How to do the 03->06 Headlight Swap.

[CruzadoBlanco]

So I just tested my theory and it seems I am wrong. Dual LED bulbs (4 in total in the front) still don't pull enough in order to not hyperflash. Seems a bit odd. I thought it would work.

I tested with some TRS 4157 LED bulbs for the bottom, and then just some autozone 1156 LED bulbs up top. It will still work with one normal filament bulb, and one LED bulb, but the way they flash looks funky, as the LED is on/off, and the filament sorta fades in and out, making it look strange. Since there is a 27w cap for each side, I think I'm just going to use normal filament bulbs for both and stay under that 27w max.

It's a shame the dual LEDs didn't work. Would have really liked it to. That being said, are there any other LEDs that I should look in to that may put out more light/draw more power? I tried to figure out how much wattage the TRS bulbs draw, but couldn't. Would dual TRS or VLED bulbs make a difference?

you could always put a load resistor inline on both sides. just look for a wattage resistor that will take up the "slack" in current draw so they will work. its really not that hard of a thing to do and write ups are everywhere on doing them. i think the common one is 20W 5ohm but im not sure you will probably need less since you are driving 2leds per side in front

 

[Krayziekid]

you could always put a load resistor inline on both sides. just look for a wattage resistor that will take up the "slack" in current draw so they will work. its really not that hard of a thing to do and write ups are everywhere on doing them. i think the common one is 20W 5ohm but im not sure you will probably need less since you are driving 2leds per side in front

Yea, the dual fronts on either side are what is really throwing me off. I always try to avoid resistors cause honestly, I'm just not a fan. Just another thing to go wrong. I am going to look around at high wattage LEDs (if those exist lol) and if not, just go back to regular filament bulbs that fit the wattage requirements. They don't need to shine like the sun, cause honestly, they are just turn signals lol.

And yea, I think 20W might be too much on a resistor, especially without knowing the wattage of the LEDs (which seems to be impossible to find). I'm not sure what the requirement is to not hyperflash (I am guesstimating about 18w), but I know exceeding 27w will eventually shut down the relay. I think I'm just gonna go with 2 11w filament bulbs or something and call it a day. Thanks for your insight!

 

[fogcitysurfer]

Did you ever get this issue resolved?

 

[rick1987]

im curious as well, doing the swap hopefully this weekend.

 

[Krayziekid]

Did you ever get this issue resolved?

No unfortunately I didn't. I did the math out and stuff and a resistor will work, but I just haven't found the time to wire one in and swap over to some quality LEDs. For now I have just been using some high output Sylvania bulbs in the 06 housings and leaving my 03 housings empty. I like the look of the bulbs up in the 06 housing better.

 

[Krayziekid]

im curious as well, doing the swap hopefully this weekend.

Sorry, but I didn't resolve it yet. Definitely planning on trying some options in the near future, but I have just been so swamped with work recently that I haven't found any free time. I will definitely update the post when I figure it out.

Good luck with the swap though! It is really straightforward if you take your time and follow the guide. Post here or PM me if you have any problems and I will gladly try and help!

 

[rick1987]

Sorry, but I didn't resolve it yet. Definitely planning on trying some options in the near future, but I have just been so swamped with work recently that I haven't found any free time. I will definitely update the post when I figure it out.

Good luck with the swap though! It is really straightforward if you take your time and follow the guide. Post here or PM me if you have any problems and I will gladly try and help!

Im slowly getting all my parts in, And I was thinking about throwing a TRS HID kit in the low beam projectors. I noticed that you used their LEDs for your low beam. Im liking that idea, no need for a harness, and I think I would need to custom make a kit, 9006 stock harness and H11 bulbs.

So how do you like the LED H11 bulbs?


Also, Im thinking about running the stock bulbs in the bumper and running 1156 LEDs in the housing. Im not sure about how many watts the LEDs draw but maybe using that option it wont hyperflash, or overheat.

what do you think?

 

[Krayziekid]

Im slowly getting all my parts in, And I was thinking about throwing a TRS HID kit in the low beam projectors. I noticed that you used their LEDs for your low beam. Im liking that idea, no need for a harness, and I think I would need to custom make a kit, 9006 stock harness and H11 bulbs.

So how do you like the LED H11 bulbs?


Also, Im thinking about running the stock bulbs in the bumper and running 1156 LEDs in the housing. Im not sure about how many watts the LEDs draw but maybe using that option it wont hyperflash, or overheat.

what do you think?

I am definitely liking the TRS LED bulbs in the low beams. They aren't supposed to be used in low beam reflector housings cause they throw light everywhere, but they seem to work really well in the projector housings. Sure, the cutoff isn't as sharp as an HID kit, but then again, you aren't having to pay the extra money or worry about harnesses and other wiring. Overall, I am very pleased for the money.

As for converting from 9006 to H11, you can buy premade adapters on ebay or amazon for cheap. I did that and it was very easy and works well.

Your turn signal solution should work. When I ran a stock bulb with an LED, it seemed to stay on without overdrawing on the current, and it did not hyperflash. The only problem was the way it looked. The LED only has two "lighting modes"; on and off. It doesn't fade in and out. Because of that, the LED will go on/off while the stock bulb fades in and out like any other bulb. It looks odd because one appears like it is flashing faster, but it isn't. Looked too odd for me and I just went with one bulb for now until I find the time to play with it more.

 

[rick1987]

I am definitely liking the TRS LED bulbs in the low beams. They aren't supposed to be used in low beam reflector housings cause they throw light everywhere, but they seem to work really well in the projector housings. Sure, the cutoff isn't as sharp as an HID kit, but then again, you aren't having to pay the extra money or worry about harnesses and other wiring. Overall, I am very pleased for the money.

