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Old 02-13-2016, 11:23 AM #1
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Consolidated Lighting Info Thread

So you want to learn about the lighting on your 4Runner, huh? Thinking about making some changes? Well take a deep breath, here goes...

After buying my T4R and starting to cruise this forum it is clear that some of the most asked questions (and first "mods" people do) are regarding upgrades to the OEM lighting both inside and out. From what I have seen its a rare day when someone doesn't either ask an often-repeated question about lighting or post up some new install, mod, or innovation.

I'm going to attempt to consolidate both general information and install instructions here so we have a one-stop shop for all things lighting in the 5th Gen forum.

I realize I will probably never get ALL of the available information included here without some help so if anyone has any good resources and suggestions that are missing, please speak up and I'll tack them to this thread. Also, realize this is pretty much always going to be a work in progress. I’ve tagged a few of our members before on my responses to other threads about their lighting upgrade walkthroughs; please forgive me, guys, if I tag you / your threads here also for consolidation purposes- if you’d rather not be tagged please PM me and I’ll remove the tag.

Let's light 'em up.

Vendors:

- A vendor member on the forum that has hooked up many of our members with Halogen, LED, and HID upgrades is @XenonDepot (KB Car Stuff). Their website is XENONDEPOT - HID & LED Lighting Products and you can pick up most if not all of the interior or exterior bulbs, ballasts, relays, etc. you would need for the T4R there. They offer many sales as well as a small forum discount by using the coupon code "T4R" (no quotation marks) on checkout.

XenonDepot 4Runner Bulb List: XenonDepot | 2016 Toyota 4Runner HID Kits | Replacement Bulbs | LED Lighting

- Another vendor member is @TotalAutomotiveLV , their website Performance Parts and Accessories. Suspension, Exhaust, Brakes, and many many aftermarket lighting options, and excellent customer service.

- Not a vendor member on the forum but also used by many members for LED and HID kits is The Retrofit Source | The Best HID & LED Projector Headlight Upgrades (TRS). They also offer a fairly wide selection of LED and HID kits, as well as true HID projectors, but as yet there is no truly "plug and play" HID projector for a 5th Gen retrofit (more on this in the HID section below).

- Amazon is also obviously a good resource for cost-comparison purposes, but understand that Amazon doesn’t generally police it’s vendors for authenticity / brand name quality (i.e. true Philips bulbs). And with that in mind…

A quick word on getting what you pay for:

You’ll see a lot of us using the above vendors and you’ll see a lot of the same brand names used for upgrades: Philips, Morimoto, Osram, Rigid Industries (RI), Hella, XenonDepot, etc…There’s a reason for this. Just like tires, suspension upgrades, and everything else we do to our rigs, you get what you pay for. If a Chinese LED interior lighting set is being sold on eBay 14 bulbs for $20, it’s probably going to start flickering on you about a year or two or maybe sooner after installation. If that’s okay with you, great. Just be aware that if something is priced way below what you see for comparable items, there’s a reason for it.

Last edited by Angelo; 08-13-2019 at 09:16 PM.
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Old 02-13-2016, 11:23 AM #2
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Exterior

EXTERIOR LIGHTING UPGRADES:

Headlights - Low Beams

- HIDs:

NOTE: The 2010-13 T4Rs utilize the older style “reflector” housings for the low beams that are NOT suitable for upgrade to HID without a retrofit to a true HID projector housing- HIDs are just too bright. The 2014 and newer T4Rs come with a halogen projector housing for the low beams that many people are "upgrading" to the 2-3x brighter and whiter HID bulbs. Be aware that putting an HID kit into a halogen projector is a hotly debated topic all around message boards for just about every vehicle out there, not to mention illegal: The geometry for a true HID projector is different than a halogen projector and HID bulbs within a halogen projector housing WILL CAUSE a slight but uncontrollable amount of glare above the cutoff which is an annoyance and danger to oncoming drivers. Saying that the glare from the HID kits is “not that bad” is easy when you’re not the one who has to look at them coming at you, but you have to decide what is right for you and the people you’re driving at. If you're interested, here's my experience with HIDs in the halogen projectors: Consolidated Lighting Info Thread - Page 3 - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

With all that said, MAKE SURE YOUR HEADLIGHTS ARE AIMED CORRECTLY no matter what bulb you're using. For a non-lifted 4R, the center of the low beam projector lens is approximately 40" from the ground. A good rule of thumb for headlight fall over 25' is 2 inches. That means your cutoff should be 38" off the ground on a completely level surface at a distance of 25 feet. The up / down adjustment dial is accessible with a large philips head screwdriver through a hole in the front plastic guard underneath the hood above the headlight assembly. A Google search will yield tons of great instructions for aiming the low beam projectors appropriately.

