LED Lighting Conversion

is it worth it? I have a 2018 Taco TRD Sport

 

Old news this list !

You got some reading to do ! Finish that thread at least if you haven't already.

But to answer your question directly..... Yes, Yes ! Worth it all !

 

Cons

• Some flickering of the lights have been reported.
• The wires have been known to come undone and although the unit is waterproof, the wires are not.
• When used on “country roads” where there are no signs and road markings for the lights to reflect off, and particularly in the rain, the light tends to be absorbed by these surfaces, making them not as effective.

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The last issue will be present on any LED light in the rain. I love my Hikaris most in the country roads where its pitch black and nothing. They're damn bright. Never had a flicker with mine though.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/led-lighting-conversion.436865/page-52#post-16878481

I went ahead and updated my original post in this thread with regards to LED lighting upgrades.

Changes that were made:
Upgraded Low Beams
Updated Fog Lights
Upgraded Interior lighting and listed links
Listed Review posts
Listed disclaimers for installation using AuxBeam light bar and Cali-raised brackets.

Additional updates and changes to come and will update accordingly.

 

Thanks Mahn !

 

tHANKS @IPNPULZ this definitely help out some. I was waiting for our thread members to chime in more before I commented. And I was also hoping to have some more time and go back and look at posts with photos for the VLEDS, and I will, eventually. Everything I am saying below is my own interpretation and is only based on the results I am seeing in this thread. I do not have any real experiences to lend except for the OEM Tacoma lighting. I can attest however to the effectiveness of quality LED lights as my Lexus has Twin projector bi-LED headlamps, and are self leveling. I had the dealer adjust them a tad higher than stock though because the cut-off was so defined that at a quarter mile I lost the road. Now they are perfect but I do occasionally get flashed. Usually by lower sports cars or pre 2000's vehicles. LOL

Also, for the purposes of this discussion, when I say Fog Lights, I mean the two lower, round lights mounted in the bumper that some people insist on calling Daytime Running Lights. They think beause they are not amber they are not fogs. Whatever.

I will post my comments and/or question is bold red type in your comments below to save some time. I am at work and the boss doesn't share our enthusiasm. Lame.

QUOTE="IPNPULZ, post: 17018182, member: 132087"From some posts that have been posted on various forums about Hikari

Pros

• The amount of light and perfect focus given by the lights are fantastic. Furthermore, they give a good white light – no yellow tinge. This is because of the amount of lumens (brightest available) these lights produce and the 6000k color temperature (which is great for producing light with high contrast).

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I SAW, WHICH WAS ON A COMPUTER MONITOR AND PHONE LOOKING AT A PHOTO. NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING THERE IN PERSON. THE PROOF TO ME, IS IN THE PUDDING THOUGH WHEN YOU COMPARE 3 PHOTOS FROM THE SAME CAMERA ON THE SAME DISPLAYS.

I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN A MORE FOCUSED LIGHT PATTERN. HOWEVER THIS CAN ALSO BE ARGUED TO BE AN UNDESIRABLE EFFECT. IN FACT, MY RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT A SOFT RECTANGULAR AREA SHOULD ALSO BE PRESENT ABOVE THE MORE DEFINED LOWER BEAM PATTERN. THEY SAY THE PURPOSE OF THAT SOFTER AREA IS TO ILLUMINATE OBJECTS, LIKE CARS THAT ARE CLOSER TO YOU, WITHOUT BEING OVERBEARING. I DEFINITELY NOTICED THIS WAS MISSING COMPLETELY FROM THE CLOSE UP, ON THE WALL TEST. PERHAPS IT IS THERE AT 25' LIKE OTHER EXAMPLES I HAVE SEEN. EITHER WAY, THE LONG DISTANCE, HIGHER ILLUMINATION BEAM PATTERN IS WHAT MATTERS TO ME MORE, NOT WHAT'S UP UP CLOSE. AT THE SPEEDS I TRAVEL, UP CLOSE IS TOO LATE.

• When in high beam the low beams stay on, producing a “great amount of light”.

REALLY?! I CAN RUN HIGH BEAM AND LOW BEAM SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THESE? DO MY CURRENT 2017 HEADLIGHTS DO THIS? WILL THIS BE THE CASE WITH ANY LED WE SELECT?

• The lights produce “zero dark spots and great cut off” – this because of the AI Frequency Technology included in these lights.

SEE MY COMMENTS ABOVE. I THINK THIS IS A PRECISE STATEMENT AND AGREE 100%

• The price is very good in comparison to other lights with similar specs.

YEA, WE COMPARED, I SAW THE DIFFERENCES. I CONCUR.

• The lights are very well made.

TIME WILL TELL. THEY ARE VERY NEW TO THE MARKET. THIS VERSION THAT IS. THE OLDER VERSION IS TIME TESTED AND SEEMS TO BE A HIT.

