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RX350 Retrofit vs. Factory LED headlights - has anyone compared them?

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by Redline870, Mar 21, 2020.

  1. Apr 9, 2020 at 4:23 AM
    #61
    Tiger109

    Tiger109 Well-Known Member

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    Garab, what are you going say in 5-10 years when there are no more halogen headlights at all? "The auto industry as well as the rest of the world has it wrong! NOOOOO!!!! I've got data and facts!!!!" Just like LED has replaced halogens at home and everywhere else in the world, it's doing the same in the automotive industry. They bout ta close yo factory!
     
  2. Apr 9, 2020 at 4:50 AM
    #62
    Garab

    Garab Well-Known Member

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    There you go again with your ridiculous bullshit. Keep manipulating the parameters of the discussion. I talk about comparing H9 upgrades to morimoto and other drop in LED bulbs and you go off comparing oem LEDs with oem halogens. I talk about headlight upgrades specifically for the third gen tacoma, you go off about a hypothetical future in 5-10 years and the auto industry as a whole. Just stfu already every argument you try to make has been bullshit hyperbole. I thought you were done here.:rolleyes:

    I thought i was done too but every new argument you try to make is even more retarded than the previous and i cant help but to reply to pont out how ridiculous you come off chasing your tail in circles. :goingcrazy:
     
  3. Apr 9, 2020 at 5:07 AM
    #63
    Tiger109

    Tiger109 Well-Known Member

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    The last two post wasn't even me. Having fun at work. We are quarantined. Thank you very much.
     
  4. Apr 9, 2020 at 5:11 AM
    #64
    Garab

    Garab Well-Known Member

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    :duh: put down the crack pipe son.
     
    DEEPfrom1 likes this.
  5. Apr 9, 2020 at 5:45 AM
    #65
    Newwt

    Newwt Well-Known Member

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    this is the longest lasting Friday thread I've seen so far
     
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  6. Apr 9, 2020 at 4:28 PM
    #66
    Redline870

    Redline870 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    We need to relax, this is getting ridiculous, we’re getting way sidetracked from the original topic.

    @Garab - to be fair, unless I misread, you never even mentioned the H9 bulb upgrade until post #46. It sounded to me (and likely @Tiger109 too) that you were saying the stock H11’s were better than the OEM LED headlights which obviously isn’t true. Now I can’t say whether an H9 would outperform the OEM LED headlights, but I’d be leaning towards the OEM LED’s being the winner because of my past experience with the H9’s. I’ve tried the H9 bulb in the factory projector and was not that impressed, it was a marginal improvement and the beam pattern still sucks. I put HID’s in which definitely outperformed the H9’s, but the beam pattern still leaves a lot to be desired. Plus, like you said, these projectors weren’t designed for HID’s so it just seems like a bandaid anyways.

    I’m going to go with my original plan with the RX350 complete retrofit, not because it’s “lipstick” but because the H9 was only a marginal improvement over the H11’s, and still wasn’t even as good as a HID kit. Not to mention, when you do a complete RX350 retrofit, you get quad high beams which is one of the biggest draws for me. The Morimoto headlights are more expensive than a RX350 retrofit and don’t perform as well, therefore I’m not choosing them. One of the other drawbacks to the morimotos I haven’t heard discussed is that they’re not serviceable. If something burns out you’re buying a whole new set of headlights. On the other hand, the biggest downside I see to the RX350 retrofit is the complexity, lots of parts to fail. I guess you just can’t have it all!
     
    TacoFergie likes this.
  7. Apr 16, 2020 at 4:52 AM
    #67
    TacoFergie

    TacoFergie Well-Known Member

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    Probably the wisest choice to go with! Just be 100% sure they are the US version. The EU version has a different bolt pattern and requires a little creativity. We ran into that with my buddies 3rd gen retrofit when we had put EU projectors in his, still worked but not optimal.

    I would recommend getting them "tuned" by the source you get them from as well. I found it to be a pain in the a** and got very frustrated with the process, but thats probably me just being to picky.

    Lastly, try seeking out some salvage yards with some early/mid 2000's Audi A4's or A6's. They have Hella Gen III ballasts that start up lightening fast, water proof and have insane reliability/longevity! In my area I can usually pick them up for $7-$10 ea because they don't know what they are. lol
     
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  8. Apr 16, 2020 at 8:37 AM
    #68
    dskakie

    dskakie Well-Known Member

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    do you recall what the fix was? I ordered the “non-AFS” one from The Retrofit Source which claims on the product page to be a direct bolt into most 2010+ Toyota applications however I see EU markings on it. Don’t know if I got the wrong product or what but I’d like to know how you got it done just incase!

    from the product page: “The RX350 NON-AFS Bi-xenons are also great for swaps into other 2010+ Toyota vehicles with factory halogen projectors. The "Non-AFS" version uses an identical bolt pattern, these are the big brother to many OEM equipment on newer Toyota's and thus should be easy replacements for the stock units.”
     
