Toyota Tacoma LED Projector Headlights - LUXX Series From Alpharex

The improved reflectiveness of road markings and signs is one thing I also like about the switch to OEM LED.

I realize it is expensive. But a photographer might appreciate them even more than I do.

Amortized over 10 years it’s more palatable and they don’t really lose a ton of value short term if in good condition, could remove and sell used if trading in the truck.

Have we mentioned we like OEM LED? It’s nice to have a good option.

 

I see it's an option if you have $600 laying around. Unfortunately, I live on a fixed income so I can't afford the expense.

 

The inconvenient truth about automotive lighting (and many other things) is that you get what you pay for. Said another way, there are very few true lighting improvements that are inexpensive - no matter what the marketing claims may state.

And I fully understand the "fixed income" thing. I'm there too. Might I suggest that you keep an eye open for a set of OEM LEDs that somebody is foolish enough to take out and sell when they buy and install the cheap Chinese "upgraded" lighting. You'd be surprised how much money you can save. And thank you for your service!

 

You may want to look at the Hella 2.0 H9's as an option. They are not 6000k white, but they are both noticeably whiter than the standard low performance H11 and a phillips H9, and also a compatible upgrade. Crash has tested them in the past, although Hella does change suppliers, so they may not be quite the same.

 

@Toy_Runner thanks, I’ll check them out. Never heard of them before.

 

No. A 4 sided LED bulb will produce far worse results than an acceptable 2 sided LED bulb. The problem with LEDs in halogen housings is 1) they don't have focus because the light source is too large and 2) it does not emit light in all directions like a halogen filament. The focus problem is the largest because without focus, you have no hot spot and no distance projection and your headlight becomes a short range flood light. The light distribution problem means that the light will not be distributed the same using an LED as it would with a halogen filament. A 4 sided LED will be extremely wide and bulky in order to accommodate emitters on the top and bottom and adequately cool the PCB, they will not have any focus and be far worse than a decently designed blade style LED bulb with 2 sets of emitters. The best PnP replacement LED on the market is the Morimoto 2stroke 2.0. It is covered in the 3rd Gen headlight thread. I would not recommend PnP LEDs in a halogen assembly, but that one does the best if you are set in that direction.

There are whiter halogen options like the Hella 2.0 H9 swap, or the Tungsram Platinum H11s, both of which outperform the Morimotos. However the stock halogen color is ~3200k, and the performance halogens are around 3600-3700k, so while whiter and less yellow they are not the 6000k of LED. The best by far is OEM LED which makes zero compromises and has the highest performance by far in both high and low beam. They are pricey, but you get the best performing and highest quality headlights which are OEM grade and you can sell your halogen units to help offset the cost.

 

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After reading this (great info here, quick n' dirty) I'm prolly gonna (after looking hard at a set of "on sale" Morimoto's) just upgrade my OEM fogs ($400 and GTG) and let them light the way.

 

Ow, don't do that! Those are horrible and have no chance of working correctly.

 

Fogs are a short range light, they don't supplement headlights, in fact they do the opposite by flooding the near field with high intensity light which reduces your distance vision making you see less far. Fogs should only be used when weather conditions call for them where it is difficult to see the edges of the roadway at low speeds. Fortunately a simple $9 Philips H9 swap in your low beam will approximately double your headlight output from stock providing a substantial improvement so you won't need to inappropriately rely on fogs.

 

They're already otw. That's what I like about Amazon's return policy... lol! At least I can try them.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKpKBcXi470&t=643s

 

That LED unit is using double row stacked emitters, it in no way resembles a halogen filament. You can see in the video the hot spot is larger and it is tested at inadequate distance for light integration when using an LED in a halogen assembly, which will lead to artificially high intensity numbers for the LED. Larger hot spot means it is less focused. I've shown this in the 3rd Gen headlight thread, where testing at short range for LEDs in halogen assemblies leads to bad data. I test LEDs in halogen assemblies at 42' as the practical limitations for my space, serious Pros like Diode Dynamics do it at 50'. Unfortunately all you have in that video is a demonstration that the lights are less focused, the pattern is worse than stock and bad data leading you to believe that the lights are better.

Also unfortunate, is when you try them, that reduced focus is going to create more foreground light making you think they are better (since people judge light output by what is closest too them), even though that isn't what you want in a headlight because it is at the expense of distance light which is lost and foreground also reduces your distance vision.

As with all things you get what you pay for. A major red flag should be the $30 price point.

 

Well, that looks good enough to me. I don't have the option to spend $600 on a "perfect" solution.

 

$600 won't get you a perfect solution with LED. OEM LED is closer to $1300. But the ~$200 Morimotos I recommended earlier will be vastly superior without braking the bank if set on LED.

 

All I find for Moris are "XBs" for 13-1500 bucks. What are the $200 ones?

 

The Morimoto 2stroke 3.0s as I mentioned earlier, these are the best PnP LED on the market and do the best job of replicating a halogen filament for a PnP LED. They are not perfect, halogens are still better in a halogen assembly, but these will be orders of magnitude better than that cheap china garbage you ordered.
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/h...s-morimoto-2stroke-LED-2STROKE-H11?quantity=1

Edit: Also note the 15% off sale coupon at the top of the site.

 

Oh those are just bulbs. yea, that's too much for me. I thought Mori only made the housings.

 

Oof