3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

Let us know your driving impressions. Next up, need to get some proper yellow SS3s.

 

Those are OEM LED Fogs but I removed the film today

 

I realize, but if wanting yellow a proper SAE selective yellow unit will be far better than 6000k LED with laminex and even the Sport SS3s significantly outperform the OEM LED fogs.

 

Well I want the easy/cheap way and installed Innovited H11 HID kit (headlights) and Z-OFF-ROAD LED fogs. $100 all in and less than 1 hour of my time. The headlight output is (subjectively) twice as bright and the beam cutoff was retained. Very happy. I would have done full bore TRD LED housings but the figuring out how to make it work, given my SR5 doesn’t have factory LED daytime running lights, I chose the easy route.

 

HIDs in the OEM halogen projectors are not advised. The cut off only remains the same because of the projectors internal light shield, it will look that way regardless of the light source and isn’t a valid determination on what works, it has nothing to do with the HIDs. However the halogen projectors have forward uplight above the projector cut off, these appear as rectangular blocks above the cut off if facing a wall. HIDs have way higher output than the assemblies are designed for and as a result end up with drastically brighter uplight with the halogen calibrated uplight allowance, meaning the HIDs cause blinding glare to oncoming drivers despite being in a projector. Not to mention the brand you are running is ultra low quality cheap Chinese garbage, far from a quality unit. Definitely not advised. As to the fogs, those are interesting looking. I don’t expect their performance to meet their marketing claims at that dirt cheap price point but maybe I’ll pick up a set to try out.

 

LOL, nevermind. Those are not compliant at all and more misleading Amazon China hot garbage. A fog needs a clear flat horizontal cut off. To aim those high enough to be useful would blind others, or you aim them down far enough they are useless to the sides, which is a fogs primary purpose. Either way the compliance claims are fraudulent and this is not a legal product, it is a very poorly designed garbage one that is easily outperformed by the stock fogs.

 

Understood. I appreciate the feedback, and I did not know that about projectors (that the light could produce glare above the cutoff point). I did read this thread a bit (a lot, but we are on page 256….), and gave up. I will continue to read and determine what would be a better headlight setup. I did swap to H9’s prior to this, but the result was negligible. After being used to factory LED headlamps, halogens just seem like a candle taped to the front of the bumper. The foglights are not aimed high at all, the cutoff is not very visible while driving (low).
Yes, I agree they are (likely, ok, truly) garbage (as far as quality). However, I needed to be able to see, and am driving in an area where there are virtually no cars with halogen headlamps (we are all blinding each other), there are multiple street lamps etc… I’ve gotten flashed a few times in my wife’s CTT, never (yet) in the truck. I probably would not have made this change if I drove out in less lit areas.
Appreciate the incredible research and diligence in this thread, truly impressive!

 

See the SAE fog thread for most all the fog options compared. One the budget side of the spectrum, the OEM LED fogs are the best bang for the buck, with an actual F3 compliant beam pattern at about $118/pr, outperforming aftermarket options in that similar price point while also being less expensive. See review here: Toyota LED fogs. If wanting something that truly performs exceptionally, look at the Diode Dynamics SS3s.

 

Well, just grabbed a pair of Tungsram H11 Nighthawk Xenons on Amazon for $35. I'll see how these compare to the stock low beams, which are pretty inadequate for night driving up on wooded roads with no street lights.

Seemed like kind of a steep price, but for increased safety it's worth it with all of the deer around here.

 

Info is on the first page, Tungsram (formerly GE branded) are almost 2x the output vs stock while also being a bit whiter. $35 is actually a really good price for those bulbs.

 

Ah, awesome. I've never spent nearly that much on headlight bulbs, so that's good to know.

Then again, I've never needed particularly bright lights where I've previously lived.

 

What are your thoughts on the OEM LED headlights? I’m really happy with their output for being a $1k option. They outperform the Morimoto LED bulbs my brother had on the factory halogen projector lights.

 

OEM LED is the best performing option, you can see the full review in post #3626 here. I believe they are only ~$500 if ordered with the truck, making them a steal. Far more expensive to add after-the-fact. Replacement LEDs in halogen assemblies is the lowest performing option, easily outperformed by superior halogen upgrades. Replacement LEDs end up with lots of whiter foreground light but actual distance performance is quite poor. Unfortunately people tend to judge output based on foreground light, so most don't realize they have been tricked by misleading marketing to paying to downgrade their headlights.

 

Me too, and they sucked! I thought they were cool at first, then I installed the H9 bulbs. After that, the Sylvania Zevo LED H11 looked very weak.

 

You might notice he has the honorary strike through his name. So he won't be responding.

 

For my region, the lights are part of the Technology package (with options) which costs $1,495. I believe the tech package without the lights is $800. What are some appropriate fog lights that’ll work well with these headlights? Thinking of Baja or Diode. I’ve got some Rigid flood side shooters that I haven’t installed yet, but these wouldn’t be used on road.

 

Everything you ever wanted to know and more:

The LED SAE J583 Fog Pod & Fog Light Review | Tacoma World

Spoiler Alert: Diode Dynamics SS3 is the winner.

 

These threads are too smart for me. I just want to know what fog light fits the factory headlights well. Aren’t the diodes always out of stock?