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LED Lighting Conversion

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by chan2565, Jun 14, 2016.

  1. Jun 1, 2018 at 3:37 PM
    #2881
    styner1989

    styner1989 Active Member

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    I am probably going to order two sets of the Xtreme Pro LED bulb http://www.xenondepot.com/H11-Xtreme-LED-kit-pro-p/xt-led-h11-pro.htm for high and low beams but am not sure what to go with for the fogs. I have all stock lighting in my 18 Tacoma right now and if I can pickup everything from xenondepot with the sale and discount right now that would be awesome. Let me know what you guys would recommend of the fogs.
     
    RobP62 likes this.
  2. Jun 1, 2018 at 3:54 PM
    #2882
    ToyoDrew

    ToyoDrew Well-Known Member

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    The sale they had going just ended last night. Now you have to spend $200 to get the 20% off special (which should still work out for you, but not so much for others looking for a single set).

    As for the fogs...we need to see a good review by @Parker315 to see what his thoughts are on his new ones.
     
  3. Jun 1, 2018 at 4:03 PM
    #2883
    styner1989

    styner1989 Active Member

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    I appreciate the quick reply. I will probably go ahead and order the high and low beams and just wait on the fogs for now.
     
    ToyoDrew[QUOTED] likes this.
  4. Jun 1, 2018 at 4:48 PM
    #2884
    crashnburn80

    crashnburn80 Vehicle Design Engineer

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    For fogs you’ll want a replacement housing to maintain your fog cut off. Examples are Morimotos, KC G4s or using a true fog pod.

    His pods are 2x the output of Morimotos.
     
  5. Jun 1, 2018 at 5:54 PM
    #2885
    XenonDepot

    XenonDepot Well-Known Member Vendor

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    @ToyoDrew - we are in Canada, so we can’t ship USPS. The price we quoted is for UPS expedited shipping (which is 2-3 days from Canada) — hence the price..

    Having said that, send me a PM with your info if you’re still interested, I’ll see what I can do for a TW member :)

    @RobP62 - thank you for all of your support :)
     
    ToyoDrew, bobrown14 and RobP62 like this.
  6. Jun 1, 2018 at 6:23 PM
    #2886
    mrproduxn

    mrproduxn Well-Known Member

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    Headlights are installed. Adjusting cutoff this weekend. Pretty close now. Same high beam orientation as the original headlights.

    20180601_202247.jpg
    Pro headlights.jpg
     
  7. Jun 1, 2018 at 8:12 PM
    #2887
    Techsan

    Techsan Well-Known Member

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    Nice! Link to what you bought?
     
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  8. Jun 1, 2018 at 8:23 PM
    #2888
    mrproduxn

    mrproduxn Well-Known Member

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    bobrown14 likes this.
  9. Jun 1, 2018 at 8:43 PM
    #2889
    RobP62

    RobP62 NVR20LD

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    Looks bad ass Steve! Nice job!
     
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  10. Jun 2, 2018 at 12:15 AM
    #2890
    RobP62

    RobP62 NVR20LD

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    Sup guys? So I had a chance to get both the High Beam and Low Beam Xenon Depot Extreme Pro H11 LED kits adjusted and installed today. Here's a link to the bulbs this review is about:

    http://www.xenondepot.com/H11-Xtreme-LED-kit-pro-p/xt-led-h11-pro.htm

    Some things to think about for those of you just coming into the thread at this point. About mid way through a lot of testing was done by a lot of people and these guys went to great lengths to provide some of the best reviews I have ever seen. Their contributions are what have carried this thread to nearly 3k posts. I myself was schooled in this thread, and made my decisions based on those reviews. I really appreciate all they have done for everyone. I suspect because of them the 3k post mark will continue to grow. This technology continues to evolve and continues to get better. So to all of them I say "Thank you" !

    Also for the new guys coming in, my review for the Hikari Philips LEDs in the High Beam and Low Beam slots showing before and after adjusting the vertical (up) position is here:

    https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/led-lighting-conversion.436865/page-119#post-17566761

    This is not my final review of the Xenon Depot LEDs. Heat and durability tests will follow.

    Just so we are clear, I did not readjust the vertical because I wanted to be able to compare these to the Hikari's I had in there as is, in a real world, my world, situation. For those of you that are new, I drive city, highway, county and finally country roads. The deer here in Maryland are proliferant and seeing them before it's too late can save your life. The OEM Halogens were ok but after seeing the reviews in this thread I knew there were better options.

