Higher wattage headlights, problems or not

If I replace my 60w/55w oem headlights with 100w/55w, so I can see better while off-roading at night, will the orig wires & fuses handle the extra wattage. I get really confused with watt, vs amp, vs volts. How many more watts before you need a higher amp fuse

 

This is the definitive guide to lighting for the Tacoma. Read at least the first page and you'll get a very good idea which direction to go in.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

The short answer, no. A HD headlight harness will be required to safely run higher wattage bulbs.

 

Truthfully, the stock wiring can't even handle the stock bulbs. They light up, sure, but the voltage drop caused by the undersize wire reduces the output of the stock bulbs. A relay driven heavy duty headlight harness with high temperature plugs is step one.

 

Thanks for the info. but that's out of my range. Years ago, on our motorcycles, we always just put in the higher wattage bulbs & all was well. I was hoping things may still be that simple. I ain't re-wiring nor nothing like that. It's a real shame we can't just plug in a new, lower wattage, but brighter, LED. I know they could design them that way, but then wouldn't be able to sell all that other stuff needed to make them work properly. thanks for the help.

 

Ohms law:

Power in Watts = Volts X Current

Or

V (volts) x I (amps) = P (watts)

Simple:
https://www.electronics-notes.com/a...istance/what-is-ohms-law-formula-equation.php



More complex:

https://testguy.net/content/266-Ohm-s-Law-Watt-s-Law-Cheat-Sheet

 

Mind if I ask the obvious question:

If you need brighter output for off road, why not leave the headlights stock and install a light bar instead?

Running around town with overpowered low beams is a class-A dick move.

 

I'm 67 yr. old & just don't want the add on stuff. With a 100w/55w, "as I mentioned above", the low beam will be exactly as the OEM low beam is now & if meeting on-coming traffic, my Hi beams aren't on. Would be kind'f stupid blinding the guy you are meeting 4' away at 60 mph. I just can't figure those folks that have the big high powered lights that blind the shirt out of on-coming cars. Heck some of the new OEM LED lights are so bright they shouldn't be legal, but the law says nothing over 60w/55w & an LED at 55w would be like an airport beacon. I guess I'll just keep what I got. Thank ya'll.

 

The aftermarket harness is easy to install. If you can make a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, you can install it. The harness and higher wattage lights was 1 of the 1st improvements I made and it’s awesome to be able to see where you’re going. The blinding LEDs are because assholes stick LEDs in housings made for halogen bulbs and they just scatter light everywhere.

 

Degree of difficulty....

Changing headlight bulb on a Tacoma - A PITA because of a poorly designed retention clip. More access would be helpful.
Installing the HD headlight harness - Even a cavemen could do it. Easy peasy!

The recommendations in the linked thread gives you the ability to see much better and at the same time NOT blind oncoming traffic, making this upgrade one of the few times in life that you can have your cake AND eat it too......

 

OP,
I am running exactly what you describe. I have 100w/55w bulbs in a stock housing with a heavy duty harness. I agree with the guys above that the installation of the harness is easy, and if you run into any questions there are plenty of guys here to help. I'm 63 and I did it . You can too . One thing you may not realize is the harness IS plug and play. It does not require any modification of the stock harness, and can be removed any time. You essentially plug the harness into your lights, mount the relays in a convenient spot, attach the power wire, and plug your factory plug into the new harness. Done.

As for an LED light bar, if you don't want add on stuff I get that, but the nice thing about that option is the light bar gives a very full illumination of the near field area where you need to see well 4 wheeling. The 100w high beams are great for remote highway driving where you don't have traffic and want to see a deer or elk before you hit it. I don't find the high beams so great for picking my way down a trail at low speeds. I don't ever use the light bar on the road, because it is too blinding to oncoming traffic.

One more little trick I'll share is to wire your offroad lights so that the relay is triggered through the high beams and through a switch. When you turn them on, they will only activate when the high beams are on. The advantage to this is that when you dim your lights for oncoming traffic, all the lights shut down. You don't have to scurry around trying to hit a bunch of separate switches. Doing this is even easier with a heavy duty harness. I've driven a mile or two through Tennessee, and there are a lot of winding mountain roads with limited sight distance. If you use any of this on the road, you need a quick way to dim it.

As others have mentioned, regardless of legalities, conscientious use of lights on the highway is a must!

I would consider an upgrade that you are comfortable with. As we age we need more light to see well. I have really enjoyed having modern lighting, and it has made driving safer.

 

Well, not to turn this into an "old guy" with old eyes thread, I found myself in the same situation with needing better lights for my '06 TRD. I did the harness upgrade mentioned and it is just as plug and play as changing out your bulbs and didn't take me an hour to do and I'm VERY fussy about wire routing and messing with stock just for the hell of it. I had a pair of Hella 100/80 bulbs and installed them. I did see improvement but the real limiting factor now is the 15 year old faded headlight units. Although I have "polished" them a few times that has been a very temporary solution and I have not bothered to clear coat them. I have waiting to be installed, new factory headlights and I know that will be the real game changer. So, for the cost of a months payment on a new truck I will have new upgraded headlights that I know that will satisfy me for the remainder of the time I have the truck, which I hope is many years at 150K now. I guess I would say that the harness upgrade with faded headlights is marginal improvement and perhaps the money is better spent on new headlight themselves. But with good headlights the harness and bulbs are a game changer.

 

Really helpful folks around here, thanks to all. While reading in post 2 there was a link to a HD wiring harness. $109.00. Is that the harness I would need. badger what harness did you use & where do you mount the mentioned relays?

 

Polishing the lights removes the UV stabilizing coating, which is why then then degrade so quickly afterward. Clear coating is one solution, or there are a number of headlight UV protective products that could be applied instead, though that is a maintenance item that will need to be periodically reapplied vs the clear coat is permanet.

You'll want the power switched/conventional harness from Headlight Services linked in that thread. The Ground Switched one is needed for 1st Gens and earlier.

 

The harness I used was a good one, but no longer available. Use the one suggested by crashnburn80. My relays are mounted on the drivers side of the engine compartment, but you can put them anywhere that is convenient. They just attach with a sheetmetal screw.