Automotive Lighting 101

Thank you for this feedback good sir! You're right about how deep into the weeds we want to go when explaining highly technical aspects of lighting, such as wavelengths. I originally show to only discuss the long wavelengths as that is what I am most comfortable explaining (I am no engineer!), but hearing your explanation also helps to confirm what's in my head. I'll stick with your edit and keep it how it is - we really wanted this to be something that a novice could use to inform their decision making process, and although it could go more in-depth perhaps that is for another article.

On the subject of the GRD (Gravity Reflective Diode which aims the LED to the reflectors), I chose to keep that out as I didn't want this first half to seem like it was too biased towards KC or like we are trying to sell a product. I only wanted the section at the end to have this in it. However, I think you're right. It is worth adding to that section. I will add something along the lines of: "One way that the light can be controlled is by aiming the LEDs at precision designed reflectors, as opposed to only having forward facing LED chips."

Thank you again for your feedback on this!

 

Very valid point on the self bias/product promotion. When informative blogs seem be cleverly disguised product promotions it starts to degrade the quality IMO. I only mention it because the efficiency gains by using a reflector make comparing LED raw lumens to a forward facing design apple to oranges for output. Having to break that down to explain it though may also be to low level, but obviously advantageous to your GRD products. You may actually have the right balance and I am just over analyzing things.

 

I have almost gone blind reading all the lighting threads. So thanks for this one. So I have a 2018 SR5. I'm thinking about regular Osram H9s in my Highs and Osram Nightbreaker Unlimiteds in my lows. My fogs I have covered .

$16 Nokya H11 Car Headlight Bulb (S1) NOK7618.

Nokya H11 Hyper Yellow. Is this gonna work.

 

Sounds like a good setup for plug and play. If you didn't mind a little trimming some plastic bulb tabs, you might consider using a modified H9 in your low beam for higher output. It would take output from 1250 lumens to 2100 lumens using an off the shelf H9.

You can see what I am talking about in the update half way down the original post here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-foglight-upgrade-h11-not-led-or-hid.435419/

I used special glare capped H9s because I was running them in my fogs, you don't need to do so in a projector headlight. While this does give a good bump in output, bulb life is much shorter.

 

Thanks for the quick response. I'm thinking the regular H9s will be fine. This combo should be plug and play . As little night driving that I do I'm thinking this has got to be better than screwing around with led bulbs and HID conversions

 

So if I mod the H9s , I can run the H9s in both High And Low. Only have to mod one set right. One will be plug and play ?

 

That is correct. H9 is a high beam bulb and will be plug and play for high beam. You just need to mod them for the low beam application.

 

Thanks. Should work great . All 65w bulbs. And should last good also. Win Win.

 

One more question. Is there any benefit by using a supposedly more powerful H9 or is just putting 2 more Osram H9 bulbs in the low beams ok. Seems like most of the H9 bulbs have a coating . I was thinking about replacing all with MTec H9 4350k bulbs . What I'm asking what's the best performing H9 bulbs to replace both high and low beams. Thanks

 

The MTec bulbs are not a performance bulb, they are stock wattage (not more powerful) and will be lower performing than stock H9s. They use very misleading marketing, the 65w=130w is the same BS PIAA pulls. The statement isn't about output, it is about color, basically saying a 130w bulb burns whiter than a 65w bulb, so by coating their bulbs the light appears whiter like a 130w bulb, even though the output is now less than a 65w bulb. The irony is the darker the coating the higher performance they claim using this metric when the inverse is actually true. Uncoated bulbs will be highest performing. If you want brighter light, you don't put filters over your light source.

What you want to look for is an H9 by a quality German brand like Osram, Sylvania, Philips or Volsa. None of these brands make coated H9s.

 

I just did the H9 mod in my third gen for my low beams and it's definitely a notable difference. The mod itself is a little tedious but not difficult. It's worth the low cost and brightness benefit. I bought 2 x Osram/Sylvania off the shelf H9s for $30 and an exacto knife. I used a table grinder for the little metal tab and then cleaned it up with small dikes.

Pretty sweet for $30. I'm stoked @crashnburn80 recommended this to me.

 

Bought 2 Osram H9 bulbs. That's gonna match the two other Osrams that are already on my SR5. Thanks for the help.

 

Did the H11 to H9 swap. Amazing. Cost me 23 bucks .
Did notice that my 55w Nokya Yellow bulbs get pretty hot. Hotter than I remember them being on my other vehicle. How about swapping the clear 55w H11s I pulled out and putting them in the dogs. Non coated should run a little cooler ???

 

Heat is determined by wattage. 55w H11 is a high powered fog, not sure what you had in your other vehicle. Yellow vs clear won’t make a noticable difference in the heat output as both are 55w.

 

on third gen, my understanding is we have low beam and high beam separate bulbs.

when you switch from low beam to high beam, the high beam comes on and the low beam stays on. does anything change with the low beam pattern?

 

When activating the high beam, the low beam remains unchanged on the dual light 3rd Gen.. The high beam puts a focused hot spot just above the cut off to extend the forward distance projection while also having less focused wide area light for general awareness illumination. Examples below.

High beam plus low beam (driver only)
Note the 2 hot spots vertically stacked very close together.


High beam only (driver and passenger)
Stock vs Hikari LED

 

Thank you for the well written and more importantly “dumbed down” article that made lighting understandable. I will not be throwing in “brighter” bulbs now, but contacting a pro for recommendations.

 

Reviving a slightly old thread, but thought this would be the place to ask...

I do a quite a bit of driving at night, usually on quiet 2-lane interstates and dirt roads. I've mostly been disappointed with the OEM high beam performance. I'm looking to upgrade my lighting and was considering a few options...

• Upgrade bulbs and maybe harness in my OEM headlights
• Install some retrofit projectors
• Add some auxiliary driving lights

Question is, what would be the most bang for my buck?

 

Based on my personal experience, the first thing I'd do is install the Ultimate Headlight Upgrade. See the thread below.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

The second thing I'd do is grab a set of Diode Dynamics SS3 fog lights to replace your OEM fogs - if you have them. The Sport models are pretty darn good. The Pro models are downright awesome. The combination of these two upgrades should give you more than enough usable light on the ground.

As for a retrofit, I can't throw a whole lot of rocks at them as far as awesome lighting goes, but to do it correctly, you're talking close to a grand.

Hope that helps!

 

In your opinion, how would this upgrade compare with adding some auxiliary driving lights?