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Can you plug and play Halogen to LED headlights?

Discussion in '5th Gen 4Runners (2010-2024)' started by BlindGuyMcSqueezy, Jan 13, 2020.

  1. Jan 13, 2020 at 3:40 PM
    #1
    BlindGuyMcSqueezy

    BlindGuyMcSqueezy [OP] New Member

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    Im new to 4Runners, I have a 2019 4Runner Limited Nightshade edition. The Halogen bulbs are as expected so I am wondering if there are LED bulbs or conversion kits somewhere I could swap the Halogens out with.
     
  2. Jan 13, 2020 at 3:56 PM
    #2
    SlvrSlug

    SlvrSlug Slightly bent.

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    Welcome to the forum.
     
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  3. Jan 13, 2020 at 4:30 PM
    #3
    SlvrSlug

    SlvrSlug Slightly bent.

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    There are several lighting threads in the forum, if you use the search box, here is a thread i pulled.


    https://www.4runners.com/threads/xt...ormance-even-after-upgrade.12026/#post-124683
     
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  4. Jan 13, 2020 at 5:17 PM
    #4
    PVT Pablo

    PVT Pablo

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    HID>LED in my personal opinion for low beams. Xenon Depot sells the best set in my experience.
     
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  5. Jan 16, 2020 at 10:55 AM
    #5
    e_alvarez91

    e_alvarez91 New Member

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    +1, LEDs have less light output comparatively.
     
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  6. Jan 16, 2020 at 11:45 AM
    #6
    2016Pro

    2016Pro Why all of the Pro hate?

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    HIDs for the win
     
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  7. Jan 16, 2020 at 12:27 PM
    #7
    WallyT4R

    WallyT4R New Member

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    Welcome! :thumbsup:
     
  8. Jan 16, 2020 at 2:16 PM
    #8
    mynameistory

    mynameistory New Member

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  9. Jan 16, 2020 at 3:10 PM
    #9
    MattAK

    MattAK Headin' for the hills

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  10. Jan 16, 2020 at 3:19 PM
    #10
    2016Pro

    2016Pro Why all of the Pro hate?

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    HIDs are fine , an awesome upgrade.
     
  11. Jan 17, 2020 at 2:18 PM
    #11
    askdrtodd

    askdrtodd New Member

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    None yet, got it yesterday!
    I have a 2018 and have been running a LED kit for maybe 18 months now, works great and visibility is considerably increased, they look great, and they don't blind people like HID's do. Really happy with them.
     
  12. Jan 17, 2020 at 2:54 PM
    #12
    PVT Pablo

    PVT Pablo

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    Details on which "kit" would be helpful to researchers and prospective buyers
     
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  13. Jan 17, 2020 at 3:02 PM
    #13
    askdrtodd

    askdrtodd New Member

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    None yet, got it yesterday!
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  14. Jan 17, 2020 at 5:40 PM
    #14
    mynameistory

    mynameistory New Member

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  15. Jan 17, 2020 at 5:46 PM
    #15
    4runningMan

    4runningMan New Member

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    Hikari Eyes of Megatron LED’s ($80 Amazon) were the highest performing plug and play LED’s that crashnburn tested on Tacoma World. He does some pretty rigorous performance testing.

    Do note, the Hikari’s have a fan for cooling rather than a passive heatsink.
     
  16. Jan 17, 2020 at 5:48 PM
    #16
    LITOY4Runner

    LITOY4Runner New Member

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    I have morimoto 2.0 2 stroke. To me they are better than OEM halogen and plug and play. The only downside is you can hear the fans spinning when engine is off and lights are still on.
     
  17. Jan 17, 2020 at 8:24 PM
    #17
    2016Pro

    2016Pro Why all of the Pro hate?

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    Incorrect.I never get flashed with my HIDs and they provide much better light than LEDs. You do need to know how to adjust your lights properly.
     
