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3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by crashnburn80, Jan 25, 2019.

  1. May 10, 2024 at 9:48 AM
    #6641
    joncure

    joncure Well-Known Member

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  2. May 10, 2024 at 10:02 AM
    #6642
    Barsoom

    Barsoom Well-Known Member

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    None. Read Yoshi's detailed response:
    https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ctor-headlights.589465/page-332#post-29733394

    From the link:
    "So far, no PnP LED bulbs ever achieved beneficial output in halogen/HID projector. Don't mistake marketer's 200% lux kind of non-sense. Showing random point of beam lux increase compare to halogen means absolutely zero value.
    Only meaningful if such intensity increase is found at identical coordination point as original light source (Halogen) and the rest of the beam also retain same proportion WITHIN acceptable glare limit."

    If you want a LED look, get the factory LED lights. If you do not want to spend the coin, use H9 halogen bulbs. I run them in my wife's RAV4 and family's Chrysler minivan. While not as bright as my OEM Taco LED lights, they are a huge step up from H11s.
     
  3. May 10, 2024 at 11:28 AM
    #6643
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    As others have pointed out using a halogen bulb in a halogen assembly is the correct solution and by far the best performing option. PnP LEDs cannot accurately mimic a halogen in all the ways needed. The Philips H9 bulbs are the best pnp upgrade for the 3rd Gen halogen assemblies. The OEM LEDs are the best performing option overall, though substantially more expensive. If set on PnP LEDs, the best performing pnp LED tested is the Morimoto 2stroke 3.0s covered here. Note that the newer 4.0s are not recommended in the 3rd Gen assemblies, covered in post #6598, so be sure to look for the 3.0s.
     
    509 buckeye and Barsoom like this.
  4. May 12, 2024 at 4:57 AM
    #6644
    Tlaloc1916

    Tlaloc1916 Well-Known Member

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    These bulbs have work great for me. I see a big difference when riding beside a stock Tacoma with halogen lights. Even the LED pro headlights. That was one of the things I did to my truck when I first got it. Still have the same bulbs.

    IMG_2730.jpg
     
    Markmmg and 09 Redneck like this.
  5. May 12, 2024 at 5:12 AM
    #6645
    Smacky2020

    Smacky2020 Well-Known Member

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    Stock wheels and suspension. Random "utilitarian" mods featured on this great forum.
    And everyone in the opposite lane hates you for blinding them.
     
  6. May 12, 2024 at 5:34 AM
    #6646
    Technique

    Technique Well-Known Member

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    In all the Facebook groups, everybody recommends those Lastfit bulbs…I’d really love to see some comparison and testing with them to show people how bad they are :rofl:
     
  7. May 12, 2024 at 5:53 AM
    #6647
    Tlaloc1916

    Tlaloc1916 Well-Known Member

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    don’t see how that would be. If the headlights are projectors and have a cutoff line.
     
  8. May 12, 2024 at 7:33 AM
    #6648
    Toy_Runner

    Toy_Runner Well-Known Member

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    Go back two pages and read over Yoshi's posts.

    Then, rem9ve the led bulbs and install an H9.
     
  9. May 12, 2024 at 8:23 AM
    #6649
    Smacky2020

    Smacky2020 Well-Known Member

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    Stock wheels and suspension. Random "utilitarian" mods featured on this great forum.
    And the 300+ pages explaining why LEDs just don't cut it in projector housings.
     
  10. May 12, 2024 at 8:45 AM
    #6650
    Barsoom

    Barsoom Well-Known Member

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    Yoshi just happen to be an auto ligjtning engineer. I trust his opinion more than a Facebook group.

    https://www.tacomaworld.com/posts/29733394

    From the link:
    "So far, no PnP LED bulbs ever achieved beneficial output in halogen/HID projector. Don't mistake marketer's 200% lux kind of non-sense. Showing random point of beam lux increase compare to halogen means absolutely zero value.
    Only meaningful if such intensity increase is found at identical coordination point as original light source (Halogen) and the rest of the beam also retain same proportion WITHIN acceptable glare limit."
     
    BC Hunter and scouterjan like this.
  11. May 12, 2024 at 11:31 AM
    #6651
    Sasquatchian

    Sasquatchian Well-Known Member

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    The first thing that you see is that given the design of these LED emitters that there is no physical way they can even come close to the design parameters of the halogen filament so they cannot possibly work correctly in a projector designed for a halogen bulb. Secondly, it's likely your eyes and perception are being fooled into thinking that overlighting the are immediately in front of the vehicle, where it's also easiest to see, is the same as actually putting usable effective illumination where it needs to be in order to actually drive safely at night. Third, just by looking at the output from your driver's seat, it's impossible for you to know just how bad these are going to be (and just how unsafe) in terms of stray light and glare light that tends to blind and distract opposing drivers. Do you really want to be one of "those" assholes on the road, and we've all seen them every time we drive - who thinks that having the brightest and most glare producing lights some equates with best? The best thing you can do is to toss those pieces of crap and put in either high performance H11 halogen's or a modified plug H9 halogen or better yet, spend the $1500 (cheap for the actual performance and safety they provide) factory OEM LED assemblies that really are some of the best and most effective lights you can get anywhere.
     
    xxTacocaTxx, BC Hunter and Barsoom like this.
  12. May 12, 2024 at 1:50 PM
    #6652
    Tlaloc1916

    Tlaloc1916 Well-Known Member

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    im not here telling people what to do. I’m simply sharing what works for me. I’ve driven in front of my truck in a low car and I’m not blinded nor get any glare. That being said have blessed day.
     
