projectors everywhere! OEM headlights or projectors?

[theizzardking]

so i'm in a bit of a quandary at this point in time, a projector retrofit comes in around $400 for a basic kit and some certifits lenses
stock oem lenses alone are about the same price.......

my current stock lenses have massive holes in them from rock chips and the inside has gotten grimy.....

all i ever hear about anything non-oem lens is the cut off stinks and i kind of think the stock ones look cool with my mil. silver 4runner so if i do the retro-fit i'd like to keep things bright in there, no painting it black for me.....

question is, what would you guys suggest ?
am i wasting my money with the projectors if i'm not using a good housing?

am i just better off getting the oem headlights and doing a h3 upgrade later in life......

i'll just be clear, i'll never get $600 together to do all of this at once and if i did, i'd be getting a rear bumper or something more awesome then some fancy lights...my opinion....i just want good lighting i don't care about colors blue purple ect, i also don;t need to throw more light then the sun itself...just a step up from my silverstar ultra bulbs and i'd be happy...

i've been reading but this isn't my area so the subtleties escape me, or for that matter some of the basics....reason i ask is i want to take advantage of the 25% off code going on if i decide to go that route...i'm already in the process of changing all of my other lenses and bulbs to leds and clear lenses .....

also any pics with a white or silver truck with different color shrouds? thanks a ton guys!

 

[rickashay]

If you have ruined headlight lenses, you will seriously detriment the performance of projectors. BUT, if you get the projectors now and plan on replacing the lenses in the future, it will just suck in the mean-time. I love projectors, (im kind of a headlight freak.... Flickr: Headlight Hookup's Photostream), but they are expensive and if you really dont want the extra light they emit, or the cool looks associated with a retrofit, you may be better off just getting some good PIAA bulbs. This is coming from a guy who retrofits headlights for people.... I just think you need to really consider your needs, and what you hope to achieve from the lights. Most people who I do retrofits for, are dying for way more light output and want to do some crazy headlight painting and other details to make them look unique.

If you click on the link I posted, I did a set of 3rd gen headlights, and painted them all-black. I am also ordering my own parts this week and will post a thread once I start on them.

GL - and feel free to PM me with any questions regarding headlights or retrofits at all...

 

[GottaBeTRD]

your headlight housing wont matter if you get projectors. You can get whatever you want there and it wont effect the output.

let me see if i can find my build thread. there are a ton of pictures of different runners with projectors.

here it is
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/80110-planning-my-projector-retrofit.html

 

[rickashay]

your headlight housing wont matter if you get projectors. You can get whatever you want there and it wont effect the output.

This is not true, actually.

Housings: I have worked with OEM 4Runner housings and NON-oem housings. The Toyota housings are definitely made of higher quality. I have had many issues with non-OEM housings (not just on Toyotas) and the adjuster screws or bowl mounts often have play in them. I am not saying ALL do but... a lot. This "play" in the bowl mounts or adjusters will create an inconsistent mounting point, meaning when you do your test fits to mount the projector and actually go to do the final install, you may find your cutoff no longer lining up. (I had that exact issue on the last 4Runner retrofit I did)

Lenses: As long as the lenses are clean and without abrasion, it shouldn't really matter OEM or not. But as soon as you start to get pitting, fogging, or chips in front of the projector, you will be hurting your light output.

 

[theizzardking]

If you have ruined headlight lenses, you will seriously detriment the performance of projectors. BUT, if you get the projectors now and plan on replacing the lenses in the future, it will just suck in the mean-time.

thanks a ton man! glad you chimed in, i've been reading your posts for the last few days on the subject so it's a great comfort to get your input on this ...and really glad your able to read my ramblings and catch my drift on this, to me it sounds like whatever i decide to do i need to drop the $300 on some stock oem glass and housings, otherwise it's just kind of a waste and i wont see any benefits....in the meantime just get the piaa bulbs, how much better are those then the silver star ultras?

