2021 Daytime Running Lights

I’m looking to change out daytime running light bulbs on my 21. Is this easy to do and what bulb is recommended. Is this just a plug and play mod.

 

Which trim do you have?

 

And what are you intending to change them too?

If halogen to LED i’m pretty sure it’s not a direct swap as I believe they’ll become seizure specials with LED’s in a straight swap

 

It’s a 21 SR5 Premium. The headlights and High Beams are LED but the DRL aren’t ( they look yellow) I kinda wanted to switch them to LED.i don’t really understand what you mean a seizure swap ?? I’ve been looking it on YouTube and it gets confusing cause I hear they say as high beams and then I see videos where it’s just a bulb swap ( halogen to led) thanks again

 

If your headlights are led then your drl's are 6 volt bulbs. If you want led bulbs for drl's you have to add a cable. I just did mine and have an extra cable if you want it. You plug it into the passenger side cable and ground the extra wire. You will want to get low lumin bulbs so you don't blind people .

 

The 2021 Limited and Pro have bi-LEDs. All other 2021 trims have LED lows and halogen highs. This means your DRLs are combined with high beams and the halogens are dimmed via PWM, not hooking the halogens up in series like the Limited and Pro and all 2022-2024 trims. You need to find LEDs that work with 2014-2020 model years

 

You can save $ by buying halogen bulbs. Look for 5000K for color temp to match the LED low beam.
Hella makes yellow halogens.
I have amber 9005 bulbs in my lights. I only use the DRL during dusk and dawn.

 

Why would Toyota put both halogen and LED bulbs in it. Seems redundant,to have a mix, just put all LED. I’ve already switched over all my interior to led. Do you have links or part numbers and where to get them to the wire and bulbs you used. Is it an easy switch? Thanks

 

I have tried putting numerous LED bulbs in there. Since Toyota went with the two lights being in series, each bulb is the getting half the voltage. Most LED systems can only go down to 9 volts. I did look at motorcycle lights that would normally be at 6 volts, but I can't find the right size in an LED arrangement. In an LED arrangement

I tried to put in a halogen that had a blue sheathing on it to create a more white light, but it was extremely weak. They are the bulbs are HB3 and you can get them on Amazon for around $15. Again, a weak light on a sunny day, but may be sufficient for what you need and your traffic conditions. I'm in Southern California, a lot of distracted drivers and plain old bad drivers are on the road.

I was actually online today to link my video somewhere else, but I've added this to draw more attention while on the road...

https://youtu.be/2vdVHOCbJA8

 

I thought the halogens run at 6v for low beam, but switch to 12v for high beam (using the same bulb). Wouldn’t putting a LED bulb in there and wiring to 12v mean your DRL would become high beam all the time?

 

When they switched to LED low beams, they Incorporated their projection lens system with a gate.

Low and high beam is now operated in that projector lens. Those have a physical gate that flips inside the unit The single LED light source is used for both low and high settings.

The old high beam is strictly a DRL now. It is Toyota being cheap. They could easily do automatic headlights, but noooooo. Probably because they didn't want to any do anything more than the minimum waiting for the 6th generation to do an actual redesign.

 

I don’t have the mechanical shutter gate high beam. On my 21 4runner (Off Road trim) the low beam is LED, and the high beam is halogen, and it’s the same halogen bulb that is used for DRL.

I believe the bi-LED headlights with the mechanical gate for high beams started on the 22 model year 4runners across all trims.

So if the OP switches the halogen to LED, it probably won’t work on DRL mode, because it’s 6 volt.

A kit was mentioned here to rewire the bulb for 12 volts, but wouldn’t that mean the whatever replacement LED he puts in there will only function as high beams?

 

Toyota probably did that because it cheaper, I’d guess. However, having a halogen high beam on top of the LED low beam also resulted in the best headlight I’ve ever experienced when high beams are on.

I’ve driven some newer highlanders with the Bi-LED headights and have been severely unimpressed by the shutter gate high beam. No change in light intensity, it just unmasks the low beam so the light falls further ahead. The result was a pretty gray monochromatic and dreary, and absolutely dim by comparison to the 21 4runner headlights. To be fair though I’m not sure if newer 4runners with
bi-LEDs are as dim as the highlander’s though.

While I really dislike the sharp cutoff on my LED low beams, the headlights are amazing when the halogen high beam is added to the mix. Very bright, and the incandescent color of the halogens on top of the cold LED color makes it easier to perceive what is far ahead.. It makes the experience much easier on the eyes in dark road conditions.

 

The kit will do nothing for OP. That kit is for the bi-LED headlights to take the halogen DRLs that are wired in series (6V) and change them to parallel (12V). The headlights with a combined DRL and high beam (2014-2020, and select 2021 trims - which OP and you both have) you will just be shorting the positive to ground and blowing fuses over and over. The vehicle is rapidly pulsing the halogen bulb from 12V to 0V and back. With a halogen, that results in bulbs that light up similarly to being constantly supplied 6V. With LEDs, you’re going to get bulbs that flash with the PWM signal.

I believe VLEDs makes a bulb that works for DRL and high beam

 

I drive with my headlights always on. No need to worry about the crappy DRL issue. I also swapped out my turn signal/cornering light, so it's SUPER bright now. If you think the DRL is a joke, look at the turn signal. It's a bulb. A 5watt halogen bulb. Yeah, the kind you'd find in a 1984 Chevy.

STOCK:







AFTERMARKET BULB:

 

I have some random auxbeam led in my drl. No issues on my 22'

 

Very nice. Does that actually cast a fair amount of light to the sides? I need to look into something like this, since the factory LEDS headlights are too bright in very dark conditions, to the point you it’s a black hole anywhere it’s not directly lit. Anything to the sides when making a left turn is pitch black. Ideally, I’d like an amber bulb with that amount of brightness.

 

Yes, yes it does. It's also a switchback, so it's white in "normal" mode and turns amber when I use my turn signal.

 

I installed the same lights in mine, thanks to your post. They work great.

 

I had a flashback as soon as I saw this! (Mostly because I'm old!!) This kind of reminded me of the Cylons on Battlestar Galactica. (Now you know I'm really old!)

 

I don't know how many years ago, probably decades, but some "higher end" cars, such as Caddys & Buicks (probably others) when the turn signal was used to signal a turn, there was a white light on the side, on the fender under the side marker light that would illuminate the path of the turn direction. I thought that was a good thing. I didn't realize until now that those have been gone from cars for a long time. But it would have helped with the black hole that you are referring to.

 

That’s exactly what I want. I remember those cornering lights. But even back then they were for options for the higher end cars. Nowadays I think they try to integrate that into the headlight, to varying degrees of success.

 

Ahh yes. "Fender Markers". You aaaaaaaaaaare old if you remember this (but what does that say about me for remembering it too!). Yeah, they were on the higher end Caddy's, Lincoln's, Chryslers. Those cars also had the opera lights. The lights on the B or C pillar.

 

Yep. I am an expert level Old Fart!!

 

Here's the info you need.

https://www.4runners.com/threads/my-2022-t4r.25781/

 

We rented a Grand Wagoneer yesterday, a light comes on depending on which way you are turning.

 

There you go, that's what I'm talking about. I don't seem to see them very much anywhere.

 

For $125k you can have them again.

 

Ha ha! Yeah... no, not if I would have to have that piece of No thanks. I have never owned a Chrysler / Dodge / Stellantis product, and I never will. Pure garbage.