3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights

I had a thought, that if you made YouTube videos with all of your findings, you would probably get a high view count, and the ad revenue would pay for your testing

 

LOL. Good thought! I've thought about it, but YouTube is so much more work and it would be really challenging to provide the same level of data in a video. Watching me with a digital spectrometer on video wouldn't be that entertaining.

 

Results look like a good reason to keep $1250 in my pocket.

 

So the question is, should you spend $20 on a vast improvement over stock for the Philips H9, or $1250 on the Morimotos that perform SLIGHTLY better than the H9's? I'll stick with my H9's, but know that there are some out there obsessed with matching colors to LED pods and fogs. To each their own I suppose...

 

Of course it would be; all you'd have to do is put it to some EDM and film it at strange angles and maybe throw in a fan service opening lmfao.

So basically, if I've already gone ahead and did the upgraded Phillips H9 bulb swap; there isn't necessarily a strong argument to get this unless I *REALLY* wanted LED's and that a RX350 retro is still the superior solution at this current time.

 

I've looked into similar headlights for my 4Runner. Besides the Morimoto led upgrade, there are other options such as halos, demon eyes, switchback DRLs etc... K54 offers lots of customizations.

That said, wish they were in the 5k color temp.

 

I think the reasons for the Morimotos in that case would be:
1) Those that really want LEDs
2) Those that want the higher color temp light, not going to get that with halogen
3) The unique aftermarket blackout look, with the DRL and signals
4) Not having to worry about reduced life bulb changes
Although many don't need justifiable reasons for their truck mods.

RX350 projectors with HIDs will be significantly higher performing, though that requires a custom retrofit as there is no 'off the shelf' product.

 

Still "patiently" waiting for mine to arrive

 

I paid full price to get them ahead of the group buy.

 

@crashnburn80 have you (or going to) installed the xb headlights yet? are there any fitment issues or unexpected large gaps between the housings and the fenders? Can you include a pic how they fit?

 

I... don’t own a 3rd Gen...

I have a 2nd Gen and paid the $1250 just to provide the data to the forum, because I’m a lighting nerd. I have no use for these lights.

In Meso’s thread, which I linked in the post, there are more install and fitment pics. My post was just intended to be about performance since I have built a database based on standardized tests for Tacoma headlights, making comparisons easy. In Meso’s thread there was concern over the rear most corner of the Morimoto light having a very small gap, but turns out the OEM ones did as well. The lights were laser measured and replicated to be identical dimensions as OEM so fitment should be like stock. But you’ll get better info on fitment over in the other thread.

 

All good, thanks for doing the performance review. Detailed and to the point. I agree with others, if you had a YouTube channel I'd subscribe and watch.

 

So what I'm reading is there may be a set of these going up on the marketplace soon?

 

I’ve given initial dibs to a specific member, if they turn them down then yes.

 

Very very intriguing results.

Were you or would you be able to measure the output of each of the Morimoto low beams independent from each other? Or be able to show point of aim for each projector individually? Are each of the projectors able to be aimed, or is there position fixed and only the housing can be aimed like OEM?


My concern is that these will look great on a wall test but further down range, as the beam patterns diverge, you’ll actually get less light on the road. Unless of course each LED still puts out more than stock, which brings me to my next question:

How wide is the morimoto pattern compared to stock with GE’s or H9’s? Would I be wrong to infer from what I’m seeing in the 42’ photo that the inner projector faces more forward and the outer faces more to the sides of the road?

Edit - I can see the hot spots much better now that I'm on a computer and not my phone. The hotspot on the Morimoto low beams looks to be centered a good 12" below the stock projector in the 42' photo and several inches below the stock hot spot in the close range measurement photo.

I'm speculating now, trying to add to the discussion.
From re-aiming my headlights, I found that moving the hotspot up 1/2" to 3/4" led to getting light close to 100' further down road. I posted about this in this thread:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/headlight-upgrade-2017-trd.575174/page-6#post-19322085

It would be hard to tell without testing them on an actual truck but I have a bad feeling that these are going to have a really really short throw down the road compared to stock unless they're aimed up significantly. Unless maybe the projector is lower in the housing compared to OEM, or is internally angled differently so it projects "straighter" than the stock projectors.

 

The headlights at 18’ had very heavy overlap of the dual projector hotspots and came in ~2.2x stock lux. Since both projectors are equal in output I think it is a reasonable conclusion that each individual projector is roughly 1.1x lux at the hot spot. But I did not measure the projectors independently.

The housing is aimed like OEM, though I thought I saw info there was a horizontal adjustment for the step cut off in the outer projector, though I haven’t looked for it on my units.

The inner projector does point slightly more inward, though I’m not certain to what degree. You can see in the 18’ shot the hot spot is wide, the center of the outer projector hot spot is at the step whereas the outer edge of the inner projector hot spot is roughly at the step so they have overlap. At 42’ the hot spots are so spread it is difficult to visually judge and requires a meter. I’d have to setup at 42’ cover one projector, measure and mark the wall, then repeat with the other projector.

With each individual projector producing slightly higher than stock output, I don’t think there is risk of ending up with less light than stock down road, especially being each projector pattern is going to have overlap with the other. These are a definite upgrade over the stock light assemblies running the stock bulbs.

As to pattern width, it wasn’t something I measured but it didn’t stand out as noticeably different than stock either at the distance test.

 

@crashnburn80 your profile picture begs the question... Do you enjoy being a motore?

 

LOL. Pic is from one of my performance 22RE builds. Don’t recall what I was doing in there but it was likely the clutch.

Shiney oversized valve head

 

The Morimoto headlights are for sale. Same price as group buy without the payment craziness and the delayed waiting for shipments.

FS: Morimoto XB LED Headlight Assemblies

 

Already sold and picked up.