Aiming your low beams:

How to Adjust Headlights - Car Headlights

HID Conversion, Xenon Light, Kits, bulbs >> Blog Archive How to adjust HID headlights | HID Conversion, Xenon Light, Kits, bulbs

- HID Installs / Pics:

As it stands currently there are no direct "plug and play" HID projector retrofits for the 5th Gen T4R housings, but @Biggu did a DIY retrofit with Lexus GS350 projectors and has the most detailed writeup and pictures around currently. @iLuXoR817 trimmed one up to fit a 2014 model and @philsey has installed a special aftermarket upgrade from Lightwerkz. @MTN4RNR used the XenonDepot Philips Xtreme HID kit (4300k) into the OEM projectors and has great install and before / after pics, and @Saker used the Morimoto kit from The Retrofit Source and also has a great install writeup. I'm sure there are others out there, too.

- HID Projector Retrofit '17 T4R from (Biggu): 2014-2017 HID Projector Retrofit DIY - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

- HID Projector Retrofit '14 T4R from (iLuXoR817): 2014 HID Retrofit - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

- HID Bi-Xenon Retrofit '10 T4R from (philsey): 5th Gen HID / Projector retrofit installation (pics).

- HID retrofit using Lexus HID projectors (via @kustom54lighting ): 2015 4Runner Custom Headlight Retrofit

- HID retrofit with Lexus HID projectors (via @sigepbiker ): http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-ge...ml#post2511464

- MTN4RNR: Building, Driving and Adventuring the MTN4RNR

- Saker's Midnight Build: HID upgrade, which one to go with? and HID upgrade, which one to go with?

- Halogen Bulb Conversion:

A few forum members have also swapped a halogen H9 high beam bulb into the H11 low beam spot after some minor trimming of the metal fitment at the base of the bulb with great results. You can see some of that here:

How To: Headlight Bulb Conversion (H11 to H9 & 9005 to 9011)

- LED Low Beams (drop-in bulbs and retrofits):

As mentioned above in the HID section, any drop-in bulb that doesn't have the exact same geometry / shape as the OEM halogen (H11) low beam will cast light differently to the OEM projector. Aside from the bulb geometry itself, the main difference between the stock halogens and LEDs is that LEDs provide the whiter kelvin lighting temps and draw less amps from the battery while the halogen bulb upgrades provide better lumens than the stock bulbs but at a warmer temp and waaaaay cheaper than LEDs.

- XenonDepot H11 LED drop in kit (via @Paragon1 ): XD LED Low beams came in today

...and an interesting comparison of stock, LED, and HID kits available straight from the horse's mouth here: XD LED Low beams came in today

EDIT 3/16/18 My H11 - H9 LB swap recently burned out (as informed by my friendly neighborhood law enforcement, haha) and I decided to try the newest generation of XenonDepot H11 LEDs in the low beam spot. I am overall sort of "meh" with the result, you can read that review here: Consolidated Lighting Info Thread

- The Retrofit Source is now selling an LED Retro-Quik unit that fits seamlessly into the 5th Gen OEM projector spot. I have yet to see any reviews, install write-ups, or other information on these units. If anyone has jumped into this project please let me know.

- As of 8/2019, Morimoto (as sold by The Retrofit Source / Xenon Depot) released their Tri-LED projector headlights for the 5th Gen. The overall reviews on these is that the light is better downrange than stock halogens but not as good as HID drop-ins in the OEM projector. Issues currently being reported include:

- The projectors "lateral" light for cornering is poor / dangerous without the use of fog lights for backup.
- Those running LEDs in any other spot (i.e. rear turn signals) are getting a hyperflash from the new headlight turn signals without the use of a resistor in-line, which involves cutting the harness on the headlights.

Headlights – High Beams

- HIDs are not considered ideal for high beams because they generally have a 30-45 second warm-up time.

- Installing LED bulbs into the ‘14+ T4Rs high beam spot is complicated by the fact that they also serve as the Daytime Running Lights (DRLs). LEDs in the HB spot will either run ALWAYS as HBs (even in DRL mode) if you use a CANbus module or have a rapid flicker (HB strength light) if you do not use a CANbus.

