Headlights

Ok I have read until my eyes have crossed but I think I have a plan for my 2020 so guys let me know if I am on the right track. I have read about the H11 to H9 swap but bulb life seems to be an issue. I have read HID is not meant for our projectors but they work. HID cannot be used for bright because of warmup time and also the DRL would be full bright. I have read mixed about LED. Yes a quality retrofit would be ideal but $$. So here is my plan:

Low Beam: Xenon Depot HID kit. They have 4k, Philips 4.3k, Philips VX2 4.8k, and 5-8k. Which should I choose? I know I will probably have to do some alignment.

High Beam: Xenon Depot 9005 LED kit with the DRL driver which eliminates flicker and gives factory equivalent DRL and also high beam function.

Does this sound like a good route? Thanks.

 

Yes HID have really nice beam pattern for a low beam. However couple of weeks back I was testing GTR Ultra 2 LEDs on my low beams and very impressive how LEDs have improved. They had almost good wide spread light output as my HIDs. I'm also happy that it looks OEM vs the wiring mess I had with HIDs. However LEDs does not put any heat to the front of the housing which I'm not sure if I would have problems in snowy day if ice would build up on the housing reducing my visibility. Again, not sure as I haven't tested yet.


https://youtu.be/ADUV156Rr7c

 

As for high beams I have faced few problems with LEDs. LEDs like Headlight Revolution SV4 have really good highbeam light output but too bright to be used as a DRL (even with DRL driver). LEDs like Xenon depot LED pro are very good as DRLs since it gives nice dim light output as DRL but not bright as SV4s as a highbeam.

https://youtu.be/7W3I3PP0QT8

 

I've used that exact combination with 5500K HIDs. The HIDs are brilliant. BUT... As you've probably read in other threads, the position of the of light emitting element in the HID bulb is different than a stock bulb, so it changes the geometry of the reflection. What does that nerd stuff mean? It means that, for me, I really had to crank the light adjusters down to keep the bright light out of other folks' eyeballs. The side effect of that is that it made my high beams all but useless since they shined right in front of the car instead of a land far, far away. Since then I've switched to the Xenon Depot LED low beams so I can get the headlights adjust back up to normal. Truth be told, though, I really liked the HIDs better. Now that I have a light bar in my bumper that outshines my high beams, I might consider putting the HIDs back in.

I do have the LEDs with DRL module in the high-beam spot, and they're just right.

 

I do not have any experience with the HID low beams( I went with Diode dynamics SL1) but am very happy with my Xenon Depot Hi beams with DRL driver. No issues at all and are plenty bright for me.

 

So should I possibly change my game plan to all LED instead of HID low and LED high?

 

Well, that’s a decision only you can make. But the longevity of LEDs is undeniable. I do like mine and the whiter color of the LEDs.

 

As most all 4runner owners I just want better lows over factory halogen so if LED will give me that I'm good even though HID would potentially be better I'll take anything that's an improvement over stock.

 

I tried the XV2 and they had spotted light output. Not much info between forums but one other member said his were the same.
Drives down the road like a Dalmatian with dark and bright spots

 

The good LEDs and HIDs are roughly the same cost, so that doesn't make the decision any easier. But the LEDs are certainly an easier install. No ballasts, no holes to bore through the backs of the headlight covers, no leaks...

 

"LEDs are certainly an easier instal.."
For a 4Runner some times pain in A.. Some LED kits have a bigger driver and its a pain to keep everything inside the housing.


"...backs of the headlight covers, no leaks..."
Because its a tight fit I'm some what concerned about heat deception for the LED circuit. Even though there is a fan there is no where for the heat to go. Its all trapped in a tiny space. (So far mine works with no issue but a concern)



Winter weather driving -
I'm little concern if there will be ice build up and reduce light output while driving in winter weather conditions. Even after driving for hours I felt no heat on front of the housing. Haven't had a chance to test in winter conditions yet.

