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New Projector Headlights Not Bright at all...

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by Lostoam311, May 11, 2021.

  1. May 11, 2021 at 7:57 PM
    #1
    Lostoam311

    Lostoam311 [OP] YETI

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    Jon
    Gulf Breeze, FL
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    2013 YETI
    Spec D headlights (garbage, Do not buy) replaced bulb with H7 80W Osram Off Road bulb so I could actually see. The lights they send do not put off any light at all and it's impossible to see anything at night... TOYO Open County AT III's (smooth ride, not loud) with Matte Black 17-In. TRD PRO Wheels Plasti dipped emblems and Bull Bar (Lasted about 2 years, need to spray them again)
    So I got tired of my stock halogen headlights and purchased some Projector headlights. I had put LED's in the stock lights, but they still didn't give off good light at night, especially in the rain in Florida... The new projectors are not bright At All! I've asked the company I bought them from and they just send me a YouTube link on how to adjust them up and down... doesn't work.
    Any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong?!
    The projectors came with halogen bulbs, I replaced with 160Watt LED'S but still cannot see well...
    Here's the text description of what I bought... 2012-2015 Toyota Tacoma Black LED Strip Bar Projector Headlights Left+Right
    and the bulbs:
    H7 LED 160W Super Bright 6000K White Headlight Bulbs Kit High / Low Beam New
    Any help is appreciated!

    s-l1600.jpg
    s-l1600 (3).jpg
     
  2. May 11, 2021 at 8:01 PM
    #2
    Lostoam311

    Lostoam311 [OP] YETI

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    Jon
    Gulf Breeze, FL
    Vehicle:
    2013 YETI
    Spec D headlights (garbage, Do not buy) replaced bulb with H7 80W Osram Off Road bulb so I could actually see. The lights they send do not put off any light at all and it's impossible to see anything at night... TOYO Open County AT III's (smooth ride, not loud) with Matte Black 17-In. TRD PRO Wheels Plasti dipped emblems and Bull Bar (Lasted about 2 years, need to spray them again)
    Here's pics of what I bought. Hope they show up...

    s-l1600 (5)jpg.jpg
    s-l1600 (3).jpg
    s-l1600 (2).jpg
     
  3. May 11, 2021 at 8:10 PM
    #3
    Mike714

    Mike714 Well-Known Member

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    Cypress, CA
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    Hey OP. There have been a number of folks that reported these don't produce great lighting. I'm not sure there's much you can do to boost the output that you haven't already tried. Have you checked your alternator voltage to ensure you're getting enough power to the lights?
     
  4. May 11, 2021 at 8:10 PM
    #4
    blur

    blur Well-Known Member

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  5. May 11, 2021 at 8:29 PM
    #5
    Lostoam311

    Lostoam311 [OP] YETI

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    Jon
    Gulf Breeze, FL
    Vehicle:
    2013 YETI
    Spec D headlights (garbage, Do not buy) replaced bulb with H7 80W Osram Off Road bulb so I could actually see. The lights they send do not put off any light at all and it's impossible to see anything at night... TOYO Open County AT III's (smooth ride, not loud) with Matte Black 17-In. TRD PRO Wheels Plasti dipped emblems and Bull Bar (Lasted about 2 years, need to spray them again)
    the halogens that were shipped weren't bright at all, and the LED's were a little brighter... and I'd put the stocks back in, but the side plastic piece that bolts just in front of the wheel wells broke off when I was removing them... I should've watched a YouTube video before, I know... I'm just looking to salvage these projectors, if I can...
    Here's some pics against my garage... Left is my Tacoma, right is 08 Rav4 with stock lights that I replaced bulbs with LED's that are much brighter than my new projectors...
    should there be this round void where I put the arrows...?
    Did I adjust them wrong? Did I buy the wrong LED bulb?
    Thanks for your help...

    20210511_221446.jpg
    20210511_221330.jpg
    20210511_221458.jpg
    roundvoid.jpg
     
  6. May 11, 2021 at 8:30 PM
    #6
    Lostoam311

    Lostoam311 [OP] YETI

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    Jon
    Gulf Breeze, FL
    Vehicle:
    2013 YETI
    Spec D headlights (garbage, Do not buy) replaced bulb with H7 80W Osram Off Road bulb so I could actually see. The lights they send do not put off any light at all and it's impossible to see anything at night... TOYO Open County AT III's (smooth ride, not loud) with Matte Black 17-In. TRD PRO Wheels Plasti dipped emblems and Bull Bar (Lasted about 2 years, need to spray them again)
    No, I didn't think of this... I'll go to AutoZone and have them test it. Thanks.
     
  7. May 11, 2021 at 8:51 PM
    #7
    Lostoam311

    Lostoam311 [OP] YETI

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    Jon
    Gulf Breeze, FL
    Vehicle:
    2013 YETI
    Spec D headlights (garbage, Do not buy) replaced bulb with H7 80W Osram Off Road bulb so I could actually see. The lights they send do not put off any light at all and it's impossible to see anything at night... TOYO Open County AT III's (smooth ride, not loud) with Matte Black 17-In. TRD PRO Wheels Plasti dipped emblems and Bull Bar (Lasted about 2 years, need to spray them again)
    so I figure I'm screwed at this point... it's been a month since I bought these, so no returns... and my old halogens have a cracked side bracket where they attach and bolt in. So what's my alternative fix? Can someone salvage these and sell me a working set of headlights to install? I really don't want to go back to stock... Why can't they make nice projectors for Tacoma's like they put in the new Corolla's headlights!!! Those light up everything!

    or is there a brighter bulb to install in these that will help?!

