Hi there,

I found an awesome 05 limited 4runner and I know the first thing I want to do is upgrade the headlights. I'm not mechanically inclined at all, however I do have a buddy who will help me out with installing light bulbs.

I know there are tons of threads but I am seriously confused with all this talk of HID, halogen, retrofit--it's all Greek to me :X.

One thing I really value is good visibility and I live in Seattle so it tends to get pretty dark during the winter here. I was hoping someone would show me a link of some great headlights that are fairly easy to install and not terribly expensive.

Also, this ride is equipped with RAS, I do a lot of hiking and will be on trail roads which have a tendency to have huge potholes. Is it advantageous for me to jack the suspension up (the setting not actual maintenance work) so I can avoid bottoming out on these even more so? Or does that put too much pressure on the air bags themselves.

Obvious noob here and I'm sorry for the long winded post. All help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

J

i would highly suggest against any sort of PNP HID setup considering you have halogen reflectors. just throw some new 9006 bulbs in there and make sure your headlight lenses are nice and clean. when/if you get brave, i would highly suggest a proper projector HID retrofit. hallogen bulbs put out like ~1,700 lumens, whereas a new HID bulb puts out ~3,300!!

Thanks bud! How much work would it take to retrofit it? If i was to find someone that is a part time mechanic on craigslist, could they do it for me? How much would that install cost you would estimate?

Thanks!

Yosh:

I'm guessing these don't work because they are HID?

http://www.amazon.com/Kensun-Xenon-R...yota%3A4runner

It's not that HID's won't work, per se, but without the proper lenses (projector style headlights) they will throw too wide of a pattern and blind oncoming traffic.

Also a proper HID kit should come with a ballast and relay. The bulbs you linked would require the ballast to be purchased separately.

If you're interested in going HID, Xenon depot has some nice looking kits that get good reviews (I just ordered one). They've got a coupon code withe the forum that gives you $25 off and free shipping. Expect to pay $120 - $200 for a true HID conversion kit.

For more information go here:

HIDs: Everything you need to know and then some....


If you aren't changing out the headlight housings to projectors, then I'd research what is the best halogen bulb. Probably something from Phillips or Osram.

Thanks for the info, I read it and in short don't do HID unless you retrofit. It's going to be a while before I do that. Am I just best off picking 2 lights from this and just replacing the used ones that I have?

Will I notice much of a difference? The bulbs are 10 years old.. How do these compare with the OEM?

Premium Headlamp Bulbs for 2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Headlight (Low beam | Bulbs.com)

Rear Height Control Air Suspension allows you to manually adjust the height of the rear air suspension to suit your needs.

In low mode, the suspension is lowered for easy loading and unloading of cargo and gear.

During off-road driving, the height can be raised to high mode to improve departure angle.

For improved ride comfort, an auto-leveling feature automatically adjusts the vehicle height for varying loads.

Try these lights: New Genuine Philips HIR1 (9011) & Philips HIR2 (3rdGen) (9012) -- ON SALE!!

it does take quite a bit of work. i used to charge $400 labor (customer supplied all required parts). There are several companies that will do it all and supply the parts, but expect to spend $800 to over $1000.

a proper OEM retrofit using used parts from the hidplanet.com for sale forumn:

ballasts (denso, matsushita): $100
wire harness(theretrofitsource.com): $40
phillips bulbs: $75-150
HID projector (acura TL, FX-R, RX330, etc): $75-200
shroud: $40

not cheap compared to the cheap, piece of crap PNP hid kits, but awesome when done!!

I personally when with RX330 modded projectors, matsushita ballasts, phillips bulbs, TRS wire harness and shrouds. I am doing all the work myself and have about $325 into HID parts.

sounds like you would be best served with a good quality set of replacement 9006 bulbs.

The best replacement bulb setup for a 2005 without going to HIDs is noted above re the HIR bulbs. HIR 1 for hi-beams and HIR 2 for low beams ( you may notice some flare from the HIR2 low beam ). There are lots "how to"s available re the slight modifications required to make them fit. The mods are extremely easy.

For 2006 to 2009 the best setup is HIR1 for hi-beams and H9 for low beams ( there are harness adapters for converting to an H9 for low beam) .

Thanks Ron and Scoobs!

Bossman--I knew that about the suspension, was just curious that when you jacked up the height if it was actually advantageous or if that was just Toyota Marketing. I don't see many people around here discussing offroading with the height adjustment.

Thanks again all!

Ok last question...

Is this a PnP? 9006: Morimoto Elite HID System - HID Systems from The Retrofit Source Inc ?


If so, what's a better option getting the HIR1 and HIR2 replacements or the kit above?

Do i need any other equipment for the kit? Or does it come with everything?

Thanks!

that setup is PNP, but again, its the kit we all warned you about concerning glare. your halogen reflector housings are not meant for HID bulbs. Halogen and HID bulbs require different optics, the focal point is different between the two.

Ok now I get it. Thanks Yosh