The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID)

Install complete ! Love it! Thanks CrshBurn !!!

Anyone know what the 8 little clips are called that hold the long plastic piece on above the radiator?

 

Just installed mine. Took only a few minutes to get it done between the rains.

 

Radiator cover clips?
https://www.ebay.com/i/231594619441?chn=ps

 

Perfect...Thanks !

 

Not sure if this has been asked before. For some reason these part numbers show as not fitting a 2008. Is that false? Trying to put them on a 2008 off road with burnt out lenses from the DTRLs.

Thanks.

 

The smoked version may have not come on a 2008 as it may have been introduced later, so the part numbers would show it “not fitting”, but all 2005-2011 are interchangeable.

 

Makes sense. Thanks!

 

Just got back from my frist yime driving in the dark after doing this mod a few days ago.
Wow! What a difference it made. Very happy!
Thanks @crashnburn80

 

Glad you enjoy it!

 

link?

 

This. I have 2009 Sport headlights on my 2008.

 

That Boch link was pretty good. Shipped in two LARGE boxes with the Toyota boxes inside. One box came on one day and the other the next. From order to doorstep was less than a week.

 

Ok I’ve tried t read as much as I could without going cross eyed on my phone. I read through the fog light thread and a lot through this thread...

I just had some questions either for OP or someone more knowledgeable than myself (which would probably be most people here) on a few things.

-I plan on ordering the headlight and the fog light harness from rally lights that OP suggested.

-I know OP doesnt prefer the “white” or coated type bulbs and saw the link provided regardless of the more (what I call) pure white lights.... Did anyone purchase those? Is there a similar color light with high output for the fog lights as well?

-lastly I’ve been noticing the beginning of some slight hazing on my headlights, so I’m planning ahead for my next set. I’ve seen the BHLM/TRD Pro lights and I really like those... But was also wondering if anyone has used the after market lights posted elsewhere in the 2nd gen forum with the projectors? Again, if so, how do they perform with the higher output lights? Is the heat an issue? I live in Texas and am concerned about heat. I’ll post a photo below of the general style of lights I am talking about.

Thanks in advance TW. I’ve learned a lot from this place and it’s always a pleasure hearing from other members.

 

I'd recommend the headlight harness from Headlight Services as the better buy. Not only is it a better price, it also has actual German relays vs Hella German brand Relays made in China.
http://www.headlightservices.com/Wiring.html

For fogs you might checkout the latest capped H9s from Daniel Stern. You'll get a huge bump in output without the need for the fog harness, though the harness will still net you further gains. See my post here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...1-not-led-or-hid.435419/page-16#post-17685981

The reason I do not recommend 'white' bulbs is that they are coated, and coatings reduce output and bulb life. You are paying a significant performance penalty for color cosmetics.

Aftermarket lights nearly always fail to compare to OEM in terms of output and quality. Real quality projectors can set you back $800-$1000, the Chinese 'cool' looking projector lights for a fraction of the price are almost always playing to the cosmetic buyer, sacrificing actual performance and quality. Words you will not find on any other Tacoma headlights aside from OEM, "Made in the USA".

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I’ll have to go back and read through the full thread on each vs skipping a page here and there.

So many links.
So many numbers.
So much information

 

I try to keep all the info up to date in the first post, specifically so people don’t have to do that. Way too long of a thread to read through it all. I just haven’t updated the foglight thread with those new bulbs yet.

 

@crashnburn80 Out of curiosity, since you seem to be good at finding bulbs, have you seen any that simulate the high pressure sodium vapor color? It's sort of like a light amber color, not the yellow that a lot of people try to pass off as amber.

 

I know your stance against them and fully understand it, I appreciate the links even to the more “daylight/white” type bulbs included as well. That’s more of my preference. Heck I even swapped my whole house over to daylight LED retrofits and bulbs LOL!

 

I'm not aware of any, even finding quality yellow bulbs can be challenging. Goldeneyes come in at 2300k, but I question the quality. Realistically halogens suck at being colors they are not. Anything you do to alter the natural color of light reduces output and performance.

If looking for fogs, you might check out KC's G4 amber LED fog. They use an engineered yellow/amber LED light source that has peak light intensity at 580nm which is right at the yellow to amber transition in spectrum, with good equal slopes on either side. The G4 is offered in a direct for 2012+ trucks but I just realized yours is an 08. They also offer a universal version. I know Morimoto is coming out with some, but their output isn't remotely as good as KC and I do not have the engineering specifics behind their LEDs other than what I have tested in their 'white' ones. Not something I would recommend.

 

Quite ironic that you mention that. The next thread after the current pod project is actually focused on high quality house lighting mods. I've actually spent a fair amount of time studying the psychology of interior lighting and testing the highest CRI home LED lights in the world by waveform. These are far beyond average consumer grade products.

But long story short, putting 5000k lights in your entire house is actually really bad for your circadian rhythm and causes all sorts of negative effects on your health. Way too much to go into detail in a short post here, but do some reading on circadian rhythm in light color temperature. There is a reason that almost every major lighting manufacture lists 'daylight' as only acceptable for places like the laundy-room at home and areas of focused work, like manufacturing facilities and hospitals.