LED Lights

I have a 99 Tacoma TRD and I want to switch to leds but I'm not sure to get new led headlights or buy an Led conversion kit and where would be the best brand to get?

 

Noe
Here is one manufacturer among many of LED headlight conversion kits for your 1999 Tacoma
I also am looking into a conversion
Its going to be over $140

https://www.carid.com/1999-toyota-tacoma-led-lights/

 

Thanks bud appreciate the help and advice

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-not-led-or-hid.398066/

 

@crashnburn80

 

I bought new housing off eBay and ordered a set of OPT7 led bulbs. There's a huge difference in light output. They are a true white not that blue tint so I like them. Only down fall is even on low beam I get bright lighted a lot.

fitment was ok just like a regular bulb just a little more hassle had to trip the rubber housing to fit around the back side.

When I replace them IPF makes a LED set that's a little more direct fit and has the rubber piece that comes with them to fit the housing and light

 

I did the exact same thing as you, fresh housings and OPT7 bulbs. I ran them for a couple of months, and realized that I was blinding the sh** out of oncoming traffic. If you read this thread, and perhaps another by the same OP, it helped me to understand what was going on. Basically, the OPT7s in those housings scatter light all over the place. I pulled my OPT7's and went with a Phillips style knockoff from eBay, for about $35.00, and they are much better. They have a fairly distinct cut off line, above which you get very little light, which is what is blinding oncoming traffic. Only bummer for me was I waited too long to return the OPT7's to Amazon.

 

Same here. I'm pretty hesitant on spending that kinda money again on new led bulbs. I'll prolly try that upgraded headlight harness and a good set of halogen bulbs next go around

 

Check out this thread as well:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/why-leds-should-not-be-run-in-halogen-reflectors.454371/

 

Another one bites the dust. Read this: in my truck you will find only two incandescent bulbs: in headlights. Everything else (inluding bulbs inside switches) are LED. Why? The answer you find in the thread linked above. Regardless what manufacturers or distributors claim it is physically impossible to design a LED bulb with the light pattern of traditional H4 bulb.

Ok, there is one theoretical possibility: fiberglass line in the shape of fillament. But I have not seen anyone to to figure out the technical challenge yet.

 

Yes i have seen the light too. LOL
LEDs or HIDs have a different light pattern that the headlight relectors are designed for.
That being said i believe one might find plug & play retrofit LED headlight assy's. w/ harness.
It only makes sense given the market out there.

 

I've read some reviews and saw a couple videos and these are the closest ones I've seen to a halogen pattern but at 250 a pair I'd hate to find out they really aren't that much better

 

I've been happy with these philips LED's from Xenondepot. Have the same light pattern as the haolgens I had on before but a much whiter light.

 

Yes, I've seen also that kind of "reviews" for many different LED bulbs. Internet is a whore and take anything for granted.

Put your money where you mouth is. Show the wall pictures.

 

When that scammer kickassleds posted here, I fell for it right away. Crapped out in less than a year and honestly, while I was thrilled with the output, I did not want to be responsible for someone wrecking. So, bottom line - everything is led except headlights. I've tried quite a few but all of them have horrible blinding because of the oem housing. So for me I settled on these:

 

Another option is to retrofit your lights OP, because you can run led's with a projector housing just fine

 

I'm late to the party but looks like the crew pretty much took care of it.

Welcome! Haven't seen you respond to your thread since your original post, but while repeating info, running LEDs in your reflectors isn't a good idea, read this thread to see why:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/why-leds-should-not-be-run-in-halogen-reflectors.454371/U

A much higher performing upgrade for halogen reflectors without doing a projector retrofit is this:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-not-led-or-hid.398066/

The huge difference is a complete loss of beam control, reduced performance way overstated output, and whiter light. Check out my breakdown of Opt7 and why you should never buy them for a halogen reflector:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/why-leds-should-not-be-run-in-halogen-reflectors.454371/

Philips H4 LEDs are actually pretty outstanding, they are the only true reputable manufacture I'm aware of that claim to have solved the glare issue, fixed mount the LEDs in the housing and utilize passive cooling. Only problem is the glare guards are configured for Right hand drive vehicles, not the North America LHD, so while they do have great beam control, it is backward. See wall shots and review here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-vs-philips-led-headlights.460313/

 

why you would is beyond me, HID far surpasses LED in lumens (for now)

 

I wonder if you could "modify" these Phillips (and/or the eBay knockoffs) to adjust the glare guards? Perhaps a dab of high temp silicon to build up the guard for the left, lowering the cutoff on the driver side, and a bit of dremel work to allow more light to go up on the right?? Your thoughts @crashnburn80!

 

That is quite nice review, but regardless how better Philips H4 LEDs are over other "super bright LEDs" the major flaw is still there: geometry. Looking at the bulb mounted, the glare guards are from the bottom so the low beam doesn't bounce of the bottom part of the reflector. That is good, but that design makes 90% of the light bounced of the side side and almost nothing of the top side of the reflector. I'm sure that will create uneven pattern and dark spots especially close to the front bumper. Same thing with high beam. It is just a nature of LED chip having lambertian pattern not uniform like incandescent H4 has.

There is other factor nobody talks about. Light color. Actually "cool white" is worse for your night vision than "warm white". I know blue white looks cool, but from the human eye perspective it is actually bad. The problem is that doesn't matter how bright your light is, you will not be able to see beyond the white beam. It means, you will see less. Looks like a paradox, but it actually works like that. The only benefit of running "cool white" is you may spot brown colored animals easier. I mean dear. They are nearly invisible in halogen light. But if your "cool white" brights are very spotty and powerful, you will not be able to see anything beyond the light beam anyway.

My take is: for normal "traffic" driving low beam halogens are the best. For off traffic (off-road or on empty roads) flood pattern led light bar will be unbeatable. If you are conscious driver and you turn off your brights for traffic on time (on straight flat road I do it at least mile from oncoming traffic) you may be able to link light bar with high beam switch (and switch that link off for road side inspection)