3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

lol dang. i'm just waiting for another sale..

 

I mean, Canadian winter varies from coast to coast so everyone's experience will be different. Here in the prairies, it got down to -35C and that's when I had issues. Obviously these temps aren't likely in Upstate NY, but it's a very real issue in extreme cold weather.

Yeah, this is the same issue I was having. Amber lights coming on in reverse or just no reverse at all. I didn't have any issues with the brake lights (as far as I know) it just seemed to be the switchbacks. I reached out to Meso and they said to let the LEDs "warm up" by having the hazards flash while the truck warms up.

It doesn't get that cold often in the winter here, but it was annoying. The Hikaris on the other hand, continued to have issues even as spring rolled around and I was done with them. All aboard the H9 train!

 

It's good feedback. I doubt they test those switchbacks in cold weather. Seems very solvable with a little engineering. Not really MESO at fault on this one, more his supplier (VLED?)

 

They mentioned they do cold weather testing, but I can't imagine they go down that cold. I've had DD LEDs on other vehicles down to those temps and no issues. Mind you, they were not switchbacks and just regular LEDs.

I should offer to be a cold weather tester for MESO. They mentioned they're coming out with new 3rd Gen tails (a complete assembly) and I'd be curious to see how they do at -40C (-40F).

It just goes to show that OEM LED manufactures are still so far ahead of their aftermarket "rivals". Reliability and longevity go a long way.

 

You have OEM LED and no trouble?

 

I don’t, but there are Pros around here that didn’t report any issues during the winter. The OEM LEDs are unfortunately only available on Pros and Limiteds in Canada.

 

I did a 35W 5000K HID kit in the headlights.....yellow Lamin-X on the stock fogs. Looks better and a nice boost in light output. Never been flashed either. I wanted the factory LED headlights but not for $1500.

 

One of my Hikari Ultras stopped working (3 whole months), so I am doing the H9 swap along with amber Lamin-X on the fogs. As much as I hate all the yellow-ish halogen light and really would like a full LED setup, I’m just not going to pay $1500 right now for the OEM LED’s.

I know people are having issues with some of the LED bulbs/kits in the extreme cold, but it started me wondering how they will fare in the extreme AZ heat, especially under the hood. Probably best to stick with halogens until I feel like lightening my wallet.

 

I'd suggest going with the Hella Performance 2.0 H9s if you hate the yellow color, they are still halogen colored but a little whiter without losing much performance.

Rather than laminex on the fogs (unless you want the yellow look when off) I'd suggest Nokya Arctic Hyper Yellow 2500k H11s, or Hella Xtreme Yellow 2900k H11s. They will give you the yellow output without messing with films on your lenses. I haven't tested either but the Nokyas should be more yellow while the Hellas should be slightly higher in output. Of course the best option would be Diode Dynamics SS3s in selective yellow, but I'm assuming your looking for something cheap and simple based on considering the laminex film.

 

I've had some chats with @blaklabl on lighting, I think he said he has H16's rather than H11's for fog bulbs? I offered him my sports so I'd have an excuse to get MAX, so far no dice but we'll see, keep twisting his arm...

 

Couple things; it’s not about being cheap, it’s about living in AZ and having no functional need for “fog lights”. It’s truly more about the “look” in my case. I’d prefer the overlays because you can see the tint when not illuminated, not just when the lights are on.

I will check out the Hellas for H9.

Also, it’s ok to use H11 in replacement of an H16? Not too much wattage?

 

Make sure you put some dielectric grease into the plugs to keep moisture out. I lost my first set to water getting into the plug.

 

Well you never gave me a price!!

 

1500 for OEM led? Damn, I want them but not for the price I don't

 

I missed that you had a 2021 model. The 16-19 TRD trucks have H11s, 20+ are H16s. You'd need to swap the fog assembly to a 16-19 TRD fog to run H11s.

 

Or use Lamin-X film

 

I went through the various stages of grief, just like you. Even worse, back then in the dark ages, we weren't even sure if they were any good at all. @crashnburn80's analysis was instrumental in the process for me to feel comfortable with the decision. I fully agree about how expensive these things are, there's no way you can justify the performance gain on a value scale against a $6 H9 which can also melt snow.

However, just like crash himself buying a Gladiator, some purchases aren't entirely rational deployments of capital in the most efficient possible manner. Some purchases have a more complicated ROI which goes beyond pure numbers.

I don't know of anyone who has switched to the LED headlights and is disappointed by them. Every time I get to turn mine on, I giggle with a bit of delight at how awesome they are. And sometimes I look back at my truck when I click the lock button just to see the reverse sequential yellow lights do their thing. Meanwhile, the 3rd gen halogen headlights are just crap to start with compared to 2nd gen when you see them on the same graph. It's one of the biggest f-ups with the 3rd gen redesign, form overruling function. That Toyota has addressed that with a high performance solution is fantastic. That it costs what it does is kind of rough, but meanwhile most of our trucks have probably appreciated $500 in value in the past year vs depreciating so how cranky can we get about the $ part when we already own a vehicle which holds its value as well as just about any other vehicle?

 

Yup, I’m sure they are great. Unfortunately or fortunately I rarely drive at night. In the past year it’s prob been less than a handful of times! All the other hobbies I have are expensive and gas is ridiculous right now too.

 

I had bulb life issues with Nokyas. I couldn't get a year out of them if I tried, which is surprising as they were not high wattage lamps. I have the Hella XY in now that I use during the winter so most of my commuting is done at night when they're on more than they're off (yeah, yeah...I'm that guy) and I'm already two seasons in and they're still going strong. Since most of my Nokya usage would line up with the Hella usage, I'm anecdotally seeing more bulb life out of them.

I love my LED lamps. I started the original OEM LED thread the day the 2020 was teased and finally saved up enough to buy them last summer and I'm still not regretting my choice.

 

At less than $20, cant go wrong....plus if you hate the color the film peels right off.