Headlight comparison stock vs others

By trial and error I kept on looking for the best, non glaring to oncoming traffic I could find. I took all these photos in the same spot give or take 1' and cell phone camera front and center on the steering wheel to try for accurate pics. No fog lights in any picture.
All of these were aligned per speck using a laser level for accuracy. Most shops or streets are pitched for drainage so it's very hard to find a perfect flat spot at 25'!
I've got explanations at end of the post about the different findings.

This link can explain much better than I could. Simply put the 4runner projectors with any non halogen bulb will mess with oncoming traffic because of the horrible spread of emitted light. It's a good read and suggest you read it. All the manufactures and reputable sellers have disclaimers on all the headlight bulb websites, usually in small print about Led and Hid bulbs are not street legal in the US in stock halogen projectors.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-hid-vs-led-vs-halogen-h11-projector-headlights.589465/

Special thanks to @mynameistory for trying to tell people about how bad these bulbs are in stock projectors. I could have saved money had I listened!

This first picture I would like you to notice the dotted line of reference(the crack fill in the asphalt) on all the lights of how the different lights spread up close. The other marks show where the usable light stops and how far the beams project. Also note the height the light cast on the tree trunks to the right side. Remember all these lights are laser aligned for an accurate comparison.
# Look at the parking bays to the right. Some bulbs/ headlights barley clear the second stall. H9 and others goes to the 3rd bay and beyond with usable light













1. Stock oem H11 philips
So the halogen does not have the "cool white" look but they have more usable light than any HID or LED that I've used. We all know the stock lights are terrible!
2. H9 philips - Halogen
Easy cheap replacement, hours of reading no ones melted wires or lenses. Easy to trim the bulb tab once you do it. may be intimidating before hand, just do it!
3. H11 philips xtreme 100 - Halogen
I found them just as good as the H9 without a need to cut the bulb socket. People say the longevity is bad but for the bang for buck of being able to see over stock a good investment. Other members have noted many other H11's that are as good, some claim better but I did not try them.
4. Xenondepot HID 5k
I found the lighting good but the side and further out usable light are not that good. People would flash me often.
5. Gen 1 Morimoto LED headlights
The XB is the worst of the bunch! Poor upfront and side visibility and no usable light out front where you need to see while driving. Many members that held onto them are on their 2nd or more warranty replacements as the LEDs are burning out. Most get the replacements and sell them new in box. Can not speak for Gen 2 but others claim they are better. I have not seen adequate pictures to verify. Perhaps someone can post them?
6. Xenondepot Philips XV2 HID
They are much better than the 5k, however mine and other members have posted about bright and dark spots projected onto the road and move with the vehicle. I call then the Dalmation bulbs they were that spotty. Hard to see in the picture but its there. Due to spots in asphalt I didn't notice until driving.
7. GTR Ultra 2 LED H11
Picture shows great lighting. I had people tell me the light hurt their eyes (passengers in the rig) - Not good for sensitive eyes or oncoming drivers.
8. Stock Anzo headlight with H7 halogen bulb
These lights look amazing in the day, the LED strip is a good daytime running light. Usable light is good, better than stock. Side lighting lacks but overall driving at night is much improved!
9. Morimoto projector retrofit (or Kustom 54 headlights) with BiLed 2
The BiLed2 is amazing, the picture does not do it justice, the projector is perfect being that it does not mess with oncoming traffic! Personally I won't use the brights or the fog lights because they just are not needed but have tested them. The brights are insane but really should not be used to flash people unless you want to hurt them. (currently this is my choice)
10. Alpharex Nova Led headlights
So you must have guessed I'm a lighting junkie and I had to try these, I think they look sharp as heck in the daytime with the DRL. Two reasons I could not keep them nor could I recommend them.
- The light is intensely bright directly in front of the rig. So much the fog lights can't be seen when they are on. The problem? Look out in the picture and see the projected distance along with the side light(cast on the trees). The cutoff is short and Fact - Eyes are naturally drawn to bright lights (google that, it's real). That said in city traffic they are fine. Anything else you find your eyes drawn to the light and away from traffic where you really need to be watching! Unlike the morimoto gen one their is usable light but very dim way out and to the sides(see the tree). I found that by using my hand and blocking the bright light the usable light was adequate but not very convenient. For me, with the eyes being drawn to the bright light gave me a headache on longer night road trips. I did aim them 6" above the alignment point and was able to get better results with the bright spots being close but was annoying people as they flashed and it would light up the tree trees while driving.
- Alpharex has this awesome startup sequence that is pretty darn cool! So much I found myself unlocking the doors walking out of stores just so I could see them, lol. What they do not advertise is that they stay on ~20-30 seconds after you get out of the rig. Makes for good exit lighting but I do not care for it and no way to set it for instant shut off.
Also on the 2020 models beware the tap they provide for the fuse box does not fit.
They offer a mid level projector I've read good things about

 

Great comparison

 

What I find interesting is how friggen narrow the XB headlight beam pattern is. For costing over a grand it appears to be the narrowest beam pattern without even being the brightest.

