Headlights suck

Ripper238

Ripper238

Senior Member
I had initially felt the headlights were fine, especially high beams, but with some snow and rain i find they are terrible compared to my other cars that had top tier HID's.

So i am going to have to do something. I would rather not spend big bucks but IMO that's the only way to do it right. Key for me is reliability, all my other cars never had an issue with the HID's and that's what i want here.

Its possible better fog lights would help since i need more of the ground lit up, but headlights is where i think i need improvement? Been reading that Morimoto HID's with 5500K are good.

Ill be stopping by my local vehicle builder guy who does some crazy custom off road stuff and see what he suggests as well.
 
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I thought they were fine too until driving it for the first time in rain. Couldn't see the ground but at least the tiny reflectors lit up.

Ripper238 said:
I had initially felt the headlights were fine, especially high beams, but with some snow and rain i find they are terrible compared to my other cars that had top tier HID's.

So i am going to have to do something. I would rather not spend big bucks but IMO that's the only way to do it right. Key for me is reliability, all my other cars never had an issue with the HID's and that's what i want here.

Its possible better fog lights would help since i need more of the ground lit up, but headlights is where i think i need improvement? Been reading that Morimoto HID's with 5500K are good.

Ill be stopping by my local vehicle builder guy who does some crazy custom off road stuff and see what he suggests as well.
Click to expand...
 
If we get another 4runner, if factory LED headlights aren't an option I will be getting Kustom 54 lightings LED conversion headlights right away.

It's pretty aggravating that Toyota can put VERY good LED lights on the BASE model Corolla and not the $40,000+ 4runner.
 
Senorlechero said:
It's pretty aggravating that Toyota can put VERY good LED lights on the BASE model Corolla and not the $40,000+ 4runner.
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You can go even cheaper than the Corolla and find LED lighting on certain trims of the Yaris.

Outside of wheels/tires, upgrading the lighting is the only other thing on my list of must-do's. Factory lights are crap.
 
h9 Mod

might try the cheaper route: H11-H9 9005-9011 Headlight Mod

Just replace the h11 with h9's to increase lumens two-fold. Phillips H9's are $10 here https://www.amazon.com/Philips-1236...1_2?keywords=philips+h9&qid=1574784911&sr=8-2

It's a really common mod and I am actually planning on installing them today because I am back in town...

Because you said in rain and snow especially, I might also Recommend Silicon Wiper blades... they last 5 years USE time versus rubber which lasts 6 months DATE time. Or at least replace your wipers? Worth a check. I have the PIAA super silicon just installed and the difference is incredible. Ultra Quiet and no streaking whatsoever.
 
Good set of LED headlights should help.. I hated driving at night before installing my LED’s
 

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To save money, Toyota purchased 30 years worth of halogen light bulbs so they'll be on there for a while. :guitar2:
 
They are objectively terrible

2019 Toyota 4Runner
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That's phenomenal. My 2020 has lights that are an embarrassment relative to any car with factory HID lights. My C63 has adaptive HIDs and those are the single best set of low/high beams I've driven in a span of 25+ cars and 35+ years of driving. Hell, my wife's three year old Prius has low beams that blow away the current year top trim 4Runner. That's just a joke.

That said, the 2020 TRD Pro, and I imagine other trims as well, have a set of excellent LED foglights that do a tremendous job of filling in the foreground, but more importantly, the sides of the road when used in conjunction with the shitty halogen projectors. I recently replace the halogens with LED bulbs in the projectors and higher output halogens for the high beams and while the improvement is significant, the fogs are still required to see what's happening off axis when driving down the miles of dark desert road I'm on frequently.
 
I posted this in the Consolidated Lighting Info Thread but it’s probably useful here. Here’s a summary of the options out there..


HIDs (in stock housing) - This will hands down get you the most light output for the money. This is also a controversial option as you're putting HIDs in a halogen projector. There's a 50/50 split on people who say this will cause excessive glare vs people who don't. Various color temps available

LEDs - Based off of my research, it seems like if you buy a higher quality LED kit such as the Morimoto/Supernova/XD, they will provide an output slightly better than stock. Note that kits such as the Morimoto and Supernova come with fans on the unit which will produce noise. Cooler color temps available to get rid of the stock halogen whitish-yellow.

H9 - Honestly, if you don't want to piss off anyone in this thread, go with this option. lol Requires a small modification to the bulb. Double the stock output for $15, but keep in mind that H9s run at 65W vs 55W which means it will run hotter with more power on the stock wiring harness. The consensus is that the extra heat and power should be ok. Whitish-yellow output.

High Performance H11 - This is an option I don't frequently see on this forum but see a lot on the Tacoma forum. GE Megalight Ultra H11 - double the stock output, direct replacement, $30-40. Note that these bulbs have a short lifespan. Whitish-yellow output.

Retrofit HIDs/LEDs - Swap out the stock halogen projector for a legit HID/LED projector. Requires baking/opening the headlight. This will give you the output of the HIDs without the worry of glare and the general output will be way more uniform vs HIDs in the stock halogen projectors. This one is a ton of work - not for the faint of heart.

Morimoto XB LED Headlights - The most expensive option. Output should be better than stock but won't be as bright as HIDs. The biggest complaint by far with these is that the side cut off is very sharp. Running fogs seems to resolve/lessen the impact of the issue.

Note - Driving in the city/rain/fog/snow, whitish-yellow (4300K) light will provide the most visibility.
 
I've had (2) sets of HID's with the 4300k Phillips bulbs from Xenon Depot. Easy install and not a bad price. The downside is if you need a replacement there are several components involved. I was tied up for a few weeks waiting on a replacement bulb.

The other option is the LED upgrades. Easiest of the upgrades as you just swap bulb for bulb and the components fit under the dust cap. I'd check out Headlight Revolution as they seem to do a huge amount of work testing bulbs in specific housings.

If I had it to do over again I'd go with the Headlight Revolution SV.4, seems to have great output with the easiest install.

2014 - 2019 Toyota 4Runner SV.4 LED (Low Beam) - Headlight Revolution

I did upgrade my fogs to the yellow Phillips LED's, they help but it's really the low beam that needs the upgrade.
 
5k HID kit in mine and the lighting is perfect. Aimed them properly after installing 1" front level too.
 
DingusGoziña said:
might try the cheaper route: H11-H9 9005-9011 Headlight Mod

Just replace the h11 with h9's to increase lumens two-fold. Phillips H9's are $10 here Amazon.com: Philips H9 Standard Halogen Replacement Headlight Bulb: Automotive

It's a really common mod and I am actually planning on installing them today because I am back in town...

Because you said in rain and snow especially, I might also Recommend Silicon Wiper blades... they last 5 years USE time versus rubber which lasts 6 months DATE time. Or at least replace your wipers? Worth a check. I have the PIAA super silicon just installed and the difference is incredible. Ultra Quiet and no streaking whatsoever.
Click to expand...


Been running this light swap and works fine. No issues at all seeing in the rain.
 
lyodbraun said:
Good set of LED headlights should help.. I hated driving at night before installing my LED’s
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your cut-offs are fuzzy b/c the projector lens is not designed for the diod placement. HIDs in the low beam, LEDs in the reflector high and fog. I took it a step further with rigid sae dualys in my fogs, but the output is not much better, just reliability.

Plenty of pics with hids in stock halogen projectors showing how the cut offs are clean. Clean cut offs are important because you can have tons of usable light without blinding on coming traffic.
 
I replaced my stock halogens with Kustom54 LED retrofits. The LEDs light up the road so much better, and the cutoff is excellent. Totally worth it.
 

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