    So this final installation review will just be about the Xenon Depot Xtreme Pro LEDs. It's been a while since my Hikari review so now everything is green and grown in which will also change how the photos look. It's crazy how that can happen here is just a couple months.

    I want to start with some up close shots to show off some things. Sorry about the dirty windshield and forgetting to turn off the garage security light. The mosquitos were tearing me up. Also, it was a little foggy and with the A/C on in the truck it was making the windshield a mess. If these pics are not adequate say so and I will reshoot them when the weather is better. Right now it is pouring rain.

    So if you saw my previous Xenon Depot Extreme Pro H11 post you were there for the install. At the time though I didn't get into the low beam install because I thought there wasn't enough room. Steve from @XenonDepot assured me they would work and to prove it he sent me another kit. He was right. They do fit, and fit fine.

    Naturally I had to move the reservoir out of the way by removing the two 10mm bolt screws and pulling it back towards the air box. No biggie. I did the same thing for the Hikari's.

    20180601_131000.jpg
    Yes it's a tight fit but after positioning the heat sink fins all inward I had no problems.

    20180601_131846.jpg

    Once I got the low beam bulb fins how I liked them I worked on the high beam.

    20180601_132823.jpg

    I pulled all the wiring inboard and hung the drivers from the cross brace with a wire tie. This puts the drivers out in the open for better ventilation.

    The drivers side has more room than the passenger side so things over there look a little nicer. Of course when you have bear paw hands and fingers like sausages anything like this always looks a little worse than if someone with normal sized hands does it. Overall I am very pleased with my results.

    20180601_135048.jpg

    I should also point out that I left myself room to stick a long flat head screw driver down to the adjustment knob should I want to adjust them vertically.

    The install is pretty straight forward. I did make sure that all the diodes were at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, even on the low beams. You can tell when they are correct because they align with the back of the led and it's evident when the holes drilled into the top of the assembly shown here are at 12 o'clock. I'm talking about the area just behind the blue gasket with the black wire coming out of:

    20180601_133539.jpg

    Again, due the size of my hands and me wanting these to be as perfect as possible, including separating the fins (heat sink) as much and as uniform as possible, it does take longer than 5 minutes LOL. I was actually out there a couple of hours.

    Right, again, for the new guys, in case you missed it in my previous post, these LEDs are adjustable. There is a tiny set screw, and with the provided allen wrench (and two extra screws) you are able to "clock" the diodes so they are exactly at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock shown here:

    20180525_184157.jpg

    This allows you to position them in the high beam at the perfect position, with the diodes at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock as shown here:

    20180525_184250.jpg

    Install complete it was time for some cool beverages and to wait for dark so I could get out there and take some night time pics.

    First is color. These things are white hot white! Not blue, not yellow, WHITE! These following shots are me outside the truck and the truck is a good 30 or 40 feet away from the garage. Because my driveway falls off downhill at about where I parked the lights appear very high. I assure you and you will see in the rest of the below pics they are not.

    The first couple of pics not only show how clearly you can see the cut off line, but, I also want to point out that there are two boxes of light above the cut off. If you look at the OEM halogen bulbs you will see they also have these "boxes". It was pointed out that these are to help illuminate overhead roadway signs but not cast glare into oncoming traffic. Plain and simple, the Hikari's do not have this feature.

    20180601_225207.jpg

    Here's another shot with me closer to the garage to help emphasize them:

    20180601_225345.jpg

    (Note, the dark area at the top of this photo is the windshield tint strip and nothing else)

    Here's a shot of both the Lows and Highs with me outside of the truck. The angle of the shot, and the truck skews the pattern a little.

    20180601_225256.jpg

    Keep in mind the fog lights on the 3rd gen turn off when you turn on the high beams yet look at how nice the low beam pattern is spread out to the bottom of the garage door there on the left. Again, skewed by the angle so the right is a little higher.

    Here is a really nice up close shot to show off how evenly the light pattern cast is from the high beams.

    20180601_225402a.jpg

    Ok, enough of the up close shots and light patterns. Those shots all prove that the light is bright, white and evenly distributed. Now lets look at some real world shots.

    Here is that lane behind my house that is approximately a football field long until where it turns left and disappears farther into the woods.

    Just Low Beams, no fogs, no DRLs:

    20180601_223227.jpg

    Here is the same setting and position with the high beams added to the mix:

    20180601_223327.jpg

    Pretty bad ass if you ask me. It's so very smooth and evenly dispersed.

    Let's look at some shots out on the road now. Notice how in all these roadway shots that the light cut off is definitely low enough not to be obtrusive to oncoming traffic.

