2019 Halogen Upgrades

If this has been beaten to death, just point me to the thread and I won't add another one to the forum.

Anyway, I have a 2019 SR5 and am thinking about a low beam upgrade. I know that the low beams are H11, and my real question regards the "best" brand.

By best, I mean bright (and legal) and longer life span.

I'm not interested, at least at this time, in upgrading the high beams.

Thanks.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-hid-vs-led-vs-halogen-h11-projector-headlights.589465/

Phillips H9 swap, tons of info in above thread. Or ask the man behind it all @crashnburn80

 

Interesting thread, thanks. It might take me longer than I own the truck to read through the whole thread.

 

Yea, just search for the H9, it is a cheap and easy upgrade with much better performance.

 

I think for my needs, the upgraded H11 GE bulbs will work.

 

Check out post #2 in that thread for an abbreviated version of best performing bulbs. Note that GE Lighting was purchased by their partner Tungsram, so the bulbs formally listed as GE are now sold under the Tungsram label. For a direct H11 replacement, the Tungsram Nighthawk Xenon +120 are best, followed very closely by the Tungsram Megalight +130. Megalight are slightly whiter, and slightly lower in peak output. If you are willing to trim a small plastic tab on the bulb to run an H9, the Philips H9 is the best performing overall option. While the numbers show peak output intensity, the H9s will also have more light throughout the pattern.

Edit: Also note all content is constantly updated in posts #2 and #3 for the latest info, so there is no need to read the whole thread.

 

Thank you for this post. The link to the GE Nighthawk bulbs brought me to a H1 bulb that is not compatible with the Tacoma. I saw the Tungsram, but wasn't sure if it was some Chinese knock off.

I'll go back and look for Tungsram again.

 

The Tungsram product is identical to GE, made on the same production line, just ownership has changed. If using an Amazon link and the H11 is out of stock, it just defaults to a bulb type in stock, hence possibly why you were redirected to a different bulb. The Xenons in H11 have been unavailable for a while after the rebranding and seem to be just been coming back out with the new label, the only place I've seen them for sale online is Walmart of all places.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tungsram-H11-Nighthawk-Xenon-Halogen-Bulb-2-pack/313412664

Fred Meyer also carried GE products, they may stock them locally but not sell online. Mine does. Really strange places to be buying quality bulbs I know. I suspect given a little more time, we'll see the Tungsram labeled versions of the Xenons available at a much wider scale.

 

The write up is amazing. Appreciate you taking the time to test and compare the bulbs

Have you compared NAPA’s night vision line? Their old safety lite looked promising but it was discontinued sometime within the last 3 years. Contrary to your test results their new line’s “brightest” bulb is also the bluest bulb. I’m tempted to pick up a pair of NAPA H9s tomorrow to test them out unless I can find GE locally. My oe h11s are a joke and my left over Amazon LEDs don’t throw light as far as I want.

 

I have not tested NAPA's bulbs, but they most surely do not make them and are likely an outsourced and relabeled product from another manufacture. I did pick up some of their basic H9s a while back and they are manufactured in Korea, which does make some decent bulbs.

Don't fall for BS product marketing about "brightest". You'll notice their "brightest" bulb also has the darkest blue filter which is a huge red flag. Filters do not add light, they only remove it. Blue filters remove yellow light, which is the most prominent light in halogen output. Removing light to make the halogens appear whiter, removes output and therefore "brightness" and performance. How would their "Brightest" bulb also be the one that removes the most light output? Remember in a legal bulb, they are all limited to the same amount of input power. So if you have a fixed input and a performance bulb that isn't removing light, and one that is removing light with a filter, it shouldn't be hard to figure out which will actually be higher performing. Brands like PIAA will try to work around this in marketing by claiming the brightness is in perceived output color, not actual light output. And brands like Sylvania Silverstar end up getting called on the BS advertising and face huge class action lawsuit settlements about lying on claiming coated bulbs are the brightest when they are actually lower output than stock bulbs.

In short, don't believe all the marketing hype. If the bulb is coated it is removing output and performance and the larger and darker the coating the more output is lost.