Simplest Practical Light Upgrade street legal
 

Hi,
I have a 2016 TRDP that until now was on pavement in Los Angeles 99% of the time unfortunately. However, I do have future plans for light trail rides getting first responders and vets together. As well, nearly every Saturday now I am driving up to the desert mountains to a PTSD treatment facility for first responders to do chaplain stuff. Coming home on later at night on twisty narrow roads with the stock headlights was horrible. Even the high beams don't give much light...actually feels dangerous not being able to see that far down the road or off to side when dealing with some tight switchbacks.

I have read so many threads on various options for upgrading the low and high beams. But there seems to be enough cons for my taste for doing HID or LED, and I do not want to risk heat issues nor only have ~ one years worth of longevity if I upgrade the halogens to some of the more seemingly popular options.

Are there no real replacement halogen bulbs that have a significant increase in light that do not have the drawbacks of possible heat issues or a much shorter lifespan?

And for simplicity sake, would getting the SS3 Diode Dynamics driving lights give a ton of improvement (the pro version says double the output), yet their website says they compliment the high beams but if its just plug and play with the stock fogs the switch does not work with high beams so it would just be the low beams plus driving lights?

https://www.diodedynamics.com/ss3-le...a-4runner.html

I am not mechanically inclined so want as simple solutions as possible. I worked two full time jobs most of my life and never had the time to learn how to wrench so always had to pay for my 4x4 stuff to get installed or fixed. If there are bulbs that give any sort of improvement and will last a few years at least to improve the low and high beams without heat issues, please let me know. And opinions on the driving lights? I want them to be street legal and not blind oncoming traffic.

And if I there was a simple install light bar behind the grill (is the 20" KC a simple install?) that did not break the bank that might work that isn't street legal I still may consider it just to use when in the mountains.

Thanks

Philips X-tremeVision or Sylvania Silver Star Ultra. I use the Philips bulb and very happy with the increased light output.

The fogs are easy to wire directly to another switch instead of the plug and play option. YouTube will be your friend. But you should be fine without the fogs on bright with better halogen bulbs.

Should get some good prices on light bars on Black Friday or on older models/clearance. I would be weary of off-brands due to issues with water condensation, lens staining, and dimming bulbs. Buy once cry once.

Aside from different bulbs, there is no legal upgrade path.

"Buy once cry once".[/QUOTE]

never heard this but like it!!!!!!

Thanks, maybe those Phillips plus the SSE driving lights will resolve my issue...

A light bar would just be icing on the cake....

I went 4 years without adding a thing to this 4runner, the longest in my life with a 4x4 not starting to lift or add stuff....I am trying to be a more mature adult ha...but the drives home from the mountains these late nights have pushed me to want lighting for sure....

Consider this:
 

H11/H9 and 9005/9011 headlight bulb swaps. There is a lot of information on this site referencing this swap.

Are these where you have to cut off some tab, and at least some guys have said it heats up significantly more than stock? and some guys only get a year out of them? I do not want to be changing bulbs every year....the stock ones are horrific, but they have lasted a solid 4 years already.

I heard neutral to good things about these. No need for cutting tricks.

Amazon.com: Philips H11 X-tremeVision Upgrade Headlight Bulb with up to 100% More Vision, 2 Pack: Automotive

I felt your pain with the lousy 4R headlights. This should be your first attempt at improved light. Don’t spend many hundreds for HIDs or new LED housings. Convert your low beam bulbs from H11 to H9. Then high beams from 9005 to 9011. It will cost your about $50-60, It’s an easy mod to the bulbs, not the harness. See post 122 for the pics.

How To: Headlight Bulb Conversion (H11 to H9 & 9005 to 9011)

The extra heat and extra current is minimal. It will not melt your wiring or your polycarbonate headlight lenses. Urban myth. My bulbs have lasted over 1.5 years so far. It’s such an easy mod and installation you can mod an extra set and stash them in your truck as spares. It’s a very satisfying mod with real results. Try it and if you don’t like it go back to OEM bulbs. Don’t be afraid.

