fathousecat_
New member
Hello,
What headlight bulbs do you recommend.
Thank you!
What headlight bulbs do you recommend.
Thank you!
Headlight Bulbs
- Thread starter fathousecat_
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Too Stroked
Member
What are you putting them in?
Pyral
Member
Assuming your talking about h4 bulbs for the main headlights. Get some basic Sylvania H4.
Avoid any halogen that advertises to produce a whiter light. They usually accomplish this by adding a blue filter to remove usuable yellow light. Not only does this decrease output but it makes the bulb run hotter because it has to absorb a lot of the yellow light. The previous owner of my 4runner had installed one of these white halogens, and when I replaced it with a normal one the light output increased considerablely.
A lot of people will recommend LED drop in replacements. They can work but a lot aren't compatible with out halogen headlight housings
Avoid any halogen that advertises to produce a whiter light. They usually accomplish this by adding a blue filter to remove usuable yellow light. Not only does this decrease output but it makes the bulb run hotter because it has to absorb a lot of the yellow light. The previous owner of my 4runner had installed one of these white halogens, and when I replaced it with a normal one the light output increased considerablely.
A lot of people will recommend LED drop in replacements. They can work but a lot aren't compatible with out halogen headlight housings
pluton
Senior Member
Agree that standard type bulbs are acceptable. There are 100 watt "off road only" bulbs that some folks have installed and like a lot, but it is uncertain whether the stock relays/wiring/sockets can handle the additional wattage and/or heat of 100W.
If your headlights seem very dim and are original/very old, new housings will improve the brightness. The reflectors are not cleanable (soft Al coating).
If your headlights seem very dim and are original/very old, new housings will improve the brightness. The reflectors are not cleanable (soft Al coating).
Too Stroked
Member
Since we haven't heard back from the OP yet, I'll try to answer some of the more commonly asked questions about automotive headlights. Rather than retyping the whole thing, let me offer up something I co-authored a few years ago with a good friend and lighting expert:
Automotive Lighting 101 | Tacoma World
The short answers are as follows:
Generally speaking, for a reflector style housing with a halogen bulb, you're better off staying with a halogen bulb. Avoid "drop in" LED bulbs because most of them are illegal because they cause so much glare for oncoming drivers. They also do a pretty lousy job of putting usable light where you need it.
For projector housings with halogen bulbs, this is less of a problem, but the cheap eBay and Amazon LED bulbs won't last very long.
As for what type of halogen bulb to replace with, as has already been said, avoid anything with a blue coating (to give you "whiter looking" light) because the coating itself cuts down on light output.
Also avoid "high wattage" bulbs unless you do a proper refit of your wiring to handle the extra load. Even if you do upgrade your wiring, remember that these bulbs generally have less than half the usable life of standard bulbs. There is a well documented upgrade of this type for 2nd generation Tacomas using an H4 / 9003 halogen bulb. Here's the complete story on that one:
The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID) | Tacoma World
Trust me, I did this upgrade to my Tacoma and it's the real deal. The thread also goes into which aftermarket "non-high wattage" bulbs actually perform the best and don't require a new harness. There are definitely better options than stock there.
Automotive Lighting 101 | Tacoma World
The short answers are as follows:
Generally speaking, for a reflector style housing with a halogen bulb, you're better off staying with a halogen bulb. Avoid "drop in" LED bulbs because most of them are illegal because they cause so much glare for oncoming drivers. They also do a pretty lousy job of putting usable light where you need it.
For projector housings with halogen bulbs, this is less of a problem, but the cheap eBay and Amazon LED bulbs won't last very long.
As for what type of halogen bulb to replace with, as has already been said, avoid anything with a blue coating (to give you "whiter looking" light) because the coating itself cuts down on light output.
Also avoid "high wattage" bulbs unless you do a proper refit of your wiring to handle the extra load. Even if you do upgrade your wiring, remember that these bulbs generally have less than half the usable life of standard bulbs. There is a well documented upgrade of this type for 2nd generation Tacomas using an H4 / 9003 halogen bulb. Here's the complete story on that one:
The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID) | Tacoma World
Trust me, I did this upgrade to my Tacoma and it's the real deal. The thread also goes into which aftermarket "non-high wattage" bulbs actually perform the best and don't require a new harness. There are definitely better options than stock there.
heat
Member
203 pages? Could we get a spoiler? What did you go with?
Too Stroked
Member
When I had my Tacoma, I went with the Osram Hyper bulbs and the full Ultimate Headlight Upgrade harness. Those bulbs - as awesome as they were - are no longer available.
The author of that thread keeps it up to date and all of the really important information is in the first 5 pages or so to save you some reading. The current best non-high wattage bulb is the Phillips +150 BTW.
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fathousecat_
New member
Thank you everyone for the responses. I am putting them in the stock housing as my bulbs have burned out. I ordered some retrofit HID's from BXbuilt but the lead times are way out there. SO, in the meantime I will purchase replacement bulbs. Ya'll have given me a lot to consider. Most likely will go with Sylvania's.
Thank You
Thank You
19963.4lsr5
New member
I’m using the 9003 silver stars and like them. Especially paired with my driving lights.
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