Anyone have experience with LED headlight bulb replacements?

I'm confused on the Ultimate Headlight Upgrade thread... The bulb replacement he recommends, this one:

https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product/osram-super-bright-premium-h4

Seems like a direct replacement. But I don't understand whats going on with the Ground testing and wiring harness... I don't know much about electrical, so I'm confused...

 

That what I’m currently using.. the harness essentially increases the power to the bulb therefore letting it burn at a higher rate and the light output is vastly increased. I’ve had no heat issues the extra power also comes from the battery since it’s connected to the factory harness super easy install no splicing or cutting.

 

Oh so you're basically just replacing the bulb, and the wires that run from the battery to it?

 

Yep replace the bulbs, connect harness to factory harness attach to bulbs, then connect pigtails from new harness to the battery An your done. Took about 20 min.

 

oh ok, that doesn't sound hard at all. lol the part of determining ground type and everything was confusing me...

 

Your truck is a 12 so it’s the on the factory light switch. Here’s a side stock psssenger side to harness w/ osram bulbs driver side

 

Wow did you do the fogs as well? And which harness did you go with?

 

No had Piaa bulbs 75w installed then w/factory harness didn’t last long they burned out.

 

I'm confused as to what bearing testing the ground has on the install. He says he tested it, but there's mention of what to do with the information?

 

Which headlight harness did you go with as he lists 2

 

No idea there above my comprehension.

 

oh, ok. glad I'm not the only one. I wouldn't want to somehow screw up the grounding or whatever. It doesn't seem hard now that you've explained it, and I'll go that route with the upgrade, when the current bulbs burn out.

Thanks!

 

Went with the rallylights super good quality.

Anytime only “grounding” you need to do is the pigtail going to negative side of battery an one to the positive they are color coated as well. You can use your stock bulbs also they will be brighter he said in one of the post.

 

Sweet thanks

 

Your welcome I know it’s a lot of information but honestly it’s a simple process.

 

Right now I use the Philips +130% and they are very bright. Osram just released a new Nightbreaker Laser +150% and I have a set of those coming.

 

Nice I saw those was gonna wait to see a review on them before purchasing.

 

Should be here this week

 

are just replacement bulbs? or are you replacing the wiring harness as well?

 

The bulb is an H4/9003 just like the stock bulb, however the stock bulb is 65w high beam and that bulb is high power 100w high beam. The power demands of the bulb are greater and the factory wiring will limit their output. Bypassing the factory wiring with the harness drawing power directly from the battery increases voltage to the bulb resulting in them running at their full potential, significantly brighter.

The ground testing was because Toyota changed the electrical grounding system in their trucks. I have done this on my past 89, 94, and 2003 Toyota trucks. All those trucks used ground switched electrical, meaning that a circuit always has positive power but does not complete because there is no ground. The ground is completed to enable the circuit and turn things on. In a conventional system, the ground is always completed and you connect the positive to turn things on. In my 2015 I used a ground switched harness as I previously had and it did not work because Toyota changed the electrical grounding to conventional. The testing was to determine which electrical grounding the truck used so that people didn't spend $100 on the wrong part. From other people testing their trucks over time it seems nearly all 2nd gens use conventional grounding, meaning you need a conventional (power switched) harness, whereas 1st Gens and earlier need the Ground Switched harness.

There is a foglight version of the mod as well:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-foglight-upgrade-h11-not-led-or-hid.435419/