LED H11 Low and Fog Lights

The aftermarket led low beam bulbs I had worked well. However I had a big problem with ice build in 32F or below weather.

The late model Toyota LED fog lights are great. You MUST aim them correctly. But after that they greatly aid in spotting deer on the side of the road.

 

We have a '21OR with the factory LEDs - from inside the cab they are very bright (comparing to our '16 4R and '15 GS350). FWIW, the throw and color picks up reflective surfaces (street signs, animal eyes, etc.) very similarly to the 30" light bar in the 4R, but you may be right on the upper cutoff being high - haven't been flashed yet, but don't have the automatic setting on and driving around on hills and uneven terrain means people are accustomed to getting momentarily blinded every so often.

 

I would agree that they are light bar bright. That is both a feature and a fault. Hahaha! If I was going to retrofit any light, those would be it.

 

Exactly. Also have the SS3 Sports in our 4R (after getting tired of replaced fog bulbs way too frequently), and liked them so much just ordered a pair for the Tacoma. The Sports are bright enough to be somewhat annoying to oncoming traffic, I can't imagine how bright the Pros are...

 

Sorry, I did not realize the price was in Canadian loonies, eh.

 

Bright isn’t annoying to oncoming traffic unless it is bright in the wrong spot, like replacement PnP LEDs in the fogs. An SAE fog assembly has cut offs to ensure it isn’t blinding/annoying to oncoming drivers (and is actually useful in fog). The more modern SAE F3 Fog spec requires very sharp cutoffs with minimal light spill in a highly disciplined beam pattern. The SS3 Sports meet the modern F3 fog spec, the OEM halogen fogs do not. So the SS3 Sports, while higher output intensity than stock, are actually kinder for oncoming drivers with less glare than stock (when properly aimed).

 

I ended up buying the stock LED from eBay instead of screwing around with new housings/bulbs.

but I went to change out my high beams and to my surprise, it already has Phillips H9’s in there! Maybe I missed it on this thread somewhere but do the newer trucks now come with the good H9’s? Says they were made in Germany, just like the H9’s I bought on Amazon.

 

Yea, I mentioned earlier in the thread that I replaced my LED fog's with the DD SS3's and tbh, the spread on the OEM ones was better. I like DD lights, but the price is a bit ridiculous. You'd have to get the "max" version to compare to the OEM LED fogs on my '22. The only thing I didn't like was they were the same color as the headlights. I've noticed a big difference with the yellow during snowfall and fog. Fog is a big thing where I live. It will be clear in town but on the drive home it's totally fogged during certain times of day, almost every day.

That said, I can't wait for DD to release their newer version of fog lights that replicate the OEM LED fogs on the Tacoma. I really want to see some actual comparisons, not just the images on DD's website that are clearly not an actual representation of anything other than their most expensive lineup vs. the crappiest stock lights.

 

My eyes tell me I'm more handsome than George Clooney, Brad Pitt or whatever hotness there is out there for new actors. They also tell me I'm better at hockey than Wayne Gretzky, Sydney Crosby or Bobby Orr. Also I'm better at basketball than Michael Jordan.

That's what I've learned from some members in this thread. (facepalm)

 

High beams are H9 on all models.

 

H9 Low Beam Bulb mod:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/headlight-connectors-one-pair.721712/#post-25694829

 

I am so confused. I read many post on how the Philips H9 was great for thr high beam, I didn’t realize that was actually what came stock in the trucks. Lol

 

Thanks. I ended up buying the Xenon Nighthawk H11 for the low beam. If I understand, it is a more white light and I preference that more than the yellowish tones.

 

H9 are popular and cheap mod for low beam projectors. This maybe caused some confusion.

 

True, all things being equal, but there is no magical instantaneous cutoff where no light shines (like a polarization effect); with even the best of quality and engineering money can buy there will still be bleed-through. My comment was mostly centered on driving in this part of Colorado, where there are minimal straight flat roadways - I frequently see into other vehicles cabins while coming over a rise, the driver's squinting/angry expression illuminated in a wash of amber. So, to be more accurate, I could say in those circumstances the Sport SS3s are sufficiently bright enough to cause some issues, and that the Pros and Max would likely be worse.

