Need help deciding on Headlight Upgrade

Hey guys, I have an '11 tacoma and was looking at upgrading the headlights to a 35W 5500k ddm tuning PLUS HID kit but unsure of what bulb size to get...... my stock bulbs are 9003 but they dont have that size. What size would you recommend ? I saw on another forum that an H4 could fit ? anyone know this for sure or have a review on this upgrade ??

 

Don't get HIDs

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

 

While this is written for LEDs, the same principles apply for HIDs in a halogen reflector. Read this to see why this is a bad idea.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/why-leds-should-not-be-run-in-halogen-reflectors.454371/

If you want HIDs you need a full projector retrofit.

 

Correct. Listen to them.

Do a full retrofit with projectors if you want to run HIDs or LED bulbs. The cutoff on OEM reflectors is basically non existant unless using halogen bulbs.

Relaying a set of halogen bulbs is a cheaper alternative if you dont want to do a full retrofit. Youll retain your OEM lights while maintaining the stock cutoff. Ive had good luck relaying halogen bulbs in multiple vehicles before.

But to answer your question, H4 and 9003 bulbs are the same. I dont recommend doing drop in HIDS thouhg

 

Do this ^

I went the HID (morimotos) route and f**king hated them is not strong enough. They’d flicker 24/7, one side turned off and on intermittently, they give off such strong EMI that it caused static on FM radio... I can go for days...

I removed them and threw them directly in a dumpster. Absolute junk.

 

The static on the radio is a fun side effect many don't talk about.

 

Yeup, I can’t wait for all this HID rave to pass and finally die...

 

Yeah I went down this road with LED headlights then HIDs. In the end standard bulbs just work the best, I run Phillips bulbs in my truck and get about a year or so of use.

 

You should try the upgrade mentioned earlier. 100% brighter than stock, and you also get about a year out of the bulbs.

 

It is something I have been considering, just haven't gotten around to actually doing it yet.

 

What's with the HID hate? 5500k is probably gonna be slightly blue just beware, so if you want pure white stick with 4500k. I went the HID retrofit route and I will never go back to halogen. No issues with flickering, intermittent turning off, etc as some others described. Maybe Pavel from @kustom54lighting can shed some light on reasons why some of you had the issues?

But yes, as others said... Do NOT drop HID bulbs into a halogen reflector. You are a hazard to everyone else on the road if you do that and it's not cool.

If you're gonna go HID I would spend the extra money to make sure your setup is as quality as it can get.

 

The HID hate is around those that run them in stock headlights. I don't think anyone has issue with those that do it properly in retrofits, other than cost.

 

Yeah complaining about getting HID bulbs alone or having a really cheap HID setup made is like doing a pre-muffler chop and complaining about your truck being loud as shit.

 

I didn't want to change the DOT certified correctly engineered OEM headlight assembly, or any wiring. I replaced both lamps with Volsa H4 + 100's http://store.candlepower.com/64205.html. halogen, big increase in light output, correct cutoff, correct color, not melting anything, not blinding oncoming traffic, road legal.
Exact replacement for the Osram 70/65w Hyper H4 bulb, which is no longer available.

 

Agreed. 10000%

 

Do you have any night pics of this set up by chance?

 

I don't have any night road illumination pics, but I can now see the next upcoming road sign beyond the one that was previously illuminated. A guess would be another 100 yards or so down the road, and the ability to see upcoming curves before you see the first sign is a plus. They also light up both ditch lines much better without bright spots like some ditch lights produce, important in deer country.
They throw a noticeably brighter, longer, wider, more uniform light pattern. Perfect for me since I'm nearsighted.
They're about 6 months old, so far so good. I bought a second pair just to have on hand. Could change one along the road somewhere if needed. I wouldn't like driving at night with one out, like some do.

 

Mine were retros... still hated them

 

I changed my headlight & fog light bulbs to Silverstars (I run these in all my vehicles) and love em.

 

+1

Built a relayed harness for mine with ceramic connectors, and run Hella 55/100w bulbs. 55w for normal low-beam goodness, 100w highs to light that effin road up!