    I'm still going to check my alternator... maybe that could be the entire issue... Thanks for the help!
     
    Codolten likes this.
  8. May 11, 2021 at 8:57 PM
    #8
    Lostoam311

    Lostoam311 [OP] YETI

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    Jon
    Gulf Breeze, FL
    Vehicle:
    2013 YETI
    Spec D headlights (garbage, Do not buy) replaced bulb with H7 80W Osram Off Road bulb so I could actually see. The lights they send do not put off any light at all and it's impossible to see anything at night... TOYO Open County AT III's (smooth ride, not loud) with Matte Black 17-In. TRD PRO Wheels Plasti dipped emblems and Bull Bar (Lasted about 2 years, need to spray them again)
    Thanks, but this looks like the stock headlight casings and mine are broken. I snapped the side bracket off both when removing because I'm a 'fill in the blank'... is this just a brighter halogen?! I want to stay with LED's. They light up more of the road and I know they can be positioned better because oncoming Corolla headlights don't blind me. I appreciate the suggestion, though.
     
  9. May 11, 2021 at 8:58 PM
    #9
    Wyckedan

    Wyckedan Well-Known Member

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    1 fully operational Death Star
    Read this thread
     
  10. May 11, 2021 at 9:22 PM
    #10
    SellyKlater

    SellyKlater Well-Known Member

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    3" ome lift 883. Fnfx pros.
    A full hid kit is much brighter then that for sure.
     
  11. May 12, 2021 at 7:10 AM
    #11
    TheDirtyMike

    TheDirtyMike Well-Known Member

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    I vote with Selly about getting a HID kit for those projectors. A lot of folks that get the projectors end up going the route of HID swap to get good lighting.
     
  12. May 12, 2021 at 7:24 AM
    #12
    Naveronski

    Naveronski Well-Known Member

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    Aftermarket headlights rarely produce good light. Instead, OP is just blinding everyone he encounters on the road.
     
  13. May 12, 2021 at 7:34 AM
    #13
    Brian422

    Brian422 I fell into the pit that is TW

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    Cheap Chinese lights like that aren't going to be good performance. May look cool but performance suffers. If you wanted performic you were better off with stock and putting in a projector.
     
  14. May 12, 2021 at 7:36 AM
    #14
    Brian422

    Brian422 I fell into the pit that is TW

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  15. May 12, 2021 at 7:44 AM
    #15
    SliMbo4.0

    SliMbo4.0 Well-Known Member

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    Good lighting doesn't come cheap. Adding LED bulbs doesn't do anything in a housing that it wasn't intended for. Either go OEM or pony up for HID retrofits
     
  16. May 12, 2021 at 8:47 AM
    #16
    Lostoam311

    Lostoam311 [OP] YETI

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    Jon
    Gulf Breeze, FL
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    2013 YETI
    Spec D headlights (garbage, Do not buy) replaced bulb with H7 80W Osram Off Road bulb so I could actually see. The lights they send do not put off any light at all and it's impossible to see anything at night... TOYO Open County AT III's (smooth ride, not loud) with Matte Black 17-In. TRD PRO Wheels Plasti dipped emblems and Bull Bar (Lasted about 2 years, need to spray them again)
    From the Ultimate Headlight upgrade thread above...
    Do I order the harness for $109 and that should give off more light?! or do I need to order the entire headlight assembly?
     
  17. May 12, 2021 at 8:52 AM
    #17
    AssQuake

    AssQuake Unknown Member

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    may as well retrofit proper HID projectors in those over priced chinese headlights. the design is neat imo.
     
    Turdyota3000 likes this.
  18. May 12, 2021 at 9:00 AM
    #18
    AllTacosFloat

    AllTacosFloat I need to be moderated

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    The harness will definitely give more power to the headlights but the headlight bulbs you have are not the best for projectors. Look into the bulbs that have LEDs all the way around for projectors it should eliminate your dark spot
     
  19. May 12, 2021 at 9:27 AM
    #19
    Lostoam311

    Lostoam311 [OP] YETI

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    Jon
    Gulf Breeze, FL
    Vehicle:
    2013 YETI
    Spec D headlights (garbage, Do not buy) replaced bulb with H7 80W Osram Off Road bulb so I could actually see. The lights they send do not put off any light at all and it's impossible to see anything at night... TOYO Open County AT III's (smooth ride, not loud) with Matte Black 17-In. TRD PRO Wheels Plasti dipped emblems and Bull Bar (Lasted about 2 years, need to spray them again)
    Okay, I'll order the harness! it that a decent price ($109) or does anyone know of a better place to get it?

    Also, any recommendations on LED bulbs all around to eliminate dark spot...?!
     
  20. May 12, 2021 at 9:36 AM
    #20
    AllTacosFloat

    AllTacosFloat I need to be moderated

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    That place is the only one that makes the wiring harness and they make them to order. As far as the bulbs I don't remember which ones I got on Amazon it was a while back and mine are for H1 bulbs. But start by looking up LEDs for projectors. Hope this helps
     

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