As for converting from 9006 to H11, you can buy premade adapters on ebay or amazon for cheap. I did that and it was very easy and works well.

Your turn signal solution should work. When I ran a stock bulb with an LED, it seemed to stay on without overdrawing on the current, and it did not hyperflash. The only problem was the way it looked. The LED only has two "lighting modes"; on and off. It doesn't fade in and out. Because of that, the LED will go on/off while the stock bulb fades in and out like any other bulb. It looks odd because one appears like it is flashing faster, but it isn't. Looked too odd for me and I just went with one bulb for now until I find the time to play with it more.

Sweet! I just placed my order, Ill have to see how it looks with the bumper factory bulbs and the headlight turn signals LED. If it drives me nuts Ill order LEDs for the bumper and add the resistors.

I cant wait for everything to come in!

 

[Krayziekid]

Sweet! I just placed my order, Ill have to see how it looks with the bumper factory bulbs and the headlight turn signals LED. If it drives me nuts Ill order LEDs for the bumper and add the resistors.

I cant wait for everything to come in!

Sweet! Post some pics when you're done! I'd love to see how it turns out. And again, feel free to post here if you have problems or questions.

I thought it would be fine, but after seeing it in action when my dad was driving my car a bit, I couldn't handle it. I thought the difference in blinking was really frustrating and off-putting. But you might like it better, so try it out. Good luck!

 

[SD03LTD4x4]

How is the quality of the Rock Auto Headlights as compared to OEM? I checked and for the 06 Sport Version Projector Headlight assembly it is only $75... pretty reasonably priced.

 

[Krayziekid]

How is the quality of the Rock Auto Headlights as compared to OEM? I checked and for the 06 Sport Version Projector Headlight assembly it is only $75... pretty reasonably priced.

I thought they were great......until I took a closer look. The sealing was basically crap and uneven all around the edges. In one of my assemblies, there was a small, but easily noticeable hairline crack across my projector. In the other assembly, the sealing was so bad that it fogged up within 12 hours. I thought about baking it open, but I said screw that, I shouldn't be shipped a crappy product. Ended up returning them for a full refund. Paid the extra cash and got the OEM ones from Camelbak Toyota. So worth it. The quality was noticeably better. If you have the cash, go with OEM.

 

[LC2013]

I thought they were great......until I took a closer look. The sealing was basically crap and uneven all around the edges. In one of my assemblies, there was a small, but easily noticeable hairline crack across my projector. In the other assembly, the sealing was so bad that it fogged up within 12 hours. I thought about baking it open, but I said screw that, I shouldn't be shipped a crappy product. Ended up returning them for a full refund. Paid the extra cash and got the OEM ones from Camelbak Toyota. So worth it. The quality was noticeably better. If you have the cash, go with OEM.

Didn't even see the adapter part in the thread haha. Thanks for pointing that out!

Would these work?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1XAJ7CRNZBF8402Z7PYM


I would like to use prime shipping, as Im kinda running with one headlight.

 

[Krayziekid]

Didn't even see the adapter part in the thread haha. Thanks for pointing that out!

Would these work?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1XAJ7CRNZBF8402Z7PYM


I would like to use prime shipping, as Im kinda running with one headlight.

Yup, those look like they should work. Good luck on the swap! It really isn't that hard. Just be careful and take your time :bigok:

 

[LC2013]

Yup, those look like they should work. Good luck on the swap! It really isn't that hard. Just be careful and take your time :bigok:

Got em on order!

Did you have any fitment issues with the molding? Mine seems to have some play and not sit flush

 

[Krayziekid]

Got em on order!

Did you have any fitment issues with the molding? Mine seems to have some play and not sit flush

Depends on what you are talking about. Yea there's the gap that occurs with the 06 swap. The grill on the 06 is a bit different than the 03 one, so there is a little triangle gap near the grill. If you are talking about the bottom where it meets the bumper, then no, mine sits very flush. Closer than the picture you have. Don't know what the problem could be. I would check the screws holding down the assembly and make sure the trim piece if properly seated in the housing and on the clip in the bumper.

That might have confused you more than it helped, so let me know if you have further questions.

 

[CRW7096]

Depends on what you are talking about. Yea there's the gap that occurs with the 06 swap. The grill on the 06 is a bit different than the 03 one, so there is a little triangle gap near the grill. If you are talking about the bottom where it meets the bumper, then no, mine sits very flush. Closer than the picture you have. Don't know what the problem could be. I would check the screws holding down the assembly and make sure the trim piece if properly seated in the housing and on the clip in the bumper.

That might have confused you more than it helped, so let me know if you have further questions.

Thinking out loud here, but the gap issue wouldn't be solved by a 2006+ grill, right? Isn't there a difference in how the hood lines up?

 

[HiVel-JR]

Thinking out loud here, but the gap issue wouldn't be solved by a 2006+ grill, right? Isn't there a difference in how the hood lines up?

I just did this headlight swap and created my own wiring. And yes LED bulbs will have to be used, you do not want to create any electric gremlins within your vehicle. They can sometimes be impossible to fix.

With the 06 grill, you got to TRIM, TRIM, TRIM, unless you swap out with a metal bumper. Not to mention the latch bar to release the hood has to grow about 4 inches.

 

[earthrealm]

[MENTION=9463]HiVel-JR[/MENTION] .
your horns!!!!........u gat 4 lined up. what type of horns are those?..guess they sound good, got a link?..need some manly horns for my rav4

 

[HiVel-JR]

The Horns are made by Hella. I bought them online somewhere. The Subaru WRX uses them as OEM.