The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID)

Also curious if anyone knows of the timing of recurring sales for the 2nd Gen Pro headlights? I know Bosch Toyota has 25% off from time to time.

 

yeah...I've tried different approached on my old A4 and most lasted a few months. If properly sanded and prep'd the spraymax 2k lasts 2 to 3 years....which ends up being less expensive that doing the other stuff every 3 months. Times worth somethign as well.

 

Does anyone know if PPF on headlights affects light output/heat retention/etc?

Getting my roof and hood PPF'd with UV protection film next week and they mentioned doing my headlights since I just replaced them last week to keep them looking new.

 

I did it and didn't notice anything with regards to performance....never checked on heat, but had it on for about 3 or 4 years and the housings seemed fine when I removed it.

 

I had some cheap thin film on for 10yrs. Royal PIA to remove. But protected my headlights... Put better film from Weathertech last summer, haven't looked back.

 

Generally speaking, I wouldn’t recommend films. Any additional layer will reduce output and can diffuse focus. The film can also cause just as much damage to the headlight when you need to remove it as it is designed to prevent. Personally, if going the additional UV protective route I’d prefer a maintenance coating that is applied like a wax and will wear off on its own (where it can be reapplied) not harming the headlight.

 

Ya they also want $150 to do the headlights so I’ll probably pass and just keep up with some sort of protectant. Any recommendations since we’re talking about it?

 

I don’t personally have any specific recommendations, there are plenty of headlight UV protectant products out there. I’m not in a high UV area and garage my vehicles, so it isn’t a concern for myself.

 

I’ve read through the posts, and there has been lots of great information. I have a 2014 RC and the headlights are showing their age. I’m thinking of replacing them with TRD Pro OEM, with upgraded bulbs. Any suggestions/recommendations for me would be appreciated. Especially if I need to retrofit my wiring. Also wanting to add OEM fog lights, but that’s for another thread. Thank you all for sharing your tips and tricks.

 

OEM Pro assemblies are definitely the way to go. Wiring depends on your bulb choice, you can run the Philips Racing Vision +200 on the stock wiring. The low beam is very good, the high beam less so due to the blue coating on the high beam portion of the bulb. If you want max output, the Osram 100/90w bulbs provide it on both low and high beam, but those will require the stand alone wiring harness. The harness is all plug and play, if you can change a headlight bulb and connect a car battery, you can install the harness.

 

Thank you very much. I plan to go with the max output option. I remember reading about a harness earlier, but now I can’t seem to find it. Would someone please point me in the right direction. I’m new at this and any help is much appreciated.

 

All the info is in the first post. This is the harness you need:
https://www.headlightservices.com/Wiring.html

 

Thanks again for the help. All parts have been ordered.

 

Post up your thoughts once you get them installed and take it for a spin!

 

Thanks @crashnburn80 for taking the time to put together this information. Forgive me if it's been covered already, but is it possible to use this setup with a vehicle that runs the headlights for DTRL? I'd like to something like this in my 2007 Yaris winter-mobile with 9003's.

 

Using the relayed harness with high wattage bulbs is not compatible with DTRL. DTRL operates on reduced voltage to the high beam which reduces the high beam output and extends the bulb life. However the reduced voltage will cause the relay to buzz as the voltage will be insufficient to lock the relay into position, which will lead to rapid relay failure. In order to run this mod with the wiring harness and high wattage bulbs you need to disable the DTRL. Otherwise you could select the stock wattage Philips Racing Vision +200 bulbs as a plug and play alternative that would work with the DTRL.

 

Gotcha. I need the DTRL (legally) here in Canada but perhaps there is a mod out the Yaris community to make the turn signals the DTRL like it is on the 2nd gen tacomas. I'd much prefer the look of that honestly. Or even stand alone units in the lower bumper grille.

 

There is a thread where someone else discusses wanting to add DRL to turns in his Yaris, not on TW I believe, I skimmed it last night.

It's possible to use a trailer controller (Toyota or Curt or other) to combine DRL and Turn as if it were brake + turn but I believe the Curt at least might have some delay. I have a spare Curt and I swapped to an OEM Toyota unit on my '02 Tundra but haven't tested how well it keeps up.

The DRL on my '02 Tundra is actually not PWM on the high beam nor 6v (as some of the newer 4Runners which run DRL on 9005 in series) but rather always on low beam. Which was interesting to fully understand b/c it's a bit rare and kind of a head scratcher though I guess it sort of meets the goal.

My plan for both the older trucks is to run VLED switchbacks up front in the corners. White for DRL and amber for Turn. If that's something you'd want in a Yaris, it's not hard to get going. Perhaps the hardest part would be tapping the DRL signal at the stalk at the ECU (typically stalk in DRL mode and parking brake released enable DRL via ECU) which is a ground switched signal, at least in the third gen Tacoma. An aftermarket switch simplifies things.

I plan to use one of the 8 Switch-Pros outputs for DRL and have it ignition triggered by default, that pretty much gets it done in the Tundra. Whereas my '05 Tacoma, I'd like to do a stalk swap to get fog and DRL or auto and try to do something more custom/automated rather than using a Switch-Pros. Both are projects which haven't gotten near the top of the priority queue.

I can definitely see the fun in a stock-like amber DRL + Turn. I think, for whatever strange reason, that I prefer white for DRL.

 

There was a guy wanting to make it happen on the Yarisworld forum but the thread died in 2018. Even reading over his brainstorming schematics was too much for me. I need instructions like "take the blue wire and attach it to the yellow wire" with a clear as day photo to go along with it.

Tentative plan right now is to unplug the DTRL module (it's literally a box tucked under the dash) and install a stand-alone DTRL LED strip kit. I've got some ideas where little trips could make for a clean looking install. That would at least make the headlight and DTRL separate entities.



You're good at this stuff and far more adventurous than I am... I paid a shop to install the switch-pro setup in my truck and stuck to machining stuff for a living. Can't be upset when your truck hasn't burnt to the ground due to lack of knowledge lol. I second the VLED kit though. Very high quality and simple enough for someone like me to handle it.

 

@crashnburn80 I was checking the Yaris last night and I have 12V at that connector all the time. No key, key, headlight ON/OFF - always 12V. Does that still mean it's Ground Switched? Or am I doing it wrong?