 

Yep, they missed the boat with the XBs. Glad I was able to return them

 

Lasers....

 

Great review! I will post pics when I decide on what to go with.
P.S. are these with fogs on or off? (Halogen or LED?)
Thanks,
Pics & Info much appreciated.

 

They are all labeled what bulb or headlight they are. None have the fogs on

 

What did you end up leaving in?

Looks like the stock halogens aren't as bad as people claim.

 

I would like it if the Phillips XV2s would work, light output had bright and dark spots that were hard on the eyes while driving. If the light spread was even they would be awesome, great output.
What did I end up with......I may try to grind down the GTRs as they have great reviews. Otherwise I'm not sure, might stick with H9 and check often to make sure nothing melts

 

I put the H9s in mine.

Melted the shit out of my headlights.

Just kidding. They work great!

If there was even a single incident of h9s melting anything, you wouldn't hear the end of it here.

Which makes me think there's nothing to worry about.

 

Well, aside from having to grind down the bulb housing to fit, I think I'll be running these


Updated 1st post with these. Had the Phillips not been all spotty, they would have been a winner with better lighting. The GTR's have an even brighter white. Just to test I drove in a friends civic as they drove the runner towards me, no obnoxious glare!

 

Those look good!

Now if they only fit without grinding

Not that it's hard to grind down. Just sucks you have to eager beaver that shit to get it to fit.

 

Lol, yeah I was eager to get them in! Forgot to mention I ran the infrared temp gun on them and they were 110- 130 depending what part. over 70 less than H9 and less than stock.
Also size may be due to 2020 runners??? Others have them in with zero issues, no grinding

 

Why you return the xbs... what happened

 

Are the vx2 to bright for incoming traffic

 

I could see better again. If you look up close by the hood, no light on either side made it bad when making turns. A fix is driving with fogs, just for that $$$ should have been thought out better.

 

The problem with them was I driving around looking like a dalmatian. The lights cast bright and dark spots on the road. Hard to tell in a parked picture but when they follow you down the road in was annoying

 

Wow the HIDs are awesome

 

Quoting just to compare the oem to the GTR ultra 2 next to each other...

What exactly did you have to grind to make them fit?

 

Pics show where it hit.(only passenger side, driver's fit fine) ended up had to grind down 2 tabs on the bulb. Read on another forum headlight revolution is making another gtr to fit right in. Wouldn't hold your breath though. I was fine with the color. It did however give the GF a headache saying it hurt the eyes. Cant speak for all people as not many had kept that thread rolling on the other forum

 

Thank you.

 

Added Phillips H11 X-tremeVision +100% to the 1st post

 

Awesome thread, thanks so much for posting this thread. It helped a newb such as myself decide what to swap into my truck.

Edit: Just dropped the hammer on the GTR's, H9's and the 9005's. Thanks again!

 

I am pleased with the Morimoto's I put in the low beams last week

 

One thing I noticed is with stock H11s there's typically a dark spot front and center. H9s fill in that spot. Only difference I see in the bulb is H11s are coated(covered) on the tips and H9 are not

 

Would would be the best for just plug and play? I need to get a set for my wife's 4runner and my taco.

 

I'm running this one but only because I wanted to try it. When I get time the H9s will be going in. They are not hard at all to modify, and not sure why people buy the adapter. 1st time I did H9 it took a few minutes, would have been quicker but was looking for tools

 

Will the higher wattage matter? My 4runner only have 200 miles on it

 

I'm a worry wart and was worried about the heat, melting wires etc. Little forum searching of the 100s that have the H9 convinced me not to worry about it as no ones come out and reported a problem

 

On my old truck, I ran 55w ballasts, then switched to 35w ballasts after I noticed that the light output in the left projector was developing dark spots. My guess, the 55w was too hot and was starting to damage the projector. The base where the bulb twists in was pretty burnt looking too. My recommendation, don’t go 55w. 35w is plenty.