**UPDATE: Xenon Depot has now issued a dimmer module that is back compatible with their LEDs that will dim the DRL signal to true DRL strength. Users have noted that there is still a flicker in DRL mode with this module.**

- DDM tuning Sabre LEDs in the HB spot here: DDM Tuning Saber LED for DRL / High

- Disabling the DRLs (via Saker): DRL Disable but keep Auto Headlights

Fog Lights

There are many different styles of upgrade to the fog lights, from fairly straightforward bulb replacements to complete retrofit kits. To be a functional upgrade for true fog light use during inclement weather or other low-visibility times, the warmer / yellow light temperatures are favored. To this end, many choose to simply use Lamin-X yellow tint over the lens of the OEM fog lights.

- Toyota OEM LED retrofit (via @LimeLED ): How To: Toyota OEM LED Fog Lamp Installation

- Philips Ultinon Yellow LED Fog Light replacement (via @MTN4RNR ): Building, Driving and Adventuring the MTN4RNR

- Morimoto XB LED Fog Light (includes housing and bulbs, via @matoolie ): Direct Replacement LED Fog Light Assemblies for 2014 & Other 5th Gens

- Baja Designs Plug N Play LED Fog Light Kit: NEW BAJA DESIGNS 4Runner Fog Light Kit -BD 44711 (Plug & Play!!) from TotalAutomotive

- Toyota OEM (Highlander) LED Combo DRL / Fogs: 2in1 LED DRL Fogs and video install: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inS6EIBdZNw

- Aiden James Custom LED DRL / Fog upgrade: http://www.aidenjamescustoms.com/exterior-lighting.html and see @adam.friedman.33 install pics here: Led strip by fog light

There are also more than a few forum members who have retrofitted LED Dually lights such as the Rigid Industries D2 in either white or amber colors. Be aware that most "Pod light" LED retrofits (Baja Designs Squadrons, Rigid, etc.) are off-road lights only, they're too bright and / or have the wrong pattern to be used as fogs without blinding others on the road. An additional voiced concern with LED fog is the lack of heat produced to keep the lenses clear in snow and ice. Your mileage may vary.

Turn Signals / Reverse Lights / Misc

Sequential Turn Signals (via @Saker ): Sequential Turn Signals

Replacing the side mirror puddle lights (via @ROBSCOOL ): http://www.toyota-4runner.org/1635487-post20.html

Philips 921 reverse light LEDs (via @rigtec ): Philips 921 leds

Amber LED Marker Lights in Grille (via @fargo4x4 ): Fargo4x4 Build Thread

Amber LED Marker Lights in Grille (via @chudiddy ): Chudiddy- Inferno TRD PRO Build

LED Marker Lights (via @CRFofiddyF and @Shred_Head ): 5th Gen Marker Lights in Grill

LED Bars / Duallys / Non-OEM Fogs

A whole consolidated post could be made of just the additional non-OEM exterior lighting that forum members have added to their T4Rs. The idea for this thread came from trying to upgrade the existing (OEM) lighting, so this is by no means going to be a clearinghouse for every available exterior lighting mod. However, here are some resources for getting you started on various installs for additional non-OEM lighting.

LED Light Bar install (Saker): http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-ge...a-4runner.html

LED Stealth Light Bar install (barryhiram): http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-ge...installed.html

LED Light Bar install (via @Cymon ): "If I can do It You Can" Behind Grill Light Bar Install

LED Light Bar install (ChrisFix YouTube video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8GY69Ci7l4

LED Reverse lights – Below bumper mount (ChrisFix YouTube video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVG7X-ae298

LED Reverse lights - Below bumper mount (Saker): Warn Backup Lights - Trailer Power ?

LED Reverse lights – Flush bumper mount (via @barryhiram ): http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-ge...igid-sr-q.html

--LED Light Bar mounts--

Behind Grille Mounts (via @BradBrad619 ): 2014-2016 behind grill light bar mounts.

No Drill, RI Grille Mount: http://www.rigidindustries.com/led-grilles/40596

**Work In Progress - Suggestions Welcome**

Last edited by Angelo; 11-21-2020 at 11:53 AM.
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Old 02-13-2016, 11:23 AM #3
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Interior

INTERIOR LIGHTING UPGRADES:

Interior / Cabin LED Replacement

Many members have upgraded the interior lighting of the 4Runner with LEDs. Most LEDs are a whiter color temperature than the OEM halogen bulbs, depending on what kit / bulb manufacturer you go with, LEDs can also be much brighter than the OEM halogen bulbs, too. LEDs universally draw less amps per bulb than standard lighting. It should also be noted that some members have brought up that LED light is often considered “harsher” light, resulting in sallower skin tones or light that is more apt to highlight skin flaws in mirrors.