 

I have no problems with my Pros here in hilly Washington. Half the people that they do blind when coming over hills, don't even have their headlights on themselves.

 

So I've been chipping away reading your big thread on lights. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-hid-vs-led-vs-halogen-h11-projector-headlights.589465/

And also, the Toyota OEM LEDs, https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...11-projector-headlights.589465/#post-19689311

I wanted to say thank you for posting up some very informative comparisons between perceived brightness and actual useable light. I am looking at pulling the trigger on a new 2022 TRD OR. I live in the PNW. The thing that has me on the fence is our weather here. We have plenty of rain, low light, fog, and sometimes snow. I know it's not a consideration for everyone, but I am just weighing the benefits of just getting the stock OEM LEDs, or just going with the projectors and getting a good bulb upgrade. LOL, these are the things that keep me up at night.

I know you can't easily replicate real world weather conditions, but I've read that OEM LEDs in RAV4s were not doing well in the rain and not projecting. I know it's a different headlight housing and whatnot, but I'd like to hear someone comment on how their OEM LEDs do in nasty weather. I understand they are not great in snow, but how about the rain where you might get more reflection of white light and less penetrating, useable light down the road.

It seems like if vehicle manufacturers are going to go with LEDs, then why couldn't they come up with some engineering to heat the lenses? Hahaha.. ya know.. like a halogen light.

 

I'm in the PNW too, in Kirkland, and drive the passes regularly to the eastern side of the state, mainly 2 but sometimes 90 connecting to cross Blewett. I no longer have a Tacoma, but drive a Gladiator with OEM LEDs (before I removed them). Some thoughts.

LEDs/halogens don't penetrate weather differently, they reflect off precipitation differently. A high color temp 6000k OEM LED is far more reflective, so you see the rain/precipitation far more than lower color temps. It can be mildly distracting at first, but in typical rain of the PNW I wouldn't call it ideal but also wouldn't flag it as a deal breaker. In heavy rain it is more distracting and in snow it is downright brutal. If you live on the western side of the mountains, and don't drive the passes regularly in the winter, I think the OEM LED performance easily outweighs the rain/snow implications. However, if you live on the eastern side where it snows a lot, or regularly drive the passes in the snow, personally OEM LED is a non-starter. I've used my OEM LEDs in a major snow storm crossing the pass on hwy 2 at night and had them completely pack over with snow and all of a sudden I don't have headlights at all on a very deadly winding mountain highway in the snow at night. Even without failing due to snow cover, the 'light speed effect' in snow with the highly reflective 6000k light is exhausting compared to halogens.

Due to lack of poor weather performance with the OEM LEDs, I've replaced my OEM LEDs with heated 4500k LED headlights from JW Speaker. No such option currently exists for modern Tacomas.

Also note that for comparison purposes, the Rav4 has 2 different LED headlight offerings, an LED projector and LED reflector. IIHS rates the LED projector headlights as Good, while the reflector LED headlights get a much lower rating of Marginal.

 

Yeah, there's not a lot of great places to stop, on 2 or even 90, to pull over and do lens maintenance. I live on the west side in Warzone Kent. I might be trying to address a scenario that wont come up too often, but I feel like I would hate myself and my LEDs if I had to pull over because I couldn't see. There's not a OEM non LED option for the new 4Runners. Anyway, I'm not sure what most new OR are coming loaded with these days. My guess would be LEDs as a package that they can tag on an extra expense. I'd guess either would be a good step up from my 3rd gen 4runner.

Thanks again for all the input.

 

Can confirm the hating self feeling having to stop multiple times on hwy 2 and exit the vehicle onto the roadway in zero visibility conditions at night to clear the headlights. Never again will I run non-heated lights in the winter. But I drive across the pass often. The Diode Dynamics SS3 Max selective yellow fogs were the biggest lifesaver, as those run hot enough to boil snow and remained clear.