Before I get flamed, I have done tons of research and now I am confused more than ever . LED vs HID.... can't really find a straight answer. So many opinions. Would like to upgrade my factory light bulbs but now I'm not sure which way to go. What is your HONEST opinion... go with HID or LED?

I have diode dynamics fog lights and love them. I started with Morimoto 2stroke LED headlight bulbs in my factory housings. Hates them...tons of blind spots and glare. I sold them and purchased Xenon Depot 4300k Phillips HID kit and am more than happy with them.

I have LED from lasfit.com and couldn’t be happier they work for my needs very bright and don’t have any issues with oncoming traffic flashing me.. this is what I’m using 2014-2020 Toyota 4Runner LED Headlight Exterior Interior Bulbs-LASFIT - Lasfit Auto Lighting good luck I spent a lot of time as well in what works best and it’s a definitely a hard decision, I based mine on price and performance for me didn’t want to spend a bunch of money and not be happy..

Try the H9 bulbs. Pretty good output

3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights | Tacoma World

H9 - ~14 bucks and better than $1,100 drop ins
Headlight before/after comparisons

I ended up putting in the GTR Ultra 2s and couldn't be happier.

I was in the same boat. While I think the best thing to do is that HID conversion (you'll get way more responses to this thread soon all about what is better etc etc) but if all you want is something better than stock as well as not worrying about conversion kits and all that, the Ultra 2s are awesome.

I also put in Diode Dynamics SSE Pro Amber fog lights and WOW, what a difference!

I have Morimoto 2stoke led and the throw is terrible. The width is great though.

I just bought an HID kit from TRS. We'll give it a go and see how it is.

I have been back and forth on them but I don't like the idea of not being able to close the dust cover with the LED bulb cooling fans. I've also read a lot of mixed reviews when it comes to actual light output from LEDs and etc.

We shall see

According to me LED is clear winner here, because of many reasons, as light intensity for halogen and HID (High Intensity Discharge) is quite weak, while LED bulbs have a very tightly focused beam.

In recent years, halogens and HIDs have been preferred among many manufacturers, but nowadays, LED headlights are becoming popular and new standard for headlights because of improvements in LED technology.

I'm sure @mynameistory has an input

i concur - i had the same until i switched to gtr lighting ultra 2 earlier this year. such a huge improvement.

This is true if you're using an LED-specific housing/projector. Not sure how they perform in our halogen projectors. I think some of the new ones are getting better but to say that as matter-of-fact as you have is a bit misleading here.

REALLY interesting read if you have 15 minutes to go through.

3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights | Tacoma World

I tried his recommendations (h11 ones) and was pleased with the results. I drive around Yosemite a lot and the GE 120s were a nice change.

I think if you took a poll on this forum, HID for low beams and LED for highs and fogs would be the best choice for the headlight housings we have - and I mean the 2014 - current.

I experimented with the H9 low and 9011 high conversion and while it does improve visibility, it also increases current draw - albeit marginally.

After that, I tried LEDs in my low beams and they were a disaster. Maybe there are more companies out there building bulbs specifically for our headlight housing now and they may have improved on it. Issue is, our low beam projectors weren't designed to direct-fit a LED bulb - unless one is custom designed to fit our housing. When I tried the LEDs, I lost all side lighting on the road and visibility was dismal at best. Again, this technology is improving everyday, so it may be worth researching.

I ultimately decided to go HID for low beams and I was very reluctant at first but after I installed my xenon depot kit, I definitely noticed a great improvement over the stock setup. One word of caution, Xenon Depot's customer service left a lot to be desired when I ordered my kit, not sure if they've gotten their act together now.

As for high beams, I went with LEDs and ordered a set of DDM Tuning 50W 9005 LED bulbs - intense bright light when you need it. For fogs, I installed a set of Diode Dynamics H11 XP80 LED bulbs and they have been outstanding.

I'm very happy with the above setup, although I'm sure in the future I'll be looking into LED sets for my low beams, since this technology is developing at a very fast pace and I think some good products will become available for our trucks. HID is an aging technology but in our headlight housings, I've come to realize it is the best aftermarket option. For now, I'm good with what I have and I've had no issues whatsoever and am definitely enjoying night driving again.

Any idea how the stock projectors with HID compare with a retrofit such as OEM HID Projector Retrofit Product & Service Specialists ?