LED or HID Bulb Swap

[ssyota4runner]

Looking for some recommendations for switching to LED’s on 2016 Toyota 4Runner Limited. I want to swap the DRL’s, Low/High beams, Fog, Turn signals(front and rear), Brake and Reverse lights. Looking for much brighter and more white lights for better visibility on and off road. Fog lights, I have considered going amber(complete swap).

I don’t want to swap the entire headlight assembly out, that appears to be pretty expensive.

On the brake lights, lately I have noticed some condensation. With that, it might need to be a complete swap.

A little background. I had a 2012 Toyota Tundra Crew Max where the lights were swapped. The Tundra developed a problem with the locks not working, twice. According to the dealer it was caused by the lights. Can’t remember what the problem ended up being, maybe an actuator. But, the repair ended up to the tune of $1100.00.

All that being said, I don’t think the 4Runner has that issue(hope not).

Are LED’s the way I should go? If so, what type are better than others? Are they plug and play?

Is HID lights an option vs LED.

Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CajunMikeR]

I've got HID low beams, with LED high beams and fogs. I live out in the country, so I wanted a longer throw on my low beams, that's why I went with HIDs... otherwise I would've done all LED.

I went with Xenon Depot Xtreme Pros for the headlights and Xtreme CMB bulbs for the fogs. I also opted for the DRL drivers for the high beams, so I maintain my DRL without hyperflashing or any other issues. There is a slight difference in the light (HIDs are 5000K, LEDs are 5500K) where the low beams appear as pure white light and the highs seem a bit more intense with a very slight blue tint, at least to my eyes. The installation was fairly easy, with most of the time being spent on where to tuck the drivers and wiring.

This was a HUGE improvement over stock. If we're being honest, they should've come this way from the factory.

 

[baldrik78]

LED bulbs and the halogen projectors on the 4Runner are a garbage combination. You get less usable light and generate way more glare for oncoming drivers. Just don't do it.

 

[Pedro367]

LED bulbs and the halogen projectors on the 4Runner are a garbage combination. You get less usable light and generate way more glare for oncoming drivers. Just don't do it.

Nah, I kinda like mine (Lasfit). Haven't been flashed once, actually have way more usable light than the factory bulbs, and haven't sent any oncoming drivers into a fiery death spiral of destruction killing hundreds of innocent woman and children. I'll just keep doing it. I know, how irresponsible right?

 

[srsrogerissrs]

Nah, I kinda like mine (Lasfit). Haven't been flashed once, actually have way more usable light than the factory bulbs, and haven't sent any oncoming drivers into a fiery death spiral of destruction killing hundreds of innocent woman and children. I'll just keep doing it. I know, how irresponsible right?

Post some output pics of these amazing lasfit LEDs.

 

[Pedro367]

Post some output pics of these amazing lasfit LEDs.

Lasfit LEDs - Review

These were from a few weeks ago. First is driving on the Garden State Parkway and the other by my house with my DD Amber Sports on. Yes I know they are crappy cell pics. Yes I know I shouldn't be taking pics while driving. Again, I know there are better lights out there, but for $175 these are worth the price.

 

[Too Stroked]

Lasfit LEDs - Review

These were from a few weeks ago. First is driving on the Garden State Parkway and the other by my house with my DD Amber Sports on. Yes I know they are crappy cell pics. Yes I know I shouldn't be taking pics while driving. Again, I know there are better lights out there, but for $175 these are worth the price.

If I could offer a personal opinion, that's a terrible light pattern. There might be light there, but it's splotchy as hell. Typical for drop in LED bulbs in a housing designed for halogens though. As long as you and oncoming drivers are happy though.

 

[John in NC]

Are those low beams in the pictures or high beams? If low beams I can't believe nobody is flashing you, looks very bright and up in the field of vision of oncoming drivers.

 

[Pedro367]

Are those low beams in the pictures or high beams? If low beams I can't believe nobody is flashing you, looks very bright and up in the field of vision of oncoming drivers.

Lows. I have them aimed properly enough I guess that I don't get flashed. I'm not kidding when I say I haven't been flashed once, so if they are in their face nobody has told me yet.

 

[CajunMikeR]

First pic is the XD Xtreme Pros (HID) low beams in factory housings.

2nd pic is both the lows and XD Xtreme Pros (LED) high beams.

Took a quick pic when going down the road the other morning to compare to just my lightbar (Heise SL32 combo) in the 3rd pic.

 

[Pedro367]

If I could offer a personal opinion, that's a terrible light pattern. There might be light there, but it's splotchy as hell. Typical for drop in LED bulbs in a housing designed for halogens though. As long as you and oncoming drivers are happy though.

Yes, I know they aren't perfect and I know it isn't "right." We're talking about $175 drop in LED bulbs in a halogen projector housing. I think you all are expecting way to much here. These aren't $500 HIDs. My arguments are around that for the money I'm happy with them and they don't seem to be bothering anybody like everyone here says they will.

