I am a lighting tech in the music/touring industry and i'm happy with mine. Sure, they could make some improvements to the lights, but Toyota could also make improvements to the truck. Maybe if Toyota had given us the same headlights as the new Taco, we wouldn't be having to have this discussion.

Nothing is perfect and manufacturer's can't make everyone happy. But for reference, here is a picture mine before the install and I just took another picture. The angles are a little off, but you can see the fitment is pretty close to factory.

@daytonaviolet thanks for adding those reviews from the FB groups.

Although some might disagree, as shown by the side by side comparison gSwift posted, the fitment of the headlights is a non-issue and is near stock. The bigger issue I have after seeing all of those pictures is the alignment of the fender and hood from the factory which applies to my 4runner as well. It seems the gaps are more apparent on lighter colored cars and less so on darker ones but are there nonetheless. Morimoto could have done something to "fix" the gaps in their molds but is that really under their scope of responsibilities?

Depends who you ask but my opinion is they satisfied the OEM-like fitment claim; gaps and all. But hey maybe they can toss that fix in v2.0.

I also disagree with the assessment of the high beams. There were stretches of our trip where I was running the high beams exclusively for miles at a time and I thought they worked pretty well illuminating the road and trees/signs well into the distance. We all know the fog lights get cut (powered off) with high beams on reducing lateral illumination but at no time did it feel unsafe even traveling at higher speeds where that longer throw is needed. I have done the same drive at much higher speeds with the GT-R and Acura. My comfort level in the 4runner was the same in regards to visibility. There were only two concerns during the drive which weren't lighting related but with forgetting my V1 (state trooper presence) and the 4runner's cornering ability at high speeds.

The light output aspect... Most know the numbers of the XBs are double that of stock in the brighter areas but that doesn't tell the whole story of what's usable. Based on one of my first experiences in the late 90s with aftermarket HIDs and headlights in wanting unique looking beams to replicate the Audi xenons at the time, I chose a 6000k kit kit in ellipsoid housings with purplish beams. It looked cool but I couldn't see shit in rain especially on asphalt. What I learned back then was, the higher up on the Kelvin scale, the less useful they are. Coming into this, I knew the XBs were 5000k which isn't unusable but definitely not 4000k where that yellower beam is perceived as brighter, more useful, and uglier in almost every situation. The "compromise" is to be expected but I personally don't feel it is dire in either rain or snow with the XBs. It's a far cry from not being able to see when compared to stock.

Can definitely do an HID kit for much less and is acceptable to some but I've had my fair share of aftermarket HID kit experiences. I chose to avoid that route at all costs because the cumulative experience associated with that solution is not what I want to deal with these days. Ymmv but constantly dicking with headlights and bulbs is not my idea of "worth my time" when the XBs are an all-in-one solution that's an improvement (looks and performance) over stock.

The combination of education/perspective and expectations+perceived cost to value is probably playing a huge part in why the reviews are so over the place with these lights. Given the cost -- which is a good value to me considering what I've paid for aftermarket and OEM units in the past -- these perform better than the stock 4runner units. That can't be disputed. They're not quite OEM but neither is the cost. Taco Pro headlights with the 2020 updates run close to $3k for a pair without discounts so, again, not a fair comparison.

Difficult to make everyone happy but I feel Morimoto did a great job balancing the custom upgrades/features in an all inclusive, plug and play solution that fits well with no modifications at a cost that is easily within reach for most 4runner owners.

with the fitment, mine fit fine, others say not. I can only guess that maybe morimoto uses multiple suppliers? its not uncommon for any manufacture.
The lighting cutoff issue is a low speed/ unlit neighborhood thing. Highway driving is fine. I personally do not know any highways with 90 degree turns doing 70 mph.

Fwiw, based on your posts, I would say you're one of the more knowledgeable guys who have the wherewithal and awareness to install the lights with the proper alignments to prevent the excessive gap issues from occuring. Not saying there aren't multiple suppliers in the mix affecting fitment but there are also wrong ways (incorrect tightening sequence) to install these lights that could result in the excessive gaps. I tried a few different things to minimize the gaps but, looking back at my stock headlight pictures, the gaps are definitely there with the stock housings. I didn't bother to venture into creative territory to fix something that wasn't broke. At some point I may go back in there to shim the lights to improve the gaps but I'm not holding my breath on getting around to it any time soon especially if it's no worse than stock.

