does anyone have any problems with the aftermarket headlight bulbs??.... do they melt the headlight harness??? or anything

as long as there 55/60 no problems if there higher good chance it will melt the harness

I just replace both low beam and foglights with hoens xenon match bulbs absolutely the closest to hid I have ever used without going hid. Only down side but not that bad is low beam output is could be brighter. I emailed hoen and they said if I go with the Xenon match plus 70watts vs 55watts output will be much better because it has a higher lumen rating.

They also said the xenon match is a good replacement bulb for foglights because of the lower wattage the housings tend to be smaller than headlight housing and will handle the heat just fine becuase of the stock wattage output.

The xenon match plus (better for low beam headlight because of larger headlight housing more air space for the bulb to cool.)runs at a higher wattage but is still safe to the vehicles wiring but they do reccomend there upgraded wiring harness for the xenon match plus bulbs so there is no loss of resistance throught the vehicles wiring system and you will get full output of the bulb.

I Did place an order for the xenon match plus bulbs and harnesses I will let you know what the outcome is. I should have them by the end of the week.

Just for your knowledge I did compare my lights to my fathers acura tl from looking head on they are identical in color. But like I said light output on the road is close but not quite there. When the xenon match plus come in I hope it will be on the money.

Just for your info I am probably the most anal person I know So getting it right is very important to me. If you ask why I did not go true HID it just came down to cost.

www.hoen-usa.com

Hope this helps

I've gone through many pairs of those gimmicky extra white, plasma and xenon bulbs. They just don't last that long, even the expensive ones. The best bulb for the buck are the GE Nighthawks. Most Walmarts sell them for about $30 a pair. Mine have been on for over a year without any problems.

The Nighthawks won't give you that super white/blue look, as they're about 3800K IIRC. They're designed to light the road surfaces better. They work way better than the white (HID wannabee) bulbs. Just my $.02.

I tried the night hawks,silver stars, cool vision, mtec, piaas and so on. Up untill this point I think the silver stars were the best of them all not a huge difference over stock. But the hoens xenon match is a good match to hid but light on the road could be better. I just ordered the xenon match plus and hoen teels me that the light output on the road will be very comparable to hid. They said it it will definitely be much better than stock. They said it will be vehicle safe usable light. not like the 80-100 watt light bulbs that are out there. The xenon match plus is rated at 70 watts and will not melt any wiring on your vehicle. I should be receiving these bulbs in the next couple of days I will let you know the outcome.

hi 06sr5,

Can you post pictures of your current lights? and maybe the new ones when you get them also?

When the new ones come in I will take comparison shots, and will do mk best to post them.Everytime I try posting a pic it never works. Worse comesto worse I can Send you an E-mail of the results. If you go to hoens website the photos in the gallery are pretty acurate.

I've been through a set of PIAA's, Hella's and other brand Xenon type bulbs. None of them lasted as long, nor put out the same out-put of a Xenon H.I.D. kit. Although I know a number of people have gone w/the Silver Stars and have been very happy. Now they don't have the xenon look, but they are very bright and last long.

In my opinion by the time you spend over 2 bills replacing a set of xenon replicas in a year, you're better off spending the money for a less expenses Xenon H.I.D. kit like I did. Most kits come with a 1 yr warranty. I would have liked to have purchased the Phillips kit, but couldn't justify spending over 5 bills for lights. So I went with a cheaper set, that others recommended. They are almost identical to my Acura TL lights, and are extremely bright.

Next time your out driving, take note of how many cars you'll come across driving with one Xenon replica bulb and one regular bulb in? They don't last......

Here is my write up:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showth...threadid=25205

I took a lok at your write up and your set up looks good. But it also seems that you are not totoally happy with your set up beam pattern customer service and ease of installation. To me all that would agravate me. Especially the beam patern it looks to be there may be alot of glare to oncomers.
As I posted above I just went this route just because of cost all the bulbs I have tried were not just on the 06 runner hoen was the only bulb I used on it. I used all the various other bulbs on my wifes honda accord here old cavalier. I had dodge Ram Cavalier 2 different camaros so the cost in bulbs just wasn't in one vehicle. The 4runner has only costed me 75.00 hoen took back the original xenon match in trade for the xenon match plus, And there customer service is great If had a question they were quick to answer and easy to work with. Installation was 10 minutes if that.

now thats funny, i notice that all the time around here.

cough cough . . . get HIDs if you want bright light. Ive had mine for about a month now, and i love em everytime i turn them on and they spark and then heat up. Everyone notices them everywhere i go.

Well just got the hoen xenonmatch plus bulbs. Put them in and kind of burst my bulb (no pun intended) no difference over xenon match. I am done with halogen. Time to go w/ the real thing. Any recomendations on maunufactures I all ready know about xenon depot any other manufacturers that anyone would reccomend.