Ok... I know there have been countless threads on here about replacement bulbs and HID, but I wanted to try and get as much advice as I can for some replacement bulbs or an HID kit.

First off, I am the third owner of my '04 4runner and I'm loving every minute of it. One of my favorite things about it in fact when I first got the 4runner was the headlight bulbs in it. They produced a very bright white/blue color and almost looked like HID (almost identical to AngieJ on this website. Do a search to see his).

Unfortunately one bulb burnt out and I had to replace it and when looking at the bulb there was no writing at all on either bulb. The bulbs were a darker blue color and had an orange ring around the bottom (almost identical to the bulbs in this link but I have tried these bulbs and they weren't the same http://www.mycaptainscove.com/send.p...A4LmpwZw%3D%3D ).

I first thought they may be Hella brand, but when purchasing a set of Hella's they were not the same color. I don't know the original wattage or brand so I don't know where they were bought or anything. I have contacted the previous owners and they both said that they were factory installed. So, too late to make a long story short, but I would like to know if anyone has seen these bulbs being factory installed. My questions are

1) Does Toyota install factory bulbs that are blue?
2) Would my best bet be to install an HID kit for the blue/white look?
3) Should I install an HID kit if I don't have projector? (I have original reflector lights but blacked out by Jason Burtman)
4) Anyone have any suggestions for a replacement bulb to give me a good light output and white/blue look? (I DO NOT WANT YELLOW COLOR AT ALL!! I WANT THE WHITE LOOK WITH NO YELLOW!)

BUMP for help

i might be a PIAA bulb, take a look on this link & see what most resembles urs. Amazon.com: piaa headlight: Automotive

No if they were blue coated bulbs they were NOT Toyota OEM.

Keep in mind any bulb with a blue coating will A) have a relatively short lifespan and B) not provide as much usable light as an uncoated bulb.

A great resource here:

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

I have spent many hours researching headlight upgrade options, read hundreds of postings on various forums from people who have upgraded and took the time to take before and after pictures to show actual beam patterns.

No I would not recommend putting an HID kit in your existing reflector housings. Yes it will be brighter and whiter but A) you will be putting oncoming drivers in danger with the glare you'll be sending off and B) you may actually end up with a headlight setup that is less effective than stock as far as distance you can see.

These are the bulbs I am running Narva Range Power +50® High-Output 9006 (HB4) 55w Bulb they are whiter than stock and also slightly brighter. They have a 350 hour lifespan (Sylvania Silverstars have about a 150 hour lifespan comparatively)

They offer as good a trade off as I could find between lifespan and increased brightness.

You don't want a colored bulb, the color coating hurts light output as well as decreasing the bulbs lifespan.

Can those Narva Range Power bulbs be used with the stock reflector housing and wiring harnesses? I am looking to upgrade my lights, but I dont want to invest in a full HID conversion kit, and I also dont want to be putting other drivers in danger.

Yep, thats what they were designed for. I also recommend keeping your stuck bulbs in your glovebox as "just incase" backup bulbs.

Install them carefully and as always dont touch the bulbs themselves.

I wasn't worried about blue or white, but I wanted to increase light on the road yet stay legal. Found these new SOLUX bulbs and they are great. Definitely can see way farther and way wider. They're slightly whiter but the main thing I like is the brightness and distance. The kicker is that based off my research, they are the first high-performance lighting technology that do not shorten the life of the bulb - they last as long as OEM's. I really like them.

Did you have to modify the bulb housings at all to install them (or do they look like they were modified)? Just curious because it looks like Solux is using HIR technology and at least before you had to modify the bulb housings. The specs (brighter, whiter) seem about the same.