    Markmmg and 09 Redneck like this.
  13. May 12, 2024 at 2:19 PM
    #6653
    RoostrC0gburn

    RoostrC0gburn Well-Known Member

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    may thy led chip and shatter
     
  14. May 12, 2024 at 8:36 PM
    #6654
    Yoshi I

    Yoshi I Well-Known Member

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    LED bulb usage in Projector is bit more forgiving to glare aspect, but depend on emitter size and position, it can result in glare above allowance max mostly at 0.5U 1.5L-L ( this is glare evaluation point for oncoming traffic at 50m distance.) Seeing cutoff looking bright and dark border does not define there is no glare. glare is only defined by measurement at specified test point. Most do not understand where is actual glare test point is and how glare is evaluated. Main issue of LED bulb usage in projector is terrible balance of distance illumination point and foreground point balance. It focus less at distance point, and create excessive amount of foreground. Combine of those two are worst combination to kill distance view balance. Most of opinion, or review praising LED bulb usage in projector is based on false impression of enhanced foreground illuminance, and lack of understanding of how badly excessive foreground value can affect distance vision balance. Let me give some extreme forcefully simplified example, just to explain how dominance area brightness impression affects the target illuminance impression. Probably many can guess already, chess piece of image top and bottom is exactly same grey level, only back ground is different. Think chess pieces are target(distance view focus area), and surroundings are foreground. If we consider our field of view as 2D image, then foreground zone really dominate most of the illuminated area impression, however what we naturally want to focus is way beyond that range. To do so, regulation limit foreground illuminance. Very hard explain,, because it's not like driver can't see distance at all, driver will still be able to see IF massively focus singular distance point. many LED bulb user fell for this confusion, basically impressed by how bright/ample the foreground illuminance impression is( because foreground zone is dominating visual field volume) and process it as I got lots of light now. But problem is forgetting about where driver supposed to naturally focus on. Or not understanding how severely affect subconscious level view focus comfort balance.
    upload_2024-5-12_20-13-55.png
     
  15. May 13, 2024 at 5:25 PM
    #6655
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    As others have mentioned, the reason you see a big difference when you are sitting next to a Tacoma with the LED headlights is not good. The difference you see is excessive foreground light caused by lack of focus of the pnp LEDs in a halogen projector, causing a loss of distance light, which while it looks brighter from the driver seat it is not brighter in the right location. It is more harmful than helpful and shifting to short range foreground light looks brighter on the ground, but at speed that is easy to outdrive your headlights. And the increase in foreground light makes it harder to see distance at night, compounded by the fact you have less distance light due to the loss of focus. So while it seems you have made an improvement since people judge light by what is closest too them as it has a bigger visual impact, you have actually made it worse.

    Lasfit is an IP theft company. I reviewed one product and it was comically poor. On principle I will not review companies products that engage in IP theft. You can read more details and the review in post #370 of the SAE J581 thread.
     
  16. May 13, 2024 at 6:03 PM
    #6656
    NotATacoFC2

    NotATacoFC2 Well-Known Member

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    And yet, their influence is unbelievable, almost inescapable. I can't count how many times Lasfit is recommended when someone asks for bulb recommendations. No matter how many times I reference this thread, I can't convince them to backtrack. In the an 11th Gen Civic forum, some said they were disappointed with their factory reflector LEDs (which are rated "Good" by the IIHS), compared to their 10th-gen fitted with Lasfit bulbs.
     
    MikeyMcFly likes this.
  17. May 13, 2024 at 10:58 PM
    #6657
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 [OP] Vehicle Design Engineer

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    They sell really big on Amazon, which tends to be the dumpster fire of automotive LED lighting products. People wanting to believe that cheap $30-50 PnP LEDs will give them OEM LED headlight performance or better, perpetuated by misguided Amazon product reviews by people that have no idea what they are talking about and reinforced by non-reputable companies falsely advertising product performance. Unfortunately consumer confirmation bias is very real, so rather than seeking to actually understand they just perpetuate the cycle of pushing garbage.
     
  18. May 19, 2024 at 12:05 PM
    #6658
    Doggman

    Doggman Well-Known Member

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    What did I do wrong?

    Phillips H9 doesn't fit in the socket. The big tab at the top is offset compared to the OEM. OEM is on top, Phillips on bottom.

    PXL_20240519_190234418.jpg
     
  19. May 19, 2024 at 12:15 PM
    #6659
    musicisevil

    musicisevil Lesser-Known Jack Wagon

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    It needs to be trimmed or rotated and finagled into place. The steps for getting it in without cutting are detailed in this thread somewhere, but I always used to cut mine
     
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  20. May 19, 2024 at 12:18 PM
    #6660
    Doggman

    Doggman Well-Known Member

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    I see. I followed the link in the OP that said steps for plug and play and just saw the green harness piece removal which I did. It fits in the harness now but not the socket. I'll dig through the thread to find the steps for getting it into the socket, thanks.
     
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