2018 TRD needs LED headlamps

Surprisingly I haven't found this in a search, close but not exactly. So my 2018 TRD has the old school type bulbs and I'd like to upgrade to LED. Can I get a recommendation for a reputable brand that fits this year and is also worth a crap. I don't mind a little spending for the right thing.

 

What bulbs you looking at doing ? Interior? head lights? tail lights? MESO Customs has great LED products if you can catch em while not sold out.

 

My bad, I'm talking about headlights. I fixed the title. Thanks

 

OEM Led headlight swap will be your best and most reliable option. The projectors in your halogen headlights don’t have the optics designed to handle the orientation of led or hid lighting.

 

Oh my you are getting into an Highly opinionated subject that can run with suggestions from reasonable cost all the way up to you got a pile of cash with nothing better to throw it at. I been running the Sylvania H11 LED in the low beams and the Sylvania 9005 in the high beams for 21 Months Now and No issues at all. I am sure there are others that may be better however I have not seen a reason to plunk down the dough for something like that yet.

 

x2

 

To my eyes this Lasfit LA series LEDs work perfect with stock housing. In the testing section I have even compared with the 4runner factory LED Headlights. Very happy how these LED perform with the cutoff line.
https://youtu.be/YcW5-EwZ-HI

Even though Lasfit 9005 the highbeam is really bright the DRL is not dim as I'd like to. Xenon depot LED Pro with provided DRL driver (do not use the LED driver also provided) is perfect for DRL but not bright as Lasfit.
https://youtu.be/7W3I3PP0QT8

 

Does anyone sell a complete set of LED bulbs that includes high, low and fog? All I see is high/low packages.

 

You realize Fogs lights wouldn't come on simultaneously with High Beams.
You can get OEM/aftermarket LED Fogs assemblies on the cheap.

 

I have these on my Limited. They look and perform like the factory TRD Pro LED fogs.

https://amzn.to/40DBUgK

Haven't tested these in fog but TRD Pro factory LED lowbeam and fog combo worked perfectly in fog for me. Since my Lasfit light pattern looks similar to factory LED I assume this Lasfit and Amazon fog light combo would perform same. Maybe...

Edit-
Here a pic how they look on my Limited. (Cropped to show just the fogs)

 

I just looked at the various options for upgrading the dismal OEM lighting on my 2018 Limited (the low beams and fog lights are unsafe for driving on winding roads without street lights IMO), and yesterday I ordered a Morimoto LED kit with low beams, high beams, running lights and turn signals to replace the stock housing and lights. It is a plug and play module that uses multiple bulbs for the low beams. I got the slightly lower priced all white lights; the more expensive one has a yellow turn signal and is a little flashier looking. The lower priced module is slightly discounted right now and Morimoto has a rebate program if you send them your OEM lighting. They will rebate $100 for 5th gen 4Runner lights in decent condition, which saves you figuring out how to dispose of them.

For the fog lights, I ordered the yellow Diode Dynamics SS3 Sport, which is their lowest priced model, without the backlighting. I've seen several videos on them and the lighting they put out looks great. They get nearly universal 5 star reviews for their performance and reliability. They light up the foreground and cast light out at a pretty wide angle so you can see curves ahead as well as wildlife that's off the road. The yellow lighting provides more contrast so you can see rocks and ruts more easily when driving off road.

I need better than adequate lights on my vehicle, including the fog lights. I am a hobbyist photographer and often drive on pitch dark roads before sunrise and after sunset, including on the Blue Ridge Parkway where high elevation locations are often socked in with fog. I'm taking a 2 month trip to Colorado, Utah and Arizona where I want to be able to drive off road in the dark to be at some photo locations for sunrise and sunset. These are times when wildlife tends to be active and you need to see the road and its immediate surroundings to be able to drive at even 25-35 mph safely.

Both the Morimoto and Diode Dynamics lighting are street legal. I don't want to blind oncoming drivers, didn't want to have any lighting I could only use off road, and didn't want to have any issues with the police. I've seen YouTube videos where lighting companies are peddling low beam substitute LED bulbs that aren't street legal. I clicked through on one link to a recommended bulb and the first thing that appears is a disclaimer you have to check saying you know it's not street legal and will only use it off road. As if anybody is only going to use their low beam headlights off road.

I thought about trying to substitute an LED or HID bulb for the factory halogen low beam, but didn't have confidence that they would give me the lighting I wanted. The new LED lighting modules use multiple bulbs and I presume there's a reason for that, so I decided to just bite the bullet and buy what I thought I needed for the long haul. I'm sure others will disagree with this and think it's a ridiculous waste of money, but we all have our own priorities. A lot of people love lifts and big tires. I've put my money into safety oriented modifications to protect me and my 4Runner - steel skid plates, steel rock sliders, an Anytime Backup Camera to give me a forward view on the navigation screen, and now lighting. Other than those things I have a stock vehicle.