 

Certainly all legit points. I was wondering about longevity of the LEDs in the housing from a heat standpoint. The XTreme LEDs that I use have the flexible fin heatsinks which makes it easier to fit them than some of the block/fan heatsinks, for sure. I don't recall if I've taken mine through winter yet. It's a bit of a blur when I put them in.

 

After doing HID's, LED's, and a retrofit, I finally settled on what I think is the best solution. Alpharex Luxx, they are DOT legal and have a great amount of usable light with an excellent cutoff.

I've run HID's in OEM housings and while the output was fantastic, as mentioned above they weren't perfect and did have some glare. LED's that I've run didn't match the power of the HID's which left me disappointed. Additionally the LED's had the weirdest flicker, but only when not looking directly at them (in peripherals). Finally I did a Morimoto retrofit, which in my opinion is the best solution if you do it right as it will yield the most usable light, but isn't street legal, and if done wrong will cause fogging.

My final attempt was the Alpharex's, same light output as the HID's but with a clear cutoff, awesome DTRL functionality and instant on due to them being LED lows and highs. They ain't cheap but I feel like its the best all around solution to our crap OEM halogens.

 

I 100% agree with PVT Pablo. AlphaRex is the way to go. I just installed some AlphaRex Alpha Black Nova Headlights and I have got to say that they are hands down amazing! Like PVT Pablo said “They ain’t cheap”, but by all means they are so worth every penny.

 

nice setup, but it was not cheap, was it...

 

Haha, definitely wasn’t cheap, but worth every penny!!

 

Ok so the Alpharex Luxx aren't much more than doing a HID and LED swap. The Nova is about $300 more, what would be the advantage of Nova over Luxx? Also the Morimoto XB seems pretty cool but the general consensus on them is a flop correct?

 

I put the OEM Pro LED foglights along with 5k HIDs in the stock housings (stepped drill bit made it a breeze and I just bought new housing covers for peace of mind) and the improvement over stock was unreal.

Did I find the right ones in my google search showing that the AlphaRex are 470? Is that right? If so IMO that isn't TERRIBLE... they look very nice.

-J

 

There’s a $1200 version as well. Couple of “levels” for their products. They’re price competitive with the Morimoto.

 

Huh... alright makes a little more sense then. Thank you

 

What's the verdict on the Morimoto XB? From my understanding the first generation was not so great quality and reliability wise but don't they have a newer model?

 

Before my purchase of the AlphaRex Nova’s I did a lot of research. There is a YouTube video of the output of light that the AlphaRex Nova produces next to the Morimoto. The Nova beats it. I also read that the Morimoto’s have a lot of problems compared to the Nova’s. Another reason I went with the AlphaRex Nova’s is because AlphaRex is an American based company. Their customer service is amazing.

Just google or YouTube the differences between the Luxx, Nova, and Morimoto.

 

Your right the Alpharex beats gen one morimoto but only in side lighting up front. The 15 buck H9 beats both of them with useable light that’s where you need it. These pics are laser leveled at 25’ and no fogs.
Look for the third parking bay on the right. H9 shows it, others do not. Even stock H11 lights up the 3rd bay

 

That's normal. Peripheral vision is much more attuned to movement than center vision. Same reason why looking right next to a CRT screen amplifies the flickering.

 

Right, the point I'm making was that only the aftermarket drop in LED bulbs did that, the Alpharex LED bulbs do not. Assumedly because Alpharex compensates for the PMW (pulse wave modulation) for the OEM halogens.

Really wish I could find your parking lot and test the Luxx's against the Novas. I'm curious to see the difference.

 

We have a rolling "tape measure" (not sure of its name) at work, I'll grab it and measure from where I park to the 1st three parking areas then I noticed with the H11 it shines light ~25' ?? to the utility boxes after that. That way you cold compare. From what I saw in your pic the light is evenly distributed rather than bright to weak to none like the nova.
Forgot to mention its not the prime photo spot but was where I took the 1st pic from so for all the others I went back