  9. Apr 16, 2020 at 8:48 AM
    #69
    TacoFergie

    TacoFergie Well-Known Member

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    Well, I should have specified. The NON-AFS is generally a US model but can be an EU model as well, though from my research an OEM NON-AFS is pretty rare. The AFS EU model has the different bolt pattern. To my knowledge there was not many NON-AFS EU available, but I could be wrong.

    Those will bolt in no problem. The ones my friend found were a really good deal, but we learned they are not the same.
     
  10. Apr 16, 2020 at 9:00 AM
    #70
    dskakie

    dskakie Well-Known Member

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    ahhh gotcha! Okay thanks for the answer :thumbsup: was hoping for the path of least resistance after already dicking around with the permaseal! Haha
     
  11. Aug 22, 2023 at 4:08 AM
    #71
    BB_cuda

    BB_cuda Active Member

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    2021 Tacoma, metallic gray, LED headlights. Talon's Garage cat shield
    I know I'm bringing an old thread back from bone yard. I wanted to comment on the Hella Gen 3 ballasts aspect. These things can be hot rodded from 35W up to as high as 55W in varying steps based on size of added in bypass resistor. 42,47, 50, 55 W are steps above 35W. You also change out 3 MOSFETS to increase the efficiency of the module. I bought a crap load of them in junk yards last couple years. You need spare parts and the yield isn't 100%. You need to get a nice electric powered solder sucker to remove the white ceramic board with good precision. I just joined and hadn't even taken delivery of 2021 Tacoma TRD sport. It has the standard headlights. I already had a pair of RX350 projectors that I swapped in clear lenses and tuned. Nice sharp cutoff on them. With the Hellas at 50W and nice Morimoto 5500K bulbs, they really scream. I'll need to get a pair of decent quality standard housings to retrofit into. I don't like taking them from the truck I drive as then its down while I take my time doing a good job. I've built headlights for daughter's SN95 Mustang, and E90 BMW. I have some spare Mori Mini D2S 5.0 that I could opt for as well over the EX350s. I got the RX350s for a decent price from ebay and got the clear ;lenses from theretrofitsource.com
     
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    TacoFergie[QUOTED] likes this.
  12. Aug 30, 2023 at 9:26 AM
    #72
    TacoFergie

    TacoFergie Well-Known Member

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    I would look at getting some eBay housings that aren't permaseal. Not sure which ones are or aren't, but I know with some research it can be found. Heck, I'd just do a quad retrofit since you have RX350's and D2S 5.0's. RX 350's in the factory low beam and 5.0's in the high beam area. They have a very similar cutoff, so they would blend very well together.

    I've seen the modded Hella ballasts and always thought it would be fun to tinker, but I've never found 35w to be lacking with CBI's or Nightbraker Lasers. I had a 50w Morimoto ballast on my motorcycle retrofit but that was too much. The contrast between the sharp cutoff and darkness above the cutoff was too much for my vision to adjust to easily. Plus you really don't know how long the projector bowl will take that amount of UV output, especially with an aftermarket bulb. Not saying Morimoto bulbs are bad, it's just that the quartz and UV filtration isn't as good as Osram or Philips. Even then, the bulbs degrade more quickly which I'm sure you're aware of.
     
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  13. Aug 30, 2023 at 10:31 AM
    #73
    BB_cuda

    BB_cuda Active Member

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    My 2021 Sport deal fell through and this is for the best. I think i would prefer to not mess with the high beam bulb's location and keep the headlight assembly looking closer to OEM with only one HID. I can wire the high beam leads into the solenoid of the RX350 to actuate to high beam mode along with the factory high beam bulb. I have quad HID project underway in a different BMW 3 series platform already and scared it will be way over the top as is.
    EDIT: I would rather only power (2) ballasts and be able to hide them well versus that much more headache with 4. The ballast box is about size of a 1/4pounder box from McDonalds.

    I have dealt with permaseal glue on same 3 series BMW assemblies. It sucks but is workable. Patience and not overheating with heat gun and not prying too hard are all important.

    Was your motorcycle projector the low beam/high beam type or "full bore" on all the time? I will aim the cutoff line down low. Pisses me off when big trucks have blinding light due to high aiming.
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2023

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