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  18. Jan 17, 2020 at 8:40 PM
    #18
    mynameistory

    mynameistory New Member

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    Eh, not really. Up to 40 feet they are brighter than stock, but after that they lose focus and brightness quickly, eliminating the point of headlights entirely. Take a look at results here:
    https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ctor-headlights.589465/page-106#post-22171352
     
  19. Jan 17, 2020 at 9:35 PM
    #19
    h4yd3n

    h4yd3n New Member

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  20. Jan 18, 2020 at 7:23 AM
    #20
    Ironguy

    Ironguy New Member

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    Great info but I'm really confused now.:crapstorm:
     
  21. Jan 18, 2020 at 8:13 AM
    #21
    PVT Pablo

    PVT Pablo

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    Ya man lighting is tough. I've personally been through I'd say at least five lighting kits and it's just now that I'm happy with it. The kit I finally ended up with was the Xenon Depot kit BUT only after I swapped the OEM bulb gaskets with the Xenon Depot gaskets. Before I did that I didn't like the cutoff and the bulb always seemed loose and bounced. One day I was like hmm, wonder if this'll work and bam, its been my favorite kit so far. The whole industry seems really hit or miss.
     
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  22. Jan 18, 2020 at 11:23 AM
    #22
    h4yd3n

    h4yd3n New Member

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    Basically the 4Runner has a strange sideways housing that inhibits even otherwise excellent LED bulbs by 50% or so. You’re gonna have to accept the fact that even good LEDs are not much better than stock halogen, and that like me, the color of the light is the the reason to go for LED.
     
  23. Jan 18, 2020 at 2:32 PM
    #23
    mynameistory

    mynameistory New Member

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    Most "good" LED bulbs are brighter than halogen but cannot focus and project the light far ahead, making them useless as headlights. It's because they can't shrink the distance between the chips enough to be in the same focal point as a halogen filament. HID drop-in bulbs can emulate a halogen filament better, but come with their own laundry list of problems. You have halogen housings. Use halogen bulbs.
     
  24. Jan 18, 2020 at 8:16 PM
    #24
    2016Pro

    2016Pro Why all of the Pro hate?

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    Or get HIDs and much better light performance
     
  25. Jan 18, 2020 at 10:03 PM
    #25
    mynameistory

    mynameistory New Member

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    Real retrofit HID housings are expensive and/or time consuming to incorporate.

    Drop-in HID kits work fairly well, but have their own problems. For one, halogen housings are designed to provide a small amount of light spill above the cutoff in order to illuminate streetlights. When a Frankenstein HID bulb (which is much brighter) gets installed in a halogen housing, this spilled light can become too bright to oncoming traffic as glare.

    For another, HID lights don't produce much infrared light (heat), so they can't self-clear snow or condensation off of the lenses. For this reason, OEM HID lights are usually heated, or have wiper or washing nozzles to clear the lenses.

    Also, most Frankenstein HID kits come with cheapo Chinese ballasts that burn out randomly. When it does, you have to order and wait for another one to arrive.

    With H9 or performance halogen bulbs, just grab one from any auto parts store.
     
  26. Jan 19, 2020 at 4:03 AM
    #26
    2016Pro

    2016Pro Why all of the Pro hate?

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    We have an acura mdx with OEM HIDs, not heated at all, zero issues.

    I have HIDs in my 4runner, adjusted my lights after installation and zero issues, never get flashed by oncoming traffic.

    My HIDs in the 4runner have a nice sharp cutoff and superb light pattern. I have posted a couple of pictures on here. Lots of bad information you are giving out.
     
  27. Jan 19, 2020 at 8:17 AM
    #27
    mynameistory

    mynameistory New Member

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    No, the information is correct and none of the things you said contradicted it. I said HID kits can work well, but they can have the unintended side effects mentioned above.
     
  28. Jan 19, 2020 at 10:09 AM
    #28
    4runningMan

    4runningMan New Member

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    Another important thing to note... a real “H11 HID”, for example, doesn’t actually exist. No major company makes them (Philips, Osram, Sylvania, etc). Rather, 3rd parties take HID bulbs and mount them onto generic H11 bases.

    I’ve not used a retrofit HID, so I’m making no quality/value judgement. Just providing some additional info.
     
  29. Jan 19, 2020 at 4:28 PM
    #29
    mynameistory

    mynameistory New Member

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    Yes, this is true. Also, a true HID retrofit means that you graft in a real HID projector for correct optics. The kits that people mention here are not retrofits, they are drop-in kits that use the Frankenstein bulb assemblies you mentioned.
     
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  30. Jan 20, 2020 at 8:09 AM
    #30
    Ironguy

    Ironguy New Member

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    Good stuff folks. Any full headlight replacement assemblies available?
     

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