Let's talk about headlights...

Check out the Tacoma World link I posted earlier. CrashNburn does legitimate testing/experimentation. And he's all about keeping things good for other people on the road.

He's not a fan of LED's and hid retrofits. Lots of Tacoma guys are ditching their LED's and HID's and going with modified H9 bulbs in place of our H11 low beams, as per Crash's recommendation. There are some Hella H9 bulbs that are actually manufactured by Osram (in Germany). And the difference in brightness is substantial. It's a pretty good way to go for low beam improvement.

As for fogs, the Philips LED's will blow you away compared to stock.

 

Much thanks & research to be done.
Research twice... buy once! Lol
I do wish our truck were metallic grey... another topic (black is a pain), beautiful but a bitch! Lol

 

I have the same HID and am very happy with the performance and cutoff is the same as stock halogen.

 

So after being on overload with Automotive lighting I think I will go with...

1) Philips X-tremeUltinon LED fog lights.
2) OSRAM Night Breaker Laser (Next Generation) H11
3) OSRAM Night Breaker Laser (Next Generation) HB3

If anyone has any input or possible issue with this set up please add it.

 

Get the GE Megalight +130 H11. It's brighter than the Night Breaker. You can get it from a few sellers on eBay. Might also be available on Amazon.

You're other choices are OK.

 

Love my HIDs, cost me $78.

 

Yes, We know!

Can you be more specific on your set up?

 

The Philips Ultinon fogs are insanely bright. The throw is incredible.

 

I am wondering if they will over power the headlights?

 

I would have to say yes, they do.

 

Yeah, I was chatting with crash and he gave me what most likely would be the best set up so I am on the look out for those now...

 

Funny. I've been chatting with crash, too. I'm running the GE 130 H11's. And the Ultinon fogs.

You know how when you're in town at night and you can't tell if your low beam headlights are on? Turn on the ultinons and the entire area in front of the truck glows. Out to about 20 feet and far out to the sides, almost 90°. The glare everyone talks about just isn't there. I've had people drive toward me and they say it's just fine.

I'm very happy with my GE H11 and Philips Ultinon choice.

 

Why wont the Cougar Motor LED Headlight Bulbs All-in-One Conversion Kit - H11 (H8, H9) -7,200Lm 6000K Cool White CREE lock in the headlight assembly?

 

Well the lights are going back they don't fit the housing for the LED ....

 

I did get those and they're great so far.....

Now to figure out the headlights.

 

The GE Megalight +130 halogen H11's are a great choice if you're not worried about matching the fogs. I put yellow laminX on my fogs so the GE's are just fine now as far as matching goes.

 

I am leaning this way right now because these side entry sockets are not working out....

 

Do you know if they make these in an H9?

Wouldn't they be even better if you did an H9 to H11 conversion with these?

 

I don't know for certain if GE Mega makes an H9. I don't think they do. But yes, any H9 is gonna be brighter than an H11.

Crashnburn on TacomaWorld has done a friggen shit ton of research on H11 and H9 bulbs. If you're not a TW member and have questions, I might be able to answer them (based on my ongoing attention to Crash's TacomaWorld threads).

The GE +130 are a very substantial upgrade over stock 4runner H11 bulbs. You might not notice it so much under city lights, but you WILL notice it substantially when you get out into the the county.

I'm not a lighting guru. But I've done a shit ton of internet research and have experience with countless bulb types, styles, wattages, brands, etc. More than happy to share what I do know. And if I don't know, I don't have a problem with saying "I don't know. I'm not gonna BS anyone.

 

Thanks man.

I'm going to do the H9 conversion soon because it's extremely easy and puts out more light. I was looking for a good brand to go with.

I couldn't find the GE Mega's in an H9, so I was just curious if you knew. Thanks for the honest info.

If anyone has a recommendation on a good H9 to go with, I'm all ears.

 

Go with the Philips H9. Available on Amazon. They're cheap and bright.

 

HIDs

 

They don't scatter at all? I put some in my Tundra and they scatter.

 

You can maintain cutoff with LED's in projectors, but you still get scatter. And they tend to put down a lot of light right in front of the truck. It'll seem ok in town. Likely an improvement.

But on a dark highway, you won't get the distance throw that a halogen will give you. It also will constrict your pupils due to the intense light directly in front of the truck. Combined with the lack of throw, it's just not a good combo for night time on dark highways, where distance vision is critical.

If you're ever on a dark interstate highway and someone with drop in LED's passes you, you can really see how the 30 feet directly in front of the vehicle is extremely bright and then it's just dark in front of that cut off line. Their perception of dim objects in the distance is near zero (deer in ditches, etc).

 

I just got these from Amazon. I know that the GE Megalight are popular, but I had my mind set on Nightbreaker Unlimited for high beams, and for some reason I don't like to mix brands.

I might put them in today and try to compare them to the OEM bulbs

 

I have read some good reviews on those, let us know please.

 

So I've had more headlights in my runners in 6 months I can change them about eyes closed! The XB morimoto headlights and fogs were the only true match but lighting was not safe with the cutoff up close. Had XD hids and although excellent light they didn't match the fogs at all. Gave up color matching and tried the Phillips XV2. Would have been awesome light but they had bright and dark spots that drove me crazy.
So let's here about H9?... I think I read your running another bulb but tried these? Just wondering why the change and what the pros and cons are with H9 low beams, thanks

 

Same here- I’ve run a ton of bulbs trying to find an improvement over stock bulbs.

The GE130 H11 and Philips H9 are very close in brightness if you were to measure at the hot spot, but the GE is whiter and the H9 is more yellow.

Where the Philips H9 beats the GE H11, especially in the 4runners side entry low beam, is in the beam pattern. Much better beam pattern with the H9. And it’s much brighter across the entire beam pattern overall.

I ran the GE H11 for several months. It’s a huge improvement over stock but it’s very focused down the center of the road. Not much light at all to the sides. When I tried the H9 more recently, it was a much better experience overall. Much better to the sides.

Lots of guys run the H9 with no problem, but I took mine out after a couple days. Kinda paranoid about the heat generated by the bulb. It gets crazy hot in that compartment. But like I said, many do it and have no problems.

I ended up going with Sylvania XtraVision H11. It’s brighter than stock. Non-blue coated, and has a much wider beam pattern than the GE130 H11 (although not as bright down the center). While I liked the brightness down the center with the GE, I hated not having any light to the sides. That’s where the Sylvania is better. And I attribute that to the glare cap on the bulb.

If you look closely, you’ll see the glare cap on the GE to come much further down the side of the bulb, blocking some light.

As you can see, there are compromises across the board with any lighting product. For me, the Sylvania XtraVision H11 ended up being the sweet spot. I liked the H9 better (it’s literally twice as bright) but the heat issue worries me. I’ve also read that it can be bright for oncoming drivers, although this is mitigated by our projectors (with a reflector housing, I wouldn’t do the H9 for sure).

 

Happy to answer any other questions if you have any.

 

Opps, I ordered the H9 this morning. I'm going to use my temperature gun and get temps off the housing with stock vs H9. If it seems to hot I would rather be safe than sorry and try the slyvanias