Speaking of the cutoff issue, I ran into a scenario where the light cutoff was an issue. Doing quick rural road uturns at an unlit intersection were kind of sketchy. I felt uneasy doing the first uturn because I couldn't see at the widest points of the path. To safely do so required the fog lights to be powered on which improved visibility on subsequent ones.

While I understand the point you're making, you perhaps could've refined your delivery a touch.

I'm not sure who the demographic you refer to is exactly, but it's worth pointing out that young and/or broke people don't typically buy $50k trucks, especially these days when they're all swimming in student debt.

Having said that, the value of any product is exactly what someone is willing to pay based how important that need is to him. Overall I believe any given demographic has less to do with it.

I'll give you an example. I'm a musician who is also a hi-fi junky. Some of the most impressive, valuable and rare instruments, speakers and electronics I have seen have been owned by pretty average folks. Blue collar guys with $50k per pair speakers. That's because those products have value to those guys.

...and here I am, neither young nor broke, but unwilling to pay $1k for a pair of Chinese factory knockoff headlights. If you do, great, but I don't see the value as I don't put much stock in fancy running lights. Now, if they were made by the OEM's factory, tested in all conditions, accounted for in the fuse panel without having to jump a heated mirror, and under a factory Toyota warranty I'd gladly pay the $3k the Taco guys are paying for their new lights. Maybe we'll get lucky and such a thing will be designed into next year's 4runner.

So does the tacoma lights fit into previous year models? Heck it's over my budget but given our options I would pay more for oem!

Exactly.

I don't know if the new Taco lights are retrofittable to older Taco's, but treated them as they are as it relates to the point I was making about OEM. I just saw someone mention $3k taco lights, so I guess that's what's going on.

Thanks for pointing that out and I see that my use of 'demographic' in brevity left it open to interpretation.

The demographic I had in mind is the general population of 5th gen owners. Inexperienced owners -- the 4Runner might be one of their first cars -- those who generally haven't modified cars across different value and luxury brands spanning multiple decades to understand the aftermarket industry (realistic expectations for prices paid in the industry). Not all 4runner owners are enthusiasts at the level some here are and it shows in the FB groups based on specific comments, unrealistic/simplistic expectations, and other possible motives.

The example you gave regarding the speakers is a good one. On the surface, speakers are speakers but we both know there is more to it. Numbers are only a starting point and conveys very little about the perceived SQ and characteristics of speakers which is how some determine whether that $50k is a value or BS. Measured numbers don't take into consideration build quality, articulation, timbre, warmth, sound stage, feel, and the many other factors measured numbers can't convey. Once someone understands the difficulty of attaining that perfect balance and decide on what's important, there might only be one type of speaker that can check most of those boxes and that set might very well set you back $50k, thus dictating value to those who understand the complexities and subjectivity of good sounding audio. I'd like to think we all have a dream set of characteristics for speakers that checks all of the hypothetical boxes but does any vendor offer one at a price point that the general population can easily swallow or understand as to why it costs what it costs?

At the same time, say that I've never experienced or dabbled in super high end audio, never even owned a set of said speakers. Am I going to recognize what I'm missing or should be expecting other than the price tag?

Should I be chiming in on every topic offering my opinion to everyone who asks about said speakers justifying my negative comments by appending "...especially for the price paid" when I am blind to the benefits, improvements, efficiencies, and peace of mind it offers over option B and C (if those even exist)?

Regardless of my uneducated opinion on said speakers simply based on price, there is a fixed cost to bring a product to market and it ultimately costs what it costs no matter what I value or think of it. I may not be able to afford the product or value or recognize all of the attributes of the $50k speakers but what's wrong if someone else wants to try them because they think the product checks their boxes and may meet all of their expectations?

