3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

No...just no.

Edit: If you want to stick to halogen, swap out the assemblies from a 16-19 TRD. If budget permits, swap it out to DD SS3 pro or max. If snow or ice isn't a concern, the DD Elite Series. For more info, please visit Crash's foglight thread.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-led-sae-j583-fog-pod-fog-light-review.554813/

 

There are no LED bulbs that are optically compatible with a halogen housing, despite what some LED companies may try to sell you. To go LED you need to swap the housing for one designed for an LED source as covered in the previously linked SAE LED fog thread.

I'd recommend the Diode Dynamics Elites in selective yellow as excellent performers, and if snow is a concern I'd recommend the Diode Dynamics SS3 Max in selective yellow. Both linked at the very top of the fog thread linked above. I'd not recommend the Pro as a first choice as the pattern has far more light spill above the cut off than the other options I listed.

 

I finally installed H9's in the low beams today. Even with my limited resources I was able to do this quite easily. I trimmed the metal tabs on both of the H9 bulbs and removed the green plastic inserts on the plugs.

I brought along a socket to remove the windshield wiper reservoir. Didn't need it as it was easy to reach and swap to H9.


Thanks @crashnburn80 and community for all the info!

However, I went cheap. 2 choices available to me here in Canada. Possibly more but didn't look. The cheaper Canadian Tire H9's at $13.99


or the Hamazon H9's at $21.12



The Hamazon Philips H9's package says made in China but the back of the bulb says Germany.

The Canadian Tire web site has the H9's package listed as China on the back but Osram Germany on the bulb.




Opening the Canadian Tire H9's package at home there is no country of origin on the back of the bulb. Does not say Germany. I suspect China.


Without testing these, is it worth the approx $7 more to get the Hamazon Philips or will the cheaper Canadian Tire Osrams(?) H9's do? Or just the mere fact of replacing H11's with H9's worth it in itself as they are both 65W?

 

Can you Canadians buy from rock auto? They are my source for Philips H9.

 

Yes, but like anything imported, we have conversion, duty and high shipping cost

 

We can, customs makes the bulb expensive unless you can have it shipped to a mail order site south of the border and then pick it up.

I stupidly ordered the Anytime Camera mod to my door. Cost me $46 in customs and tax.

Also ordered a CH4x4 custom dual switch for my new Rough Country bumper light bar. It has been stuck in Hoboken NJ for a week.

 

I'm lucky, I can get to the store across the border in ten minutes and they do $4 parcel receiving for is Canadians.

But yes getting things delivered to Canada is hit and miss when it comes to high shipping costs and sometimes taxes.

Amazon Canada works for most things though.

I pulled my h9s last week before getting a headlight replaced on an insurance claim. Put them back in today.

 

I wish we could economically but as others have mentioned it’s not worth it.

 

If like me, you can pick up in the US, bringing it back is not much of an issue. Usually Customs didn't bother for anything under $100. If we do have to pay it is just the sales tax on the item (12%).

 

Any decent clear H9 is going to be a substantial improvement over the stock H11s. You don't have to use the Philips bulbs, they are just what I have found to be the best widely available H9 bulb. Note that Philips does not specify or differentiate German/China bulbs. So the Amazon image could show German, and you could get China or visa-versa as they are not differentiated in the supply chain.

That second bulb is stamped PRC. Aka Peoples Republic of China. The Philips bulbs out of China were quite good, but there is a pretty big quality range in manufacturing there.

 

That would be an option as I’m in the Lowermainland and vacation in the boundary but have no passport. Having too much fun in our own backyard lol…..

 

Okay good to know. I’ll just roll with the cheap Canadian Tire H9’s and see how they fair. If they die in 4 months I’ll give the Hamazon Phillips H9’s a go.

 

Not sure where you live but i got the Philips, made in Germany from Lordco

 

With my 2013 I went through a few sets of the Nokia bulbs and try as I might I couldn’t get more than a year out of them. I went with the Optilux after that and had the same experience.

With my 2016 I am using the Hella XYs and while I only run them in the winter (don’t ask) I’m already on my 4th winter with both of them still working.

 

If I sent you big boy fog lights, would you use them? Or is this another OEM purist sort of thing?

 

Optilux (Hella's 'value' brand) are garbage quality bulbs, definitely avoid. Higher filtration will lead to higher bulb temps which cause shorter bulb life. Personally I don't view annual bulb changes for forward facing lighting as a deal breaker. That said everyone has different preferences. If the Osrams are a +60 as claimed, plus higher filtration to achieve a lower color temp, they will most certainly be shorter in bulb life than the higher color temp Hella Xtreme yellows.

 

I agree 100% on the Optilux, I wasn’t pleased.

I was simply comparing the Nokya relative to the Hella, I haven’t played with the Osrams. My experience was that there was no perceived difference in output / color between the two bulbs at the expense of bulb life. I’m sure the test bench would be a different story and the Osram would eat either bulbs’ lunch.

 

Rock auto has always surprised me with how cheap their shipping is, and their customs and duties have always been worked into their shipped price.

I hear ya though, it's fucking shit chute with customs.... $1600 rims shipped outta cali, no customs and duties, $70 dollar bracket, $45 in customs and duties, $500 back packing tent, $160 in customs and duties.....

Give rock auto a shot though, pretty sure it says right in there shipping policy there will be no surprise charges.

 

Nokya bulbs typically last a while for me. I've had their hyper yellow bulbs in H10, 9005, H9 and 9011. For some reason, I didn't have good luck with the couple pairs of their 9005s. They seemed to blow after a couple uses of the high beams. Somewhere I have a set of their clear H9s and high wattage H11s that I sent to @crashnburn80 for testing, but switched to OEM LEDs before I used them.

 

FYI - I picked up the German Phillips H9s at Lordco in Surrey but that was in Apr 2021.