also since you seem to know this sort of thing i want to replace all of my turns and such with leds, from my understanding you can get direct replacements that simply slip into the existing socket right? or am i reading it wrong? and there's a kit that requires cutting and splicing wires? i'd prefer to spend a little extra cash and just get led bulbs and pop them right in the fooling around with heat shrink and making my hack wiring jobs look nice...plus all of the threads im reading start getting complicated to me, so i want it K.I.S.S. i'm a mech guy not an elec guy, you know....and really even if you decide not to respond again, your posts here and the other forums such as expo have been great!! love the rig and mods you've done
:hatsoff:

 

[GottaBeTRD]

i stand corrected lol! sorry i was kinda directing towards the light output (with projectors). As long as your glass is clear its not going to affect the cut off at all right??

I didn't even think of the adjusting part though.

as for your LED's they are plug and play. bulb # 194. VLEDS make some pretty bright ones, i love mine!

 

[rickashay]

i stand corrected lol! sorry i was kinda directing towards the light output. As long as your glass is clear its not going to affect the cut off at all right??

I didn't even think of the adjusting part though.

Sorry, wasn't trying to prove you wrong or anything... I maybe misunderstood the questions and response. No, the housing does not directly affect the light from the projector, just it's alignment. And your spot on about the lens and the cutoff!

 

[theizzardking]

Sorry, wasn't trying to prove you wrong or anything... I maybe misunderstood the questions and response. No, the housing does not directly affect the light from the projector, just it's alignment. And your spot on about the lens and the cutoff!

yeah just a misunderstanding there, both the lens and housing are fubar'd, and i think it was my fault for using housing and lens interchangeably there for a minute....
gottatrd:
thanks for clearing up the led thing for me , i wasn't sure what was going on in those threads, since it's plug and play i don't have to worry about fast blinks and the other problems people are having right?

or do i need to buy this as well.....lighting and audio is not my thing man...:toilet:
TOYOTA ELECTRONIC 4 LED FLASHER BLINKER TURN SIGNAL FIX
or this...
3 OHM 50W 4 BULB LED LOAD EQUALIZER RESISTORS TURN SIGNAL BLINKER FIX WITH MOUNTING PLATES AND COVERS

 

[GottaBeTRD]

oh shoot man sorry i'm straying you at the wrong way too. the 194 bulb is for your corner lights (parking lights) not the signals. For your blinkers you will need 7440's The LED blinker relay that you have linked up there is all you need. you shouldn't need the resistor if you have the relay.

now these are bulb sizes for for the 99 to 02 I think they are the same for previous year trucks but im not 100%

 

[Brett M]

thanks a ton man! glad you chimed in, i've been reading your posts for the last few days on the subject so it's a great comfort to get your input on this ...and really glad your able to read my ramblings and catch my drift on this, to me it sounds like whatever i decide to do i need to drop the $300 on some stock oem glass and housings, otherwise it's just kind of a waste and i wont see any benefits....in the meantime just get the piaa bulbs, how much better are those then the silver star ultras?
:

Here's my take on replacing them with aftermarket housings. I purchased the Depo brand for my '01 and I have no regrets on them at all. The beam cut off is nice and sharp and left to right, they match almost exactly. These are well built and I see nothing "cheap" vs. the originals. My factory housings were pitted, fogged, cracked, etc and did nothing for light. The best part about the Depo parts was that I only paid $110 out the door for both, which included bulbs as well (which I didn't use since I bought Silverstar Ultra's.)

My.02. Hope that helps.

 

[theizzardking]

oh shoot man sorry i'm straying you at the wrong way too. the 194 bulb is for your corner lights (parking lights) not the signals. For your blinkers you will need 7440's The LED blinker relay that you have linked up there is all you need. you shouldn't need the resistor if you have the relay.

now these are bulb sizes for for the 99 to 02 I think they are the same for previous year trucks but im not 100%

I have a 99 so size is good , and you weren't steering me wrong buddy I need both of those anyways and I could have been a bit more clear tbh , lol , thanks a bunch for putting my shopping list together for me haha