    This next shot is of the road I pull out of the driveway onto. It goes downhill to a culvert and turns left. That distance is also about a football field away. Can you see the culvert and turn? You can cheat and look for the reflectors.

    20180601_223628.jpg

    How about now? Is this better with the high beams on?

    20180601_223633.jpg

    That could save your life there! This is why having the correct lighting makes all the difference up in the woods at my house.

    Here's another example of the same type of setting. There is a area on the left that is protected by the state, and on the right is a horse farm and pasture that is only 20' away from the road. Deer love to cross here day and night.

    20180601_223737.jpg

    The road on the left ahead of this spot is about 4 football fields away. Now can you see it?

    20180601_223742.jpg

    Again, it's all about seeing those big green eyeballs before it's too late!

    Here's a pic below of the same road, I drove to the end of and turned around and I am heading back to my house. I just wanted to show this one because the field on the right is a co-op fruit and vegetable farm. We've made that turn onto the road at this point and have come up on herds of deer just standing everywhere, including the center of the road. They like to graze in the field, especially on foggy nights. Again, being able to see those big green eyeballs in time is a life saver.

    They also love to cross at the house with the white picket fence at the edge of the field and the only thing that helps you to see them is the dark of their body against the white fence, if your lights are bright enough. If not, well, you can go much slower. The speed limit by the way on all these roads is 50 mph.

    20180601_224101.jpg

    Now my summary. But first go back and look at the photos again. And again, this is the link to the bulbs:

    http://www.xenondepot.com/H11-Xtreme-LED-kit-pro-p/xt-led-h11-pro.htm

    Ok, so what do we know and have seen?

    1) We know these LEDs have a drilled, flexible heat sink and not any fans for cooling. There are two camps on which is better but a major advantage heat sinks have over fans is when you are making water crossings, even though your fans are IP67 rated, they are still running under water. I suppose those tiny fans can withstand that dirty, muddy water. Some guys are firm believers that less moving parts is always better. I am one of those guys. Now, as far as heat goes. I did some preliminary tests with a laser thermometer and the temps I was getting after being on for 20 minutes during the day were under 120 degrees right at the last piece of the heat sink before it gets to the back of the bulb assembly. They were cooler at the ends of the fins. What I want to do is drive the truck for like an hour and then take a temp measurement. Stay tuned for that. Likely tomorrow. Just an FYI though, after 20 minutes I was able to touch the heat sink fins and the drivers. No problem.

    2) We know these LEDs can be adjusted by simply loosening a set screw and turning the mounting tabs. This "clocking" makes it possible to assure that these bulbs are oriented with the diodes at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. The shaft or "blade" that they are mounted to is also thinner than most bulbs I have seen. This clocking ability and the thin blade design aspects of this LED make these bulbs closely resemble an incandescent bulb which casts light in a 360 degree radius. This is exactly the attributes you want in an LED bulb. Especially in the high beam socket/housing of the 3rd gen Tacoma. However I am sure any headlight assembly would benefit from these bulbs.

    3) The low beam bulbs when adjusted correctly cast the "light boxes" which illuminate overhead signs just like OEM Halogen bulbs do, except these are brighter and whiter.

    4) The high beams when adjusted correctly cast very uniform light patterns and provide a excellent source of light extremely far down the road.

    5) The price of these bulbs when you catch a sale (like today, 20% off $200 + free shipping) make them competitively priced with other widely used bulbs. Less than some.

    6) Installation is plug-n-play and besides the heat sink set up, can take up to two hours for some people. Less for others.

    7) Looking at the photos above, we know that these bulbs are more than adequate for illuminating any on or off road scenario where maximum light is needed.

    8) I personally know that the Xenon Depot customer service is freakin' awesome. Steve and I talked on the phone a couple of times and I felt satisfied each time. Customer service and satisfaction is key with me. I am older and know what those use to stand for. I feel like Xenon Depot, Steve/Danny do too as well.

    Now, remember, I was asked to provide an unbiased review on these bulbs. I was asked to give my honest opinion of them. I was asked to say they failed in any way if that was the case. I feel like I have delivered these results to you all while fulfilling these requests. I still want to do some temp tests and some long term durability tests but so far I am completely satisfied with these bulbs and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

    Well, it's nearly 3:00 am EST so I think I am done for the night. Stay tuned for updates though.
    Thanks,
    Rob
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2018
  11. Jun 2, 2018 at 9:45 AM
    #2891
    bobrown14

    bobrown14 Well-Known Member

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    Real world seat of pants comparo to the Hikari?? As good or better?