• The lights are easy to mount. It can take as little as 20 minutes to complete the installation and you generally do not have to remove anything else to complete the installation – much like replacing the light with a normal halogen bulb. This is made possible by the fact that you just need to plug the lights in – there are three prongs and you cannot really go wrong. The on-board CanBUS CPU Advanced electronic shielding technology means that they will just work with nothing extra needing to be done.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE, EVEN I CAN DO THIS.

Cons

• Some flickering of the lights have been reported.

POOR CONNECTIONS DURING INSTALL? BAD PRODUCTS? AMAZON HAS A GREAT RETURN POLICY. NOT WORRIED.

• The wires have been known to come undone and although the unit is waterproof, the wires are not.

WHAT WIRES? AT THE CONNECTION OR FROM THE COMPONENTS? AGAIN, I WILL NOT HESITATE TO RETURN SOMETHING TO AMAZON AND NOW WILL DOUBLE CHECK ALL THE WIRES BY TUGGING ON THEM.

• When used on “country roads” where there are no signs and road markings for the lights to reflect off, and particularly in the rain, the light tends to be absorbed by these surfaces, making them not as effective.

WOULD THIS NOT APPLY TO ANY LIGHT SOURCE? I SAW THESE (PHOTOS) ON A GRASS AREA TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND I THINK IF I WANTED TO I COULD COUNT BLADES OF GRASS. THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN INACCURATE STATEMENT AND IS NOT WHAT I SAW MYSELF AT ALL. BESIDES, WHEN THE TIME COMES FOR ME TO DRIVE ON UNMARKED, UNSIGNED, DIRT ROADS I WILL BE SUPPLEMENTING ANY FACTORY LIGHT ASSEMBLIES WITH AFTERMARKET LIGHT SOURCES LIKE LIGHT BARS OR PODS. THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT AN ISSUE FOR ME HERE.

Lasfit LEDS

Pros

• These LED headlights are durable and last longer than the halogen lights. This is due to the high heat resistance that these bulbs have.

I WOULD THINK THIS APPLIES TO ALL LEDS. ADD TO PRO LIST ABOVE?

• They are cheaper than the equivalent halogen light bulb. These retail on Amazon for $82.99 to $87.99 depending on the size ordered.

SAME PRICE AS THE NEWER HIKARIS. ADD TO PRO LIST ABOVE.

• When compared to HID (High Intensity Discharge) bulbs, there is no waiting for them to heat up to achieve full brightness. As soon as they are switched on they are at maximum brightness.

AGAIN, SAME AS ABOVE BULBS, SO ADD TO THE PRO LIST ABOVE. I AM SEEING A PATTERN HERE AND NO, NOT TALKING LIGHT PATTERN.

• These bulbs are brighter when compared to HID bulbs.

DITTO.

• They are dead easy to install – with a reported installation time of 15 minutes for both lights. Many LED kits come as a plug-and-play accessory – this bulb is no different. In addition, what makes this bulb stand out from the other LEDs is its small size, making it even easier to install. Most other LED kits have an external voltage driver box that goes in-line with the plug. The LASFIT LED has this all included in the design. There are no adaptions that need to be made, as there are in many of the LED headlight kits that are available these days.

MAYBE THE BUILT IN DRIVER IS WHAT REALLY SEPARATES THESE FROM THE REST AND COULD BE WHY THE HIKARIS GET A BAD RAP FOR LOOSE WIRES? NOT SURE THIS SHOULD BE THE DECIDING FACTOR.

• The customer service received by some people that have bought the bulbs has been exceptional.

THIS IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT TO ME. AMAZON HOWEVER IS WHO I WILL BUY FROM AND AS SUCH, MY PRIME MEMBERSHIP HAS SOME PERKS.
Cons

• If, after installation, the fan does not work, then the unit needs to be turned 180 degrees and plugged back in. This, in the bigger scheme of things, is a minor inconvenience.

SO THE FAN LIKE THE LIGHT IS POLARITY CENTRIC? IS THIS THE CASE WITH ALL FAN EQUIPPED BULBS?

• In some cars, there have been issues with the bulbs fitting the housings for the lights – although these are few and far between.

I THINK THIS IS A MISPRINT, AND SHOULD LIKELY SAY "NOT FITTING THE HOUSINGS" YEA, EASILY RECTIFIED BY A RETURN/REORDER.

Auxbeam F-16

I THINK FOR ME, THE AUXBEAMS ARE NOT A CONSIDERATION ANYMORE WHEN COMPARED TO THE NEWER HIKARI'S TOTAL LIGHT OUTPUT. OTHER THAN THAT (BECAUSE MAX ILLUMINATION IS MY PRIMARY GOAL) THEY ARE AN EXCELLENT CHOICE.

Pros

• The lights are very bright, very white and work perfectly. There has been concern regarding LEDs around their throw distance, but these LED lights are very comparable with halogen bulbs in this aspect.

• The design of the bulbs makes installation very easy. It can take as little as 20 minutes to install these bulbs. The connector is specific for the model chosen for a specific car and fits snugly and securely.

