3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

I know it’s not a Tacoma, but I wanted to re-emphasize the importance of aiming your low beams and fog lights.

The OEM fog lights on my F150 were aimed waaaaay too low. The center of the optic is 24” from the floor, and at 15 feet the cutoff was basically an inch off the floor! Remember, the general rule for fogs is 2-3” down at 25 feet.


15 minutes with a wrench and all was better. A comparison with the drivers side adjusted so the cutoff is 23” off the ground.

While not as bad, the headlights were also aimed low by 2” at 15 feet. Fortunately Ford has the vertical adjust on top of the housing where it is easily accessed.

 

Before aiming (and having the road plowed):


And after:


My phone is making the 2nd photo look there is more distance projection than there is in person, but it’s obviously gone from nothing to actually useful as a fog light. They are NO WHERE NEAR as wide as the TRD OR fogs I had on my Tacoma unfortunately!

 

Thanks, very useful post!

 

Hello! Could someone send a link for h11s to replace these cheap Chinese LEDs I’ve had for the last year. So glad I came across this thread

 

HERE

 

Thank you

 

Lots of interesting info here, too much....

I have a new '22 OR and want OEM LED's, but don't want to spend the money yet.

I would like to put the best currently available H9's in both low and high beams. I am aware of the mod for the low beam.

I know Phillips were recommended at the beginning, but I'm finding multiple types of them and it appears that others are recommended later....

What's the best H9 and where can I get them?

Thanks in advance.

 

I generally get mine off Amazon. Good price and always in stock. Philips standard h9

 

Philips H9 is the highest performing H9 tested. Toyota included these in the high beam from the factory, so no need to replace the high beam. If wanting slightly whiter light the Hella Performance 2.0 H9s are a close second, while being a little whiter than the Philips. The Philips are traditional halogen colored like stock.

 

Thanks. So is there only 1 type of Philips H9? I'm seeing sub categories like "Racing Vision", "Extreme Vision", etc.

Also: According to what I read, OEM high beam is an Osram H9, which has a lower output than the Philips. So replacing it with a Philips should be better, right?

 

I found my set from Menards. Unfortunately, there are little to no "upgrade" options for the H9, so Philips other line of halogens are inapplicable.

 

This is all in post #2 of this thread, including a link. The ‘made in Germany’ bulbs performed slightly better, but just the plain bulbs.

This should be the exact bulb that’s in your high beam (it was in mine)

$11 Philips 12361B1 H9 Standard Halogen Replacement Headlight Bulb, 1 Pack

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-12361B1-Standard-Replacement-Headlight/dp/B003YMPN3A

 

For the Philips H9, it is just the standard bulb as linked in the above post. Philips does not make a 'performance' H9. Any performance lines from Philips are H11 or other bulbs types.

The German Philips H9 is what is included for the OEM high beam bulb for 3rd Gen. I incorrectly assumed that Toyota had continued to use Osram bulbs as OEM as they had on other Tacoma Gens, but that was not the case.

 

Got it. Thanks.

I was thinking maybe they had done some updates.... I see now that none of those "performance" bulbs are in H9.

I actually like the stock high beams, but was hoping for a little more....

Thanks for all of your research and info. I've never done any light mods on a vehicle. Reading it has caused me to order Philps H9's and DD SS3 Max Fogs. Should be here today!

 

Thanks.

 

To get more from the high beams, you really need aux driving lights which will significantly improve performance. There is a thread on SAE driving lights here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-sae-j581-aux-high-beam-thread.696597/

 

I have been looking through here, but am looking for the part numbers and best source for the PRO OEM LED headlights, or what the differences are between the different OEM LEDs. I don't like chrome. Can someone help me out with this?

 

Thanks. I read that one too. I have a DD 30" light bar coming. I went this way because of the hidden mount, there's no good spot for SS3's.

I do have a question about wiring / switches: I want to be able to turn the LB on / off with a switch and with the high beam switch. I was thinking of wiring it normally with an OEM switch to a relay. I was thinking that I could run a wire from the high beam relay, (assuming there is one), through a second switch to the light bar relay. I'm no wiring expert, will this work?

Thanks in advance.

 

Looks like I had you covered in the thread. Let me know if you have other questions! Threads will often get a quicker response with help from others.

Cheers!

 

See this thread. Get the "Pro" version if you dislike chrome. They are the same functionally, just slight differences in aesthetics. You missed some sweet deals during President's day but possibly more to come in the future. For part numbers search the Megathread for posts by Tacospike with part number keyword and you'll hit. The are in there a few thousand times, gotta be the easiest part number to find.