Bright Headlights - too bright?

[eviele]

Hi all,

I've got a new to me 06 Sport and I still vividly remember the first night I drove it home. I couldn't help but note that the headlights were nice and bright, waaay brighter than my 04 Tacoma.

Now, a few weeks later and there are many nights on the interstate when others are flashing their high beams at me, or more actively getting right behind me when I pass and turning on their high beams.

I don't have a lift and the headlights appear aligned correctly. I'm not driving with my high beams on and only occasionally with my fogs on.
What gives?
Are the lights just that good in the 4runner?

 

[CXS]

My guess is the PO "upgraded" your lights which is apparently one of the "things to do" among many owners. I find it very annoying and downright obnoxious myself to say nothing about it being dangerous.

I'm sure someone in the know will tell you what was done. Personally I hope you bring them back to stock since stock lights are plenty bright.

 

[m85476585]

You should have projector low beams. Are the beam cutoffs correct? Sometimes different bulbs can change that. Are you sure they are aimed correctly? Look under the hood for signs of a HID retrofit.

 

[Velonici]

Do you have a lift?

 

[eviele]

No lift, the guy who owned the car before me was meticulous, but not terribly handy. If any modification was done it was done by a Toyota dealership.
He had heated leather seats put in by the dealer for example...

I'll look for a possible HID upgrade, but i doubt it.
Will report back.

(seriously though, my last two trips to Boston someone has pulled in behind me and turned on their high beams on the interstate...that upsets me)

 

[CookieRoe]

No lift, the guy who owned the car before me was meticulous, but not terribly handy. If any modification was done it was done by a Toyota dealership.
He had heated leather seats put in by the dealer for example...

I'll look for a possible HID upgrade, but i doubt it.
Will report back.

(seriously though, my last two trips to Boston someone has pulled in behind me and turned on their high beams on the interstate...that upsets me)

Take a pic of the engine bay toward the lights. Tall tale sign that aftermarket HIDs were installed are strange wires and ballasts nearby. Hmmm, even if they were, OEM projectors (4Runner) with HIDs aren't really known to blind the christ out of others. I'm thinking your headlights are out of alignment.

Stupid question: are your highs on? (maybe indicator isn't working properly)

 

[macgyver_ga]

No lift, the guy who owned the car before me was meticulous, but not terribly handy. If any modification was done it was done by a Toyota dealership.
He had heated leather seats put in by the dealer for example...

I'll look for a possible HID upgrade, but i doubt it.
Will report back.

(seriously though, my last two trips to Boston someone has pulled in behind me and turned on their high beams on the interstate...that upsets me)

Are you a slow driver or tailgating them when attempting to pass them? I flash my high beams at drivers who drive slow in the left lane and don't move over like they should to let faster moving traffic pass.

Have you checked to make sure your high beams aren't on? Maybe the dash indicator light isn't working? The low beam should come from the projector lens and the high beam is a separate reflector.

The headlights on my wife's 06 sport aren't very bright IMO. I'm thinking of upgrading them but I need to check the aiming first. They might just be aimed too low. I noticed when I was driving it the other night that they just didn't reach out very far for low beams. I've driven vehicles with halogen projectors before and these just don't seem bright enough.

Check the aiming on your headlights. they may be aimed too high.

I have silvania silverstars in my lifted tundra and I don't get flashed at all because I have them aimed properly. I drive in the dark at least once every day. Up until last week it was dark in the morning on my way to work. Now it's dark on my way home from work :-(

Also, your fogs lights won't blind people if aimed down at the ground properly. I drive with fogs on all the time.

 

[m85476585]

Also, your fogs lights won't blind people if aimed down at the ground properly. I drive with fogs on all the time.

There's no need. Properly aimed fog light only illuminate the ground in front of your vehicle, and by making that area brighter they actually detract from distance visibility, which is more important. If you don't see something until it's in the fog lights, it's too late to do anything about it.

It would be nice to have a bit more light to the sides, especially when turning, to see people and bikes and animals, but the fog lights don't seem to do enough for that. I guess I need a lexus or something with adaptive HIDs.


Back to the original question, another thing to check it make sure your headlight lenses are clean and clear. If they are dirty, yellow, or hazy they create a lot more glare than a clear lens.

 

[hearno]

So it's not cars in the oncoming lanes that are flashing you, it's the vehicles you just passed?

Lmao... you're that guy that [MENTION=115237]macgyver_ga[/MENTION] mentioned and people are pointing it out to you now.

 

[eviele]

So it's not cars in the oncoming lanes that are flashing you, it's the vehicles you just passed?

Lmao... you're that guy that [MENTION=115237]macgyver_ga[/MENTION] mentioned and people are pointing it out to you now.

No, no, no...I'm not that guy. :rockthrow:
You have to re-read my post. I get flashed from oncoming traffic AND people I pass get behind me and turn on their high beams.

I always travel in the middle lane (feels safest to me), but I scoot along pretty well so frequently pass on the left. Usually, when I come up to someone in the middle lane and then pass on the left, that's when they tuck in behind me and turn their highbeams on. I don't think I crowd them before I pass, but maybe they think I do. I also don't camp in the left lane - that's a pet peeve of mine.

I'm definitely not traveling with high beams on and a broken high beam indicator. Nope...I know this because when I turn on the high beams it's like daylight. :reddance:
Even the wife comments on how bright it is.

..and in regards to the fogs, I only run them because it gets really late and I get tired and the little extra glow in the front of the 4Runner helps keep me awake.

I'm on the road today so tomorrow I'll open the hood and look for HID's or pull the bulbs and see if there's a label. I'll search more too to see what the specs are for properly aligned headlights unless someone has a link handy.
I hate to make this a big deal, I just wondered if this was a common issue folks were having. Seems not...

 

[m85476585]

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply
How to Adjust Your Headlights - Aim Your Headlights - Popular Mechanics

 

[JB.]

I don't have a lift and the headlights appear aligned correctly.

The likeliest explanation is they're aimed too high. It can make a huge difference. Hopefully the horizontal aiming is not messed up.

From the drivers seat perspective there is an adjuster on the bottom left of the housing. It takes a 5/16 or 8mm wrench, although Haynes says you can use a Phillips screwdriver. Clockwise should lower them (again from drivers seat perspective).

 

[kakuno]

I also wonder if you have a leveling kit? It wouldn't be as noticeable as a proper lift but that would bring the front end up a bit and cause the adjustment to be out.

Just a thought.

 

[KingPrat]

(seriously though, my last two trips to Boston someone has pulled in behind me and turned on their high beams on the interstate...that upsets me)

And this behavior in Boston is strange, how? :heh:


I agree that it sounds like your aim is off. 4R headlights put out good light, but with the projectors shouldn't be blinding anyone.

 

[4RunnerINprogress]

The likeliest explanation is they're aimed too high. It can make a huge difference. Hopefully the horizontal aiming is not messed up.

From the drivers seat perspective there is an adjuster on the bottom left of the housing. It takes a 5/16 or 8mm wrench, although Haynes says you can use a Phillips screwdriver. Clockwise should lower them (again from drivers seat perspective).

+1. Probably need to re-adjust them.

 

[jsqlufalson]

I guess I need a lexus or something with adaptive HIDs.