• The road and the signs show up much brighter when using these LED bulbs than halogen bulbs.

• The value when compared to products with similar specs is very good. Other products of similar quality can cost up to double the price of these bulbs. They retail at Amazon for $51.99 and $55.99 depending on the size.

Cons

• The decoding function of the CANBus may not work for all vehicles. A known incompatible vehicle is the Mini Cooper. This is something to be aware of when looking at purchasing this product. Make sure that your vehicle is compatible with the product before purchasing it.

• These only work well in vehicles with projector style headlights. A halogen reflector style headlight will give you great light, but will blind oncoming traffic.

This may have been posted already


So with that said, I think based on price and what I saw from @Parker315, in the long run the Hakari's are going to be the bulbs I buy. But I really appreciate everything everyone has contributed to this thread. I really do take a lot away from all this research and effort.

 

^^^ Link to the Hikari's you're going with? I'm assuming plug and play for 2017 tacos?

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077BT6M6Z

These are the newest version (today) and what we are discussing.

Just an FYI, whenever someone posts a link in a thread, at the bottom of the page are those items in a list you can scroll through. Like this:



But you would have to read through a lot of pages to get to this point and heck, wheres the fun and learning in all that?! LOL (just messin' wit ya)

 

One thing I want to toss out there...I just went from the old HIKARIs to the new ones and I've noticed a couple different things.

First off, they definitely throw a lot farther than the old ones and that's good, I wanted that. The only 'issue/complaint' I have with them is that if you don't drive with your fog lights on (illuminating the road very close to your truck), you may notice a small pattern from the lights. I believe this to be from there being 3 separate LED chips on the new HIKARIs. Basically, you can kinda see where each LED cuts off and the next one starts, causing a few bright/shadow spots on the road if that makes sense? It's not terribly noticeable or anything, but enough for me to notice it right after the switch. The old HIKARIS filled the entire road a little bit more evenly closer to the truck than the new ones, but again didn't throw as far.

I still think they're a good improvement over the old model, just something I noticed and wanted to share.

 

Very cool. Thanks Rob! It looks like these are the consensus winners. Would you throw these in the high beams as well? And what about fogs?

 

I noticed that in the pictures that were shared. That is one of my only concerns with the new version, as I don't have fog lights on my truck. I agree though, the additional throw is probably worth the trade.

 

I'd throw them in all of your lights. I don't necessarily think you need the $90 HIKARIS for your fogs, as the 60$ ones are pretty damn bright. But I mean if you got the money...might as well!

 

Hey @Parker315 (aka Brett)
Not to be a turd head, or worse, a hypocrite, but can you include the link to that post please? I know, I always give people shit about skipping over stuff, and I am definitely the type that will go back when I need to and read every post, not that I can say it's a joy, but when I am work I just don't always have the time. Phhhttt, go figure.

 

I'll have some pics posted up as soon as i get them installed. I'm off for the next week so I'll put them in the same day!

They should be here by 8 PM today according to AMAZON

LMAO! I did opt for the 5 day shipping. Between the LED lights, rims/tires and lift I've spent a fortune on this truck! Not to mention my wife is watching every dime I spend since I took a 7K loss on a 2 month old 2018 Jeep Rubicon Recon Unlimited I traded in to get this Tacoma...........lol

I'm hit.......lol

Pics to follow either tonight or tomorrow!

 

There he is!!!!!!! Dude, we thought maybe you were at the Wilmer Eye Institute getting retina implant surgery or something! Cool, really looking forward to seeing these pics!!!!!!!

 

Too funny! I've actually been camping out in the "wheel/tire" and "lift" sections here.

While I was typing this response my mailman literally knocked on my door and handed me the AMAZON box!!!

 

Going to get bundled up and go put these in. I won't have any before pics because it's still light out, but will definitely post up some afters!

 

Done! Just for you Rob lol

 

i cross shopped the Recon. What did you not like about it?

 

HAHAHAHA, You sound like me.

2009 Acura TSX to a 2010 Honda Crosstour 4x4 to a 2013 Camry XLE to a 2016 Lexus es300h (w/ every bell and whistle possible)
2006 Dodge Diesel to a 2012 Tundra DBL Cab LB to a 2014 4Runner Trail to a 2017 Tacoma Sport w/Tech, with $3.5k into this one in under 10k miles. LOL

That doesn't include the 4 Harleys I had from 2005 on ending up with a $42k Tri-Glide in 2012.

If I could just find one I like and stick with it or stop modding them as soon as I take delivery I could have no car payments and retire.

There's a running joke here at work. I don't buy new tires when they wear out I just trade up for a new vehicle.

Luckily the 4Runner was a lease and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse or I would still have it. After the Tundra I missed having a truck. The 4R is a great vehicle though.

So yea, take you time, I am in no rush, however @Parker315 may not be so forgiving. LOL but we all know he's insane anyway.

And yea, on another note, what lift did you go with? That is very soon on my list of to-do's, like you, as soon as I can get the wife to look the other way. LOL

Rob