Most of the interior bulbs on the SR5, Trail, and TRD Pro are “194” bulbs, with the exception of the hatch (x2) and dome (x1) which are “3022” festoon-type bulbs. The Limited has various other stock LEDs OEM installed such as those directly under the seats.

4Runner Bulb List (via XenonDepot): http://www.xenondepot.com/2016-4runn...bs-s/33130.htm

Recommendations have been made on various threads for the bulbs sold by JDM ASTAR, VLEDs and Fyre Flys. The makers of the interior LED install video below, PrecisionLED, sell kits for the 4Runner also, though some members have noted that this kit is one of the “whiter but not brighter” LED kits. Experiences from @Friggin Idiot and others seem to point to Philips interior LEDs as being one other notable culprit of this. However, @TrkyMfns notes recently that it depends on which Philips LEDs you buy, specifically recommending the Philips X-tremeVison bulbs (pics and amazon links on this page: "Upgrading your console interior map lights with 'Philips 194 LED's!'")

VLEDs Shop by Bulb Number: http://www.vleds.com/shop-bulb-numbers.html

PrecisionLED 4Runner Kit: http://www.precisionled.com/catalogs...r=2009-Present

FyreFlys LED 4Runner Kit: http://shop.fyreflys.com/12x-LED-lig...Runner-T41.htm and their eBay store ("4Runner" search results): http://stores.ebay.com/Fyre-Flys-LED...&_trksid=p4634

Install Video (Precision LED): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O30-rctTDA

LED Replacement / Install - Fyreflys (via @tigger ): Tigger's Build and Mis-Adventures

LED Replacement / Install - DIY (via @RysiuM ): My version of Interior LED lights.

LED Replacement / Install: 2014 Interior LED Swap

LED Replacement / Install: Interior Lighting mod

Engine Compartment Lights

Anti-Dark Engine Lights: http://anti-dark.com/product/universal-engine-light/

Engine Compartment LED Strip (via @Snooperstyle ): Engine compartment light mod

Engine Compartment LED Strip (via Saker): http://www.toyota-4runner.org/1680932-post45.html

**Work In Progress - Suggestions Welcome**

Last edited by Angelo; 03-11-2016 at 01:09 PM.
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Old 02-13-2016, 12:03 PM #4
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Perfect thanks for your hard work
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Old 02-13-2016, 04:16 PM #5
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Good job. I'm really interested in a rear fog light, preferably one that will go into my rear hitch receiver and plug into the 4 pin trailer light connector.
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Old 02-13-2016, 05:32 PM #6
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Nice work, so far. Thanks for the mention on the HID's!
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Old 02-14-2016, 08:55 AM #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Salvo Jimmy View Post
Good job. I'm really interested in a rear fog light, preferably one that will go into my rear hitch receiver and plug into the 4 pin trailer light connector.
Thanks man. I've actually looked around a bit for something like that, too, but I think you probably got the best responses on it in your thread as far as existing solutions. If you end up creating your own solution definitely LMK so I can add it here.
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Old 02-14-2016, 01:15 PM #8
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Thank you so much for this consolidated thread, it should be easier to search for us noobs....
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Old 02-14-2016, 05:34 PM #9
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Consolidated Lighting Info Thread

I'll be getting in Philips ultinon yellow LEDs this week and put on some before and after pics. I also purchased the Philips ultinon LEDs to try them in the low beams. I wasn't able to actually find a comparison with these vs stock halogens in a 4Runner, so I wanted to try them myself. Though it's been highly stated its not bright enough.

I'll be posting my shots on here instead of creating a new thread lol
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Old 02-14-2016, 07:59 PM #10
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Nice job ... you put a lot of work into this and it shows.

Perhaps @1engineer will want to sticky this somewhere for all the ´I searched but.....´ lighting questions still to come?

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Old 02-14-2016, 09:28 PM #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PDPGAUGE View Post
I'll be getting in Philips ultinon yellow LEDs this week and put on some before and after pics. I also purchased the Philips ultinon LEDs to try them in the low beams. I wasn't able to actually find a comparison with these vs stock halogens in a 4Runner, so I wanted to try them myself. Though it's been highly stated its not bright enough.

I'll be posting my shots on here instead of creating a new thread lol
Perfect, I don't think we actually have "live" shots in comparison to the stock halogens. Please take before and after photos! Thanks man.
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Old 02-14-2016, 09:29 PM #12
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Originally Posted by philsey View Post
Nice job ... you put a lot of work into this and it shows.

Perhaps @1engineer will want to sticky this somewhere for all the ´I searched but.....´ lighting questions still to come?