 

[baldrik78]

Nah, I kinda like mine (Lasfit). Haven't been flashed once, actually have way more usable light than the factory bulbs, and haven't sent any oncoming drivers into a fiery death spiral of destruction killing hundreds of innocent woman and children. I'll just keep doing it. I know, how irresponsible right?

The additional foreground lighting (that on-coming drivers see as glare) fools most people into thinking they have more "usable light."

Your LEDs are almost certainly producing less lux than the stock halogen beyond 40 ft.

Read this and be illuminated.

 

[mrblah]

Nah, I kinda like mine (Lasfit). Haven't been flashed once, actually have way more usable light than the factory bulbs, and haven't sent any oncoming drivers into a fiery death spiral of destruction killing hundreds of innocent woman and children. I'll just keep doing it. I know, how irresponsible right?

ROFL... Don't forget to put a stamp on your door to count on how many victims..er..victories, where you have prevailed against your adversaries.


I also noticed you running bfg Ko2s...thats like double trouble on this forum. You got LED/HID and BFG Ko2..a combo that makes grown men cry and women hide their children.

 

[mrblah]

Looking for some recommendations for switching to LED’s on 2016 Toyota 4Runner Limited. I want to swap the DRL’s, Low/High beams, Fog, Turn signals(front and rear), Brake and Reverse lights. Looking for much brighter and more white lights for better visibility on and off road. Fog lights, I have considered going amber(complete swap).

I don’t want to swap the entire headlight assembly out, that appears to be pretty expensive.

On the brake lights, lately I have noticed some condensation. With that, it might need to be a complete swap.

A little background. I had a 2012 Toyota Tundra Crew Max where the lights were swapped. The Tundra developed a problem with the locks not working, twice. According to the dealer it was caused by the lights. Can’t remember what the problem ended up being, maybe an actuator. But, the repair ended up to the tune of $1100.00.

All that being said, I don’t think the 4Runner has that issue(hope not).

Are LED’s the way I should go? If so, what type are better than others? Are they plug and play?

Is HID lights an option vs LED.

Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LED technology is where all the innovation is that is what direction I would go if I was considering upgrading my lights.

 

[Pedro367]

ROFL... Don't forget to put a stamp on your door to count on how many victims..er..victories, where you have prevailed against your adversaries.


I also noticed you running bfg Ko2s...thats like double trouble on this forum. You got LED/HID and BFG Ko2..a combo that makes grown men cry and women hide their children.

Seriously. I'm honestly surprised I haven't died yet or killed anybody. Reckless behavior!

 

[dezertbomber]

Have ran these for my headlights and fog lights on 3 vehicles for years now. No complaints.

Sale price right now too of $28 plus 10% off coupon on amazon: Amazon.com: HIKARI H11 LED Bulbs, 9600lm, High Lumens LED Conversion Kit, Japanese CSP LED Tech, CANBUS Ready, H9 Halogen Replacement Bulbs, 6000K Cool White, H8 Foglight : Automotive

 

[Too Stroked]

LED technology is where all the innovation is that is what direction I would go if I was considering upgrading my lights.

Speaking as one who has (consistently) come out against "drop in" LED and HID bulbs, believe it or not, I can agree with that statement. On the OEM side, there has been a ton of research, design and development work dedicated to LED lighting systems. (Note the emphasis.) The reason for this is that Light Emitting Diodes are a very different light source. Basically, you have a chip that lights up on its surface. Traditional incandescent bulbs use a filament that gives off an omnidirectional glow. This difference - at the heart of a lighting system - requires very different housings, reflectors and lenses in each system.

On the aftermarket side, 99.9% of the products you see are simply "drop in" bulbs that do a fairly poor job of compensating for the fact that the difference in the light source is a huge hurdle to overcome. And don't let the folks with the marketing hype that they've solved this problem by matching the location of the LEDs with that of an incandescent filament. Although it's partially correct, the LEDs are still facing just two directions where the filament illuminate's in a full 360 degree orb.

Here's another thought. If it were as easy as just dropping a set of $25 Amazon / eBay bulbs in an existing housing to convert to LED lighting, why don't OEMs use this technique? Think of how much it costs to design, test and manufacture a new headlight housing? The savings would be huge. Alas, this technique just doesn't work and that's why they don't do it.

So what of the relatively few manufacturers that do offer complete headlight (and tail light) assemblies to (supposedly) create a proper lighting system as I mentioned above? Well, most of them are more interested in looks / cool features and low price than proper lighting pattern and longevity. The OEMs on the other hand have to worry about compliance with government standards, warranty costs and reputation in addition to good looks. The general result is that the aftermarket lights look cool, but don't perform, comply with standards or last as long as OEM.

When I'm looking to upgrade my lighting, I look for the best systems which are generally offered only by the higher end suppliers. Drop in LEDs in my stuff? Not in the critical areas related to the safety of my family.