    Different price tag so are they $25 better per lamp?? Thats almost 1/3 more coin. So 1/3 better??

    I was looking at your new pics vs the Hikari pics side by side. They look pretty close to me.

    I installed Hikari in my new Bro Pro HLs

    20180531_153755.jpg
     
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  12. Jun 2, 2018 at 9:49 AM
    #2892
    mrproduxn

    mrproduxn Well-Known Member

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    I am sticking with Hikaris. I don't mind the fans, the output is great, I modified to correct the orient and I never liked the cumbersome heat shrink blades of other brands.
     
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  13. Jun 2, 2018 at 10:43 AM
    #2893
    RobP62

    RobP62 NVR20LD

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    I'm glad you took the time to respond. This is exactly the input the vendor wanted.

    Real world? I'd say definitely as good, side by side, but for some maybe better. It's my personal opinion but my first reaction was that I was going to have to lower the headlights back down because I felt these had a little more "flood" like characteristics. I only encountered two vehicles last night so that aspect is inconclusive. I did not get flashed.

    The obvious differences basically come down to heat sinks vs fans, and simple ajustability vs custom ajustability (which I wasn't confident to do). Let's not forget customer service. I kind of remember someone having a issue with bulbs bought on Amazon, and a not so pleasant outcome. It would be nice to be able to talk to someone if there were problems. As far as cost, these are much less than the GTR Gen 3s, and not much more than the Hikari's. The recent sale actually made them less.

    As an added bonus, there's also the possibility for group buys since @XenonDepot is a vendor here.

    Yea Steve, you definitely have a great setup. If I was as skilled as you I might be in the same mind set. The Hikari's not being aligned would bug me more now than before knowing how easily the Extreme Pros can be adjusted. Again, if I had your skills........but I don't. I thought the heat sinks would bug me too but they really don't.

    Glad you posted up considering your opinion is well respected and you are one of the OG pioneers here.
     
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  14. Jun 2, 2018 at 10:56 AM
    #2894
    mrproduxn

    mrproduxn Well-Known Member

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    More like OG-RE

    ogre.jpg
     
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  15. Jun 2, 2018 at 10:58 AM
    #2895
    styner1989

    styner1989 Active Member

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    I did end up buying the Xenon Depot Extreme Pro H11 LED kits for my high and low beams last night. With the current sale and 5% cashback bonus from Chase with paypal purchase they end up being $167 so $12 cheaper than the Hikari. I do like that the Xenon Depot kit allows for adjustment without having to modify the bulb. I know we do not have much real world data on the Xenon Depot kit from tacoma users yet but after reading this initial review on them I think they will be great. Hopefully they get to me in time to install before I have to leave town for a week next weekend.
     
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  16. Jun 2, 2018 at 11:11 AM
    #2896
    mrproduxn

    mrproduxn Well-Known Member

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    If I did not already own the Hikaris I would probably try the Xenon brand. I am sure the output is as good and it appears customer service is good. Having already invested in the Hikari brand I will ride them out. The best thing is that we are in a new era of good reasonably priced LED bulbs. That is good for everyone. It is just nice knowing that we can buy quality bright white bulbs without the expense and additional components required for HID's. Competition is always a good thing. I searched for over a year before being confident that LED's were a good replacement for halogens. Does anyone buy halogens now. I guess we will see what happens in the next few months. Being a 2 wheel driver I expect no issues with fans. If I were an off-roader I would have concerns. The manual drilling adjustment is a downer on the Hikari brand. I certainly understand the concerns. That is a big plus on Xenon and will win over a lot of new customers. Keep up the good work Rob. Will keep an eye out for your next review on the new LED condom lights. I already like their slogan. We're coming.
     
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  17. Jun 2, 2018 at 11:14 AM
    #2897
    RobP62

    RobP62 NVR20LD

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    HAHAHAHA funny!
     
  18. Jun 2, 2018 at 11:20 AM
    #2898
    RobP62

    RobP62 NVR20LD

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    Nice! When you get them if you have any questions I can help out with let me know.
     
  19. Jun 2, 2018 at 11:24 AM
    #2899
    RobP62

    RobP62 NVR20LD

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    I hear ya :thumbsup:

    And I think you're just making up that last part, and yea, I laughed anyway.

    :cheers:
     
  20. Jun 2, 2018 at 11:58 AM
    #2900
    styner1989

    styner1989 Active Member

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    I appreciate it. If I run into any issues installing or adjusting to 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock I will reach out for advice.
     
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