I'm extremely picky about what I do to my lighting as well. I also work in field that gives me access to lighting experts. I went with H9 to H11. The best thing I did as far as upgrades. You can buy plug adapters to keep from cutting the tabs. Another advantage is being able to source new bulbs at an auto parts store when needed.

You get much better output and still keep the proper beam pattern. Yes, you need to replace more often, but most people don't realize they should be replacing bulbs more often. Halogen bulbs dim slowly over time so I replace mine every year anyway.

If you are not sure, pick up a cheap set at the store, cut the tabs, and try them out. I paid about $15 for a basic pair of Sylvania bulbs at O'Reilly's. After my first night drive, I ordered the adapter plugs. I'm also going to get an extra set of bulbs and throw in the glove box.

Back in the day I put Silver Stars in all my vehicles. They are brighter and whiter than stock, but not near as bright as some of these other options being mentioned. You can still buy plug and play LED high beams which are crazy bright and provide the light you need for the mountains. If you go with a whitish low beam option like a Silver Star the color won't match exactly, but you'll be close enough. I put Super Bright LEDs in my 04 and they are awesome! When I switched to my 14 I kept the high beams and fogs and went with HID's for my low beams. It wasn't that hard to do, but I certainly understand your reluctance.

Dumb question, can anyone suggest a plug adapter available online? I've thought about doing this for awhile and would love to just have a adapter versus needing to grind down the bulbs (yes, I know it's easy, just would rather have an adapter and hadn't thought about that route before).

From doing a quick sniff around I cannot find anything that is obviously H11 to H9, but did find a few that I thought maybe could work.

iJDMTOY (2) H11 H8 H9 Extension Wiring Harness Sockets Wires Compatible With Headlights or Fog Lights Use Amazon.com: iJDMTOY (2) H11 H8 H9 Extension Wiring Harness Sockets Wires Compatible With Headlights or Fog Lights Use: Automotive

These ?


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I did notice those. Saw a lot of folks complaining about failures including melting if using them for a H11 to H9 conversion in the reviews so was skeptical.

Nope. There are no adapters to implement this mod. You need to get the bulbs to fit into the back of the headlight housing. Bulbs have keying tabs on them (think “male”). Housings have mating keying voids (think “female”). The idea is to modify the bulbs keying tabs to physically fit into the headlight housing.

You’re overthinking this. It’s not rocket science.
The mod to the high beam bulb (9011) is easy. All you do is snip off a little of the plastic tab with wire cutters. You could probably even do it with your toenail clippers.

The low beam bulb H9 needs two operations, first an interior plastic piece removed from the socket. Score it with an xacto or knife blade on each side, grab it with needle nose pliers and bend back and forth. It will snap off cleanly, then trim off any remaining edges with your knife. Easy.

The second operation to the low beam bulb is the only *slightly* difficult thing: trimming the metal tab. Use a strong sharp wire cutter to cut the metal. It will take a few snips to work through the tab. Clean up the sharp edges with a file. Some folks use a dremel tool to do the cutting.

In any case, don’t touch the bulb glass with your fingers. But if you do, clean it off well with isopropyl alcohol and lint free cloth.

For physically accessing the headlight bulbs consult your 4Runner user manual.

—— End of tutorial ——

Thanks for all the responses.

So these won’t work?

Nokya Wire Harness H9 NoK9117 Head Light Bulb Socket Female Male High Beam Plug | eBay

Wire Harness Plug & Play – Nokya Lighting

The other adapters having complaints of melting doesn’t sound fun.

I’d love to just do something straightforward that was gonna last plug and play. If there was a company whose adapters were reliable for both the low and high beam halogen swap without cutting tabs, I’d be all for that experiment.

Then if there is a sale on the SS3 fog or driving lights, get the pro model that supposedly has double the output and call it a day. Not sure what’s more versatile for mountain roads, their fog or driving. If the driving lights were pencil beams maybe fogs are better option, especially if the low beam mod drastically improved lighting.