3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

Remove the green, it all works fine.
Buy an H9 connector and swap green for yellow plastic, works and looks fine.
Buy and swap connectors and the yellow H9 will for sure snap tightly into place. On my 2016 the OEM connectors seemed to have shrunk a very tiny bit to where the yellow plastic center didn’t fit quite as snug as it did on the new plastic connector.

All options are one and done and eliminate any need to modify the bulb base for 3rd gen Tacoma.

 

does the green plastic insert serve a purpose? I just took mine off to put the new bulbs in. The connector will only connect the right way once the bulbs are in the headlight.

 

Why don't you do the Hikari LED upgrade program they offer? Seems like you would be eligible for potentially a free set or at least a heavily discounted new set.
I have the eyes of megatron and like it, if/once they fail I will do the upgrade program for a new set.

 

1. Polarity does not matter for a halogen filament, and note that low beam and high beam are opposite on the Tacoma wiring anyway.
2. I don't suspect the green plastic insert serves a functional purpose beyond identifying low vs high beam connectors and prohibiting direct use of h9's in the low beams. But I haven't done testing with and without it over a 25 year duty cycle so I can't say what impact not using it might have.

 

I imagine the green plastic insert allows them to make one connector fit different bulbs. Cheaper than making several connectors.

 

What upgrade program?

 

Amazon.com: HIKARI 2022 HyperStar H11/H8/H9 20000LM Wireless LED Bulbs, 32W Acme-X LED Equivalent to 150W Ordinary LED, Wider Driving Vision, Halogen Upgrade Replacement, 6000K White IP68, H16 Foglight : Automotive

Look through the product images they give a brief explanation, when I purchased my Ultra's they had a registration card in the box.

 

So, if you've had them for a year you might get a free upgrade or cheap upgrade. Hopefully, they are just as good without huge design changes that makes them worse

 

I’ve been using the H9’s for the past 6 months or so, mostly summer/fall and they have been great. As it has been darker earlier and stays darker during most of my commute, I find that they don’t give me enough light in true darkness. I put my Hikari Ultras and LED fogs back in yesterday afternoon and the light is glorious. I think the H9’s are better than the stock H11’s, my night vision is just going to shit tbh. YMMV

 

I will also say I do have the diode dynamics sport fogs on all the time so they prob help

 

Haha I have the Diode Dynamic SS3 Pro's and the output is just nuts, I have them aimed correctly but I feel like it's so overpowering I keep them off unless I go on rural roads or offroad.

 

why? if properly put in they're awesome on the road. No glare

 

Just personal preference. I agree, they are awesome on the road. I just like to have more light for the environment I'm in, when I need it, rather than all the time.
If you like them on all the time, props to you.

 

Remember, the Pro (fog) model has a taller / less well-defined beam pattern than the Sport. (I had the Pros before moving up to the Max.) The taller beam pattern makes them pretty tough on oncoming drivers - even when properly aimed. With the Sport, the tighter / better defined beam pattern - coupled with a bit lower output - makes them easier on oncoming drivers when properly aimed.

 

even the sports are still bright as heck and i would never use them as daytime running lights. only when they're actually needed.

 

Not a Tacoma, but based on this thread I replaced the 9006 bulbs with Volsa 9012 HIR2 +120 in the lady's Rav4. I can confirm that the eBay link crash provided several pages back got these bulbs:

Comparing to the 9006. Smaller filament is obvious, slight rainbow coating on the 9012 is less apparent in photo:


And here are the output shots with fixed exposure.
9006:

9012 HIR2 +120:

The difference is outstanding. I used to insist on taking the truck anytime I knew there was going to be night driving, not anymore. Thanks for the recommendations based on real science.

 

That's a better result than anything for the taco

 

I was looking at the vehicle lighting laws for each state and I came across this for North Carolina. I thought a general service lamp was any reflector style housing, which is anything from a halogen hand-held flashlight to a halogen reflector headlight. Can anyone explain whether this only applies to aftermarket modifications which alters light output, or if this is restricting halogen reflector headlights on cars?

 

Recently changed my low beam H11s to H9s (by modifying the H9 itself) and a few weeks later noticed it's out. Checked the H9 and it looked fine. Tried plugging the H11 back in and that won't turn on either. It's late so I haven't got to check the fuse box yet, but is there a possibility I fried my harness? Just wondering if anyone else had a similar issue.

 

A standard H9 should only draw about 10w more than an H11, well within the factory wirings ability to handle. Check the pigtail to the bulb for any signs of chafing/damaged insulation (most likely place to be damaged) then check your fuses.