When driving in the pitch black darkness and making a ticket on 06' 4runner v8, it's impossible to see anything to the right or left. I just turn extremely slowly to ensure I don't hit anything hard.

Is there a solution to this that doesn't require additional lighting? If not (I'm guessing there isn't) what would you suggest as a small yet effective solution? I don't wish to install gaudy looking lighting systems to make a turn in the dark.

Are your headlights dull and hazed over like most are?

I hand polished my 2003's before my drive to Florida earlier this month and I found the stock setup more than sufficient driving through elevation from Buffalo.

Just got back and repolished with a machine and after 1 pass via a rotary (I used Duragloss Plastic Polish = CHEAP!) they are crystal clear. Short of installing weird bulbs (LED's are definitely not better in the stock reflector housings) or additional lights, making it clear is the only way to see "more".

EDIT: I lied, are they aligned properly? If you are lifted/running saggy suspension, you ought to re-align the lights as well. Maybe you can sacrifice some distance for more light at the left/right edges if you run into this issue a lot. (I wouldn't recommend it though)

for 06 headlights there's a pretty easy HID projector retrofit, bake the lights apart, bolt in an adapter bracket and the projectors of your choice, back the lights back together. Stock looking headlight with far better performance. Wider pattern, sharper cutoff, and I love the bi-xenon high beams.

FYI, the bulb upgrade described in this thread is a significant improvement over stock.

Turn on your foglights, maybe adjust them out a bit to light the sides of the road for you?

fog light has no side to side adjustment.
even doing a true hid retrofit, you wont get super wide like ls430 or s2k, but you get better performance.

you might want to add amber side lights at the fenders like the jdm crowd.

bulb upgrade is only little performance, hopefully u have good clear lens.

They can be 'forced' to shed more light to the side.

Personally, I'd mount driving lights and aim them where I'd want the light. But then again, personally, I find the 4R's lighting to be good from the factory. Even with my 'old' eyes

I would start here as well, small investment if it doesn't provide the improvement your looking for, but a great chance they'll be just what you want. I have experience with the 9011 HIR bulbs (high beams) in an '05 Subaru Legacy and was blown away with the performance, and just ordered a set for our 4Runner (5th gen).

I respectfully disagree. For the low beams, the H9 bulb output is 2100 lumens each vs. 1350 for the H11, about a 50% increase. The high-beam 9011 gives you 2300 lumens a side vs. 1700 for the 9005. All told, that’s much more than a little.

For me, the difference has been very evident on the dark rural roads around my house.

HIDs in factory projectors with no modification.



This is pitch black Alaska. Note ARB blocks some spread.

once you go the hid retrofit, you'll never go back to the regular halogen setup.

A fair point, but for me, the difference in price doesn’t justify whatever difference an HID setup makes.