can freeze over if the weather is sufficiently bad, they just have the advantage of utilizing what is otherwise waste energy to keep their lenses clear.

 

This is interesting news to me. I briefly ran a set of retrofitted projector headlights in my Corvette. Because the headlamp circuit runs on 55w bulbs to operate correctly, the HID kit had to be 55w. Of course, this meant if the battery was not fully charged (like sitting 2-3 days was enough to drain the system) your headlights didn't work until you drove the car for 20-30 minutes. If you went to shut the lights off you'd run into having to use the high beams to get the lamps to pop down.

I always figured it was BS components, but I didn't realize quite how bad they were. Those issues I've mentioned happened with any of the generic PnP kits people ran. I ditched the projectors because there was too much slop in the pop-up assembly causing the cutoff line to dazzle, but had I know this then, I'd have never spent the money. After seeing how crummy 95% of the LED bulbs are, I've gone with the less awesome version of the HIR bulb by Vosla, but it's hilarious getting into arguments with the old guys over there about why an LED bulb is a dumb idea.

 

55w HID bulbs needed to operate correctly? Did this have to do with the up/down mechanism? There is no reason why a 35w kit in that instance wouldn't work from a light function standpoint, there also should be no reason to need to drive for 20-30min for your lights to work.