 

[2021nightshade4x4]

Speaking as one who has (consistently) come out against "drop in" LED and HID bulbs, believe it or not, I can agree with that statement. On the OEM side, there has been a ton of research, design and development work dedicated to LED lighting systems. (Note the emphasis.) The reason for this is that Light Emitting Diodes are a very different light source. Basically, you have a chip that lights up on its surface. Traditional incandescent bulbs use a filament that gives off an omnidirectional glow. This difference - at the heart of a lighting system - requires very different housings, reflectors and lenses in each system.

On the aftermarket side, 99.9% of the products you see are simply "drop in" bulbs that do a fairly poor job of compensating for the fact that the difference in the light source is a huge hurdle to overcome. And don't let the folks with the marketing hype that they've solved this problem by matching the location of the LEDs with that of an incandescent filament. Although it's partially correct, the LEDs are still facing just two directions where the filament illuminate's in a full 360 degree orb.

Here's another thought. If it were as easy as just dropping a set of $25 Amazon / eBay bulbs in an existing housing to convert to LED lighting, why don't OEMs use this technique? Think of how much it costs to design, test and manufacture a new headlight housing? The savings would be huge. Alas, this technique just doesn't work and that's why they don't do it.

So what of the relatively few manufacturers that do offer complete headlight (and tail light) assemblies to (supposedly) create a proper lighting system as I mentioned above? Well, most of them are more interested in looks / cool features and low price than proper lighting pattern and longevity. The OEMs on the other hand have to worry about compliance with government standards, warranty costs and reputation in addition to good looks. The general result is that the aftermarket lights look cool, but don't perform, comply with standards or last as long as OEM.

When I'm looking to upgrade my lighting, I look for the best systems which are generally offered only by the higher end suppliers. Drop in LEDs in my stuff? Not in the critical areas related to the safety of my family.

Why do you surmise the LEDs for main beams have only a two-sided chip arrangement? Here’s my thought process:

1.) It’s not manufacturing limitations - signal and marker bulbs across several manufacturers offer 360 degree arrangement of chips.

2.) It sure as hell isn’t cost. High end aftermarket LED companies have NO problem charging $150-200 a pair for bulbs ONLY.

3.) Leaves us with the ability to control heat, and diminishing performance returns adding any more LED chips.

Have we considered the beam angle of the specific chips being used in these drop-ins? Would there be any noticeable improvement after completely changing the unit design to accommodate more facets for more chips?

Probably not.

Halogens and xenons, with 360 degrees of light, even in the most efficient reflector housing, lose most of that light. Looking at a reflector housing from the viewpoint of crouching in front of a car, the “ceiling”, the “floor”, and the “window” (lens) of the housing can automatically be written off, because they do not collect light. It is not useful to send direct light in these directions. The only light that should exit the lens of a reflector housing is reflected light. Also the bulb shield, which blocks direct viewing of the filament, does not reflect anything useful back onto the reflector, either.

The three remaining sides and “back wall” of the reflector bowl do all the work. Drop-in LEDs have BETTER light control because they ONLY fire light in directions that will make it to the road surface.

Let me paraphrase all the above - if you have crappy performance from a reputable drop-in LED that is indexed and aimed per instructions, you have crappy headlight housings. Whether it’s in the reflector design (OEM T4R halogen low beams) or an aging cloudy lens, its not the LEDs.

 

[Pedro367]

Alright, so in all of these LED threads about drop in bulbs, etc. I haven't seen many solutions being brought forward. We know LED drop ins aren't ideal. We know Toyota factory LEDs are not ideal. We know the factory halogens suck. We know Alpharex and other new housings suck. We can't just run with lightbars on.

So, aside from the H11 bulb high beam to low beam swap (which to me wasn't going to be an option due to looks alone), what are our options, oh holy lighting nerds? Is HID the only option or are those not ideal either? Are we stuck with halogen crap?

Or, do we call a spade a spade and just let people run what they like and stop overanalyzing everything if what they're running isn't hurting anybody?

 

[baldrik78]

So, aside from the H11 bulb high beam to low beam swap (which to me wasn't going to be an option due to looks alone), what are our options, oh holy lighting nerds? Is HID the only option or are those not ideal either? Are we stuck with halogen crap?

Or, do we call a spade a spade and just let people run what they like and stop overanalyzing everything if what they're running isn't hurting anybody?

Aside from modifying an H9 bulb to fit in our H11 slot, there are a couple of drop-in H11s that are in the same ball park: Tungsram Nighthawk Xenon and Osram Nightbreaker. They don't put out quite as much lux beyond 40ft as the H9, but they are pretty close. They are also whiter, if that is what you're after. There is also the option of retrofitting the stock housing with an LED projector.

People can run whatever they like. Most people don't know that their LED drop-in bulbs aren't as good as the stock halogens. They get fooled into thinking they are better with marketing and all of that extra foreground light. They also don't know that all that foreground light is going to become glare for on-coming drivers. Once they know these things, they can make the choice to A) have less light and be a dick to other drivers or B) try out something else.