Alternative to 06-09 headlight swap?

[atalarico]

I was interested in doing the 06-09 swap on my 04 but after I saw that it was a bit more involved than swapping 99's in to my 97, I got scurred.

Just wondering a few things:

1.) Is there such a thing as an 03-05 housing with 06-09 guts in it that's plug-n-play? It seems like most of the aftermarket "upgraded" housings are hit or miss with leaks and all of that because they're TYC or worse.

2.) If not, would an LED bulb be better than something like Sylvania Ultra Stars?

I'm at this cross-roads where I either need to ditch them or get them restored if I'm keeping them.

 

[atalarico]

bump

 

[chaz]

lots of threads on this, but, if you want projectors in the 04 i would spend the bux & do a hid retrofit . other than that the spec d would be a pnp - 2004 Toyota 4Runner Custom & Factory Headlights – CARiD.com but ive read they arnt that great but some like them. silver star bulbs dont last that long & with led bulbs you have to watchout for glare so proper ajustments should be done, but in that case , id do the leds, i use em for my high beams in an 06. heres one to get ya started- LED headlights? - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

 

[bassmacka]

Hey I just got these for my 03. I am really happy with how much brighter they are and they took about 5 min to install. 35W 55W 12V Xenon Light Bulb Car Headlight H1 H3 H7 H11 9005 9006 4300
– E1 Living

 

[atalarico]

Hey I just got these for my 03. I am really happy with how much brighter they are and they took about 5 min to install. 35W 55W 12V Xenon Light Bulb Car Headlight H1 H3 H7 H11 9005 9006 4300
– E1 Living

Interesting stuff. What options/configuration did you get? I mean for $34 it can't hurt to try it.

 

[Ventil8]

HID kit in reflector housing = BAD IDEA

HID kits do not belong in a reflector housing that our lights come in. If you do that setup, you will blind drivers and have a lot of light glare.

I was in the same boat as you with my lights and decided to do a HID projector retrofit on new TYC housings on my 2005.

 

[atalarico]

HID kits do not belong in a reflector housing that our lights come in. If you do that setup, you will blind drivers and have a lot of light glare.

I was in the same boat as you with my lights and decided to do a HID projector retrofit on new TYC housings on my 2005.

Ah, see there's the rub! I knew it wasn't as simple as that, and the last thing I want to do is blind people/run an illegal-ish setup.

HID retrofits look like *way* more work than a simple 06-09 upgrade, so that's definitely out of the question. Looks like I'll just get these headlights cleaned up and drop some sylvania ultra stars in there. If I come across OEM 06-09 headlights for a deal I'll probably pick them up, but sounds like I should pass on the aftermarket ones.

Thanks!

 

[chaz]

most + bulbs dont last more than a year or two, have you thought bout a HIR bulbs mod? High Intensity Infrared (HIR) bulb install - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

 

[atalarico]

most + bulbs dont last more than a year or two, have you thought bout a HIR bulbs mod? High Intensity Infrared (HIR) bulb install - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

I hadn't heard of these but it looks like they're a happy middle ground! I'll check these out! Thanks!