Spyder Smoked Halogen Lights

Anyone has experience with Spyder Smoked Halogen headlights?

I'm planning to install them on my 2010 tacoma

 

DEPO is a better brand.

Spyder is known to be subpar in fit and finish compared to OEM and also prone to leaks, fogging, condensation, etc,. etc,.

DEPO has far less complaints.

 

Thank you! What are some other good ones? also, I know nothing about lighting but just going through different posts, sounds like Halogens look cool but may blind oncoming traffic, are LED's better?

 

There are great options for halogens, LEDs by and large are problematic and prone to failure - the companies that sell them (outside of the big names like Phillips) pop up, sell a bunch of cheap product with a "great warranty," and then close their doors or stop selling said items after whatever amount of assuredly short time, leaving their customers with poor quality, defective items and without money or warranty replacements.

You can buy 4 pairs of good halogens for the price of one set of average LED bulbs, and the seemingly constant complaint of most LED bulbs is that they lack the distinction between low/high beams that halogens offer.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with LEDs. I'd go with an upgraded halogen bulb or if I was really wanting a significant and worthwhile improvement - I'd go with properly retrofitted housings and an HID bulb. That ranges in price (depending on your skill level, it's cheaper to build them yourself) from say, $400-1000 (if you have to pay someone else to do it).

@Wile has some good experience he can lend with his own lighting that differs from mine. As does @crashnburn80.

 

Here's the DEPO lights, with some installed pics.

$136 DEPO 312-1186P-US2 Replacement Headlight Set (This product is an aftermarket product. It is not created or sold by the OE car company), Black

http://www.amazon.com/Depo-312-1186P-US2-Toyota-Tacoma-Headlight/dp/B005XRPNYI

 

Thanks James for the input! I guess I'll go with Halogens then, do you know of any other halogen lighting OEM other than DEPO?

 

For housings, if I didn't have OEM housings I would have DEPO.

The other brands (Anzo, Spyder) aren't comparable IMO.

For bulbs, I personally have had great success and longevity with Sylvania Silverstar Ultras. I'm currently running a set of PIAA bulbs that I don't like at all, but giving them a run anyway.

Lots of complaints about SSU bulbs burning out in 3 months - from my experience which is running them in all my vehicles for over a decade, it has to be an owner issue if you're only getting that little longevity. They say not to touch the bulbs with your skin because the oils will make hot spots on the glass and cause premature burnout, so I'd say that's a possibility or the bulb got other oil/dirt on it during installation, or possibly scratched.

I put mine in while wearing rubber gloves and I take care not to hit the glass on anything when I install them, and my Tacoma ran it's set of bulbs for 2.5 years, then last week my driver side low beam filament burnt out so I replaced them both with the PIAAs (which were given to me to try, for free!).

I'd recommend those, @crashnburn80 used a bigger wattage bulb in his findings and has had great success with that route also, the downside is their is some minor modification needed to do so.

 

Doesn't hurt to take a rag with some rubbing alcohol and wipe the bulbs down before installing them too.

 

From what I have seen so far, DEPO doesn't look as cool as Spyder Halo, just browsing around the forum there is a wealth of information about LED's, HID's, Halo's but there is no clear winner, all matter of personal preference....I'm basically trying to enhance the look but not sacrifice safety, and not having to deal with repairs such as bulb burning out etc.

 

Smoked lenses of any kind diminish light output.

But like you said, lots of options - I just wouldn't go with lesser quality housings than DEPO, personally. OEM is king. DEPO is next best.

Lastly, neither HID or LED is without some level of tinkering. If you can't have halogens, be prepared to deal with more complex systems. If you don't want to deal with repairs, halogen is your best bet. All others have way more parts and pieces that can fail.

 

As DCSBFTMFW said DEPO is a better brand. I have them and they perform well and don't leak. As far as the Halogen vs LED deal. I prefer my LED OPT7s over halogen. LED is where the technology is going plus the human eye is more sensitive to the color temp of light from most LED headlight (5500-6000K) over the color temp of halogen light (2900-3200K). My OPT7 LEDs have had no issues. Although many have had issue with particular brands on this forum, OPT7 wasn't one of them. (@RearViewMirror was the only member I've known have issue with OPT7, and before that he got burned by several other LED brands). My OPT7 LEDs have had no issues. If money is no object, Phillips has the best turnkey LED option. OPT7 LEDs with the Glare-Guard Mod is a great cost effective alternative that has worked very well for many members on this forum.

 

I run over wattage bulbs that nearly double light output. Heat is not an issue, but an upgraded standalone harness is recommended for best results. This is an excellent cost effective option for significant lighting improvement that is correctly engineered. I wouldn't do LEDs for reasons covered, and HIDs need a full light retrofit to be done properly which is quite pricey. You can see my thread here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-not-led-or-hid.398066/

As to aftermarket lenses, I avoid them. I put in OEM TRD Pro smoked housings, (lenses are clear). If you wanted to go aftermarket, look for CAPA certified. They will cost more but have been tested to meet the original engineered lighting optics. I've gone aftermarket a few times on headlights and the light pattern has been terrible, no where as good as OEM. Also quality can vary significantly, making them look cool but effectively a functional downgrade.

 

Spyder is shit and has been since they started on tacomas