What someone wants to do with $50k is none of my business whether it be buy speakers or a $50k truck they may or may not be able to afford.

Car guys who have been around the block know that you get what you get for certain products in the aftermarket due to certain limitations and it is the price you pay for a sometimes less than an ideal solution regardless of whether one thinks it's a value or not.

Short of hypothetical OEM solution for us which may or may not check all of the boxes at 2x the cost, I'm drawing blanks for a solution that doesn't involve custom diy, doesn't look aftermarket as hell, and is backed by a company like Morimoto. Seeing how the 2020 Highlander Platinum has LED headlights but still incorporates filament turn signals, I'm not sure anyone has a clue what Toyota will do and if Toyota will ever produce an updated, backwards compatible unit that'll check every single box Morimoto does right meow.

What we do know right now -- The Morimotos are the only off-the-shelf, turnkey OEM like design, fitment, and adjustment, illuminated by Osram LEDs solution that is an improvement over stock output with other added features backed by a five-year warranty at the $1k price point -- Chinese-made or not. If and when the time comes to buy those unicorn OEM units from Toyota or if someone comes to market with an improvement over these, then I suspect there will be no problems offloading the Morimoto xb lights at a price point that's considered a value to both buyer and seller at that time. Just sick of people shitting on threads by parroting opinions about price in every sentence as if there are better apples to apples options right now.

I don't see tapping the mirror heater as an issue since it's still technically plug and play. I mean, would you care that much if you had to biamp speakers or bridge channels on an amp if it sustains a level it couldn't otherwise achieve?

OT--Although I'd like to provide a different perspective on the part about affordability of $50k trucks/cars... how dealers enable that behavior (buying cars people can't afford) by fudging incomes to their captives to move cars, the topic of $50k millionaires keeping an image that can't be sustained, etc., All that's probably better saved for a whole different discussion.

Got mine about couple weeks ago, can't wait to put them on.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

100% agree with you. I wanted to like these, but the fitment, absurd cutoff, and lack of peripheral coverage did it in for me. Also the non-uniform coverage on the road and horrible performance in the wet due to the color temp. For the amount they charge these problems shouldn't exist. Already re-installed my XD HIDs in the factory housings. Hopefully there will be a revised version coming out and i'll reconsider.

So i reached out to xenon depot to get some resistors to fix my sequential hyperflash, due to running LED's in the tail lights and the resistors/black box provided by xenon depot worked like a charm. No splicing or taping or crimping, it was plug and play.

I know it's not often that the blinker stays on for a long period of time, but run them for 3-4 minutes and see if they continue to work correctly.

I had hyper flash on my 2020 with stock bulbs in the rear and added the resistors to the headlights and it fixed the problem. I then added rear LED's with built in resistors and after 2 minutes or so, they went from blinking fine to hyper flashing again. I ended up having to get additional 6ohm resistors to wire in to keep the rear LED's from starting to hyper flash after blinking for a while.

Yes, I added a inline resistor to the wire leading to the fuse box to fix the initial hyperblinking w/ the tail light LED's, but the sequential turnsignals didn't work.

I needed the blackbox/resistors from xenon depot to get the sequential turnsignals to work.

Sorry for the confusion.

Okay, so I haven't been following this thread for a long time now. I stopped following at the very first pre-sale they had because I bought a set at that pre-sale. I finally got around to installing them today and took them for a drive up to the lake because the road is dark. These lights are absolutely TERRIBLE! Holy crap!!! I mean that part of the road that is lit, looks great, but it the throw is so short it's totally dangerous! It might be fine for driving 40 MPH up a well lit road, but driving 65-70 MPH up a freeway that isn't well lit it downright suicide! The only saving grace were my Baja Design's "fog" lights. They are more like driving lights and without them this setup would be in the garbage already.

I took some pictures but since Photobucket is a piece of shit, I can't log in to share them right now. Photobucket has been down (at least my account) for months now.

Did you forget to adjust the low beams upward because, if you don't, the throw is super short out of the box?

Each side needs to come up at least the maximum three turns to be equivalent to stock height if you marked the stock beams on a wall before disassembly.