 

Holy Cow WNC2018, that's one thorough response. It should be at the very least a sticky on this forum sub group.

 

Just an FYI its not much of an upgrade. I traded in my 4runner for a new one not long ago. Honestly I was disappointed Our Camrys LED headlights are night and day compared to the 4runner.

 

I have done the same and its perfect for me with my aftermarket BD fogs lights. Keep a spare set of modified H11's just in case.

 

Morimoto 2 stroke 3.0, they're LEDs made for halogen housings

 

All aftermarket "drop in" LED bulbs claim to be made for halogen housings. Don't get me started on how false those claims are from an engineering standpoint.

 

I'd love to learn if there's any documentation saying they are not to be used on the 5th gen 4Runner halogen projector housing. Definitely would help us to under stand the engineering standpoint.
No, this is absolutely not sarcasm. Genuinely trying to learn and understand why these drop in LEDs perform identical to my factory LEDs vs engineering standpoint says otherwise. Is there any pics comparing 5th gen halogen projector vs led projector internals?

 

I'd be glad to answer your questions.

First, here's why drop in LED bulbs just don't work in housings designed for halogen bulbs - no matter what the marketing hype says:

Why Most LED Headlight Upgrades Don't Really Work: An Expert Explains (jalopnik.com)
and
Why LEDs should not be run in Halogen reflectors | Tacoma World

I will offer that running drop in LED bulbs in a projector housing leads to much less glare for oncoming drivers than non-projector housings, but it's still not an optimal solution. If it was, why don't OEM's just add drop in bulbs to their standard halogen housings and say the vehicle now has LED lighting? Because that solution won't meet federal lighting standards.

What about the newer factory LED headlights? Is the factory / OEM LED projector housing different than the halogen projector one? Absolutely yes. Is it better? Oh yea! See the review below.

3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights | Page 252 | Tacoma World
See post #5031 and #5237.

Hope that helps!

 

I was expecting a scientific test comparing things like focal lengths between the two (halogen projector vs LED projector unit), then comparing the measurements between halogen filament vs different LED chips.

May be my brain is not that good that I thought its the same tests I do as an amateur to see a perfect cutoff line and beam pattern. Only thing I don't have a light meter to measure how bright at the hit spot.

Anyways thanks for sharing those may be it will help someone.

 

Anyone got pictures of the Sylvania LED's?

Preferably installed on their rig and turned on .... not brand new in the box. Lol

 

I'd recommend HIDs, I love mine. They have been bullet proof for 5 years now

 

I have installed Sylvania Powersport LEDs H11 and 9005 in a 2009 Camry. Bright and aimed correctly from factory without blinding oncoming traffic.

 

Don't bother with "drop-in" LED bulb junk. The majority are pure garbage and even the tested "best" are barely as performant as proper halogen bulbs. Just upgrade to the newer OEM LED headlights using the adapters made by Dave at FBC.

https://fbchs.square.site/product/4...true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=4

You can find headlights on FB marketplace, the forums, etc from other people "upgrading" to aftermarket headlights. Don't bother, just get the OEM LED headlights, aim them, and drive happy.

 

HIDs are awesome, perfect drop in solution. Over 4 years with mine and they are an awesome upgrade!

 

I installed the Sylvania 2 years ago on my 2020 Trd Pro in both low beams and High and they still work just as good as Day one as for those who say the drop in LED are junk maybe for some other brands but after 2 years with them them they are not going to convince me that they are "Junk". and when I get time I am grabbing a set to put in my Tundra at $99 bucks a pair with a 5 year warranty and no fuss and perfect fit yeah I recommend them.

 

I'll try to remember to take a couple of Pictures in the morning.

 

I apologize. When I say that they are junk, I do not mean to argue with assertions like "people pay money for them and they make light". What I mean is that they are dimmer than the halogen bulbs they are trying to replace. You can observe comparative distance projection data for Sylvania LED bulbs here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ector-headlights.589465/page-72#post-21596941

You can also buy a cheap lux meter and verify these observations for yourself.

 

My eyes must be fooling me and I am Just "wanting" to see them brighter further down the road lighting up the road Signs with a glow that the halogen bulbs did not do with a more clear white light than the not so bright yellow casting halogen that you had to be right on top of the road signs.

 

Yep.

 

What LEDs are these?