Thankyousir. It'd be an honor.
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Old 02-14-2016, 09:38 PM #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Go2Slp View Post
- LED bulbs in Low Beam spot:

The general consensus on the Halogen vs. LEDs in our halogen projectors is that compared to each other, these two give off about the same amount of light.
Nice written article but what I'm missing here is the fact that any LED bulb is useless as a low beam in either reflector or projector housing. The amount of light is not the issue here but the lighting pattern completely destroyed by the LED bulb geometry. Either for projector or reflector housing to work as a low beam with significant cut-off line which was designed to not blind oncoming traffic as well as cars in front of you (back mirror blinding), the light source must have shape, size and position exactly as the lamp design expected. Any change in size, shape or position of the light source and the cut-off is gone. While some good quality HID bulbs are very close to original halogen bulbs, there is no LED bulb on the market which will have the LED chip placed exactly where the halogen filament is and emits the light in 360 directions. Simply not possible.

I saw some H4 bulbs with one LED chip is placed where the short beam filament in the original halogen H4 bulb is, and (as it's claimed by the sellers) it supposed to create a clear cut-off in H4 housings, but the user experience is quite opposite. The reason is again in bulb's geometry (LED light source position and lighting pattern). Doesn't work in in my 95 Tacoma (converted to H4).
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Old 02-14-2016, 09:41 PM #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Go2Slp View Post
So after buying my '16 T4R and starting to cruise this forum it is clear that some of the most asked questions (and first "mods" people do) are regarding upgrades to the OEM lighting both inside and out. From what I have seen and experienced lighting upgrades are some of the most useful and cost effective upgrades to our rigs, and its a rare day when someone doesn't either ask an often-repeated question about lighting or post up some new install, mod, or innovation.

I'm going to attempt to consolidate both general information and install instructions here so we have a one-stop shop for all things lighting in the 5th Gen forum.

I realize I will probably never get ALL of the available information included here without some help so if anyone has any good resources and suggestions that are missing, please speak up and I'll tack them to this thread. Also, realize this is pretty much always going to be a work in progress. I’ve tagged a few of our members before on my responses to other threads about their lighting upgrade walkthroughs; please forgive me, guys, if I tag you / your threads here also for consolidation purposes- if you’d rather not be tagged please PM me and I’ll remove the tag.

Let's light 'em up.

Vendors:

- A vendor member on the forum that has hooked up many of our members with Halogen, LED, and HID upgrades is @XenonDepot (KB Car Stuff). Their website is XENONDEPOT - HID & LED Lighting Products and you can pick up most if not all of the interior or exterior bulbs, ballasts, relays, etc. you would need for the T4R there. They generally offer a small forum discount by using the coupon code "T4R" (no quotation marks) on checkout.

- Not a vendor member on the forum but also used by many members for LED and HID kits is https://www.theretrofitsource.com/ (TRS). They also offer a fairly wide selection of LED and HID kits, as well as true HID projectors, but as yet there is no truly "plug and play" HID projector for a 5th Gen retrofit (more on this in the HID section below).

- Amazon is also obviously a good resource for cost-comparison purposes, but understand that Amazon doesn’t generally police it’s vendors for authenticity / brand name quality (i.e. true Philips bulbs). And with that in mind…

A quick word on getting what you pay for:

You’ll see a lot of us using the above vendors and you’ll see a lot of the same brand names used for upgrades: Philips, Morimoto, Osram, Rigid Industries (RI), Hella, XenonDepot, etc…There’s a reason for this. Just like tires, suspension upgrades, and everything else we do to our rigs, you get what you pay for. If a Chinese LED interior lighting set is being sold on eBay 14 bulbs for $20, it’s probably going to start flickering on you about a year or two or maybe sooner after installation. If that’s okay with you, great. Just be aware that if something is priced way below what you see for comparable items, there’s a reason for it.
Great thread Go2Slp!

Might I suggest adding TotalAutomotiveLV to your vendor list? Great pricing and excellent customer service!

Another possible thread http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-ge...stalled-2.html
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Old 02-14-2016, 10:07 PM #15
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Originally Posted by RysiuM View Post
Nice written article but what I'm missing here is the fact that any LED bulb is useless as a low beam in either reflector or projector housing. The amount of light...360 directions. Simply not possible.
All very well said, and an excellent explanation of WHY there isn't more light coming out of the stock halogen projectors when you replace the OEM bulbs with the LEDs currently available on the market. I actually saw your post to this effect on an LED thread earlier today and it definitely bears inclusion in the appropriate section above. Thanks.
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